National media showed images of owners pushing dead EVs around charging stations and waiting for hours to try to charge their vehicle.
via CFACT
May 16, 2024 at 09:54AM
Month: May 2024
By Paul Homewood
Told you so!!
Car salesmen face a shortage of petrol vehicles under Rishi Sunak’s net zero crackdown, one of Britain’s biggest dealership chains has warned.
Vertu Motors said sales of electric cars had “stalled” in the UK, raising the risk that manufacturers will miss sales targets mandated by law.
Under the zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate, 22pc of carmakers’ sales must be electric this year with the target rising annually until it reaches 80pc in 2030.
There is some wiggle room, with carmakers able to trade carbon credits.
But with manufacturers risking fines of £15,000 per car for breaching the rules, Vertu warned that many might simply throttle supplies of petrol and diesel cars to artificially boost their compliance.
Robert Forrester, the company’s chief executive, said: “The issue you’ve got is fleet demand for battery electric vehicles is very strong due to tax incentives, but retail demand [among private consumers] is weak.
“So if you can’t grow the battery electric vehicles to hit the percentage, the logical thing to do is to reduce the petrol and diesel supply.
“If you choke off petrol and diesel supply, then clearly I think prices probably will go up and actually used car prices definitely will go up.
“But also, I’m at a dealership in North Shields in North Tyneside right now, and we could get to the situation where somebody walks through the door wanting to buy a petrol car and we might not be able to supply one.”
In April, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed electric vehicles represented 16.9pc of the market. The industry group forecasts EVs will take a 19.8pc share in 2024 overall.
Mr Forrester’s warning echoes remarks by bosses from Ford and Vauxhall owner Stellantis in recent weeks, who criticised the Government for imposing ZEV mandate targets that appeared to be ahead of consumer demand.
Both Ford and Stellantis have warned they could restrict car sales to the UK if they are at risk of breaching the rules.
As well as causing problems for manufacturers, the ZEV Mandate is going to cost motor dealers a lot of money too. Lower car volumes will mean lower profits and cash flow problems.
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
May 16, 2024 at 09:08AM
By Paul Homewood
h/t Paul Kolk
Smart water meters must be made compulsory across all households to protect the UK against climate change, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has warned.
The government agency is urging ministers to ramp up the rollout of devices, as it claims water supplies were becoming one of the country’s biggest challenges.
Without smart water meters, the NIC said the UK is at heightened risk of drought.
In its latest report, NIC officials said water companies should have the power to compel all homes to accept smart meters as part of a “concerted campaign to reduce water demand”.
The UK used about 10bn litres of water a day in 1960 but that has since risen to around 15bn.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/05/16/force-smart-meters-households-risk-water-shortages/
Meanwhile, back in the real world:
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
May 16, 2024 at 08:54AM
Iowa Climate Science Education 