I have worked in the energy sector for all my career on the pipes and wires side. At one point I was responsible the design and capital investment program for the National Gas Transmission system originally built to bring natural gas to the UK from the North Sea fields. In the 90s and early 2000s this network was expanded to respond to the "dash for gas" which refers to the significant number of gas fired power stations being built that contributed significantly to carbon emissions by replacing coal fired generation.

The electricity challenge is not just transport but space heating where the peak gas demand is 4-5 times the current peak electricity demand. One of the proposed solutions is to shave the heat load peak by smart control of car batteries, so your car battery will be used to power your house heating at say 6-8 in the morning - oh dear then you have no power to use the car for a while.

The electrification of all our energy needs has major impacts on the electricity infrastructure not only on the network side but also in the home, you may need a bigger cable or a 3 phase supply if you have a high heat pump load to heat your house and several car charging points for your family. So this is why the government is supporting test projects and research into repurposing all the natural gas infrastructure for the distribution of Hydrogen - the big challenge the production using green power. Hydrogen boilers already exist - the pipes to get it to your home already exist it makes economic sense.


Quote Originally Posted by Papalazarou View Post
I think we’ll be dead by the time things really get serious! Check out the Harry’s garage video on YouTube discussing this very topic. It’s really interesting.
Personally I think these things take longer than we think they will. There are well over 30 million cars on the road, and a considerable amount of these cars are driven by people who cannot afford to buy or lease new electric vehicles. We are also lacking an adequate infrastructure. My friends who work at the power station tell me we’d be in a bit of trouble if we all started buying electric. This is hearsay however, but I think they’re right.
I guess the big changes will be driven from the cities where owning your own car will seem untenable in the next ten or so years. You’ll simply hire what you need when you need it. It makes me wonder whether driving will become a thing of the past for many; if you grow up in a city, then go to university in a city how likely are you to want or need to drive. You probably end up working from home anyway.
The classic segment is quite small in comparison to the bulk of vehicles on the road. Rising prices stop us from using them and they have a tiny carbon footprint compared to new electric vehicles. Exactly how much of a carbon footprint can a thirty year old car that does a thousand miles a year have?
With regard to the younger drivers becoming interested in classics. Well, where I live there is quite a lot of interest. It worries me that they are growing up with popularist junk like top gear. I watched half an episode last week. Just shocking painful rubbish. But there is a huge amount of content on youtube and other social media.
Personally I think that the 80’s to mid 90’s was the heyday of cars. They became usable and are still easy to work on. Build quality was better than it is now and cars were stylish. But with every generation that fades away, so another era of cars is eventually lost. If no-one remembers them, or they are too
Difficult to look after. There is little or no incentive to own them.

I think we’ll be ok for a while.

Cheers.