Day 8: Electric and Stuff

So, as always, I was actually planning to say something interesting in this blog, but then got distracted, and so now have to write it seriously quickly before it becomes Friday. So here I go.

It was announced today that the British government are going to spend £2 million on recharge posts for electric cars, and that in two years time, it could be possible for those with electric cars to claim up to £5000. This seemed a bit strange to me. First of all, I'm still not entirely sure about the whole electric car thing. Now I don't know a lot about them, but it seems to me that even by using electricity, you still have to burn some sort of fuel to get the energy. It's just that by putting the fuel straight into your car it skips a step. I think (otherwise I really don't understand the point) that electric cars are more fuel efficient than normal cars, and that you could always use renewable energy sources, but there are other problems too.

First of all, we are already under threat of power cuts because power stations cannot provide the demand we need quick enough. Secondly, an electric car can only go a certain distance before it needs recharging, which can take a long time. Especially if you're using a wind turbine. Whilst this may not be a problem for those who only have to travel short distances, for those of us who have to travel long distances it instantly becomes a problem. We could get trains/couches instead, which would reduce our carbon footprint as we are sharing with more people. However, even though I love public transport and use it everyday, sometimes it is just not an option.

Also, can our government really afford all of this right now? I know that sometimes it is good to spend money on new iniatives but... From a young person's, non-tax paying, not-entirely-understanding-of-the-financial-world point of view, it doesn't seem right. Why is there not enough money for textbooks and medicine but enough to put electric plugs in the street (especially when they will soon be damaged and misused)?

I am all for going green- I recycle everything I can, turn off lights etc. I want to find an alternative source but I just don't think that electric cars at this stage in their development are the right way forward. I'll do more research and come to a better conclusion tomorrow...