‘Going electric’
“We know that we are in the midst of a climate emergency, and the recent publication of the IPCC report demonstrates that the scientific evidence is irrefutable, greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are putting billions of people at immediate risk. It is getting closer to home, with forest fires and devastating flooding events.
“We need to change our behaviours, and it is time to act now. I have decided to make a change, and sell my internal combustion engine (ICE) car and buy a battery-electric vehicle (BEV). This has taken some soul searching because I have always been a fan of driving either on 2 wheels or 4. I am a bit of a petrol head and loved my big-engined, powerful, hot hatch. I will miss the noise and drama of 340 bhp, fuelled by 98 octane super unleaded. I will not miss the price of fuel or road tax.
“More importantly, my personal carbon footprint will be smaller. I am very privileged to be in a position to be able to work from home at times and buy an EV, to contribute in a small way to reach net zero, every little helps.
“There are lots of incentives to go electric, from government grants for the purchase of vehicles and charging points to a free public charging network in Scotland. The EV technology is rapidly improving and efficiency increasing all the time. Soon I’ll be talking in Wh/mile instead of mpg and the instant torque of an electric motor, silent efficiency of electric motoring will be a refreshing change, and zero emissions from electricity generated from renewable sources will be my small behavioural change.”
Greg Steel - Curriculum Learning Manager for Sustainable Construction at Borders College