As drivers, where do we go from here? We like to think we’re reasonably responsible when it comes to environmental issues. We’re aware of how some routines and habits can be terribly detrimental to our environment. We’re actually quite pro-active, having recently added solar power to our house. We’ve also upgraded to a much more efficient boiler. (just before our government told us to switch to hugely expensive heat pump alternatives) There’s huge pressure for us all to go green and to rush out to buy our brand new electric car in order to do our bit. But, there are some things in our way at the moment when it comes to deciding to go electric:
Getting There
Our daughter and two of our grandchildren live at the opposite end of the country – a 540 mile drive from us. This means that getting there in a day, as we often do currently, will be a distant dream. We’ve already witnessed queues for the chargers at the motorway service stations. This is even before widescale adoption of electric cars happens. What on earth will it be like when, say, 50% of the population switch. It’ll be a nightmare! HUGE changes in infrastructure need to happen for this to work. And will the national grid have the capacity to deal with such huge scale adoption of electric vehicles? Time will tell, I’m sure.
Cost!
We simply can’t afford a brand new electric vehicle now. As the economies of scale dictate, the more people buy them, the less expensive they become. That could be a while off yet though. We’ll have to stick to used car sales showrooms for now. Also, does the planet really have sufficient natural resources to make the staggering number of batteries that will be required to power these vehicles? Will governments be ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’?
With all the above in mind, we will definitely be going down the used car route when we next change. There has actually been a huge rise in the number of us buying used cars since the COVID pandemic hit us.
Used Cars Better For The Wallet
Many of us have suffered financially during lockdown and are still feeling the financial effects now. Choosing to buy a second-hand car makes perfect sense. The initial cost is lower, obviously which in turn means being able to make improvements elsewhere. But the environmental benefits are notable too. This has partly driven the recent surge in used car sales.
Lower Carbon Footprint On Used Cars
If you think about it, it’s just another form of recycling. Your old used car is being effectively ‘passed on’ to another owner. The car manufacturers produce fewer new cars and so less energy and resources are used. Used car sales mean that your new car doesn’t need to travel from Germany to The UK so there’s a lower carbon footprint. Neither does your new car need to travel in a massive car transporter from Manchester to Brighton (for example) when it can be picked up from a Brighton Used Cars Shop. It means that we, as customers, don’t need to travel great distances to find and buy our car.
We All Need to Save Our Planet.
We’re all for helping to save our planet. We’re also realists. We know that without GLOBAL and universal participation, none of what we are being told to do will have much, if any, effect. It’s all well and good being told by our (not just UK) governments to do this and do that at great cost to us, while they still continue to sanction hugely damaging policies and projects.
