4th June 2021

Our present car serves us very well – it’s comfortable, reliable and an excellent load carrier. In truth, we don’t need to change it, but that doesn’t stop me from occasionally thinking about what I’d like next. They’re expensive, there’s still not a lot of model choice and we certainly need more rapid charging points around the country because the maximum driving distance on a single charge is limited, but, all that conceded, I’d definitely like to move to an electric car.

For once, this isn’t a case of me simply wanting to try the latest thing, of being dazzled by the shiniest new toy in the window. I can actually feel semi-virtuous because adopting this new technology would be a contribution towards limiting the damage we’re doing to our planet with our heavy reliance on fossil fuels. In any case, the UK Government has indicated that sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles are to be phased out by 2030; sooner or later the changeover is coming to all of us, so why not make the move earlier?

Of course, this isn’t a win-win situation because electric vehicles come with problems of their own. Their production uses up scarce and expensive raw materials, they need large batteries, and the electricity to power them still has to be made somehow. But that said, at least it offers a way to leave fossil fuels unused in the ground and so to put a brake on global warming. It seems our stewardship of the earth can rarely avoid compromise, but we owe it to God and future generations to do our best.

Ken Stewart