They really are green

[Lemmy]

Here in the UK the Government have taken 5 minutes out of ruining everything they touch and turned their attention to promoting electric vehicle sales. Better for the environment, less air pollution, and all that.

Anyway, for a change they have come up with a good idea. They're considering electric cars to be allowed to fit green registration plates, instead of the standard white/front and yellow/rears. It'll cost no more than the normal plates, won t cost the Government anything, but people will be attracted to it as a "badge of honour", a visual symbol that they are at the cutting edge. It'll be keeping up with the Jones's, but in a good way.

I reckon it might just work. What do you folks reckon?

[oil pan 4]

The government will figure out a way to screw it up.

Last time I was there gas prices were around $1.50 per liter, I figured that would be motivation enough.

[Lemmy]

Yes, that's true. The UK Government are easi,y able to foxtrot up something that simple.

Petrol prices are around £1.43 a litre, or £6.51 an imperial gallon. That doesn't bother me, I don't use much of it myself. I wish they'd double it - it'll quickly force people into more economical cars, and might do something to address this lazy ass British culture of driving 300 yards to the hopemfkr a paper, driving the children less than half a mile to school, and generally clogging up and polluting then place with unnecessary car journeys.

[redpoint5]

Better than giving rich people a $7,500-$12,500 tax break to purchase a new vehicle.

I'd own an EV in a heartbeat if I lived in the UK. Islands are the perfect place for limited range vehicles, and the "fuel" and maintenance is super cheap, at least in the US. Don't know what electricity goes for in the UK.

[oil pan 4]

I will admit electric vehicles are kind of made for rich people, by people.
It helps to have a house, where you can wire up a 240v charger circuit, some times this can cost thousands of dollars if a service upgrade is needed or several hundred dollars if a sub panel needs to be instslled.
My house near Langley needed a service upgrade when I moved in, it cost nearly $3,000, luckily this was found during inspection and was negotiated into the price of the house.

Sure you can charge with 120v power but on a leaf that can take up to 20 hours to charge a very low battery. Been there, done that, so glad I installed 240v power.

Over in the UK would you need some kind of heavy duty circuit?
Because I remember something about the standard 220 circuit being fused at 13 amps?
A standard intermittent charger is going to want 16 amps. A real charger is going to want 32 amps.

[RedDevil]

I think it is bad.
It steers away from the notion that having an EV is 'normal'.
Anything that isn't 'normal' causes some to hate it.
Once you are one of 'them' bad things happen.

[freebeard]

I was in favor of it until I heard RedDevil.

I wouldn't want to give up my Pacific Wonderland plates.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I was in favor of it until I heard RedDevil.

I am also not favorable to that, but not really out of fear that it would lead to some "hate" toward EV owners.

[RedDevil]

I don't trust politicians too.
"We revoked the EV tax exemption. But you can have a free green plate! Enjoy!"

When I bought my Insight is was free of road tax, to stimulate hybrids.
One year later that became a 'slightly reduced' tax, now it is the same as gasoline cars.
If they gave me a different plate now I'd so like to shove it up somewhere.

[redpoint5]

Well the other thing is if you make 1 type of enthusiast plate, you alienate all other types of enthusiasts. The government shouldn't be in the business of catering to select groups, and that includes enthusiasts.

Oregon has mountain biking plates, among a few others. I like mountain biking, but what about scuba divers, stamp collectors, and couch potatoes? We should have a TV plate, since that's the biggest hobby people have.

It's a very minor complaint of mine though. Oregon's got way bigger problems than what pictures appear on license plates.