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Electric-car buzz despite dud sales
Date published: 18 January 2012
COUNCIL chiefs remain positive on the future of electric cars — despite meagre UK sales figures.
The Department for Transport has revealed there are fewer electric cars on the roads — 2,149 — in the UK than there are charging points (2,500).
Oldham will soon become a pioneer for the development of the greener form of transport. A new charging hub and showroom in Hollinwood will transform the former Roxy Cinema site into a one-stop shop for electric vehicles — the first of its kind in the country.
Oldham Council agreed a report last month recommending a long-term lease be awarded to the Manchester Electric Car Company (MECC) for the development, scheduled to open this summer.
Five town-centre charging points for drivers to top-up their vehicles are also proposed.
With the Government providing a provision of around £300m to support consumer incentives until the next election and a “plug-in car” grant — up to £5,000, or 25 per cent of the purchase price, the uptake by the public is still extremely low, mainly because electric cars cost up to double that of their normally-powered equivalents.
Although cleaner and cheaper to run than petrol cars —it currently costs only £2 for a 100-mile journey — the range of an electric vehicle with a fully-charged battery which could take up to eight hours to recharge is around 100 miles.
Comments
2,149 out of 30 million registered.Council chiefs have to remain positive in the face of such a joke decision. This technology is decades away from being implemented on anything but a miniscule scale.
This is chicken and egg. There won't be electric cars until there are charging points. There won't be charging points until there are electric cars. The cycle has got to be broken somewhere. Oldham is right to take the initiative.
Well here we go again till electric car are made cheaper and can travel long distances with much faster refuelling they won’t sell. Hydrogen is the way to go.
Hollinwood has been promised many wonderful things for this site all to no avail it now looks like the one good thing that uses electricity at Christmas the Tree may be lost for ever.
@JMTS, it's not chicken & egg at all.Remote chaeging points will have zero impact on sales.It is the cost of the vehicle, range & performance that will dictate uptake.And of course cost of installation of charging points in domestic homes.
@PRoD. I don't disagree that the performance of cars needs to improve before they really take off but they won't do that without power points and they power pints won't develop without cars. It's still chicken and egg.
It is not chicken and egg which is a ludicrous statement because most electric cars will no doubt be charged at the driver's home during the night. Who on earth is going to wait for hours or even half-an-hour at charging points while they top-up the charge! At present we can all fill up with liquid fuel and be on our way within minutes - until electric cars can match that, no matter what the performance, then they will be continue to be little more than a tree huggers dream.
It's exactly the same reasoning why solar power isn't fitted to every home in the country, the costs are prohibitive & the technology isn't there yet to bring those costs down & create mass market demand.
Electric cars will never sell more than the odd few, so this charging area will be a waste of time and money.
Oldham is the first foolish town to buy into the slectric car myth.
Electric cars are VERY expensive,the range they can travel is not enough,resulting in cars left stranded because the batteries are flat,the batteries will cost a fortune to replace eventually,and they are too slow.A waste of money I say!
Have Your Say
Wonder why there aren't many folk taking on electric vehicles. The future is: you go to the 'one stop' Roxy charging centre, leave your car for a few hours, possibly eight hours for a full 100 mile charge, go home on a bus and return later on a bus to collect your car. One stop simply means one LONG stop! Until they sort out this lengthy charging issue electric cars are a waste of time and money. But hey, well done Oldham for being first of the fools.
By Road Rocket @ 18/01/2012 15:30:56