Possible relaxation of MOT testing frequencies.

[Avocet]

Of course with ref. to Johnny's post it's also possible that both scenarios are the case. I openly confess to enjoying my 2 classics, admittedly with scant regard for the environment, but there's no way I could afford to own a new/low years EV without entering into a finance agreement which I'm not prepared to commit to.

Nobody is suggesting we all have to go all-electric tomorrow! This started out with someone complaining about the expansion of London's low emissions zone (which is to do with air quality, rather than carbon emissions reduction). Whilst not blind to the benefits (or downsides) of EVs, I don't have one at present, for the same reason as you. Too expensive. In fact, I've never paid more than £1500 for a car in my life! My own car was £600 about a decade ago and is 33 years old this year.

My point is that if we are willing to make some small adjustments now, it might save us a lot of pain in the longer run. When second hand EVs get down to "shed" money, I'll happily buy one. I won't care about range, because I'll probably still have ICE vehicles for long runs. I don't take my old car into city centres - (a) because it wouldn't be good for air quality and (b) because it wouldn't be much fun to do so. I went down on engine size for my last company car, to reduce CO2 emissions a bit, too. Yes, I miss the extra "grunt", but frankly, it's not a heavy price to pay, and 50 MPG is nice, with fuel costs as they are! I'm not about to picket an oil refinery or glue my face to a bit of road!

 

[Avocet]

Duplicate post.

 

[norseman]

Nobody is suggesting we all have to go all-electric tomorrow! This started out with someone complaining about the expansion of London's low emissions zone (which is to do with air quality, rather than carbon emissions reduction). Whilst not blind to the benefits (or downsides) of EVs, I don't have one at present, for the same reason as you. Too expensive. In fact, I've never paid more than £1500 for a car in my life! My own car was £600 about a decade ago and is 33 years old this year.
My point is that if we are willing to make some small adjustments now, it might save us a lot of pain in the longer run. When second hand EVs get down to "shed" money, I'll happily buy one. I won't care about range, because I'll probably still have ICE vehicles for long runs. I don't take my old car into city centres - (a) because it wouldn't be good for air quality and (b) because it wouldn't be much fun to do so. I went down on engine size for my last company car, to reduce CO2 emissions a bit, too. Yes, I miss the extra "grunt", but frankly, it's not a heavy price to pay, and 50 MPG is nice, with fuel costs as they are! I'm not about to picket an oil refinery or glue my face to a bit of road!

The most sensible mode of transport for us would be a plug-in hybrid as we are both retired & have our own off-street parking. Journeys beyond 15 miles (one way) are extremely rare, with many only a third of that, so a range of (say) 30 miles on battery power would be quite adequate for the 'daily' leaving me one classic for occasional enjoyment.

Meanwhile, back on planet Earth ...

 

[big-all]

you can see the adverts now
a complete wreck needing loads off work described as "A RUNNER FULL YEARS MOT"
do the government think little more than 50p a week will help any body ??
perhaps five +3+2 then every year at 10 year old

 

[johnny2007]

in one post you're talking about people who can't afford an electric vehicle, and then you go on to your real reason

Yes, me and other people are separate entities.
Hard to understand, I know.

Who said anything about carbon? I'm talking about air quality. You do realise they're different things, don't you?

You don't understand how nature works.

As mentioned above, that's very unlikely to be the case. What's more, in 20 years time, it's likely that the National Grid figures for CO2 per kWh generated, will be FAR lower than today. Unlike an ICE vehicle, whose carbon emissions tend to go up a bit as they age, an EV's carbon emissions will go DOWN as the carbon emissions used to generate the electricity fall.

In the meantime we'll pump more and more caper in the atmosphere to make the clueless happy to drive a "green" vehicle.
And we will pump even more to fulfil the request for such deadly boxes.

Fortunately, nothing like that happens in the oil industry, does it? It's not like oil is hazardous and it's not like there aren't any child / slave labourers working in oil fields in Angola or Nigeria, is there?

Of course it does, but why substitute this with something more detrimental to the planet?

unlike your Audi and Passat, which, of course, were built lovingly by hand, using an ethically-employed, fairtrade, gender-diverse workforce in a mud hut somewhere?

Of course, so because it's already happening, let's continue.
BTW, older cars were manufactured in Europe, nothing or very little came from your beloved china.
A prius is almost totally built in poor countries by slaves masqueraded as workers with a wage.

 

[Avocet]

Yes, me and other people are separate entities.
Hard to understand, I know.

Oh, very easy to understand, actually! Very easy indeed...

You don't understand how nature works.

Well, one of us doesn't! (Feel free to "educate" me though)

In the meantime we'll pump more and more caper in the atmosphere to make the clueless happy to drive a "green" vehicle.
And we will pump even more to fulfil the request for such deadly boxes.

"Caper"? You don't seem to feel too bad about the amount of carbon you'll be pumping into the atmosphere though, do you?

Of course it does, but why substitute this with something more detrimental to the planet?

And it's "more detrimental to the planet" because...?

Of course, so because it's already happening, let's continue.
BTW, older cars were manufactured in Europe, nothing or very little came from your beloved china.

"My" beloved China? How so?

A prius is almost totally built in poor countries by slaves masqueraded as workers with a wage.

There are two plants currently making the Prius (which is a hybrid, by the way, not an EV, but you seem to like talking about them). Tsutsumi and Fujimatsu. (They're both in Japan, in case you were wondering...).

 

[Avocet]

The most sensible mode of transport for us would be a plug-in hybrid as we are both retired & have our own off-street parking. Journeys beyond 15 miles (one way) are extremely rare, with many only a third of that, so a range of (say) 30 miles on battery power would be quite adequate for the 'daily' leaving me one classic for occasional enjoyment.

Meanwhile, back on planet Earth ...

If you do find yourselves in the market for one, the plug-in hybrids are likely to be a better bet. Without that, they tend to fire their engines up very often and you end up with the worst of both worlds - a conventional petrol engine lugging the weight of a battery and motor round with it. The better plug-ins will have the kind of electric-only range that might suit you.

 

[JohnD]

depends how many miles you do p.a.

a plug in would suit me as a local runaround, I would probably only use petrol when visting friends and relations outside my area

but on the car I've been looking at, it costs 10k more than the hybrid.

If I kept it ten years, I would have to save 1k a year on petrol to make it worthwhile

my local runabout doesn't use that much.

 

[Mottie]

depends how many miles you do p.a.

a plug in would suit me as a local runaround, I would probably only use petrol when visting friends and relations outside my area

but on the car I've been looking at, it costs 10k more than the hybrid.

If I kept it ten years, I would have to save 1k a year on petrol to make it worthwhile

my local runabout doesn't use that much.

Now that restrictions are lifted, surely you'll be back up to visiting friends and neighbours in East London "a hundred times a year" so surely it should pay you? I estimated you were doing 85,000 miles a year on those trips alone when you were living in Greenock.

 

[johnny2007]

Oh, very easy to understand, actually! Very easy indeed...

Not for you it seems.

Well, one of us doesn't! (Feel free to "educate" me though)

Too complex of a subject.
As a start, just think of the planet as one living organism which extends 150 miles above your head and below your feet.
Our island is a tiny speck of this planet and no matter what we do, if other polluters don't stop, the planet suffers.
You think you're green by buying rubbish produced by factories on the other side of the world.
You're only fooling yourself.

Caper"? You don't seem to feel too bad about the amount of carbon you'll be pumping into the atmosphere though, do you?

Everyone pumps carbon in the atmosphere.
What we should be considering is the overall quantity of it.
And regarding vehicles, as I've had the same cars for a very long time, surely I polluted less than the fools who drive EV on a lease and replace it every 2 years.

And it's "more detrimental to the planet" because...?

Educated yourself, see above for a very brief introduction.

There are two plants currently making the Prius (which is a hybrid, by the way, not an EV, but you seem to like talking about them). Tsutsumi and Fujimatsu. (They're both in Japan, in case you were wondering...).

Yes, they assemble all parts that come from china.
Take any part of any of these boxes and probably 75% of them will be made in china.

 

[Avocet]

Not for you it seems.

No, you're quite easy to see through, I'm afraid.

Too complex of a subject.
As a start, just think of the planet as one living organism which extends 150 miles above your head and below your feet.
Our island is a tiny speck of this planet and no matter what we do, if other polluters don't stop, the planet suffers.
You think you're green by buying rubbish produced by factories on the other side of the world.
You're only fooling yourself.

Yes, a complex subject. For a start, air quality and climate change are two separate ones - not something you seem to have grasped yet...
The "we're just a tiny island, so it won't make any difference" argument is cobblers (as explained at the end of Post#42). Saying it more often won't make it any less a load of cobblers, I'm afraid.

Everyone pumps carbon in the atmosphere.

Some more than others...

What we should be considering is the overall quantity of it.

Correct - and your plan for that is...

And regarding vehicles, as I've had the same cars for a very long time, surely I polluted less than the fools who drive EV on a lease and replace it every 2 years.

Er... no. From a local air quality point of view, your cars will be emitting massively more particulates, unburned hydrocarbons, NOx, CO... you name it, than an electric one. From a global air quality point of view, they'll just be emitting "a lot" more. From a CO2 point of view, it depends on how far you drive them, but at that sort of age, I think they'll be well past their break-even point.

Educated yourself, see above for a very brief introduction.

I think I'm a bit further down that road than the guy who can't differentiate between air quality and climate change!

Yes, they assemble all parts that come from china.

Oh... I see... and you can prove that, can you? (30 seconds of Google searching later....)

https://www.newsweek.com/you-can-bu...nd-generation,with 100 percent Japanese parts.

Take any part of any of these boxes and probably 75% of them will be made in china.

You know... I reckon that's probably ****** too...

 

[johnny2007]

Correct - and your plan for that is...

I'm only going to reply to this as all the rest is beyond your comprehension as you've proved.
My plan to reduce global pollution would be to stop buying chinese shyte and get their factories shutdown.
I buy local as much as I can or European.
Of course for some shyte there's no alternative anymore and we're forced to buy chinese, thanks to the "not in my back yard, not my problem" attitude.
Bye.

 

[Avocet]

I'm only going to reply to this as all the rest is beyond your comprehension as you've proved.
My plan to reduce global pollution would be to stop buying chinese shyte and get their factories shutdown.
I buy local as much as I can or European.
Of course for some shyte there's no alternative anymore and we're forced to buy chinese, thanks to the "not in my back yard, not my problem" attitude.
Bye.

Well done you!

And to get back to what we were originally talking about, what's your plan for improving air quality?

 

[cwhaley]

This is dangerous and daft in my opinion.

My daily driver is 22 years old (Peugeot 406) and I'd be much happier with a yearly MOT. I depend on this car and there are components I'd be happier a garage checking.

My other car is a 1964 Singer Gazelle. I spend a lot of time keeping this maintained and its mileage is limited to a few hundred a month. Its current MOT expired last year, but I'm happy driving it on the exemption. I do plan a pre-MOT this year however.

 

[Mottie]

I suppose people could fall into two camps here. Those that are competent and have the equipment to maintain their own vehicles and those that can't?