Why base the title of today's entry upon Philip K Dick's epic Sci-Fi novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep"? Well as we recall, this was turned into the legendary Sci-Fi cult movie "Blade Runner". The common denominator here is Science Fiction itself.
Dickhead supremo Gordon Brown has unveiled plans to encourage motorists to buy electric or hybrid cars. Yes, the man who puts the "Down" into Downing Street has a "Green Strategy" that will encourage motorists to invest in electrically powered motor vehicles with subsidies of up to £5000 being offered to motorists if they decide to go the hybrid or electrically powered car route. The Brown government have also committed £20,000,000 to invest in charging points for electric cars.
Labour Party business wordmonger Lord Mandelson said: "When people see the electric car - the speed, the lack of noise - they are going to fall in love with it." So, we're being encouraged to look at electric or hybrid powered cars. Well as ambitious as this government's plan is we need to look at the bigger picture first.
There are two main players in the UK hybrid car market. Toyota (who own Lexus) and Honda. Their offerings are petrol powered cars that automatically click over to electric mode when running in a suburban area. Clever stuff indeed, but these are still predominantly petrol (not eco friendlier diesel) powered vehicles that contain a shed load of batteries to power the oh-so-green electric motors at lower speeds. The incredibly ugly Toyota Prius is punted as being the most technologically advanced hybrid on the planet.
The current (3rd generation) Prius is packed with 168 Panasonic Prismatic batteries which weigh just over a kilogram each, or close on 170Kgs of batteries. So what happens when these cars reach the end of their life, whether it be due to an accident or ideally it outlived its use? Now we have 170Kgs of not so eco friendly batteries to dispose of. Even worse, what happens if one of these hybrids should get stolen and burnt by yobs, or perhaps catch on fire in a residential area? Rest assured the acrid and toxic fumes of 168Kgs worth of burning cells aren't going to do the population or environment any good. The car will be doused with water in order to bring the flames under control and all those lovely toxins will be absorbed into the ground to piss mother nature off just a little bit more. Pure electric cars may contain more cells due to the lack of a hybrid design, just making disposal or fire a little more interesting.
Another area of the puzzle is the charging time. Hybrids are predominantly fossil fuel powered cars that basically take care of their own cell charging and switch back to fuel should the batteries run low or when they reach faster speeds. The 100% electrically powered cars do have some impressive claimed range per charge. Let's look at the Mini E , which I am quoting as it's the closest all electric offering to a real family car. it is claimed by BMW the manufacturer that the Mini E can do in excess off 150 miles per charge. I have to ask if these claimed figures include the kids and luggage in the back of the car too? I doubt it to be honest. The Mini E has an 8 hour charge time. If the "Eco Family" of four want to go on holiday with the Mini E, they need to undertake an 8 hour stopover en route if the journey exceeds 150 odd miles. Realistically a family of four in a Mini E estate would probably also use a roof box to house the luggage as the Mini E may be the biggest 100% electrically operated car on offer, but it's still a small car by any standard. Would the claimed range of 150 miles per charge be achieved? I doubt it.
So, in Brown's green utopia with electric cars and a whopping £20M worth of charging points scattered across the isle of Britain, I also need to ask if the electricity provided to recharge the "Eco Family's" Mini E is free? Would I be skeptical saying I foresee lines of electric cars awaiting charging at the motorway Services as I do believe that recharging batteries takes more than a little longer than it does to fill a 45-60 litre fuel tank via the nozzle.
Another thing that worries me is the "quiet" credential that hybrid and electric vehicle advocates seem to be pushing. I've almost been hit by a Prius in the B&Q car park because I didn't hear the fucking thing. Rest assured if it was petrol/diesel powered I would have, but these things have what I can only term as "Audio Stealth"
This may appease the owner/driver but I foresee more pets, pedestrians and kids especially, being put at risk by this "quiet technology". Remember most vehicle/pedestrian incidents take place in residential areas where electric and hybrid cars will be running silently. Perhaps they should play an engine sound (in MP3 format) to warn pedestrians?
It seems that New Labour are going to use this new green approach to woe voters over the their leftist box on the Ballot Paper. Sadly the envirocrats and tree huggers will be dazed by this message of hope and greeness and vote for these idiots in the blind belief that we'll make the world a better place. Well Mr Brown you could find a cure for cancer, be the architect behind nuclear disarmament and even turn out to be Christ Himself, I wouldn't vote for you anyway.
As androids dream of electric sheep, it seems that New Labour dream of electric cars, not to save the environment or make commuters less reliant on fossil fuels, but solely to save New Labour's asses by wooing the conscientious voters through the green haze of deception. Those same voters who believe that the appliance white wind farms that ruin our scenic countryside are the answer and also believe that anyone who owns or drives a 4x4 is public enemy no. 1
Conclusion
It's been calculated that the United Kingdom contributes about 2% of the world's carbon emissions, however we are the most highly taxed nation on the planet when it comes to environmental matters. All air tickets are taxed on their "carbon footprint", 4x4 owners are targeted with unreasonable road tax costs and we are forced to recycle and if we do not, the New Labour controlled Councils send spies to look in our dustbins to make sure we're recycling and face a fine if we're not allowing ourselves to be forced into doing this.
Sadly China commissions a coal fueled power station every week, in fact the Chinese government intend on switching on approximately 56 of these power stations in 2009. This is the real issue, the developing nations like China and India are poisoning the planet. Our elected governments say and do nothing about this as we depend on the low cost manufactured goods that these counties produce for the Western World.
The United States and Russia are no angels either, but they're seeing the bigger picture and make serious concessions and efforts in reducing industrial carbon outputs.
Ironically the UK's New Labour government will overlook their trade allies' shoddy records when it comes to pollution and pick on the hard pressed UK taxpayer, while at the exact same time blinding us with the promise of greener cities with the promotion of super quiet and eco friendly battery powered and hybrid cars.
Gordon Brown doesn't think we're all stupid, he knows the majority of us are and he'll take advantage of that.
/rant = over
Well said sir!
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