Comment by Annatar | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Annatar | Hacker News Reader

Good luck with that, especially with banning ultramodern, low emission, high performance diesel cars.

I was in Denmark last year to see what's going on over there and I observed the infrastructure very carefully: there is no widespread electric infrastructure for cars; it will be a gargantuan investment of epic proportions. Even if the infrastructure is put in, the current battery technology is only barely adequate for daily city driving. Everything else - forget it! So this is banking on future infrastructure improvement in batteries and recharging, and it's especially banking on invention of fast recharging. And it's assuming diesel engines and emissions will stand still, with no further improvements. Just wondering, Danes like to travel and they like to hitch a camping trailer to their cars and drive all over Europe; how will they be able to do that if their government bans sales of cars with internal combustion engines?

Whatever stuff that government is on, it's gotta be potent; I'd like some of whatever they're smoking.

I’m a Dane, I have leased a 24kwh BEV a few years ago. The charging infrastructure is fine and it is getting better. Denmark is not that big. I had a 30km commute each way. I live in an apartment, so that means public charging, which was no problem. I got 99 km at 110km/h on a full charge which means a 60 kwh battery will take me between the two furthest points in Denmark on two quick charges.

The only parts that sucks about BEVs is that you can’t have a trailer attached and the price.

The last gen diesels are about to be banned (e.g Stockholm and other cities eg in Germany). I expect Euro6 diesels to follow within 10 years and the number of cities with bans to grow.

Charging infrastructure needs to be expanded everywhere but that needs to happen regardless. The need will just be more acute. Also note most in Europe have 230V at home including a lot of places in the Nordic countries that have 230V at every parking space for multi tenant housing for car heaters. Those are very handy for an EV parked overnight.

The holiday issue is a real one. I drive a diesel that does 1000km in one go. I use that range in one day maybe 2-3 days per year during holidays. That would be impossible with an EV. I can get where I want but it would require a lot more planning and longer travels and recharge waits.

> Even if the infrastructure is put in, the current battery technology is only barely adequate for daily city driving.

Barely adequate? We are reaching almost 500km on a charge now (around 300km is more common). This is Denmark we are talking about, not Russia.

> and it's especially banking on invention of fast recharging

You mean under 30 minutes? How often do you need that? Road trips?

Note that they are not banning hybrids, which will take care of your road trip needs just fine.

"You mean under 30 minutes? How often do you need that? Road trips?"

Of course and of course!

"Note that they are not banning hybrids,"

Yeah but hybrids suck: gasoline automatics, and except for the Volvo, ugly sedans. If there were more sportwagon diesel hybrids with manual transmissions, that'd be a different story, but there aren't and probably won't be.

And what will happen to car enthusiasts in Denmark if this legislature is enacted?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com