Electric motorhomes – is it time?
Donât panic; come 2030, you will still be allowed to use your diesel or petrol-powered motorhome and buy used models.
Plug-in hybrids will still be allowed to be sold until 2035 but, after that, only new pure electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles can be sold. Heavier vans over 3,500kg can still be sold until 2040. Itâs also worth noting that this is a government ambition, itâs not a law that has been set in stone and there will likely be derogations for some vehicles.
Before 2035, more and more cities will introduce low emission zones and it will become increasingly expensive to use a diesel within these.
Electric vehicles are only as environmentally friendly as the energy consumed during their manufacture, as well as the energy they consume in use and when recycled at the end of their life. Ideally, you need to consider the whole life costs of a vehicle in terms of its CO2 impact from inception to retirement.
While Britain has invested heavily in renewable energy, at night, solar contributes zero and wind turbine output varies. On windless nights, an electric vehicle may be recharged from coal, gas-powered (or nuclear) energy.
Britain also buys in electricity via cables from Europe. This varies with demand (at time of press we were buying in just over 7% from abroad), so you also have to consider how Europe is generating its power. For example, most of our bought-in power is from France, which typically produces about 72% of its energy via nuclear, with around 14% coming from hydro, wind and solar.
If you want to see how your energy is being generated at or đą
