Battery cars need oil
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THE most likely route to success for the electric car is with a hybrid system using batteries with a small petrol engine to help out on long journeys, according to Dr David Porter of the Electricity Council.
Speaking at the Electric Vehicle Conference at Goodwood House, Dr Porter suggested that a realistic estimate for oil price rises might be in the region of seven to eight per cent per year compared with a predicted two to three per cent for electricity.
Dr Porter claimed that this is very important for diesel vehicles where dery accounts for 20 per cent of the running costs compared with an electric vehicle where the electricity is only five per cent of the running costs.
He maintained that electricity prices are more suitable than oil because the Electricity Council has a range of fuels to choose from as a power source with the current split being 82 per cent coal, 10 per cent nuclear and eight per cent oil.