Electric cars.

All new cars sold in Europe required to be equipped with speed limiters from this week | RAC Drive

 

Interesting article. I'm sure, although I'm certainly not technical, people would be able to get it disabled and there is likely to be a good business in doing it.

It does say that, currently, the driver can turn the system off our temporarily override it.

I'm wondering how much it is going to cost to put the equipment to operate the system on the roads.

It seems as though it might be another reason for people to be deterred from buying new cars.

I know it may be a minority that would wish to get the system disabled but it is likely to be that minority that contains the biggest culprits for endangering road safety.

I was driving on the motorway yesterday and it was quite busy but most people were managing to keep to 60-70 mph. Then two idiots in sports cars came roaring through (very noisy engines) and weaving between lanes and probably doing over 100mph.

 

When I worked in the Middle East all cars had audible warnings fitted if you exceeded the speed limit. If they were tampered with or disabled it was a finable offence.

Some modern cars have the ability to automatically limit the speed. My last car, a Mini, had a manual speed cap which I used a lot. I can see it coming here in the not too distant.

 

A lot of cars already have the tech fitted, it just hasn't been a part of legislation. Mine for example tells me the limit and current actual speed (I think there's an audible reminder if switched on) and there's the limiter function.
It all depends on how the UK gov wants to implement the requirements as to how Draconian they go.

 

Mine has that, with an audible reminder, and has a manual speed limiter that I can set (cruise control) - which is overridden by putting your foot down. It's the installation of the tracking and limit equipment to the roads that will take time.

That's why it gets overridden by putting your foot down.

You only need to look at the complete mess they have made of the Smart Motorway system to see a lot of the problems.

 

Now you would think so, wouldn't you....

So, ULEZ is not about making money, it is about having the air clean, yes? So how does £12.50 tax clean the air and make it OK for a non-compliant vehicle to drive in London?

Or Congestion Charge that was to reduce congestion but mostly pollution in the centre of London, therefore electric vehicles are exempt. Except, from the end of this year, they won't be exempt any longer and will pay the same £15 charge that other cars pay.

How many houses in London have got concrete, brick paver or even tarmac driveways or house-fronts as it stands today? Now, having spent somewhere in the region of £5k and £50k depending on the size of your driveway, are you going to rip that out or are you going to just suck up an annual tax of let's say £500? Especially when you consider that if you have a garden, they are considering taxing that too.

Forgive me if I am a tad cynical, but I really don't think it is about the environment - it is about money, just as all of this 'net zero' nonsense is.

What they will do, once the tax comes in, is go round and unblock the drains that they've not been doing this past few years and then they will claim they have alleviated flooding and we should all bow to Prophet Khan for his wisdom.

 

The problem arises when the GPS accuracy is out and you are on a parallel road.



Twickenham Road is a 50mph road, Swan Road and Crispen Road leading onto Swan Road, are both 20mph - my last three cars have got this wrong and warn that I am speeding when I am doing 50mph on Twickenham Road... that is only one example too.

The trouble with these sort of systems is that they look fabulous on paper and in tests, in modern built countries where the roads are wider and are much further apart, it all works fine... then apply it to a city like London, Winchester or Edinburgh (and many more!) and it falls flat on its arse.

 

That will depend on what legislation they choose to bring in - bear in mind that when ULEZ expanded last year, Mr Khan effectively banned the use of diesel cars that were over six years old. Six is not old by anyone's measure.

 

The latest tech doesn't use GPS they have cameras to read the speed limit signs that way it also works for temporary road works restrictions and the variable speed limits on motorways. I'm not saying it's infallible, sure it will get it wrong sometimes, I wonder who will then have to pay the speeding fine, the driver or the car manufacturer...