Electric cars; the key performance tests – Yorkshire Post Letters

From: Bob Swallow, Townhead Avenue, Settle.

I AM very much in favour of the move to electric vehicles, and in particular private cars. There is however going to be a problem. Charging them up.

Although I do not own one, and am unlikely to do so, I have ridden in one on several occasions. One thing is clear, put your foot down and the power used is substantial. Travel at speed and the same applies.

Great Britain is a small island relative to its population with an overall speed limit of 70mph. We have an HGV limit of 56mph and coaches 62mph, yet no restriction on private cars.

Speed limiters on all new ones would do a deal to help reduce the problem of finding the power to top up, particularly at times of peak demand, and encourage the use of trains for longer journeys.

Finally, there is the small matter of safety when many conventional vehicles appear capable of approaching twice the national speed limit and a few near half that of the sound barrier. Clearly electric cars will soon catch up.

I acknowledge the problem of joining a motorway in particular. On more than one occasion I have had to accelerate to near 80mph to get ahead of an HGV which had its speed limiter delimited. Perhaps 80mph would be an acceptable figure to cover this problem.