Il-Ħolm elettriku jdur ġewwa sodda

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Il-bejgħ ta 'vetturi elettriċi qed jonqos milli jitlaq hekk kif ir-realtà tal-vetrina trumps kummerċjali hype. Il-websajt tal-Gwardjan għadha kif ippubblikat iċ-ċifri għan-numru ta' karozzi ġodda rreġistrati taħt l-iskema tal-Għotjiet ta' Karozzi Plug-in tal-Gvernijiet. L-iskema tagħti lix-xerrejja 25 fil-mija off (sa massimu ta '5000) il-prezz ta' vettura elettrika rikarikabbli bħal Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius plug-in jew Renault Fluence.
L-iskema issa għandha sentejn. Skont iċ-ċifri tad-Dipartiment tat-Trasport, 1419-il karozza ġew irreġistrati taħt l-iskema fl-ewwel disa' xhur tal-2012 minn 786 fl-2011. Għalhekk jidher li l-2012 kollha se tara madwar 1900 karozza rikarikabbli mixtrija, miż-żewġ miljun karozza tal-aħbarijiet li ħallew il-vetrini tar-Renju Unit. Interessanti li fl-2012 ġew irreġistrati biss għadd żgħir ta' vannijiet taħt l-iskema.
Kif forsi tistenna, il-Gwardjan għandu kwotazzjoni upbeat minn Norman Baker, Lib Dem sotto-segretarju tal-istat għat-Trasport. Naf li l-vetturi elettriċi għandhom futur qawwi f'dan il-pajjiż li jgħid, billi jikkwota mudelli ġodda dovuti din is-sena, inkluż ir-Renault Zoe relattivament irħas u l-Werqa Nissan mibnija minn Sunderland.
Ma nafx dwarek, imma nista' nxomm il-ħruq. L-edifiċju kollu tal-karozza elettrika jista 'jkun fuq ix-xifer tal-going up fid-duħħan. L-hype enormi li saq lill-produtturi tal-karozzi biex jonfqu mijiet ta 'miljuni fl-iżvilupp ta' karozzi elettriċi jidher li wassal għal tarf mejjet ta 'żvilupp.
Ħu bejgħ tal-Chevy Volt u Nissan Leaf - iż-żewġ karozzi tal-ewwel rata - fis-suq importanti tal-Istati Uniti. GM tgħid li wara 7671 unità fl-2011, il-bejgħ ta' Volt qabeż għal 23,461 unità. Dan huwa biss aktar minn nofs in-numri li l-ĠM ried jara, minkejja l-ispejjeż baxxi tal-kiri. Il-bejgħ globali jista' jolqot 30,000 unità. U, ovvjament, il-Volt għandu magna tal-petrol, li tagħmilha karozza normali perfettament vijabbli. Li probabbilment jispjega għaliex il-bejgħ tal-Werqa Nissan - karozza pura tal-batterija - ħares bħallikieku mhux se jolqtu ħames ċifri fl-Istati Uniti.
Ix-xahar li għadda saqt il-VW Eco Up li jaħdem bil-gass fi Frankfurt, li għamilni pjuttost ċert li l-enerġija tal-batterija mhix se ttir. Il-VW qed imħatri ħafna fuq il-gass, u fassal kemm il-pjattaforma Ups NSF kif ukoll il-pjattaforma l-ġdida tal-MQB biex jakkomodaw tankijiet tal-gass doppji. Il-gass huwa ħruq nadif ħafna - bi kważi l-ebda tniġġis mill-pajp tal-egżost - u huwa wkoll baxx fuq co2. Tabilħaqq, l-Eco Up huwa tajjeb għal 79g/km, meta mqabbel mal-istima ta' 75g/km għall-iċċarġjar ta' karozza elettrika fuq in-netwerk tal-mejns Ewropej.
Karozza li taħdem bil-gass, li tista' konċepibbilment tiġi ċċarġjata 'l barra min-netwerk tal-mejns, hija wkoll ħafna orħos minn karozza elettrika. U, ironikament, it-tank tal-petrol ta 'emerġenza Ups jagħti firxa ta' 120 mil - aktar milli tagħfas minn karozza tal-batterija.
Il-verità hija, ir-rivoluzzjoni tal-karozzi elettriċi qed tidher inqas u inqas probabbli. It-teknoloġija tal-batteriji għadha mhix qed tavvanza biżżejjed u l-prezzijiet tal-batteriji għadhom għoljin. U, kif qalli sors wieħed tal-industrija, il-problemi tat-tmexxija tal-karozzi elettriċi fix-xitwa qabdu ħafna b'sorpriża u dgħajfu serjament il-kunċett kollu tal-karozza tal-batterija. Firxa tipika f'jum tax-xtiewi kesħin tista' tkun biss nofs dak li jinkiseb fis-sajf.
L-Audi kkanċella l-elettriku A2, Opel fil-laned l-Adam EV u Fiat huwa pjuttost miftuħ dwar l-elettriku fiat 500 li jagħmel it-telf. Il-Grupp VW mighty huwa imħatri fuq ibridi plug-in, iżda prinċipalment biex jippakkjaw is-suq Kalifornja eżiġenti. L-i3 tal-BMW qed jidher aktar bħall-passat mill-futur. Bil-karozzi tal-fjuwils fossili qed isiru dejjem aktar ekonomiċi u l-magni Euro 6 mistennija jkunu effettivament ħielsa mit-tniġġis, nibża' li l-kunċett tal-VI diġà qed jaħdem vojt.

Sales of electric vehicles are failing to take off as showroom reality trumps marketing hype. The Guardian website has just published the figures for the numbers of new cars registered under the Governments Plug-in Car Grant scheme. The scheme gives buyers 25 percent off (up to a maximum of 5000) the price of a rechargeable electric vehicle such as a Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius plug-in or Renault Fluence.
The scheme is now two years old. According to the Department for Transport figures, 1419 cars were registered under the scheme in the first nine months of the 2012 up from 786 in 2011. So it looks like the whole of 2012 will see around 1900 rechargeable cars bought, out of the two million news cars that left UK showrooms. Interestingly, only a tiny number of vans were registered under the scheme in 2012.
As you might expect, the Guardian has an upbeat quote from Norman Baker, Lib Dem under-secretary of state for Transport. I know electric vehicles have a bright future in this country he says, citing new models due this year, including the relatively inexpensive Renault Zoe and the Sunderland-built Nissan Leaf.
I dont know about you, but I can smell burning. The whole electric car edifice may be on the verge of the going up in smoke. The huge hype that drove car makers into spending hundreds of millions into developing electric cars looks like it has led to a developmental dead end.
Take sales of the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf - both first-rate cars - in the important US market. GM says that after 7671 units in 2011, Volt sales have jumped to 23,461 units. Thats just more than half of the numbers GM wanted to see, despite low leasing costs. Global sales might hit 30,000 units. And, of course, the Volt has a petrol engine, making it a perfectly viable normal car. Which probably explains why sales of the Nissan Leaf - a pure battery car - look as if they wont hit five figures in the US.
Last month I drove the gas-powered VW Eco Up in Frankfurt, which made me pretty certain that battery power is not going to fly. VW is betting heavily on gas, and has designed both the Ups NSF platform and the new MQB platform to accommodate twin gas tanks. Gas is very clean burning - with virtually no tailpipe pollution - and is also low on Co2. Indeed, the Eco Up is good for 79g/km, compared to the estimated 75g/km for recharging an electric car on the European mains network.
A gas-powered car, which could conceivably be charged off the mains network, is also much cheaper than an electric car. And, ironically, the Ups emergency petrol tank gives a 120 mile range - more than youll squeeze out of a battery car.
Truth is, the electric car revolution is looking less and less likely. Battery technology is still not advancing far enough and battery prices are still high. And, as one industry source told me, the problems of running electric cars in winter have caught many by surprise and seriously undermined the whole battery car concept. A typical range on a cold winters day can be just half of what is achieved in the summer.
Audi has cancelled the electric A2, Opel has canned the Adam EV and Fiat is quite open about the loss-making electric Fiat 500. The mighty VW Group is betting on plug-in hybrids, but mainly to placate the demanding Californian market. BMW's i3 is looking more like the past than the future. With fossil fuel cars getting ever more economical and Euro 6 engines set to be effectively pollution-free, I fear that the EV concept is already running on empty.