Photo: Blomst on Pixabay
Ah, fossil fuel. Coal was first used to generate electricity for households and factories in the 1880s, but the combustible rock is now regarded as one of the biggest polluters in the world. The eco-friendly people have also waged war on gasoline and diesel, and this gets us to the fossil fuel phase-out strategy of the UK.
Even though coal-fired power stations will be closed by 2024, gas-fired stations will continue to provide electricity to the United Kingdom. As for the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines, the original plan was to ban them in 2040.
The Guardian reports that Boris Johnson and the government are “poised to bring forward the ban to 2030 to help speed up the rollout of electric vehicles,” but there’s a problem with that. In fact, there are two problems worth highlighting.
Think about the EV charging infrastructure of the United Kingdom. A lot of money needs to be invested in this domain, and any potential expansion needs to handle any further expansion as more and more EVs will hit British roads. As for the second issue, how much electric energy does the UK produce and use?
The British government claims that “electricity generation was 325 TWh” while “total electricity demand was 346 TWh” last year, which should paint a clear picture of what has to be done as soon as possible. Demand will grow as a result of more electric vehicles spending more time at charging stations, meaning that the UK has to make a decision for the transition from ICE to EV to be as seamless as possible.
But wait, there’s more! Boris Johnson and his peeps suggest that 2030 is a better idea than 2040 for the fossil fuel phase-out for new cars because it would trigger “a green economic recovery from the health crisis.” Pardon my French, but that is wishful thinking in terms of macro- and micro-level variables of the economy.
Whatever the future holds for the automobile in the United Kingdom, the minister for clean energy has made it clear that “a net-zero carbon economy" will be possible "by 2050.” According to the cited publication, an official announcement regarding both policies will be made this autumn.
The Guardian reports that Boris Johnson and the government are “poised to bring forward the ban to 2030 to help speed up the rollout of electric vehicles,” but there’s a problem with that. In fact, there are two problems worth highlighting.
Think about the EV charging infrastructure of the United Kingdom. A lot of money needs to be invested in this domain, and any potential expansion needs to handle any further expansion as more and more EVs will hit British roads. As for the second issue, how much electric energy does the UK produce and use?
The British government claims that “electricity generation was 325 TWh” while “total electricity demand was 346 TWh” last year, which should paint a clear picture of what has to be done as soon as possible. Demand will grow as a result of more electric vehicles spending more time at charging stations, meaning that the UK has to make a decision for the transition from ICE to EV to be as seamless as possible.
But wait, there’s more! Boris Johnson and his peeps suggest that 2030 is a better idea than 2040 for the fossil fuel phase-out for new cars because it would trigger “a green economic recovery from the health crisis.” Pardon my French, but that is wishful thinking in terms of macro- and micro-level variables of the economy.
Whatever the future holds for the automobile in the United Kingdom, the minister for clean energy has made it clear that “a net-zero carbon economy" will be possible "by 2050.” According to the cited publication, an official announcement regarding both policies will be made this autumn.
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