I’m an unreconstructed petrolhead and an EV is never going to be on my radar. When it’s time to sell my current car, I’ll almost certainly go the classic car route rather than go electric. I think the inherent problems with owning EVs will turn the tide against them. The government will ban the sale of petrol-driven cars in 2030, but that only applies to new cars. I predict that 2028/29 will be bumper years for new car sales as people rush to snap up the last petrol cars being made and, from then on, used car salesmen are going to be in for a bonanza as others trade up to those last petrol cars - or else, do as I’ll probably do, and go classic.
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Not always the case foxy, they carry very large powebanks that can jumpstart EVs
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Not necessary since drivers like myself have a small power bank on board that does the job in no time.
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Yes, fossil fuel will be available for cars registered before a certain date, just modern enough to be reliable and, just old enough to be a design masterpiece, this thought occurred to me about 10 years ago when I bought this.beauty
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I imagine in time they will catch up Primus.
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A big welcome to the forum Andrew…and thanks for your post.
Like you, I will never consider an Electric Vehicle unless it’s a disabled buggy… 
The problem with electric vehicles will always be the batteries, so until they can figure out how to produce electricity for mobile transport without lugging around thousands of 3.7volt cells wired together, either in series (to produce a decent voltage) or in parallel (to give it some amps) and be prone to short circuits which are catastrophic 
I’ll stick to petrol or diesel.
I have always loved the British optimism that drives them to buy open top cars in such damp, miserable climate.
Two of my cousins always bought Morgan cars but one of them now has an open F type Jag (I think it is an F type but that could be wrong). One of them also named his son Morgan!
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Don’t think its about optimism or the weather Bruce, a rag top would be a nightmare to live with on a daily basis, its about occasions like visiting the seaside, if you visited every day, it would no longer be an occasion. A good dry garage and a break in the miserable climate = an occasion.
Also, its an asset, if ever a person gets fed up with the occasion, the item can be sold for the next person to have their occasions.
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Here you go
ancements in new materials like silicon and solid-state batteries, faster charging speeds, longer lifespan, increased energy density, and enhanced safety. Companies are developing next-generation batteries with features like ultra-fast charging capabilities, improved thermal management systems, and new designs that could allow for a much longer range. Additionally, research into battery recycling and alternative chemistries, such as sodium-ion batteries, aims to make EVs more sustainable and cost-effective.
Improvements in performance and capabilities
- Faster charging: Innovations like carbon nanotube electrodes, silicon anodes, and 800-volt architectures are enabling charging times that are significantly shorter.
- Increased energy density: New battery designs that increase the proportion of active materials, like the 24M Technologies’ electrode-to-pack (ETOP) method, could potentially double the energy density and allow for a 1,000-mile range.
- Longer lifespan: New technologies are extending the life of batteries. For example, some new batteries can handle thousands of full charge cycles while maintaining a high percentage of their original capacity.
- Enhanced safety: Researchers are developing new materials and designs to improve safety. For instance, a study on solid-state batteries identified and provided solutions to mechanisms that cause them to fail.
Advances in new materials and chemistries
- Solid-state batteries: These batteries hold the potential for a major step-change in range, safety, and performance, though overcoming the failure mechanisms is still an area of active research.
- Silicon and niobium-tungsten oxide: Some newer batteries are using materials like silicon and niobium-tungsten oxide to improve performance and address issues with traditional lithium-ion batteries.
- Alternative chemistries: Researchers are developing other battery chemistries, such as sodium-ion, lithium-sulphur, and iron-air, which could help reduce the reliance on critical minerals.
Sustainability and the future
- Battery recycling: Companies are making progress in recycling battery components to recover materials like lithium and cobalt, which can be used to create new batteries.
- Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): Future batteries may be designed to work with bi-directional charging capabilities, allowing EVs to act as mobile power banks to help stabilize the electricity grid.
- Structural batteries: Researchers are exploring ways to make batteries that can also serve as structural components of the vehicle to reduce weight and increase efficiency.
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I’m sure it’s like mobile phone tech. 40 years ago they were bricks that were expensive and gave you a headache. In 40 years I’m sure EVs will be everywhere and the batteries will be tiny. That’s if we are still allowed to drive. They will probably all be self driving and programmed to only go to permitted areas.
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I have noticed that these cars are mostly not in daily use. It’s nearly always older men who drive them when the weather is good. The cars look as if they are well looked after under cover during winter and damp times.
Edit: They certainly had a lot of opportunity in the summer just gone. It was hot and sunny for months 
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Your right mart, my wife’s uncle ( who’s 80) has just put his aston Martin into storage, still, if it’s always been a boyhood, or womanhood dream to own a open top car then why not?, life’s too short…
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That’s good Primus, but why force everyone to buy electric before technology caught up.
Same with domestic electricity supplies. Shut all the conventional power stations down before adequate provisions had been made for alternative supplies, hence the eye watering cost of electricity now… 
I might buy electric when their finished…Probably be long gone by then.
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Thing is, if you own an EV and can charge at home using overnight tariffs and it can cost pennies to run, many suppliers offer discounts to charge elsewhere, I’d love an electric car but my garage is at the bottom of my garden and getting an extra cable there is costly, maybe I’ll do it myself, yes you can use a normal 3 pin plug to “ granny” charge it, but it’s better to have a dedicated outlet, EVs are the future battery tech is constantly improving, I drive a self charging hybrid and get the best of both worlds, for me, atm it’s the way to go…
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In which way are people, and you personally, being forced to buy an EV, Bob? Can you give an example?
I’m asking because that’s not the case over here. Nobody cares about EVs if he’s not interested . There’s no pressure forcing people to buy such a car nor is there any disadvantage for those who don’t.
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Lol OldGreyFox reminds me of EVERY man I know in community I live in and when they come out to chat , we run into each other they act like its just to chat , keep it light hearted but NO it is to complain about everything one can complain about.
Don’t get me wrong as I am no different .
The women are very different and they chat about plants , weather , birds more laid back but not us men .
I often wonder why divorced women want to remarry , have they lost their minds ?
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Don’t get me started on that, NCS 
. We’d be skating on very thin ice, though.
Let’s see what Bob is gonna say. I’m curious.
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lol …
It has to happen otherwise nothing would change, look at the poor sods who bought Betamax and ended up with an expensive clock.
Likewise at the turn of the century there were undoubtedly farriers telling people that those new fangled motorcars would never catch on because they were constantly breaking down (a tradition kept alive by British car manufacturers until the late 20th Century )
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A typical V6 engine weighs around 150- 220kg, and a typical ev battery comes in at 300+kg.
Obviously there are additional weights for transmission and fuel for petrol cars, and the motor itself for ev cars, but I think the total mass is indicative of the issue.
Even the most physics illiterate amongst us all (including myself ) will realise that a greater mass will require a greater amount of energy to move it. I doubt very much whether the energy (via renewable electricity in the best of cases) will, given the eco cost of producing it, be beneficial on a carbon footprint basis.
I’m all for ev vehicles for many reasons. But until lighter, solid state, quickly rechargeable batteries are two for a penny, I can’t help but think we’re pi$$ing in the wind.
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