Paris Forum - all new UK vehicles to be ZeroEmission by 2050

[gmvoltguy]

Wow - when I first read this I was amazed.
The UK wants all their vehicles to be zero-emissions by 2050!

Now it makes sense why Chevrolet / Opel are pushing so hard with their electric vehicle offerings!

Full article here: http://www.theweek.co.uk/67605/paris-conference-all-new-uk-cars-to-be-zero-emissions-by-2050

 

[Aidan]

That is a pretty incredible goal but the way technology is changing so quickly in this area I don't doubt it will happen

 

[Beetle]

I think 2050 is a pretty late goal for "new cars all EV", it sounds like predicting "by 2015 all new
computer screens are non-CRT" in 2000. My guess is, the transition goes faster.

 

[Aidan]

That would also make sense why fuel cell vehicles are bigger in the news lately

 

[new2evs]

The USA has some huge goals in this area as Obama is a big supporter of no emissions

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Yeah, but the US has a history of completely changing things with a new president. Obama's days are numbered; we'll see who our next president is and whether he/she will continue to support EVs, clean energy, and the like.

 

[Aidan]

Does anyone think this might push fuel cell vehicles into the market faster?

 

[WetEV]

Does anyone think this might push fuel cell vehicles into the market faster?

Not really.

I'd expect hydrogen fuel cells to be mostly used for special cases, not for general personal transportation. Like aviation. Perhaps long haul trucking. Perhaps luxury cars. Perhaps farming or mining equipment. And static fuel cells might be used as part of an energy storage system.

Too expensive, both in components (in the car and in the fueling stations) and in the hydrogen fuel.

Less convenient for most people. Once you get used to driving a BEV, fueled almost completely in your garage, home or work parking space, the thought of going to a hydrogen or gasoline station will be less than desirable.

 

[Breezy]

Does anyone think this might push fuel cell vehicles into the market faster?

I'd expect hydrogen fuel cells to be mostly used for special cases, not for general personal transportation. Like aviation. Perhaps long haul trucking. Perhaps luxury cars. Perhaps farming or mining equipment. And static fuel cells might be used as part of an energy storage system.

Agree. Fuel cells have a role to play, but not in personal transportation. I understand that some automakers are hung up on the refueling time advantage of H2, but there comes a point where DC fast charging is "fast enough" that it's no longer a deal breaker for most people. I think 350 kW is that point.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Does anyone think this might push fuel cell vehicles into the market faster?

I'd expect hydrogen fuel cells to be mostly used for special cases, not for general personal transportation. Like aviation. Perhaps long haul trucking. Perhaps luxury cars. Perhaps farming or mining equipment. And static fuel cells might be used as part of an energy storage system.

Agree. Fuel cells have a role to play, but not in personal transportation. I understand that some automakers are hung up on the refueling time advantage of H2, but there comes a point where DC fast charging is "fast enough" that it's no longer a deal breaker for most people. I think 350 kW is that point.

Agreed, just not necessarily on the rate necessary. If we assume that an EV can go 3 miles / kWh from the wall (after charging losses, etc), 350kW is roughly 175 miles for a 10-minute charge. I know that people think they need that, but the truth is, I don't think it's necessary. IMHO, the tipping point is more like 200kW. That's 175 miles for a 17.5 minute charge. Given than you don't have to stand by the "pump" while your car is charging, the extra 7.5 minutes are hardly going to be noticed. So every 2.5 hours of driving, you have to stop for less than 20 minutes. Yes, it's slightly more than a gas car, but in reality not much different from most long trips anyway.

The trouble is getting people over the hump - if they don't think it is good enough, they won't try it. And if they don't try it, they won't know that it's good enough. Ultimately, you are probably closer to right than I am, given human psychology and not actual needs/uses.

And of course, the DC charge rate is only part of the equation. A DC charge rate of 800kW is useless if you can't find a charger when and where you need it! So who currently installs and maintains these chargers? No one outside of Tesla has figured out how to do so profitably. On the other hand, state and federal governments are starting to pay for hydrogen fueling stations. At least for now. My hope is that the Bolt will provide enough of a user base for someone to make a profit on public DC charging, but that has yet to be seen.

 

[Aidan]

As always the answer to my question was knowledgable n helpful to me. Love this forum for that reason. Thx