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1/ Here is an idea: "Charging Trains"
Similar to the Channel Tunnel Shuttle - a train carriage that you can drive cars onto - but with charging points for electric cars.
Replace a large portion of motorway traffic with High Speed Charging Trains between cities (and countries).
Similar to the Channel Tunnel Shuttle - a train carriage that you can drive cars onto - but with charging points for electric cars.
Replace a large portion of motorway traffic with High Speed Charging Trains between cities (and countries).
2/ The benefits are:
a) Range becomes less important for EV's, so batteries can be smaller, simpler, cheaper, less reliant on cobalt / rare earths.
b) Short hop air travel is displaced onto railways.
c) It accelerates the shift from IC engines to EVs.
a) Range becomes less important for EV's, so batteries can be smaller, simpler, cheaper, less reliant on cobalt / rare earths.
b) Short hop air travel is displaced onto railways.
c) It accelerates the shift from IC engines to EVs.
3/ Imagine...
You drive your electric city car onto a High Speed Charging Train (HSCT) at Kings Cross and - if it is a SERIOUS high speed train - you drive off, fully charged, in Edinburgh less than 2 hrs later. Cornwall in 1hr. Provence in 3hrs. Barcelona or Tuscany in 4hrs.
You drive your electric city car onto a High Speed Charging Train (HSCT) at Kings Cross and - if it is a SERIOUS high speed train - you drive off, fully charged, in Edinburgh less than 2 hrs later. Cornwall in 1hr. Provence in 3hrs. Barcelona or Tuscany in 4hrs.
4/ What other changes might flow from this?
a) Aircraft are relegated to long-haul journeys.
b) Heathrow could be smaller and further away: Build a new international airport on MOD land on Salisbury Plain (35 mins from Paddington on our HSCT) and free up 10,000 Ha at Heathrow.
a) Aircraft are relegated to long-haul journeys.
b) Heathrow could be smaller and further away: Build a new international airport on MOD land on Salisbury Plain (35 mins from Paddington on our HSCT) and free up 10,000 Ha at Heathrow.
5/ At high(ish) housing density it could provide 1.5M dwellings with a sales value of £750Bn and a build cost of £250Bn. New, zero-carbon, homes.
This is what the UK should be doing - leading the world on new sutainable technology - not eating ourselves up with Brexit madness.
This is what the UK should be doing - leading the world on new sutainable technology - not eating ourselves up with Brexit madness.
