European Bob 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 🇪🇺

One dictator down, two to go.

I had a conversation with a “young boomer” today, I’m Gen X. My summary is that it’s exhausting! It was a lovely sunny day and they asked about my solar panels, so I said they were great and they should invest in some, but then came a list of 20 reasons why they don’t work!

They then mentioned my two EVs, and out came the “you can only do 100 miles”, “they depreciate so quickly”, “how would they work in the outer Hebrides where we went 20 years ago” and my favourite as an ex grid engineer “they will crash the grid.

Quite apart from them telling a person who has had solar for 13 years and EVs for 3 how they work, what happened to these people? They are only 5-10 years older than me but they spend so much energy being negative when it would take half as much energy to be informed.

Electrification reduces my annual overall energy demand. Past 12 months heating via my heat pump, 4000kWh at a measured SCOP of 4 means that 20,000kWh of gas not burned (boiler 80% efficient)

My solar panel push out 5000kWh a year in Northern Europe on a small roof, helping reduce the use of electricity.

Electrification hugely reduces primary energy usage, even at domestic level.

Electrification reduces my annual overall energy demand. Past 12 months heating via my heat pump, 4000kWh at a measured SCOP of 4 means that 20,000kWh of gas not burned (boiler 80% efficient)

Past 12 months of driving EVs have been 20,000 miles. A diesel vehicle achieving 35mpg was replaced by the energy equivalent of 147mpg in my similar size EV van, meaning the equivalent of 435 gallons of diesel not burned.

The Lancet Planetary Health reported this year that for every 200 EVs registered in a “neighbourhood” the NO2 levels dropped 1.1% whilst for every 200 ICE cars NO2 increased. NO2 causes breathing difficulties. In September 2026 the UK registered 99,000 new EVs. Some hope on the horizon.

UK September car sales, a pure EV was sold every 12 seconds, almost 100,000 cars, but the SMMT “analysis” still points to being cynical about EVs, stating that they have missed targets, when they know full well that this years 33% target has allowances for PHEVs and reduced ICE emissions.

@drsimevans.carbonbrief.org

When the organisation that is paid to collate figures remains anti-EV, it’s time to change that organisation.

European Bob 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 🇪🇺 reposted

Simon Evans

NEW ANALYSIS: Record wind and solar save UK from gas imports worth £5.9bn during Hormuz crisis 🌤️ wind/solar generation up 14% in 2026 to date 🏭 gas down ~10% 🚢 >100 LNG cargoes avoided

13 Sept

@ctrlaltrefuel.bsky.social Hi guys, you are the cleverest car guys I have acquaintance with. I need to replace my ID.Buzz soon, would you… A) Lease the Buzz for 4 years at £650 per year @10,000 miles (I would need to buy year 4 warranty) B) Buy a year old Buzz the same spec for £48k

13 Sept

I’d keep the bought Buzz for 4 years minimum. My cost of finance is around 4%. Any ideas?

Whilst the SMMT UK, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders HAVE TO report the registration facts each month or lose their standing, it doesn’t mean that they are not biased. Yet again BEVs are performing very well, not just in August but throughout the year

In a month where BEV registrations were 29.8%, the “Analysis” from SMMT was as shown here. A reluctant acceptance of a high BEV percentage.

However the whole year figure isn’t much different at all, especially as Jan 2026 and Feb 2026 sales percentages were low, possibly due to historically low fuel prices (real terms). The SMMT also try to sow the seeds of “but next month is important, not this month”.

The wind returns to the UK, newish large wind farms coming on-line in the North Sea, solar doing its bit, and you get 105% of required generation AFTER curtailment, and some electricity heading abroad, possibly to pump water up a Norwegian mountain or into a Danish battery bank.

The UK pure battery market is clearly failing again, 29.8% of all August 2026 car registrations were pure electric, up 28% year on year to 28,000 vehicles. If you don’t drive a BEV yet, the English public charger network is very solid, Scotland is good too, Wales needs work.

Reporting shows that Sofia wind farm is producing significant electricity today. Let’s hope the numbers are real. At this rate it will surpass Dogger Bank A&B! @robhawkes.bsky.social

6 Aug

Nice to see both Dogger Bank A & B over 30% of peak generation today, despite lowish winds, maybe the transmission issues are almost fixed? Referencing the work of: @robhawkes.bsky.social

Just a picture of the Renault Twingo that seems to have arrived in showrooms in the UK this month. Smaller, cheaper and Frencher than we’ve seen in a long time, 100% EV, 100% ❤️

The picture of “Nobody wants an EV” and “the infrastructure isn’t up to it in the UK.

If you want to feel confident about charging, hubs are your friends, the operators know this and they are increasing the number. Existing successful hubs are also expanding, not shown in the data here, but hubs are now usually 12+ and some are 40+

The EV revolution in the UK is now nailed on, why wait?

The picture of “Nobody wants an EV” and “the infrastructure isn’t up to it in the UK.

Over 50kW up to 600kW is the growth area in 2026.

Over 29,000 50kW+ chargers, which are monitored by the UK gov with a 99% expected uptime to avoid fines and “future licencing difficulties”

The picture of “Nobody wants an EV” and “the infrastructure isn’t up to it in the UK.

Not the usual suspects taking the top spaces, who knew that cheaper and smaller EVs could work… (Renault Twingo hit the showrooms this month too…)

120,000 public chargers

The picture of “Nobody wants an EV” and “the infrastructure isn’t up to it in the UK.

45% year on year growth in pure BEVs.

@martinlewis.moneysavingexpert.com

4 Aug

Provisional data in the UK shows almost 50% increase in EV registrations in July 26 year on year, with over 43,000 vehicles and over 27% of market share. That’s 1 less super max tanker each year from July sales alone. Nothing can stop this now, cars, vans, class 8 trucks, all doable, all sensible.

European Bob 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 🇪🇺 reposted

Martin Lewis

23 July

Pls spread word. Three digits can help protect you from scams: 159. If you're suspicious of a 'call from your bank', politely hang up and dial 159. It connects you to a switchboard that puts you through to your bank's real number. Watch the video for why its extra protection

8 July

For those of you outside of the UK, the right wing tosspot MP called Farage has resigned from parliament to avoid investigations into his funding. He immediately put his name forward for the bye election that follows. All other parties stepped aside now he’s up against a man dressed as a bin.

7 July

Congratulations Belgium Football 4 - 1 Soccer Cheats never prosper

6 July

6 July

The UK is now up to 2.1 million pure EV cars on the road. That’s around 430,000,000 UK gallons or 2 billion litres of fossil fuel not being burned in cars each year.

5 July

German EV sales up 78% in June 2026 (year on year sales) But I’m still reading daily that EV sales have collapsed worldwide.

4 July

“Rumours” are that the UK made it to 29.8% pure EV sales in June 2026, in a growing overall market. That’s almost 65,000 new BEVs on the road. In comparison, “Europe” including the UK is hitting 19.8% pure EV. Full data will be available on Monday.

22 June

@kiwiev.bsky.social saw this, thought of you!

5 June

The UK growth in EV adoption is picking up pace again. Let’s hope it continues, the infrastructure is ready, come use it.

1 June

Here in the UK even public EV charging can be cheaper than driving diesel. Actual figures from my past 1500 miles, VW ID.Buzz vs Mercedes Vito Diesel, all motorway driving. Vito 35mpg, Buzz 2.5m per kWh Ionity sub price 43p kWh, Diesel £1.90 gallon Vito 24p mile, Buzz 18p mile

@tommyboy0690.bsky.social

1 June

But of course the Buzz is most often charged at home for 4p kWh, but even if you can’t, the EV is cheaper.

European Bob 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 🇪🇺 reposted

tommyboy0690.bsky.social

17 May

OK forget about what I said yesterday - THIS is the absolute worst picture of Trump ever taken. So for fuck’s sake, out of basic human decency, do not retweet it and accidentally expose more people to it. Fuckface would be devastated.

5 May

UK April Car Registration figures have just arrived…

European Bob 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 🇪🇺 reposted

Charlie Austin

@chuckles-s.bsky.social

27 Apr

I don’t even want to turn on the news anymore:(

argentina.indymedia.orgLa solidaridad china ilumina Cuba, y lo podría hacer con otros países - Indymedia Argentina Centro de Medios Independientes (( i ))75 plantas fotovoltaicas chinas dan energía y luz a Cuba. La solidaridad de China. Escenario mundial donde el precio de los hidrocarburos se multiplicara astronómicamente en todo el mundo, y escaseara...

27 Apr

China’s response to America blocking fossil fuel imports to Cuba, which killed many people when hospitals lost power, including new born babies? They didn’t send fossil fuels, they sent engineers with 1GW of solar panels and built 75 solar parks. (In Spanish) argentina.indymedia.org/2026/04/25/l...