Are we really ready for self-driving cars? | Letters

The UK boss of insurer Axa lays too much of the responsibility for providing electric car charging infrastructure at National Grid's door, writes Mike Brown. Plus Nigel Trow says people should still learn to drive

Amanda Blanc, Axa's UK boss, lays too much of the responsibility for providing electric car charging infrastructure at National Grid's door (Report, 1 January). Electricity privatisation removed National Grid's obligation to plan provision of adequate generation capacity as the market was seen as a more efficient provider. National Grid is responsible for carrying energy from the generation companies to regional bulk supply points, where most of it is passed on to regional distribution companies' infrastructure which feeds our homes and businesses.

While the Grid will require reinforcement, additional supply points and consequent investment, the impact on the distribution networks is likely to be disproportionate; banks of superchargers will require cabling to industrial amounts of energy while slower and home chargers will add cumulative demands that may require reinforcement work at street level. Grid and distribution charges are moderated by Ofgem but on the basis that necessary capital investment costs are passed on to the customer, so there will be an impact on energy costs.

Continue reading...