Sporty Brake

I lose track...does this replace the Velour?

Me too. Effortless waftability is what I want from my daily driver.

My hack for this week is a German rental Ford Kuga 1.5T ST Line Ecoboost. It sat for the best part of a couple of hours at 150 kph on the Autobahn late last night, with five people onboard and without too much bother, but after having to slow down for speed limited sections, the return back to 150 required a change down and some welly, rather than just the flex of my big toe which my 320 cdi would require. Still a good car, though. Photos and a report of some sort probably to follow...

Petrol v Diesel. Nearly as divisive as Brexit!

It occurred to me last night that the charging part might not hold them back as much as we think - if they could get a quick charge in 30 minutes.
I went into one of those M&S shop service stations yesterday evening and although all the pumps were occupied it appeared most of the refuellers were also doing some shopping (and consequently clogging up the pumps).

So if you say it takes them at least 10 minutes to get fuel and shopping - enough to fill a basket - and then assume that a dedicated electric recharging fuel station would be able to put at least 50 bays in the same space as the forecourt and also that someone will currently have to wait to refuel (and be prepared to do so) then actually the time cost of electric might actually be as little as 10 minutes.
That would probably get 90% of users enough fuel to go about their business for at least a couple of days - until they next required to refuel.

I reckon the big supermarkets should be putting loads of recharging points in now, it'd encourage users to recharge when they're doing a 'big' shop.
Same for places like gyms and anywhere else people go to spend, say, an hour of their time.

Yes this is very interesting. Unless hydrogen become the fuel of choice, all petrol stations are basically on a steady downward path to oblivion. Unless they become something else. And what that may well be is local "mini-shops" (as they are more and more now) plus electric charging for those using the shop. Also vital in places where houses do not have drives or garages. And as the supermarkets also muscled in on the petrol market, they will surely see the benefit of providing multiple car charging stations so that people can "refuel" to 100% while they do the weekly shop. And if a discount on the charging was offered for those spending over a certain amount, there is a win-win of cheaper power and a captive audience. 

In fact I had an interesting debate with a friend recently about this very subject. He reckoned that whilst everybody thought that Tesla had stolen a march by putting superchargers for Tesla only use at service stations, he said that in the medium term that could cost them dearly. If people charge at home (or their local supermarket), then they do a trip, what they really need is good charging at their destination to get them home. So he reckons that hotels, leisure outlets and shopping area will be the key places that people need good chargers. He accepts that they are also needed on motorways, but once a bigger and faster charging infrastructure becomes needed, the service station owners will put it in - or as above, franchise it out to the oil majors whose petrol  forecourts will be dwindling in use.