Electric dreams

When Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, signalled a ban on new petroldriven vehicles in the UK by 2040, it seemed a fanciful ambition. By then, Mr Gove wants everyone to be driving around in electric cars. Perhaps the supply of electricity will be sufficiently resilient to sustain millions of vehicles by 2040, but it has an awful long way to go. The National Grid says anyone driving an electric car should not charge it at home while boiling a kettle because the power surge would trip the main fuse.

Perhaps we should give Mr Gove the benefit of the doubt and accept that he knew this. But it will fuel suspicions that, in order to comply with commitments to tackle climate change and reduce air pollution, the Government announced a policy it had not thought through. If motorists are persuaded to switch to electric cars and manufacturers respond with increased production, how will the National Grid be able to keep them on the road if it cannot cope with the demand?

It would take 19 hours to charge the average battery to allow motorists to drive 300 miles – but owners would be unable to boil their kettles or cook a meal during that time without blowing a fuse. Homes could be fitted with the maximum 100 amp main fuse to accommodate more powerful chargers, but the Grid said this would require “a large-scale rebuild of the domestic electricity infrastructure”.

Instead, it recommends building several thousand “super-fast” charging forecourts, similar to modern-day petrol stations. All this may well happen, and battery technology is also certain to improve. Mr Gove’s ambition cannot be faulted, but it would be a good idea to check whether it is feasible before ploughing ahead.