Articles about solar energy have been prominent in ‘Country News’ (insert in the Ensign) recently, including an article on the possibility that large scale solar farms may impact on microclimates of nearby farming properties. After exploring this proposition with the help of our agricultural scientist, Frank Dunin, and the scope for them to be placed on land of low productivity, we moved on to discuss articles about policy decisions being made to ban fossil fuel cars in the UK and France and the efforts being made by car manufacturers to adapt.
Possible upheavals as electronic vehicles with a potential lifespan of 800,000km and fewer moving parts make combustion engines obsolete include oil companies experiencing less demand for petrol; spare parts not needed by electric vehicles (such as spark plugs and fuel injectors) becoming difficult to find and home charging units replacing petrol stations.
One class member mentioned that their longserving, trustworthy mechanic in Benalla looked somewhat crestfallen when they said they would like to buy an electric vehicle when prices come down. Professor Seba from Stanford University suggests cost parity may be achieved within five years, with the influence of market forces more significant than government bans. Local signals of market driven and policy change towards fossil free cars include Tallis winery at Dookie installing a charging station for electric vehicles recently and the Benalla Council already having policy relating to the transition over time to electric vehicles.
In ‘Petrol vehicles approaching their Kodak moment’ (Age, 23/7/17) Evans-Pritchard suggests that it’s not only fossil fuelled cars that will be affected—haulage and trucking; aircraft; ships and ferries –will also be impacted… ‘Scandinavia already uses electric ferries for short trips’ and ‘Boeing is even working on electric aircraft for short haul flights’.
Towards a Sustainable Future meets on the first and third Thursdays from 9.30 to 11.30 am. New members welcome!
Possible upheavals as electronic vehicles with a potential lifespan of 800,000km and fewer moving parts make combustion engines obsolete include oil companies experiencing less demand for petrol; spare parts not needed by electric vehicles (such as spark plugs and fuel injectors) becoming difficult to find and home charging units replacing petrol stations.
One class member mentioned that their longserving, trustworthy mechanic in Benalla looked somewhat crestfallen when they said they would like to buy an electric vehicle when prices come down. Professor Seba from Stanford University suggests cost parity may be achieved within five years, with the influence of market forces more significant than government bans. Local signals of market driven and policy change towards fossil free cars include Tallis winery at Dookie installing a charging station for electric vehicles recently and the Benalla Council already having policy relating to the transition over time to electric vehicles.
In ‘Petrol vehicles approaching their Kodak moment’ (Age, 23/7/17) Evans-Pritchard suggests that it’s not only fossil fuelled cars that will be affected—haulage and trucking; aircraft; ships and ferries –will also be impacted… ‘Scandinavia already uses electric ferries for short trips’ and ‘Boeing is even working on electric aircraft for short haul flights’.
Towards a Sustainable Future meets on the first and third Thursdays from 9.30 to 11.30 am. New members welcome!
