Category Archives: Opinion

Jaguar Land Rover to reuse its car batteries to store national grid power

September 5, 2023Energy Storage, Jaguar Land Rover, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

The UK’s largest carmaker has announced plans to use old car batteries to store energy the national grid can’t use and return it to the network at peak times.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is turning its used car batteries into what it says will be one of the largest energy storage systems in the UK.

Battery storage can be used to hold excess power during off peak times, when there’s a mismatch between supply of electricity (from wind farms, for example), and demand for energy.

That power can then be released and fed back into the grid when needed.

The JLR battery scheme aims to supply enough batteries to power 750 homes for a day, equivalent to 7.5 megawatt hours of energy, by the end of this year.

Electric car batteries can be reused, JLR said, due to the high standards they meet, meaning they can be used again when they fall below the “stringent” requirements of an electric vehicle.

Typically they’re left with 70% to 80% residual capacity.

The batteries will be stored in containers across the Chelveston renewable energy park in Northamptonshire

Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)

And there’s scope to grow the programme as more containers can be created to house additional used batteries from vehicles in the future, JLR said.

Used batteries could be utilised even further in years to come, JLR added.

Used battery supply for energy storage could exceed 200 gigawatt-hours per year by 2030, creating a global value over $30bn (£23.5bn), according to a 2019 McKinsey report.

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Blow for Putin and MBS as oil demand set to slow

August 30, 2023Economy, Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, Electric Taxis, Electric Vans, News, Reviews and Comment, Oil, OpinionRepost

Growth forecasts for global oil demand next year have been downgraded as the post-pandemic recovery stalls just as electric vehicle (EV) use surges.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday that demand will rise by only one million barrels per day (bpd) in 2024, which is 150,000 bpd less than previously forecast.

This will be a blow to both Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is using oil and gas revenues to fund his war in Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose oil profits are driving the country’s economic diversification.

The IEA said: “With the post-pandemic rebound running out of steam, and as lacklustre economic conditions, tighter efficiency standards, and new electric vehicles weigh on use, growth is forecast to slow to 1m bpd in 2024.”

The Paris-based energy watchdog has forecast that 14 million electric vehicles will be sold by the end of 2023, a 35pc surge compared to 2022.

By 2030, it expects EV use will be displacing five million barrels of oil per day.

But for now, world oil demand is still hitting record highs following China’s post-pandemic reopening and a rebound in global air travel.

In June, demand hit an all-time peak of 103m bpd. The IEA said August demand could surpass this level.

The IEA said global oil demand will jump by 2.2m bpd to hit 102.2m bpd in 2022, with China driving more than 70pc of this growth.

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5 things I learned after driving an electric car for a week

August 23, 2023Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, VolvoRepost

The Volvo C40 is the Swedish car brand’s second fully electric vehicle… and it’s a-ma-zing.

There’s no hiding from it, Earth is in a perilous position, its natural resources and fragile ecological balance at risk of being forever destroyed due to humanity’s ongoing toxicity.

Collectively, we all have a responsibility to change how we live – both to give our planet a chance to catch its breath, and for future generations of people, fauna and flora to experience the beauty and magic of the world.

Small things – such as taking your own reusable cup to the coffee shop, buying dried foods and refillable detergent at BYO container shops, opting for second hand where possible – all add up, but there are areas where substantial change is needed.

One of these areas is transport, with electric vehicles (EV) one day expected to become the norm over gas-guzzling petrol counterparts. Volvo was the first established car maker to commit to all-out electrification and aims to sell only pure electric cars by 2030.

To give me a chance to see what EV’s are all about – and to see for myself that they are just as efficient as traditional petrol and diesel powered cars – they generously let me borrow a C40 Recharge for a whole week.

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I ran a Kia EV6 electric car for a week and found it can be rewarding and cheap – but it requires thought

August 21, 2023Electric Cars, EV6, Kia, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

Owning an EV is different and requires a bit of a reset in your thinking – but it really can pay off

Back in January I took a Volvo C40 electric car on a long journey to see how easy it would be and what it would cost. The reaction was much bigger than I expected.

There was plenty of feedback, mostly constructive, which to be honest is quite unusual these days. I even had a few praising emails about it which, in a job where people only generally take the time to get in touch to shout at you about something they don’t like, is incredibly rare, believe me.

There was also some criticism in terms of car choice – I was driving a fairly high-end, powerful, luxury SUV after all – and my own naïveté when it came to the best way to charge it when doing a long motorway drive. So, in short, I learned a lot, both during the experience and afterwards. No doubt that’s probably a feeling that new EV owners have too, because it’s not the same as just buying a new petrol or diesel car.

A few of those who got in touch told me “you should try it in this car, or that car”. So I was certainly keen to do it again.

Kia helped make that happen and arranged for an EV6 for me for a week.

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Electric car running costs: are EVs cheaper to run?

August 18, 2023Charging, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

Electric cars are more expensive to buy than their petrol counterparts, but are they actually cheaper to run? We explain all

One of the biggest appeals of electric cars – other than the inherent environmental benefits – are significantly reduced running costs. Over the last decade, there have been several reports stating EVs are ‘completely free to run’, and others saying that charging them ‘costs half the price of petrol’ – but is this really true?

Ultimately, whether the total cost of ownership (TCO) is lower for an electric car than its petrol or diesel equivalent comes down to a multitude of factors. Here, we’ll crunch the numbers and find out how expensive – or inexpensive – owning an electric car can be.

We’ve decided to use the Vauxhall Astra Electric and its petrol-powered sibling as an example, but all of what we’re about to go through applies for almost every EV on the market. Read on to see how much you could potentially save.

How much do electric cars cost?

It’d be a crime when talking about EVs to ignore the fact that they tend to cost a lot more than their petrol equivalents. Take the Vauxhall Astra Electric, for example which, starting at £39,795, costs roughly £10,000 more than a comparable petrol model.

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OVO customers saved over £1 million in six months with its smart EV tariff

August 17, 2023At Home, Charge Your Car, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, Energy Storage, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

Energy supplier OVO says it has saved customers on its Charge Anytime tariff over £1 million in half a year.

The Charge Anytime tariff uses smart charging to power electric vehicles (EVs) for 10p per kWh at any time of day, saving the average customer £129 per month.

Customers have completed over 5 million kWh of smart charging, which uses an algorithm to automatically shift charging away from peak times, usually between 4-7 pm, to periods when the grid relies on cleaner energy sources.

The 10p per kWh rate is three times cheaper than the national average (30p per kWh) and seven times cheaper than many public charge points. The tariff is powered by Kaluza’s smart technology, which OVO says has resulted in a 67% reduction in charging costs.

One OVO customer who drives over 1,000 miles per month to transport disabled, vulnerable, and elderly individuals to their appointments, is said to have seen their monthly costs drop significantly from over £120 in a petrol car to approximately £40 with her EV and the Charge Anytime program.

Alex Thwaites, director of EV, OVO, said: “It’s incredible to see the impact Charge Anytime is making for people and the planet. By using smart technology to shift EV charging out of peak times when the grid is more reliant on fossil fuels, we’re able to provide greener, cheaper energy for customers.

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Electric car owners celebrate 1 August as it’s when ‘average petrol bills surpass EV charging costs for the calendar year’

August 16, 2023At Home, Charging, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

It’s been estimated that today is when EVs are ‘free to drive’ compared to petrols
Calculation is based on the cost to cover average annual mileage of 7,400 miles

That’s because 1 August marks the date when the cost of filling up a petrol car surpasses the electricity bills to charge an EV for the calendar year, according to one business operating in the EV sector.

It estimates that the average EV owner pays £740 in charging costs per year – and drivers of petrol engine cars will have racked up the same amount in fuel receipts today.

Today is said to be the crossover point when EV owners are ‘driving for free’ compared to those who own petrol cars, says The Electric Car Scheme – a company that helps motorists access government tax incentives for EV salary sacrifice.

It has dubbed 1 August ‘Electric Car Day’ as it ‘underlines just how much more affordable electric cars are, with average EV drivers essentially getting five months of free driving’.

The bold claim comes after it crunched the numbers on annual fuel costs for the average UK driver to travel 7,400 miles a year (the national average in 2019).

The calculation is based on the average price of petrol so far this year (146.26p a litre) and a vehicle returning 38.8mpg, bringing its total annual fuel bill to £1,268.

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Octopus launches salary sacrifice scheme for used EVs

August 15, 2023e-208, Electric Cars, Mookka-e SUV, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, Peugeot, VauxhallRepost

A salary sacrifice scheme for second-hand electric vehicles (EVs) has been launched by Octopus Electric Vehicles.

Octopus’ ‘Nearly New’ salary sacrifice offering aims to make EVs more accessible to the mass market.

Drivers are able to access an electric Renault Zoe, Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Mokka-e for roughly £300 a month, including fuel, insurance and maintenance costs.

The used scheme builds on the salary sacrifice scheme it launched for new EVs in 2021, which is now being used by more than 3,500 companies.

Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, said: “Used cars make up more than four out of five car sales in the UK, and so to reach net zero transport, we need to build a strong second-hand market for electric cars.

Vauxhall-Mokka-eSUV (Image: media.vauxhall.co.uk)

“As with all tech, the early models are expensive but with a growing fleet of second hand cars, you can now run one of these high tech, green, fun cars for half the price of an old school gas guzzler.”

All of the cars on offer are less than two years old and have been fully serviced.

“Leasing for EVs is an attractive option for people looking to go electric, allowing drivers to switch to the latest tech every few years and take advantage of low fuel costs,” continued Howarth.

“Very few of our drivers ever look back, and now going electric is even more affordable, opening it up to more drivers that may not have previously considered it.”

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Investigation: Who’s driving the anti-electric car agenda… and why?

August 14, 2023Buying a new car, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

If you read the newspapers, it’s been hard to miss the negative electric car commentary that has gained plenty of column inches.

A distinct anti-EV agenda has dominated news pages recently – in the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Daily Telegraph – but is the rhetoric justified?

The negative media coverage of electric vehicles was led by a week-long series of articles in the Daily Mail.

It included front pages with headlines including ‘Put Brakes On Damaging 2030 Petrol Car Ban’ and ‘Proof Politicians Are Out Of Touch On Electric Cars’.

Even yesterday the Mail ran an article about why ‘electric cars are not as green as you think’.

The coverage has led some to question the motivations behind the papers’ headlines, with EV lobby group Fair Charge UK’s spokesman Quentin Willson describing it as ‘an incredible tirade’ and openly questioning what had triggered such ‘relentless negativity’.

In a series of exclusive interviews for this article, Car Dealer spoke to protagonists from all sides to ascertain their motivations.

Ray Massey, Daily Mail motoring editor, pointed Car Dealer to an editorial column he had written explaining his position when asked for comment.

He wrote: “The government’s blind insistence on banning new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 – and all hybrids by 2035 – is nothing short of bonkers.

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ELECTRIC CARS – CLIMATE SAVIOURS OR ECO-VILLAINS?

August 7, 2023Buying a new car, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, PollutionRepost

As electric car sales skyrocket, there are some tough questions to answer, writes Danny Chivers.

Owning an electric car could double your chances of getting a date.

This eye-catching claim – from car dealers Big Motoring World – gives a sense of the buzz around electric vehicles (EVs) right now. And whether or not they can ignite your love life, EVs are definitely on the rise.

Global sales of fossil-fuelled cars have been falling since 2017 – down from 86 million to 69 million in 2022. In contrast, electric car sales increased by 60 per cent in 2022 and are projected to rise further in 2023 to conquer almost 20 per cent of the global car market.

Battery electric cars are now outselling diesel cars in the UK, and make up 26 per cent of all car sales in China.

But is this definitely good news for the planet? What about all the extra mining needed for electric vehicles, and the increased electricity demand? Aren’t we meant to be switching to buses, trains and bikes, rather than building more cars?

Ultimately, is there a risk that by electrifying the car market, we’re just swapping one set of problems for another?

ARE ELECTRIC CARS THE LEAST WORST OPTION?

In a direct comparison, a battery-powered car is definitely better for the planet than a fossil-fuelled one.

We’re not just talking about cleaner air and less noise pollution in cities; internal combustion engines are highly inefficient, wasting over 70 per cent of the energy in the fuel.

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