Problems in Pivacy - Electric Cars

 Electric cars are coming, in fact they are already here. Not hybrids plugins or otherwise, but full blown electric. If you commute daily there is a decent chance that despite the price gauging your long term overall cost of ownership will be cheaper than an infernal combustion engine. They are simpler to build, have less components that need servicing, there's no oil to change and with regenerative braking the brake pads last a lot longer. Your exhaust pipe won't fall off either as they don't have one.

The diehard ICE fans will point out range issues and charging infrastructure. But sod them on range, belching diesel fumes so they can tow a second home up and down the Country a couple of times a year is not an argument anyone can win.

Charging infrastructure is more interesting and obviously at the moment the ICE dinosaurs have a point. It is inadequate in the UK, there is little provision for on street charging, there a multiple standards and anecdotally plenty of broken or incompatible charging stations to be navigated.

Now part of that is simply a political issue. Electric has taken forever to get here because of fossil fuel lobbying and the reprehensible car industry. 90% at a guess of cars in the Country are parked on a street with lampposts, on a street that has probably been channelled a couple of times in the last few decades for internet access. With the political will it can easily be done again to provide charge points.

To my mind the more interesting point is power management.  It certainly wouldn't be clever for everyone to come home for work at 6pm, plug the car in an put the kettle on! The electricity grid would need masses of spare capacity. Now idealised estimates for off peak charging have suggested only about 10% extra grid capacity being needed. But what is off peak? Every charger turning on at 11.30pm with most cars charged by 3am is still very inefficient.

The inescapable conclusion is that charging aught to be a cooperative process where the chargers and the grid talk to each other. I'd expect to see a single button next to the plug, don't press it and I get an economy charge based on my recorded travel patterns. That might mean I actually get paid as my battery instead contributes to the grid. If I press the button once then I'm saying please give me a full charge by morning, if I press it twice then I'm asking for a specified range ASAP and am prepared to pay a premium.

The privacy point is you are handing over information for power companies to make choices for you.  This might be at quite a detailed level, for example seeing that you can charge daily at a work place with a renewable power source. It might mean waking up and finding you haven't the power to make a spontaneous long journey.

How would you feel about this? It comes back to the diesel belching caravan draggers, they would at least mostly want to save the planet, but only if it can be done without effecting their lifestyle in the slightest. If we really are going to save the future it is going to come with some inconvenience attached.