Electric regret: Almost half of Australian and US EV owners want to go back to a combustion engine (and many in the UK already have)

MKinsey Survey

By Jo Nova

EV Mandated Revolution hits a hurdle

EV Bubble

The first buyers of EV’s were their most passionate fans, and presumably the people-most-likely to love them, and in the best position to use them. Yet, when surveyed, 49% of Australians who owned an EV and 46% in the US said they want to go back to an internal combustion engine for their next car.

And the US and Australia are two nations where nearly everyone has a home-garage or driveway which makes EV ownership a bit easier (as long as the house doesn’t catch fire). Yet even with this cheaper and easier form of charging half the EV owners don’t want another one.

McKinsey & Co surveyed 30,000 people in 15 countries and were said to be surprised at the result.

Almost half of U.S. electric car owners want to switch back to gas-powered cars, survey shows

Brad Matthews, The Washington Times

Nearly half of American owners of electric cars want to switch back to traditional cars powered by internal combustion engines, according to a consumer survey released by McKinsey and Co. earlier this month.

They had their reasons (boy did they have their reasons):

Among the owners surveyed who are planning to switch back, 35% cited the lack of charging infrastructure, 34% said the costs were too high, 32% said planning long driving trips was too difficult, 24% said they could not currently charge at home, 21% said worrying about charging was too stressful and 13% said they did not enjoy how the cars felt while driving.

Only 9% of drivers across all countries surveyed said that current charging infrastructure was sufficient to meet their needs. While some electric car drivers want to switch back, 38% of internal combustion car drivers surveyed said they are considering buying a battery-powered or plug-in hybrid electric car as their next vehicle.

EV owners survey

“I didn’t expect that. I thought, ’Once an EV buyer, always an EV buyer,’” Philipp Kampshoff, the leader of the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility, told Automotive News.

Since the McKinsey Centre for Future Mobility has a mission to help people “transform” the way they move, we would assume this survey was designed to show the more promising side of EV ownership.

The average EV owner planning to trade in for another EV around the world was 29%, so presumably there are some countries where EV’s are slightly less awful. Though that is not apparently in the British Isles. Actual trade-in statistics in the UK suggest the reality might be worse.

‘Why I ditched my Tesla for a 12-year-old petrol car’

By Joe Wright, The Telegraph

“Car dealership chain Motorpoint Group said the majority of electric vehicle (EV) owners who sold their car in the last year didn’t buy another one – opting instead for a petrol, diesel or hybrid model.”

Statistics from Motorpoint show that only 30pc of EV owners part-exchanging their car in the past year chose to buy another electric car, with 36pc opting for petrol, 11pc diesel and 23pc hybrid.

Martin Bamford, a Tesla owner for four years, is one of the many electric car owners to switch back to combustion power in recent months. Despite driving a mostly trouble-free 34,000 miles, he suffered “instances of extreme range anxiety” and is ditching the zero-emission motor in favour of a 12-year-old Mini Cooper.

How much longer can the saviours of the world keep trying to force this dead-horse “transition” upon us?

The car manufacturers surely realize they are being forced into a financial dead end.

 

9.8 out of 10 based on 106 ratings

81 comments to Electric regret: Almost half of Australian and US EV owners want to go back to a combustion engine (and many in the UK already have)

  • #
    DevonshireDozer

    I’d expect to see this being used by our masters to justify gazillions more quids/dollars/euros being wasted on “infrastructure”.

    They’ll call it ‘investment’, but we all know it’s just ‘spending’.

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  • #
    Phillip Bratby

    Markets pick winners. Governments pick what is left, i.e.losers.

    540

    • #
      Lawrie

      So true Phillip. For God’s sake get governments out of our lives. The last decent project that a government did in Australia was the building of the original Snowy. There is some decent infrastructure such as bridges and freeways/tollways but the latter are a result of far too many immigrants coming too quickly and a total lack of decentralisation, both government failures.

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    • #
      David Maddison

      If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.

      Milton Friedman

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    • #
      James

      Like John Cains Victorian Economic Development Corporation.

      20

  • #
    Mike Smith

    EV’s probably do have a future.

    But they are most certainly not an attractive proposition for most people today.

    Let’s just stop with the silly subsidies and mandates.

    If and when EV’s are really for prime time, the market will lap ’em up.

    Automobiles and their gas stations didn’t need massive subsidies. Neither did computers, smartphones, refrigerators, digital cameras etc.

    570

  • #
    David Maddison

    Aa Australia always follows the bad ideas of others, I’m sure the lack of public charging infrastructure will be addressed by throwing more taxpayer dollars at it, as they already are. Yet another “green” subsidy.

    E.g.:

    https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/grants/destination-charging-across-victoria-program

    https://www.energy.gov.au/rebates/electric-vehicle-charger-grant

    https://www.dcceew.gov.au/energy/transport/driving-the-nation-fund

    EVs are usually promoted by vegan soy latte sipping beta males who mostly never leave their inner-city enclaves to appreciate nature, the great outdoors or to travel any significant distance.

    In a large, low population country like Australia it’s not feasible to have charging stations everywhere you might want to go apart from suburban areas or popular intercity routes.

    But they don’t care about that which is why they also promote the free range jails known as “15 minute cities” or in Australia rebranded as “20 minute neighbourhoods”.

    https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/guides-and-resources/strategies-and-initiatives/20-minute-neighbourhoods

    https://intelligence.weforum.org/monitor/latest-knowledge/8d496bec33e74bd9b0e0eaf99b9a1f8f

    Apart from all that, as Australia continues to shut down its power stations, and nuclear is likely an absolute minimum of ten years (but more likely never), where is the electricity to charge all these EVs going to come from?

    Ultimately, the Left have always hated the personal freedom afforded to non-Elites by the private motor vehicle. EVs provide the means of them to control that freedom. With EVs they can pull the plug (literally) at any time.

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    • #
      RicDre

      “… I’m sure the lack of public charging infrastructure will be addressed by throwing more taxpayer dollars at it …”

      If Australia does that, let’s hope it is more effective that the Biden administration in the US:

      Biden’s $7.5 billion investment in EV charging has only produced 7 stations in two years

      President Biden has long vowed to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations in the United States by 2030. Those stations, the White House said, would help Americans feel confident purchasing and driving electric cars, and help the country cut carbon pollution.

      But now, more than two years after Congress allocated $7.5 billion to help build out those stations, only 7 EV charging stations are operational across four states.

      https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-s-75-billion-investment-in-ev-charging-has-only-produced-7-stations-in-two-years/ar-BB1kI8y7

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      • #
        yarpos

        I did a quick guesstimate on this program and its appears they need to install about 250 chargers per day, every day, from now until 2030 to achieve this goal. This is with State and Federal Governments and large electricity suppliers , and charger manufacturers all working in perfect harmony off course.

        60

  • #
    Penguinite

    “A financial dead end” sums it up nicely! That coupled with the fact that we are never going to meet 2030, 2035 or 2050 Co2 targets

    230

    • #
      TdeF

      You really have to think that no one is serious. Besides, there is no direct problem with carbon ’emissions’.
      There is an alleged problem with carbon dioxide levels and there is no evidence that emissions contribute to carbon dioxide levels.

      And it is quite nuts to think that Australia which has so little CO2 output that breathing of the extra 7 billion people on the planet since 1900 is greater than our entire output.

      How also does going back to 2005 make any sense? There was an alleged major problem in 2005!

      120

  • #
    JB

    It seems the internal combustion engine age (Ice-age) is not yet over.

    210

  • #
    Peter C

    extreme range anxiety

    Surprisingly perhaps I am familiar with the phenomenon, even though I was driving a petrol car. The reason that I sometimes got very low on fuel was that my V12 Jag had two petrol tanks, which could be selected by a switch on the dashboard.
    Generally I would fill both tanks, drive from one tank until it was half full, then switch to the other and run it to near empty. Then I would switch back to the first tank and fill up at the next opportunity.
    That usually worked well unless I forgot which tank I was on and found that both tanks were near empty. Even when driving in the most economical way the V12 did not go very far on a litre of petrol.
    In the country a lot of petrol stations close on a Sunday night!

    250

  • #
    Neville

    I would never buy a toxic EV and I now drive an ICE SUV that is a few years old and gets me where I want to go and no fuss and filled up in about 5 minutes.
    I also know a bloke who owns a toxic EV and he’s not happy and dreads the thought of expensive battery replacement costs in a couple of years.

    320

  • #
    Ross

    I’ve seen this twice now in the past month. A Tesla in the left hand lane doing 90 on the 110 km/hr Western Highway in Victoria. Windows fogged up with condensation. After first time , thought that was odd. Then realized later it was a vehicle low on charge and the occupants saving power by slower speed with the climate control turned off. Obviously a big dose of range anxiety until they could find the next charging station. Why bother with all that stress, it’s just a car after all. Gets you from A to B.

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    • #
      Dennis

      I live in the country and travel regularly, you have described what I often observe.

      For me to visit family in Sydney is a 3.5 hour drive each way, my diesel SUV can do that and return without refuelling and including suburban driving while there.

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    • #
      David Maddison

      And windows wound up to reduce aerodynamic drag to further save battery charge.

      140

    • #
      ozfred

      it’s just a car after all. Gets you from A to B.
      Well for those of us who live outside of the regional cities/towns, just a car will not suffice. And actually neither will an SUV.
      Among the more mundane issues is that there is no “wheelie bin” pick up. And if you wish to a) have one b) dispose of it properly you need to transport it to the local shire “tip”.
      And the 4wd ute comes in handy for hauling other “things”

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    • #
      yarpos

      I don’t often see EVs doing the speed limit on the open road. Something like 10-15k under is more typical. Things seem to pick up a bit once you are closer than 200klm to Melbourne.

      50

  • #
    Honk R Smith

    I almost got one of the EVaccines.
    But they didn’t have much range and needed more inconvenient recharge boosters than I was comfortable with.

    So I’m sticking with my old internal natural immunity.
    It has lots of miles on it, but I don’t get as much life range anxiety.

    I also do my own maintenance and repairs.
    The pro shops seem untrustworthy and I notice many of my friends come back worse off than when they went in.

    270

  • #
  • #
    Uber

    Martin Bamford is a man who makes bad car choices.

    20

  • #
    david

    Peter C
    My 1972 XJ V12 Jag had two problems which forced me to sell after a few years.

    1. replacing water hoses was a nightmare. From memory about 30 of them, all tucked in behind other engine bits. Very long thin fingers were required! And about 2 days work (for me).

    2. Global warming (or was it global cooling then?) must have played a part for the engine overheated especially in summer months. Radiator too small. Once on a trip between Canberra and Sydney the battery exploded in 100 deg temps on Xmas eve whilst I was topping up the radiator.

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    • #
      Peter C

      The Jaguar V12 was quite reliable.
      Yes engine repairs could be expensive but I would not do an engine swap for an LS.
      Then it is not a Jaguar anymore.
      Might as well swap the whole car.

      50

      • #
        Yarpos

        My V8 Jaguar still feels quite Jaguary, with lovely handling and good brakes. Does get boring sometimes though just turning the key and having it start.

        40

    • #
      Peter C

      Sorry, that reply was to David Maddison,
      Yes agree that the Jag V12 cooling was marginal. The radiator should have been large enough but they had a curious way of dividing the coolant flow through the radiator.

      Other problems I had were:
      Air conditioner needed regassing every year and it did not cool the cabin all that well,
      I had to replace the mufflers quite often
      The rear drive shaft oil seals failed a few times. Apparently they got hit due to the onboard rear disc brakes.

      40

      • #
        Ronin

        Just enough cooling for a pommy summer ( the same as our winter).

        40

      • #
        TdeF

        We still have a V12 BMW, 850i. Great car. Revolutionary. Now 32 years old. The biggest problem was the Green stuff. Like the catalyctic converter which blocked up. Fuel economy is terrible, but who cares? Lots of niggly problems. Needs a real mechanic not a parts jockey. The biggest problem for exotic cars is always the distributor. No, not the spark distributor. The attitude is that if you can afford such a car, you must be a mug. I think the same will apply to electric cars. Especially virtue signallers.

        70

  • #
    CO2 Lover

    How many private EV owners in Australia have two cars – one and EV and the second an ICE.

    How many private EV owners in Australia have off-street parking in a home garage?

    The problems of owning an EV are greatly reduced if the EV is only used for short local trips such as taking the kids to school and local shopping with the EV being recharged at night in the garage. The ICE car being used for longer trips.

    If an EV is your only car then it would be a real pain to own, espacially if you do not have a home garage.

    There needs to be a more detailed analysis of these aspects.

    100

  • #
    John Hultquist

    Not mentioned – or did I miss it – is the resale value, or lack thereof. Consider the issues of trade-ins, resale, leases, and the availability of (now) lower cost entries. A used-car market has been a characteristic of standard cars and trucks ever since ol’Shep was a pup.
    These aspects are going to become important during the next 3 to 5 years.

    180

  • #
    Ross

    Had an interesting conversation with the Harvey Norman vacuum cleaner sales lady (HNVCSL) the other day. I know, sounds trite, but wait for it! I had professed my disappointment to the HNVCSL regarding a Dyson vacuum cleaner bought years ago. Mostly how the operation time was quite low. She replied that most people dont know how to charge their lithium battery appliances. That, in fact, you should wait for the battery to cool before charging as that is more efficient and less damaging to the battery. Which seems relevant to BPV’s like Teslas etc in that when recharging you should pull into the charge station, wait a certain time for the battery pack to cool THEN charge. Whereas, due to time limitations, the opposite occurs. Years ago when BPV’s were first being developed there was that Australian company who wanted to establish battery exchange stations. You pull in, swap out the old flat battery for a new charged battery back and get on your way relatively quickly. That cool battery charging makes sense to me and now I can see why those battery exchange stations should have been implemented. Because, although I would never buy a BPV at the moment I might in future. I’ve got at least a dozen Ryobi 18V tools at the moment and they are really convenient when you have charged 2nd batteries ready to go. In fact, I might even buy a battery lawn mower next time around. Particularly those with 2x18V battery inserts. The same method should apply to cars.

    72

    • #
      David Maddison

      Battery swapping has been tried and failed. An Israeli company Better Place https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Place_%28company%29?wprov=sfla1 pioneered that idea for cars in modern times.

      Founded in 2007, bankrupt 2013.

      It failed due to the huge required investment for battery swap stations plus the need for special cars designed for standardised swappable batteries.

      And usable batteries are very large, they are integrated into the shape of the car. It’s difficult to see how a large enough battery with decent range to be usable in a place like Australia could be made in the form factor of an easily swappable battery. It’s not like swapping a power tool battery.

      It would be OK for local swapping trips but that isn’t an issue for normal EVs and is what they’re best for.

      It’s the same fundamental problem as with charging stations but much, much worse.

      150

    • #
      Dave in the States

      I have a couple of Lb powered drills. Now that they are 8+ years old, the batteries no longer, or barely, work, even with an overnight full charge.

      80

    • #
      Penguinite

      I have the same problem with my battery powered hand tools. I stop work while they cool down but by the time they are ready to recharge I need recharging. Ah well there’s always tomorrow!

      110

    • #
      CO2 Lover

      I have one of these and they only cost around $250 with two batteries and charger included. Giantz Lawn Mower Cordless Electric Lawnmower Lithium 40V Battery Powered Catch

      30

      • #
        Peter C

        But does it actually cut grass, especially if the grass has grown a bit long.
        My issue with battery tools in general is that they lack power compared to petrol powered ones.

        My MTX pole hedge trimmer is a good example. It will actually cut a hedge whereas the battery powered hedge trimmer is pretty well useless.

        50

    • #

      Ross mentions this:

      She replied that most people don’t know how to charge their lithium battery appliances.

      This is absolutely correct.

      The very nature of Lithium Batteries is that they ‘deliver’ right to absolutely flat.

      So ….. run the appliance at full whack right up till the battery goes flat. Then leave it overnight, and recharge starting the following morning.

      The battery in the appliance will last considerably longer. Also, I’m @n@l, in that I don’t believe the ‘blurb’ in the manufacturers guideline instructions. I always keep an eye on the ‘unit’ whilst it is charging watching the green light flashing. When the green light stops flashing and stays fully lit, hence fully charged, then I immediately turn it off and disconnect from the charger. No such thing with me here as leaving it on charge overnight. I watch it from turn charger on till fully charged. Also, don’t leave it on the charger all the time.

      If you (say) half run down the battery whilst using the battery vacuum, and then charge it up, and then the next time you use the vacuum, using half the power again, and then charging up ….. etc etc, then what effectively happens is that the battery itself then ‘thinks’ that the half charged state at end of use is flat, so you have (over time) lost half of the battery life, thus dramatically shortening the life of the battery.

      I know it sounds weird, but as an electrician trained in battery technology, it is a known fact.

      So ….. run it flat ….. let it cool ….. watch it charge ….. disconnect when fully charged ….. rinse and repeat.

      The battery will last until ‘she who must be obeyed’ asks for a new one after ten years.

      Personally, I have a Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, the top of the range Battery vacuum cleaner.

      My wonderful dearly departed Barbara, who now sits on my shoulder while I do the vacuuming, and says ….. why wasn’t this around when I was still with you?

      Tony.

      120

      • #
        TdeF

        And as I have learned from a previous conversation here, be careful if you replace the battery. Some lack a battery management system and if a cell fails, overcharging can cause a fire. Which is why Tony recommends turning the charging off. A neighbour lost his house to a Dyson fire, but I now think he has used a dodgy replacement battery with no BMS. If one cell fails, the others overcharge massively when the whole thing should shut down. Never leave things on charge when they are charged. Also if they never charge, you have a real problem and fire risk.

        60

    • #
      Gerry, England

      And how long has it taken battery tool manufacturers to standardise on a battery just for their own products? In the past I have chucked away perfectly good drills because the battery was no longer available or more expensive than just buying a new drill. But I would still only have a battery drill and use electric for everything else and that includes having hammer drills.

      20

  • #
    Neville

    Let’s face it EVs are an expensive toxic con job ,just like super expensive toxic W & S and yet our lying Labor and Greens parties are never held to account by the CSIRO or most of the MSM etc.
    Their ABC even admitted W & S + batteries will cost us trillions of $ and Bloomberg’s experts said it would cost Aussies about 2 trillion $ and the world at least 200 + trillion $ to reach so called net zero.
    Yet we also know W & S capacity factors are a terrible 30% and 15% and both only have about 15 to 20 years before the toxic mess has to be relaced.
    Meanwhile Nuclear is very safe and is much cheaper and generates 24/7/365 and no problems with storms or big hail wipeouts or fires or frosts or clouds or no winds for days etc.
    So why don’t the MSM, CSIRO and other so called scientists etc tell us the truth about super expensive toxic, W & S?

    160

    • #
      Dennis

      No new land needed, or new electricity transmission grid (second).

      50

    • #
      TdeF

      Why don’t the CSIRO speak out on any science matters? They hide. Or confirm whatever their political masters require. At the top of every organization are the political types. Science is irrelevant. Possibly the worst is the Chief Scientist who would not get the job if he didn’t agree with the government of the day. And the 35,000 strong Science union which came out in favor of The Voice. Led by an ex Age journalist who had previously campaigned for the Uluru statement.

      Australia does not need public service scientists. They have no motivation. And plan their retirement from the day they start.

      120

  • #
    David Maddison

    Australian Government policy aa part of WEF/UN “compact cities” and deliberately lowering our standard of living, is forcing everyone into apartments, the smaller the better.

    Thus, cars, while we’re still allowed to own them or they are affordable for non-Elites, will be parked and charged in underground parking.

    As soon as one or two EVs catch fire in underground parking that will change things, although I’m not sure how.

    80

  • #
    Dave in the States

    EV Mandated Revolution hits a hurdle

    Another hurdle? Just a hurdle?

    A bit delusional don’t ya think.

    40

    • #
      Penguinite

      Agree DFTS I reckon they’re for the high jump (off the nearest cliff along with the political clowns that force this crap on us)

      40

  • #
    ianl

    Nonetheless, as has been said here a number of times previously, the lack of sales to the general public is more a spur to govt clampdown on ICE to force EV sales.

    See:

    https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2024/06/25/vauxhall-owner-threatens-to-close-uk-car-factories/

    Threatening to close factories, job losses etc here is not good news. Vauxhall is blackmailing the (any) UK Govt into forcing people to buy its’ hopelessly overstocked EV’s by (you guessed it) clobbering ICE in as many ways as can be thought of.

    Pointless suggesting that doing this will cause loss of votes. No decision will be announced till after the UK election, due shortly. Once elected, MP’s and Govts do what they want, as we know from many lifetimes experience.

    80

    • #
      Dave in the States

      That is no different than the attitude of any of tyrannical regime. It’s like the entire western society has become East Germany 35 years after the Wall came down. It’s not the freedom that so many sacrificed their lives for.

      20

  • #
    Neville

    Here’s a question i’ve put to ignorant Greens voters a few times….. “why do you want to destroy our land and sea environments and waste trillions of $ and achieve nothing”?
    Most just stare at you and some younger, delusional types respond with venom but no facts or data.
    I tell them the facts about the Aussie cost of trillions of $ from their ABC and Bloomberg and also tell them the real facts about W / 30% and S/ 15% capacity factors.
    Again they can’t answer and I finish by explaining that Nuclear is easily the safest Base- Load energy and has a capacity factor of 93% and lasts for 80 years.
    Some young delusional Greens get very hostile , but some also ask where I found the data? I tell them where to find it and promise them it can be found online in just a few minutes.
    IOW they just need to quickly search for the truth and save themselves from following Labor and the Greens BS and fraud and stop wallowing in their ignorance.

    80

  • #
    Dennis

    Agenda 21 – Sustainability including government public lands and forests converted to UN registered National Parks & Wildlife areas …. for future generations

    40

  • #
    Old Goat

    I wonder if the idiots promoting and selling EV’s and Li ion batteries in general will ever get “charged” with fraud ? I would have thought the legal profession would have fired up on that…

    101

  • #
    John Connor II

    1 litre of petrol in the EU could rise to $4USD ($6AUD) by 2026

    https://youtu.be/DNkBa2sdcfg?si=cBMn0RsO5Bv1QUQR

    You think you have until 2030 or 2032 by the time that happens? Nope.

    I might have to explain my 2028 target date before long.😎

    30

    • #
      yarpos

      please do, the punters are agog with anticipation

      30

      • #
        KP

        Nah, we know all these seers quietly move the armageddon date further and further out, then when something happens they say “See, I predicted this 5years ago..”

        NOAA were predicting more hurricanes this year with higher intensities, although the clown did manage to mention it was part of the climate changing and not actually say ‘global warming’.

        I’d say the sooner we buy Russian fuel from India the better, the Yanks are going to build a new railway of European gauge into Ukraine so they can rail weapons straight in from Poland without trans-shipping between gauges. So you can see full-scale war with NATO coming up, and the USA won’t worry about saving fuel for us, Biden has already emptied the strategic reserve trying to keep prices down, and some clown in Canberra paid for 6months of fuel in there.

        Actually John, Russia might be running the Euro by then and fuel will be cheaper than it is now!

        50

    • #
      another ian

      Or maybe not –

      “Visualizing Saudi Aramco’s Massive Oil Reserves”

      “Saudi Aramco controls 259 billion barrels worth of oil and gas reserves, which is unmatched by any other company globally. This is a key factor in the company’s massive $1.8 trillion valuation.”

      More at

      https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-saudi-aramcos-massive-oil-reserves/

      10

  • #
    Alan B

    The premise that Nuclear generation with a capacity factor of 92% 24/7, is simply ridiculous, when you consider that the comparison is against something which might produce at a capacity factor of 15 to 35% when the wind blows or sun shines.
    The reasons are the renewables require that don’t produce power, and rather are energy users.
    To start with, with the low capacity factors of renewables, the name plate generating capacity will need an overbuild of 3 to 5 times to produce the same amount.
    Then you have cost of 10s of thousands of kilometers of new transmission lines which may lose up to 1% of the input energy for every 100KM of line.
    Then to hold the power from the overbuilt generation to store for the 85% to 65% of time there is no generation, we require billions of dollar’s worth of batteries or pumped hydro.
    Just to be clear these are energy users, not energy producers. The energy stored in pumped hydro or batteries is what is left over from the work done by the input energy, of which 20% may be used to leave 80% available to put back to the transmission lines, to be lost at 1% per 100km to it’s destination.
    Other outlays of cost likely not taken into account are the bulldozing and maintenance for thousands KM of roads to Wind towers, or clearing of hundreds of square KMs of land for Solar arrays.
    Nuclear should be able to be placed close to where the power is needed, to reduce Transmisson loss, and will take a miniscule area compared to Wind or Solar. A 1 Gigawatt Nuclear plant will output 920 Megawatts of power 24/7 on average and will operate off, mostly existing transmission infrastructure, providing energy industry can rely on.

    40

  • #
    Alan B

    The premise that Nuclear generation is expensive, with a capacity factor of 92% 24/7, is simply ridiculous, when you consider that the comparison is against something which might produce at a capacity factor of 15 to 35% when the wind blows or sun shines.
    The reasons are the renewables require items of infrastructure which produces no power, and rather are energy users.
    To start with, with the low capacity factors of renewables, the name plate generating capacity will need an overbuild of 3 to 5 times to produce the same amount.
    Then you have the cost of 10s of thousands of kilometers of new transmission lines which may lose up to 1% of the input energy for every 100KM of line.
    Then to hold the power from the overbuilt generation to store for the 85% to 65% of time there is no generation, we require billions of dollar’s worth of batteries or pumped hydro.
    Just to be clear these are energy users, not energy producers. The energy stored in pumped hydro or batteries is what is left over from the work done by the input energy, of which 20% may be used to leave 80% available to put back to the transmission lines, to be lost at 1% per 100km to it’s destination.
    Other outlays of cost likely not taken into account are the bulldozing and maintenance for thousands KM of roads to Wind towers, or clearing of hundreds of square KMs of land for Solar arrays.
    Nuclear should be able to be placed close to where the power is needed, to reduce Transmisson loss, and will take a miniscule area compared to Wind or Solar. A 1 Gigawatt Nuclear plant will output 920 Megawatts of power 24/7 on average and will operate off, mostly existing transmission infrastructure, providing energy industry can rely on.

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  • #
    MeAgain

    Not that I support EVs but am sick of Big Four ‘data driven insights’ crap

    How many car owners in general (regardless of the source of motion) are happy with the car they have purchased after a 12-18 month period?

    Survey could just reflect that car builders are becoming increasingly crap (with support of Big 4 consultancy and audit)?

    20

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    Gerry, England

    Let’s face it, the battery car problems are never going to be resolved. Increase the charge points and you might tempt more buyers that then takes you back to a shortage of charge points. Charging can’t match topping up your tank in not much more than 5 minutes and so there will always be a time and capacity problem. The grids will not be able to deliver enough power to charge the batteries. The batteries will not become cheaper and so neither will the cost of the cars and that is added to buy the other materials such as copper, neodymium etc.

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