Come i veicoli elettrici potrebbero essere parte della risposta alle preoccupazioni sulle riserve di carburante del Regno Unito
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/28/how-evs-could-be-part-of-answer-to-uk-fuel-reserve-worries?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
di topotaul
11 commenti
There’s a massive difference between now and 2022, as soon as the prices started rising there was panic buying. There are a lot more EVs on the road today and it’s still very easy to get petrol even though the prices has spiked almost 20% in a month
When I bought an EV and started charging at home my dad gave me the approved talking point of ‘what if there’s a power cut?’.
‘When was the last time there was a long power cut and when was the last time the petrol supply got hit?’
EVs are now a quarter of new car sales, plug in hybrids another 10%. The UK fleet on the road is 5% EV. These are probably driven more than other vehicles for the per mile savings, and high mileage drivers like commuters and taxi drivers can now access long range EVs for £10-15k, compared to £1-2k fuel savings per year.
Given all that we’re probably already taking 5-10% out of car oil demand, and that’s going to ramp up very quickly.
EVs will also play a big role in moving around electricity demand which will be very important for the grid. In theory for the first time ever we could have a grid with zero dispatchable fossil fuel plants, we could have a nuclear baseload and use EVs to shape the demand curve so we don’t need gas peakers in the morning and evening peaks.
New cars are also coming out with 8-20 minute charge times, which will remove the issue over access to home chargers.
The big outstanding problem is that because industrial electricity is so expensive, public charging is inherently expensive in Britain. A combination of short sightedness and ironically, naive green policies have increased electricity costs which will hold back both EV and heat pump adoption.
We need to do more to extend on street AC chargers in residential areas, which will be able to access cheap off peak electricity. The more we build that out, the easier it is for people to charge their cars, and the more that the EV fleet can buffer electricity demand.
And we probably need to do more to surface cheap off peak electricity as a result of feast and famine intermittent supply to public chargers. So essentially when people see the wind blowing in the trees outside their flat they think ‘I could charge up my car now and save £20’. It’s not ideal though for people to have to change their behaviour around the vehicle in that way.
It’s a great argument against the climate change deniers, it shifts reliance away from middle eastern fuel supplies, although many of those assholes wanted to join Trump at the beginning of the war, funny how they’ve gone quiet.
Wait a minute, are you saying moving away from fossil fuels and developing homegrown renewable infrastructure not only improves our air and water quality and slows climate change, but also reduces our dependency on evil petro states?? Why if only we knew this 50 years ago !
Tesco was out of fuel yesterday apart from 99 momentum, it was like i had my own private fuel station. Loved it.
Very funny seeing this after a few weeks ago there were all the headlines about how there’s a massive U-turn on EVs and how they’re all collapsing despite sales increasing every month.
Good article from the guardian here on comments about it:
[https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/21/west-carmakers-retreat-electric-vehicle-risks-irrelevance-iran-war-evs-china](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/21/west-carmakers-retreat-electric-vehicle-risks-irrelevance-iran-war-evs-china)
FT articles:
March 22nd: [Global carmakers retreat en masse from electric vehicle plans](https://www.ft.com/content/1198863d-4974-4c4d-be5f-9e7152045b26?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
March 27th: [Oil market chaos will supercharge the electric car shift](https://www.ft.com/content/f9f58e28-0ce4-4640-8813-0abc31e466c5?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
It’s hardly earth shattering is it ?
More EVs. Less oil.
The biggest barrier still is the charging issue. They’re great if you have a drive way, but when a good chunk of the population still live in terraces they’re just not that great. Sure you can go to charging stations but they cost a fortune.
I guess also the fact that a lot of these EV companies like Tesla HATE DIY maintainance as well, so you’re reliant on getting them fixed with proprietary parts that are usually so over priced you might as well just buy a whole new car. In this I think there needs to be a big push for Right to Repair.
Well then, Starmer will have to make more trips to Bejing
I’m not sure everyone buying up E-cars is going to be the solution, they are still cars & cause congestion, they still need a place to be stored. With many households now spanning generations due to high housing costs (separate issue), living on cramped terraced streets & owning multiple vehicles, yeah good luck.
Along with sorting out public transport, cycling ought to looked into. The oil crisis of the 70’s was a major push for the Netherlands to pursue bicycles as a method of transport. [Given that 70% of trips are under 5 miles](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-travel-survey-2024/nts-2024-mode-share-and-multi-modal-trips), with the right leadership & infrastructure investment, **this trip length** could be a huge cost, carbon, health & time benefit for country.
[Hell, cycling for transport was seriously considered during the 70’s oil crisis in the UK as well.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_VB7O8OgLwY)
This part is for the British exceptionalism enthusiasts:
-Cycling for shorter journeys & using other methods for longer ones is what a lot of people in the Netherlands already do. I’m not expecting people to cycle from Basidon to London! Directly translating to fuel, depreciation & maintenance savings for an individual who also drives.
-Gears & these new fangled electric bicycles have been invented, negating nearly all hills.
-Water proof clothing such as [overtrousers](https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/100-city-cycling-rain-overtrousers-with-built-in-shoe-covers-black/169380/c382m8402040) have been invented. Also I can assure you it rains all the time in the Netherlands as well.
-[Pannier racks & bags](https://carradice.co.uk/products/super-c-a4-pannier?variant=48514924446023&country=GB¤cy=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOoqdk7MKXF_I1tgr6qAKITccyBjZ90nueNWMK_KgyXmKFjTJqD2KE94) can easily carry ~30kg, many are also water resistant. I can fit my weekly shop in a pair.
-Cargo bikes can be used to transport more goods in urban areas, as they already are in many cities in Europe. Increasingly in London too.
-Cargo bikes are frequently used to transport kids in the Netherlands, so could also help out families.Or for moving larger things.
-The modern safety bicycle (i.e. every “normal” looking bike) was literally invented in Coventry!