Electrifying!

 I haven't mentioned electric vehicles for a while, but I will admit that they do appear to be an attractive option.

But for me the downside (other than the cost of buying or leasing) is still range - how far can you go on a full charge.

When I fill the Dacia with B7 Diesel I know that I can do 600+ miles without having to look for a service station. I can leave home, visit by son (160 miles), both daughters (+50 miles), mother-in-law (+60 miles) and get back home (+140 miles) without worrying about where I can get fuel. On summer grade diesel I am getting 60+ mpg. Winter grade fuel makes 56+ mpg.

The best e-range seems to be with Tesla at some 350 miles - but at ridiculous expense. The cheap end of the market looks like 150 miles is what you can hope for in good conditions.

So, although even cars like the Nissan Leaf are cheaper, they are beyond my price range, if I used one for the above journey I would be looking to refuel (recharge) about 2/3 of the way to my son's house. He has no parking, so on-street parking has no charging points. I might get to mother-in-law's place without another charge, but things would be getting stressful. A full charge - with an extension lead and 8-10 hours in her company - might just get us home again.

Motoring will cease being a pleasure and will be reduced to searching out the next charging point - are we there yet - waiting while you get a 'top up' (because a full charge takes over night) so that you can do may be another 80 miles.

Our ordinary day-to-day motoring may be less frenetic as 150 miles could get us around one of my wife's mooching photographic trips around the countryside. Of course, here in Devon, the lack of public charging points becomes patently obvious when you start trying to find one. 

May be the introduction of E10 petrol (up from E5) with 10% ethanol to reduce pollutants may convince petrol users to switch - as their performance and fuel consumption will be worse.

So I think there is still a long way to go before a 'milk float' is viable for me. What is currently a four hour journey to my son, will become six with the delays for charging added. Definitely a different approach to motoring will be required. Oh, and as the cost per mile is about the same as conventional fuels, there is little incentive there. 

Formula E, for Ernie*

Formula E (for Ernie); I thought I'd better watch it before I said anything - I should at least speak from experience.

A Unigate milk float from way back
(Wikipedia GNU Free Documentation Licence)

Now, I haven't watched F1 (Formula 1) for a couple of years, because it is boring. It is a two-horse event where all the excitement revolves around which is the quickest team to change a set of wheels. Formula E has just started its fourth season, and I have never seen it, so wondered if it would be better. I sat and watched the second round, Hong Kong, day two.

Apart from the obvious - no engine noise, just whining - there was a total lack of charisma, character, or excitement. The presenters are lacklustre, the drivers (when interviewed), too. It probably is wonderful if you are a computer / electronics geek. For petrol-heads it's about as exciting as racing milk-floats.

The actual race was interesting ... inasmuch as there was a modicum of overtaking (lacking in F1), lightened by the comedic events during the compulsory pit stop. There is more excitement with Scalextric.

Obviously, the way forward for the motor industry is electric cars, and Formula E must be a great arena for research and development, but once we have the world travelling by E-cars (and, heaven forbid, driverless, or should I say, autonomous - although looking at some Audis and BMWs around me in traffic I'm not so sure it won't be an improvement), we will need to build a few nuclear power plants to cope with the extra demand.

Will I watch Formula E again? No. And unless F1 changes, I won't return to that, either. I'll stick with proper racing, with real racers, DTM, WEC, BTCC, MotoGP, Superbikes.

(* for those not old enough to remember Benny Hill, 'Ernie' drove the fastest milk cart in the west)