Gwizzz, £5,000 for Metal Mickey (Other Motoring Issues)

Member Name: 1st2thebar

Product:	Other Motoring Issues
Date:	13/05/09 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cuts down CO2 emissions

Disadvantages: Rhetoric sound-bites at present

Titled - GWIZZZ, £5,000 FOR METAL MICKEY!
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No, it isn't an online auction to sell off the scary metal freak from last century; it is the latest entrapment of green policies Westminster has thrown onto the environment heap, the Electric car, which has been around for fours years already.

Firstly, the green issue
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There is one matter that we cannot control apart from Sir Fred Goodwin's pension or MP's expenses, and that is climate change. It is shocking that over the last 25 years we have now a generation that has been aware of global warming and CO2 emissions, and yet have not clamped down on the corporate giant perpetrators, by introducing green taxes half a century ago. If Westminster imposed this tax the UK would be leading the world in climate change and the US would have been forced to tow the line also. Yet we have wasted time. Time we cannot afford to lose. Our politicians have been bathing in wealth from the super rich companies who have systematically exploded billions of carbon emissions into the atmosphere without any concerns of an iron-fist green regulatory body on their cases. It all sounds too familiar doesn't it! Now the wealth has been handed back by Westminster to ailing banks in their own words 'to protect the taxpayer'. So where are the funds to protect us from a mightier force being 'climate change?' By not having green taxes in-place for a quarter of a century another financial black-hole has appeared in redeeming this serious matter; and it doesn't depend on world market share-prices.

GWizzz, £5,000 for 'Metal Mickey'
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I am an avid believer in green policies and I feel this should be a good green ethical one when it comes to greener motoring and CO2 emissions; yet I grasp at whether it is right that the government to levy this through at such a pace, because the incentives of cash will not be ready till 2011 or maybe 2012. - To put it bluntly the technology was available in the mid 1980's. One of the earliest forms of electric transport was Sir Clive Sinclair's C4 death-trap, it was a knee-high three wheeler with as much style as a drunk Russell Crowe balancing on a bar-stool. The concept was 'spot-on' but the execution was like watching a banker sealing a risky deal, it was all wrong. No one has seen Sir Clive since as he was carted off to the funny farm, whose have the last laugh now eh?

At the moment the whole pipe dream is just a sound-bite to us normal folk, except in London as there are now 1900 units sold and on the streets of our great city, these are called the 'Gwiz' the hybrid electric hub-matic transformers are to me like a car equivalent to 'Metal Mickey'; they're designed for non family orientated individuals who like to be the first in trying new things out, regardless of how ridiculous you look. It should suit me but I just don't like 'transformers or metal robots from the 1980's. Though I must confess Vauxhall have got the Vectram electric car and that is a slight improvement; then again I don't like Vauxhall, I'm a nightmare, I know.

Westminster's sound-bite green offerings are still pretty poor when it comes to the bigger climate change issues. The whole greener motoring is fine if the correct ground work before-hand has been incorporated in our environment; but like the 'Climate Change Act' it is a farce. In Scotland alone there are only 2 Car Charging points at present, unless Westminster reforms the initial CCA 2008 prompto the whole green policy levy will go up in smoke in a load of CO2 emissions and taxpayers cash, which is currently estimated at 404 Billion by the year 2050, not exactly great policy making and will inevitably rise, plus it depends on the GB pound strength in the world markets in years to come.

The current proposals are part of a minuscule £250m strategy that is a sound-bite for a revolution in Britain's road transport network based on ultra-low carbon vehicles; no signatures have been made and at present Westminster is looking at the general public response with the measures, which proves to me they do not have a clue what they're doing. It is a currently Geoff Hoon, the transport secretary, and Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, with the aim of turning the ignition to the market for cleaner road vehicles and slashing the UK's CO2 emissions sound-bite who will be at the bottom of the list of forth coming cabinet ministers who will follow until anything will be done. One piece of valuable information for you statisticians out there, apparently 35% of all our Carbon emissions caused by domestic transport, of that 58% are caused by the motor car, surprising stats especially when in all our daily lives we have known about CO2 emissions since the mid 1980's, and of course adding from that fact the electric car won't stamp-out complete CO2 freedom, we still will require massive amount of fossil fuels to run the scheme, so it all looks likely to be a load of hot-air, sadly non emission free.

I don't doubt the emission overall will improve because of the Gwhiz and other brands, but it doesn't solve the problem if Westminster chooses to be entirely emission free, which I can state is not their plan. Their long term plan is to tax petrol beyond belief and fossils fuel further to bridge the gaps incurred by the green black-hole for over twenty five years. The fact the MP's have exploited their own expenses for many years like pigs in a trough is not the same, even though it's the same green notes and believe you me the culture of greed does not go overnight.

The current price for a electric car is around £18,000 and that is a big drop in the ocean for many cash-strapped recession hit people who want to be green. The choices in designs are pretty poor and quite frankly bordering on the off-beat, maybe ugly, definitely mundane, sorry 'Metal Mickey'. I truly feel the government will have to give a huge cash incentive in two years time to even give the impression they're opting for greener motoring by 2011. By then the electric car may get a bit more stream-lined or become an UK icon as the Austin Mini has. At the moment it is just the 2004 Gwiz that glimpse through London rush-hour going only about 2 miles then charged up in a garage; the owners then would do the food-shop in the ever reliable petrol guzzler counter-acting any good they did to the environment earlier in the day, this is the main trend, as they see the electric car as a small 'play thing' rather than a vital part of life. Yes there is a recognized understanding but again no proper 'order' or regulation such as 'green police' to stop people using the easier accessible fuel guzzler. Again, these regulations need to be implemented if the electric car is to be a mainstream lifestyle. -

Leading up to the 2011 electric car deal that would enable the UK public to take advantage of the £3,000 - £5,000 incentive., it is estimated about 200 manufactured models will be available to purchase, and test drive. Hopefully by then Lotus would have got on the bandwagon and make the electric car design sexier, just like the Mini E series as tried to do with their electric motor munster and failed. A huge marketing campaign will have to be decisive out reaching to all markets enticing a feel-good factor that just may invite aging Michael Winner saying "It's electric you know"; or maybe get Katie Price saying "It'll have to be electric now". What happens if there is a power-cut? The MP's wouldn't be able to get back to their third homes, in Southampton; maybe it could be a good thing.

One thing is for sure if the government is serious about this scheme; the government has to get all car manufacturers working together in building the motors of tomorrow. Westminster will have to bail-out the motor industry from certain closures. Chrysler have hatched a deal with the US federal government as they have momentarily been saved by the current global financial crisis. Westminster may have promised that funds of over £100 Million will be available for electric car manufacturing collectively, but I do fear that it may become pie in the sky if it is sifted through under the current Climate Change Act 2008.

The rhetoric that seems to spill out of Westminster is under nourished of basic true content. Whether the UK is able to come up with the grants of up to £5,000 per road user by 2011 is a promise too far, our government seem to use unborn policies and shove them into the public domain as a 'think tank'. David Martell, CEO of the Electric Car Corporation feel the government yet again 'dragging their heels' on green issues regarding funding as the mandatory carbon requirements are available for a '4' seated car named the Citroen C1 today - In my opinion the PM is capitalistic seduced by huge corporations such as BP and that is inadvertently slowing green policies down to a minimal. You just got to look at where we are with corporate 'green taxes', it has been disregarded.

The bare facts in London alone speak for themselves, there are 900 petrol stations in and around the capital, but there are less than 10% of that figure for electric car charging points, and where are they? The rest of the UK the stats are worse. At this time the C1 costs £16,850, it is double the fee for the petrol version; even with the higher end of the supposed grant of £5,000 it is not viable. The petrol guzzling CO2 pumping lifestyle looks a better option, the only way to embark on a greener UK is to incorporate incentives. There are many Jeremy Clarkson's out there.

What is happening at the moment is that there is a product in the US market-place called 'Smart Electric Home-Care Chargers'. The Washington Company is ahead of the greener motoring grand prix, the device is ahead by some distance as it is combining wireless technology that guarantees that consumers get the cheapest deals to for charging their electric car, it opens up the market for a bigger picture whereby monopolizing won't be an issue. The government have looked at Europe at being their competitors in the greener motoring race, and all we have to offer is a few 'Metal Mickey's' -

Gwiz! - Westminster it is about time you pulled your noses out of the money gravy troughs, the rest of the civilized world is taking the 'Metal Mickey' out of us.

Thank you for reading this article, it would be great to hear your thoughts.

Copyright - 05 - 2009 1st2thebar

Summary: Government grant of £5,000 towards an electric car - discussion