by Michael Smith
A high powered meeting of industry experts, academics and policy makers was held in London in October 2008 to discuss how to get the mass market production of electric vehicles and other low carbon transport properly started.
Delegates from more than 15 countries came together in London to discuss the technological challenges, barriers and opportunities that could be created from the low carbon and electric vehicle market.
This meeting, arranged by the UK government, was a follow up to the Prime Minister's announcement made earlier this year that he wants to see Britain at the forefront of the development of green transport.
Business Minister, Ian Pearson, said that currently less than 0.1% of the UK's 26 million cars are electric. He added that the government is committed to bring lower carbon vehicles to Britain's roads as soon as possible. For that, he said, we need to act now to ensure that the UK is at the forefront of this new industry.
Continuing he said that the UK's automotive sector has a global reputation for research and development, design engineering and manufacturing. The development of electric vehicle technology is an opportunity for the UK to take the lead and, given the current state of the global economy, we need to seize that opportunity now.
What I would like to know, and it is a shame that I could not ask that question directly, is why we keep harping on about cars, cars and cars again. While electric cars are fine they cannot meet the needs for proper green transport.
The only way we will ever see Britain in the forefront of green transport is when the UK finally gets its act together on cheap – and I do mean cheap – and reliable – and I also stress that word – public transport, especially the railroads, whether local, commuter or long distance. It does not make sense when a ticket from South West of London to Birmingham in peak time is over £200 return when flying would have cost less than £70.
It is NOT electric cars that we need but a proper green transport infrastructure that makes the use of public transport, from rail, over metro to bus, cheap, reliable and safe, and which also have provisions for completely linked cycle routes, as are found in other countries of Europe, such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany; cycle routes that are physically separated from the motor vehicle traffic.
It would appear that the only thing that they were really interested in this gabfest was the car, and this is rather a shame.
We should rather promote an alternative to the car, whether or not it is electric shall not be to discussion here.
The people of this country are getting obese, and are soon catching up on their American cousins, because all they do is drive to work and to the stores by car. They then sit in the office and then get back by car and sit in front of the goggle box or the computer.
This country must get on its bike or walk. It does not make sense to use the car to go to the stores to get the newspaper – around a mile or so away – or to the shops in general, whether this be by using an electric or an ICE car.
What this country must do is to actually invest in alternative transport, starting with the railroads and then cycling, rather than more roads and more cars, regardless as to whether those cars are electric or not.
But, obviously, the motor industry still is a formidable lobby, unlike the bicycle industry or the railroads, and too many of the sheeple also cannot even think of not driving a car.
So, let's hear it for the bicycle and the train!
© M Smith (Veshengro), November 2008
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Britain attempts to push for leading position on green transport
