NOVEMBER 2023 GLENFIELD GAZETTE online
The village magazine for Glenfield in Leicestershire, UK.
The village magazine for Glenfield in Leicestershire, UK.
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26<br />
<strong>NOVEMBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> <strong>GLENFIELD</strong> <strong>GAZETTE</strong><br />
Where will we charge our electric cars?<br />
A<br />
child born today<br />
may take a driving<br />
test in 2040, if the<br />
rules don’t change and self<br />
driving cars don’t take over.<br />
That child may never drive<br />
a petrol or diesel car. For<br />
today’s drivers the switch to<br />
electric draws closer day by<br />
day. Although the ban on the<br />
sale of new petrol or diesel<br />
cars has been put back to<br />
2035, the number on our roads<br />
will probably have reduced<br />
dramatically as a result of<br />
the progressive reduction in<br />
the number allowed to be<br />
sold. The aim is that 80% of<br />
new cars sold by 2030 will be<br />
electric.<br />
What if you can’t<br />
charge at home?<br />
The Government’s guidance<br />
indicates that most cars will be<br />
charged at home, but those<br />
who can’t will need to charge<br />
elsewhere. Technology may<br />
bring new solutions, but for the<br />
moment we have to plan on<br />
what we have available now.<br />
How big is the<br />
problem?<br />
The question is already being<br />
asked locally and at some<br />
point, before we come up with<br />
a solution, we need to establish<br />
the scale of the potential<br />
problem. If most charging will<br />
be done at home, then we need<br />
to assess the scale and time<br />
frame of the need for charging<br />
away from home. This means<br />
identifying -<br />
• how many homes in the<br />
village cannot charge from the<br />
domestic supply<br />
• how many of these homes<br />
have one or more electric<br />
vehicles (EV)<br />
• how many homes intend to<br />
switch to an EV within, say, 1, 3<br />
or 5 years<br />
• how many feel that workplace<br />
charging, shopping centre or<br />
service station charging will not<br />
meet their need.<br />
The availability of charging is<br />
growing, but some say it is not<br />
fast enough. Shell Service<br />
Station near County Hall has<br />
recently installed EV chargers,<br />
and filling stations will no doubt<br />
be repurposed to cater for local<br />
needs as well as those who are<br />
driving long distances beyond<br />
their battery capacity. Zapmap.com<br />
helps find the nearest<br />
public charging points.<br />
Charging is available at some<br />
supermarkets, and early<br />
indications are that charging at<br />
the places we visit ((destination<br />
charging) will continue to<br />
grow. Since 2017 Lidl has<br />
installed rapid chargers at more<br />
than 300 stores, our nearest<br />
currently being at the Oadby<br />
and Wigston branches. In 2020<br />
Aldi partnered with Shell to<br />
provide charge points at new<br />
stores. Tesco has charging<br />
at Hamilton and off Hinckley<br />
Road, but has not answered<br />
the question about plans for<br />
Beaumont Leys. Morrisons<br />
started installing EV charging<br />
in 2019, but at Glenfield say<br />
there is nothing to report yet.<br />
Customers at the Co-op at<br />
Laundon Way do not spend<br />
long enough instore to make<br />
it worthwhile, and the Central<br />
Co-op HQ have not responded<br />
about the Leicester Road store.<br />
Where there is a problem<br />
someone will see a marketing<br />
opportunity, and for many<br />
organisations EV charging<br />
is a commercial opportunity.<br />
No doubt more solutions will<br />
be suggested as deadlines<br />
approach.<br />
Kerbside charging may not<br />
sound like a good idea because<br />
of the limited space, health<br />
and safety and trip hazards<br />
of charging cables. But here<br />
again technology is finding<br />
answers and some borough<br />
councils have been trialling<br />
new kerbside units since 2021.<br />
They are effectively sockets in<br />
the pavement that are flat and<br />
flush to the surface when not<br />
in use.<br />
Although some<br />
Parish Councils<br />
may have car<br />
parks where<br />
perhaps EV<br />
charging could<br />
be installed,<br />
they are not<br />
utility suppliers<br />
and in addition<br />
there may be<br />
good practical<br />
reasons why they should not<br />
be involved.<br />
Other costs a cause<br />
for concern<br />
It isn’t just charging which is<br />
of concern to many motorists,<br />
it’s the costs currently<br />
associated with EV motoring,<br />
though in time these may fall.<br />
The Guardian reported that<br />
some EV owners found that<br />
insurance companies would<br />
not quote for covering their<br />
car. One driver found that his<br />
premium jumped from £1200<br />
to more than £5,000. Another<br />
had his renewal rise from £447<br />
to £4,661.<br />
This is not typical, and figures<br />
from Confused.com show that<br />
EV insurance premiums are<br />
72% – or £402 – higher than<br />
this time last year, at a typical<br />
£959. For petrol and diesel car<br />
drivers, the increase is 29%<br />
(£848). Analysts say claims<br />
costs are 25% higher for<br />
electric cars, and that they take<br />
about 14% longer to repair.<br />
The cost and availability of<br />
parts is a factor, there is also<br />
concern around the batteries,<br />
and that damage, especially<br />
to the underside, can be<br />
expensive to fix. Add a skills<br />
shortage predicted to be about<br />
16,000 EV qualified mechanics<br />
by 2032 and you have the<br />
perfect storm. As small<br />
garages fall behind in the skills<br />
race it is forecast that many will<br />
eventually leave the trade.<br />
If you have an EV, recharging<br />
on the motorway may be<br />
problematic. This month The<br />
Sun has reported that wait<br />
times for EV chargers are<br />
sparking furious rows between<br />
angry drivers, with marshals<br />
being forced to keep the peace<br />
at some motorway service<br />
stations to manage “charge<br />
rage” between drivers.<br />
The Department for Transport<br />
says charging points are far<br />
from readily available, with<br />
some parts of the country<br />
having none at all. The finger<br />
of blame is often pointed at the<br />
lack of capacity on the power<br />
grid.<br />
There’s good news, too<br />
The good news is that one<br />
local couple report that they do<br />
12,000 miles a year, charge<br />
their car for around £12 a<br />
month at home, and recently<br />
took a problem free drive to<br />
Scotland. Contrary to the scare<br />
stories, their insurance is now<br />
less than their old petrol car.<br />
Electric cars? They love them.<br />
Norman Griffiths<br />
Maintaining your Vitamin D levels<br />
• Vitamin D is a key nutrient that helps support the immune system.<br />
You can get it from sunlight, food, and supplements.<br />
• It can be difficult to get enough vitamin D<br />
during cold and flu season if you live in a<br />
climate that gets less sunlight during the<br />
winter months.<br />
• You can increase your vitamin D levels<br />
by getting sunlight, eating foods rich<br />
in vitamin D, or taking a supplement if<br />
necessary.<br />
The recommended dietary intake of vitamin D is 600 to 800 IU per<br />
day for adults, although some experts believe the requirements<br />
should be increased.<br />
My biggest problem with the younger generation is I’m not in it.