perhaps the thinking was if the limit was raised to 80 people some would be doing 90. Has it is a fair few are exceeding the 70 from my observation. I think emissions and fuel consumption play a factor as well

If it does happen it would be a welcome positive for the motorist though, a rare event these days!!!

Can't see it getting much traction now. Only an ostrich would deny that driving 10mph faster would use more fuel. In Wales, of course, they are more likely to lower the limit to 60.

It's been bounced around for years, I don't think it was ever in a manifesto. I think Blair first mentioned it but at 80mph it would be strictly enforced so it wouldn't actually lead to higher speeds since many are already getting near to 80mph given the margin. Is it still 10% + 3?

Did anyone really expect it to happen? In an age of reducing global emissions was it ever conceivable to approve a speed limit increase? As a compromise, how about raising the speed limit for EV’s and leaving it at 70 for fossil fuel burners?

Whoa now, this really sounds like trouble! You can not be serious. I thought range died the faster you went in your EV. The pollution is coming out of the power station.

It looks like the GIGA? Battery site for the UK is going to Bridgwater on the Somerset levels one of the lowest places in the country to be smothered in concrete. Now according to the climate change map of predicted sea rise this place might be under water by 2050 unless of course it is all one big con

I see no case for increasing the limits for any vehicles, however they're powered. Given the traffic levels and what seems to me increasingly poor driving skills, there's a case for lowering it. My compromise would therefore be to leave things as they are. If it's not broken then why fix it? I suspect it was all Politics behind this, something else quite quickly became higher priority.

how about raising the speed limit for EV’s and leaving it at 70 for fossil fuel burners?

Most EVs already break the limit in all areas as I noticed some weeks ago, an ioniq 5 overtook 4 cars in a row one morning, and we were doing the speed limit, I know they shift but most EV drivers take advantage of there acceleration where they can.

some are dangerous imo they way they drive

Edited by Bolt on 28/05/2023 at 09:48

70 mph is plenty fast enough on our overcrowded motorways and dual carriageways. OK, so on a clear stretch of motorway in good weather conditions it would be perfectly safe to do 80 mph, but not much of our motorway and trunk road network has those conditions at any given moment during the day.

‘Whoa now, this really sounds like trouble! You can not be serious. I thought range died the faster you went in your EV. The pollution is coming out of the power station.’ Range of an ICE also decreases the faster you go. What you can’t see is how many EV’s have been charged via a roof full of photovoltaic panels, or from one of increasing number of public charging networks supplying only electricity from renewable sources. What we can see, for certain, is that every petrol or diesel (barring the occasional McDonald’s truck running on recycled cooking oil) is running on the carbon from long dead lifeforms and pumping it into the atmosphere.

You are not really serious with the differential speed limits are you?? Impossible to police and why. The grid is mix of all sorts of generated electric so you cannot be sure that what you are charging with. Would you spit it back out if it was from gas? The Ice driver seems an easy target in the grand scheme of reducing carbon as mentioned before about rich peoples toys yachts private planes extravagant houses etc few are concerned about a bit of carbon. Nothing is free going faster in your EV is consuming more electric at some extra cost to the owners pocket

Cardiff council to their great credit have bought a fleet of EV rubbish trucks. The downside is that they are charging them using diesel generators. Amusing or not?

My personal observation is that EV drivers usually drive below speed limits. Makes sense probably because they want to reach destinations without running out of charge :-)

The top speed and 0-60 timings are irrelevant in real world.

‘an ioniq 5 overtook 4 cars in a row one morning, and we were doing the speed limi’ You saw one Ioniq 5 perform an overtake a few weeks ago and from that you deduce that most EV drivers drive too quickly?

I could deduce a lot of things but I have noticed EV drivers are as bad for speeding where they can as the old performance car drivers used to be.

I suspect as they get more powerful and drivers realise the power, they will use it where possible, and if they can afford one- range- will not bother them as they enjoy the power of an EV

‘You are not really serious with the differential speed limits are you?? Impossible to police and why. The grid is mix of all sorts of generated electric so you cannot be sure that what you are charging with.’ Dead easy to police - motorway speeding tickets are issued via ANPR (either via automatic cameras or officers on an over bridge), the same ANPR process will immediately also be able to identify the stated emissions of the vehicle. Various low emission zones already do the same thing. If I charge at home via Octopus, it’s coming via 100% renewable resources. They also supply public charging networks. Gridserve, IONITY, Instavolt, Tesla and others all supply 100% electricity from wind, solar, tidal, etc. www.yourparkingspace.co.uk/insights/greenest-ev-ch...s

You are e not Shapps or Kahns number two by any chance? Where can a get a set of cloned plates? Not serious!

If I charge at home via Octopus, it’s coming via 100% renewable resources. They also supply public charging networks. Gridserve, IONITY, Instavolt, Tesla and others all supply 100% electricity from wind, solar, tidal, etc.

Unless you have several supply lines, or generate your own power (PV etc) you get whatever leccy comes down the wire connected to your property. You can only choose which company you pay for providing it - and take their word for where they get it from.

If I charge at home via Octopus, it’s coming via 100% renewable resources. They also supply public charging networks.

Do they supply directly to you and public chargers or do they just say that, as I can`t see them giving you a direct supply from renewable, as mentioned the grid is a mix not all renewables ?

Really? So we’ve gone from a sensible conversation about energy production and subsequent use to provide transportation to getting wound up by a (non-mandatory) green band on a registration plate?

Well just what is the green band about, I am not bothered by it, just curious. If I did buy an EV and I have not discounted the possibility if my driving needs change it would not have the band, just a personal thing. So why are these EV plates optional They are not read by ANPR Is it illegal to put them on an ICE? Yes why would you before anyone asks. What is the point of them?

"... getting wound up by a (non-mandatory) green band..."

And heat pumps.

Edited by FP on 28/05/2023 at 19:20

Lovely-I’d like a motorway minimum speed limit of -say-50mph. If that was unsustainable then traffic should be limited to joining at junctions which would automatically close till the flow thinned?

Just brilliant if you have driven some miles to join a motorway. Where do you are the rest inconvenienced by a closure go from there, Even more chaos I suppose.. The picture you paint of our motorway system is the norm at peak hours with people joining the inevitable queue

Three weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting Liverpool, M2, M25, M1, M6 etc. In all I drove close to 1,000 miles including a few trips around. I would love to see a speed limit of 80mph, but all these "smart" (dumb) motorways with display boards reducing the speed limit every time a twig falls onto the carriageway ... just thinking about 80mph is like having retrospective thoughts about the good old days. I wish.

But, having a minimum speed limit (a realistic one to keep the differences in speeds to a minimum) would be a good idea. My favour would be 55 or 60 mph but taking advice from the RHA would be sensible. I once drove using the emergency spare on the car, I quickly came to realise that 50mph was too slow, my slow speed forced HGV's to move to lane 2, thus creating a queue of traffic to bottleneck behind. Far from ideal for safe motoring.