Tesla

Jeffo

We all know the story but there is no point in creating another flamer thread on this subject with rants and exaggerated facts coming from both sides.

There are some indisputable facts we can build a discussion about:

1) Electric cars are here to stay regardless of whether they guarantee you direct entry to heaven or are a politically correct Greenie rort.

2) They are a physical thing that requires facilities and those facilities must be paid for.

3) While transitioning from petrol to electric or hydrogen power governments must maintain the balance between income and expenditure as the user base changes. It is no use charging the old users more and more because one day there will be 3 people left using petrol cars paying for the entire Australian road system.

4) Right now we are behind addressing the revenue required from electric car users. We must do something fairly drastic right now about charging them their share. After all, within a relatively few years they will make up the entire user group and the revenue must come from them if we are to continue to have roads to drive on.

Let us get a system in place right now. Esoteric arguments about savings to the climate are all very well but roads cost more than a million dollars per kilometre paid for in cold hard cash and the ones who should pay are those people with wheels on them plus a general contribution from the public purse for non-car owners for the trucks that use them on their behalf.

Lang

Ddint I notice a news item about SA introducing a tax on electric cars?.............I do know what will happen ,though......an extra tax federally will be introduced for all vehicles ,to cover the revenue lost by electrics..............VIC too now....2.4c/km?.......about 1/2 the fuel tax on conventional getting 10km/l...ie 4.5c/km.

Why should the government pay for charging stations? They don’t pay for petrol stations.

Overnite

I think this is something we are going to have to take on the chin.

The inevitability of electric cars and the zero carbon targets, regardless of what many people think of the credibility of the reasons, require a pro-active plan to encourage a smooth and efficient take-up. The power companies (or more likely the current oil companies who will transition) will eventually develop a profitable marketing and distribution system and commercially sustainable public charging points will spring up with no government assistance.

Of course, the power companies are laughing all the way to the bank and making nice little profits from electricity, produced by coal at present but also transitioning to greener sources. The provision of public charging points is not profitable at present and government subsidization is necessary to provide a network to cater for the transition to electric vehicles. I am sure they will withdraw in favor of commercial ownership as electric cars become main stream.

We have got to learn the lessons from the past and remember the man walking in front with a red flag to nobble the insane 15 mph speeds of motor vehicles and the outrageous expenditure on sealing roads for these unnecessary speedsters. Then there was the disgraceful restriction here in Australia prohibiting trucks from carrying freight and charging them untenable taxes to protect an inefficient railway system - all in our lifetime.

The whole reason for an electric car fleet may well be based on a false premise but the horse has bolted . If governments are going to legislate to produce that outcome, which they are and will continue to do, it is their greatest responsibility to see that the transition occurs as smoothly and efficiently as possible to avoid disruption and indeed total breakdown of the transport system. Many commercially inefficient aspects of society are subsidised by our taxes for the greater good, little is more important than a smooth running transport system.

Lang

Lang, but my point being if the electricity providers are selling their product, shouldn’t they be providing the retail outlets at their expense?

Yes that will come.

The bigger picture is that charging stations are not yet commercially viable because of a small customer base. The power companies are there solely to make a profit. That is profit for everybody - have a look where your superannuation funds get their 10% increase year on year.

On the other hand our government, in fact nearly every world government, is on a non-reversible path to electric motoring. They see this as the future. To achieve the change they can not expect people to spend more (most people don't have the "vision") nor can they force companies into loss-making ventures. The only way is to create the capacity in the embryonic period in a controlled and organised manner which in a very few years will transition from a mendicant operation into a main stream business with all the normal pressures of supply and demand.

Regardless of views on the rights and wrongs of these carbon reduction measures the die is cast and we better bloody well get things standardised and on a path to self-funding right from the start. I hate government interference in so many areas but this unstoppable change is greater than any since the invention of the motor car. If we have to spend our taxes to make it work and some people get a free ride during the process so be it. We can not let it turn into a dog's breakfast.

Lang

Guess n
all the electrical car makers will combine & set up charging stations
then later pubs n clubs & @ work will also add sum charg n stations
and all the above cums @ a cost to make it woth while

Please Mr Moderator dun go n shut this thread down like last time we mention elec vehicles
tis 2 do with transport
and the very early vehicles 100 years ago were electric

cya

Overnite, I agree with you 100% .

Swishy, I reckon you're on the Money with Shopping centres, Pub , Motel, club & workplace Carparks having charging stations.

Here in N.S.W. the N.R.M.A. have a network of Free(for members) charging Stations.. www.mynrma.com.au/cars-and-driving/electric-vehicles

My personal Opinion is that Hybrids will be far more Popular than Plug in Cars for many years to Come !!

.
.What will we do about our favorite exhaust notes .................??????????
Maybe a built in sterio system with dialup notes via head phones or what ever. ..........
(I bags the Jimmy with Jakes melody ) ..............
.................Billy...................

I doubt that electrickery car makers or power suppliers will get together.

I think that we will see charging stations either:-
1. Set up to charge one brand of car, similar to oil company owned fuel stations now (I don't call them service stations because they do not give any service)
or
2. Make you pay a fee, separate to the charge for the power, to use 'em just like "foreign" (that is, not owned by your bank) ATM's.

Lang and other articulate types, there is no point in telling us, tell the politicians!