Clara Jackson The UK government made a statement that new cars and vans sold between 2030 and 2035 needed to be capable of driving significant distances on zero admissions. So, this would cover full or plug-in hybrids. In the US, by 2030, 32 percent of cars are expected to be fully electric, meaning that everyone is moving closer to eliminate the kinds of vehicles that require fossil fuels to power them. It is a step forward, if not a giant leap, in the right direction in terms of protecting our planet from the kinds of pollution that result in global warming and flooding all around the world.
What will the situation be like for cars in 2035 and beyond?
By 2035, California has said that it will be banning the sale of gas-powered cars in the name of climate change and will be also pushing drivers to convert to an electric-powered car as soon as is practicable.
The UK should have already banned the sale of vehicles with internal combustion engines, that is the ones powered by petrol and diesel, from 2030, and have ended the sale of hybrids too by the year 2035. A later revision, however, seems to be now that cars registered after 2040 will need to be zero admissions in the UK, so there is this toying between the years 2030 and 2040 for a final deadline on banning petrol, diesel, and hybrid new vehicles that are not zero emissions from being sold.
Those drivers with an earlier vehicle that is powered by petrol and diesel will be able to still drive it, but likely face charges for their vehicle being the type that pollutes the atmosphere. Whether this is collected through paying more vehicle tax or a congestion charge when passing through cities and the most populated areas.
Is it worth buying an electric car now?
The answer to this question is a resounding “yes”. You can save money in the long run when you buy an electric car. Okay, there is a higher up-front cost currently but over a lifetime an electric car will end up costing you less. This is because they are cheap to run and allow you to make significant savings in terms of fuel costs and servicing.
In the UK, it currently costs on average between £9.00 and £9.90 to charge a 60KWh electric car to give you a 200-mile range. This does, of course, vary according to where you live.
If you are thinking of the environment then you will, of course, desire to switch to electric-powered vehicles as soon as possible. Many will see it as inevitable, anyway, and so think to make the switch when they buy their next vehicle. If only the infrastructure of electric car charging points had been rolled out to a greater extent sooner then this whole process could have been made a faster one. This, and the current higher initial costs of buying electric vehicles, are the two barriers to progress in terms of electric car technology being more widely used.
Classic Cars
There are, of course, many iconic cars from the past still driving on the road and it would be a shame if any of these should now disappear. It is going to be for governments to decide just what does class as a car from the past that should be preserved for prosperity when it is continuing to pollute the atmosphere. No doubt there will be many restrictions and rules planned upon them in the future which might rather turn them into a rich man’s plaything, by making them even more expensive to run.
The classifications for old vehicles are:
Vintage (1919 to 1930)
Antique (1975 or earlier)
Classic (1990 or earlier)
So, whether one would consider that any cars manufactured later than 1990 are worth preserving, except perhaps in a museum, is open for debate. Keeping such cars may simply become too much of an expense if it is still allowed.
In conclusion, there may well be a future for cars of a certain vintage, but beyond that their future is less certain. Governments seem determined to not wait too long before petrol, diesel, and even hybrid cars, are outlawed and no longer possible to buy from new. It may be some time, perhaps before second-hand cars suffer the same fate. However, if petrol and diesel pumps become as difficult to find as electric chargers are at the moment, out of convenience the majority will surely switch to electric vehicles sooner rather than later as their preferred mode of transport.
