So there was a mention about piston engines running on hydrogen… Jason from EE show that although the technology exist in reality you can’t realistically store enough hydrogen to travel a decent amount of miles…
So another nail on the coffin for piston powered engines,
However just to be clear fuel cell is still a viable option.
It ain’t looking good for ICE I’m afraid (unless synthetic fuels become a thing) 
But fuel cells are inefficient. It’s better to just charge a battery in an EV by a factor of 3. However the main issue is probably not the hydrogen tech but the infrastructure (production and supply) to support it.
I read some guff from my employers talking about hydrogen being 3 times more energy dense by weight than kerosene. This is only slightly correct and smacks of greenwashing as hydrogen does not exist in that energy dense state without being cryogenically compressed to -252c. Add in the energy usage and complexity and Its not so compelling any more.
How about an A320 with half the seats taken out and the space devoted to high pressure hydrogen tanks, not very viable really in the world we live in.
Jason above produces some very good videos and goes into proper detail👍
EU have confirmed today a ban on new petrol engine cars in 2035 and it looks like the Ferrari clause has been dropped. While we are not in the EU I dare say the UK will be dragged along a similar route so it looks like all European MX5’s on the road now will become potential Havana options going forward. I wonder how many will choose that option and how long it will last. With luck I will have stopped driving by 2039 anyway so every reason to keep throwing money at the MX5 before I pop my clogs. I do not envy the customers of new vehicles particularly with so many options coming from countries with appalling employee and human rights records.
And in other news.
Electric car and van owners could be hit with road tax bills in less than three years, under plans being considered by Jeremy Hunt for the Autumn Statement.
A Whitehall source claimed it was now inevitable that electric vehicles would be subject to road tax “at some point”, adding that the Treasury was considering “when that should be”.
It was bound to happen at some point.
They need all the revenue they can get, but I can’t see the roads being significantly repaired/improved with the millions of extra income it will provide.
The intelnet is a weird place for serendipidy no sooner had I returned to peruse my fb account after learning about Chairman Mao’s Hundred Flowers Movement which encouraged criticism and debate about his then regieme than I find an fb group called ’ MG4 ev problems and complaints uk’ (Redirecting...) which appears to be administered by someone living in Bosnia !
Anyway bizzarley a few MG4 customers have flagged oil leaks from a breather pipe, interior trim fit issues, check ‘MG4 boot’ in google to see some slackness not seen since the day of British Leyland and the usual delivery issues which are not unique to the MG4. I am seeing an insane amount of advertising for the MG4 on my fb page so someone obviously thinks the model is significant I guess that might be the fb algorithm.
Currenty in Thailand, where I am seeing a lot of MGs on the road (MG has a factory here), including a MG Pickup (nice rear, er, striking front) and the MG5 coupe saloon (nothing like the the MG5 EV estate sold in the UK, which in Thailand is called the EP), a smart looker, let down by the ubiquitous FCA-GM 1.5 motor also used in the Fiat Spyder, although MG uses it in a detuned form. And the MGs here don’t just have the octogan badge, but also “Morris Garages” across the fascia.
There is also a “Brit Dynamic” badge on many, which apparently is the design philosopy.
The proverbial ‘full circle’…
Were the old ways the best after all?
Interesting sales for October.
MG outselling MINI, Mazda, Honda, Fiat, Citroen, Renault (wow), Seat, Skoda, Volvo.
Also reflects in the YTD data.
MG are doing something right. What is also remarkable, they seem to be doing decent sales without much of a visible dealer network.
There’s a whole train of Chinese brands wating to enter the UK market, with a price USP. I suspect the next few years might even see the disappearance of some smaller brands from UK shores, such as Suzuki, Fiat, Subaru. Subaru have barely sold 1000 cars in the UK this year. Why do they bother?
My Mazda dealer also sold Mitsubishi. Noticed when I visited last year that they are now only a Mitsubishi service centre as they pulled out of the UK market.
After all it was back in the 70s when the Japanese companies entered the UK market offering affordable cars with luxuries previously unheard of in the UK. How amazed were we with two speed wipers, three speed heater fans, electric windows and even velour seats.
Looks like you were correct…
Have I got to subsidise them for another two years?
I note they only did a tiny amount to increase slowly the BIK rates on electric, which is what’s driving the uptake of bev cars far more than people actually wanting them.
C 90% of them going to fleets/businesses?
As a practical alternative to ICE they simply don’t work for most private motorists.
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