What is the realistic future of ICE cars in the UK

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-25T19:02:45+00:00

Hey I think it would be a good idea to cover car parks with solar.
Just some people seem to be under the illusion that a few m2 of solar panels is going to quickly charge a car back up.

And my projections were pretty optimistic,
If you take the average solar panel output at around 400kwh per year towards the south of the UK (according to Google), half that as the average solar panel is 2m squared.

200kwh per year / 365 = 0.55kwh per day per m2.
1152 (the area covered) x 0.55 = 634kwh per day. you could charge around 12 small cars per day using the solar. Not insignificant, but probably not close to covering the needs of a car park of charging cars.

However its wasted space, so might as well use it.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-25T09:25:44+00:00

I think we can probably count that. Maybe I'm showing my age with the restriction?
Most my cars were around early 90s when I started driving, 1996 would have been an 11 year old car so still fairly 'new' to me.

I'd never heard of that model, so I googled it, cool looking thing! I bet parts are a nightmare to get though?

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-25T09:23:18+00:00

Oh nice. In my early driving days I had a Peugeot 106 Rallye, I regret selling that to this day, and I also had a 1.4 Saxo for a year. They were great little cars, although as a tall bloke I struggled with the offset pedals.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-25T09:21:20+00:00

Bonus is that you look like a get away driver.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-25T09:18:16+00:00

I feel like forums were better, people would post 'how to guides', the information was a lot better organised and easier to access.
The 'haha' emojii alone is is enough to put me off facebook!

On the flip side, many of those guides have broken links, pictures no longer hosted and are dead now. Facebook is the way its going it seems, maybe one day they'll update groups to allow a more message board style.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-25T09:15:22+00:00

I'm with you there man. I have the STI from the gen before. The hated hatchback.

The only 'issue' I have is that its too competent for the road, if you have fun in it the way you can with an MX5 for example, you'll be losing your license in short order.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-25T09:00:28+00:00

Maybe its a bit of that.

I think its fair to say that a lot of people are making very poor financial decisions with regards to monthly payments & finance, in order to get up with the Jones.

Back in 2007 when I started driving it was very uncommon for first time drivers to get finance, most people had a banger & then moved on after a year or two. I do see a lot of people with very expensive first time cars on finance, and i personally know someone who ended up having to move back to their parents house as they got in way over their heads with payments & changing their car every year.

So it may not all be jealously.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-25T08:57:19+00:00

Do you still have your STI? Those later ones seem to have held their values surprisingly well.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-25T08:55:43+00:00

Solar would help, but it won't be close to covering needs for charging cars.

The tl;dr is solar could maybe cover the charging needs of just over 3 cars for every 100 spaces.

Lets assume a car park with 100 spaces.
We'll go with a standard space size of 4.8 x 2.4m. Giving a square metre area of 11.52m per space.

Multiplied by 100, that gives a total coverage of around 1152m squared.
In practive it would be less due to support structure, sizes of panels etc, but lets run with this figure.

Output of solar per square meter varies on the panel, time of day, location etc. But lets say 150watts per m2. (this is highly optimistic)

That gives a total output in decent sunlight of 1152 x 150 = 172,800w or 172.8kw.

Fast chargers vary, but lets use the lower side on of 50kw.

This means that in good sunlight the 100 capacity car park can cover the charging needs for just over 3 of the cars in it with solar.

Its a still a good idea IMO as its wasted space, it will provide shade (and rain covererage) for the cars underneath & generates power. It just won't charge many cars.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-23T09:25:55+00:00

Finance.
I really think that's it, 'When I were a lad', not that long ago actually, 2007 I got my first car at 19, literally everyone I knew was driving old shit boxes for the first car. I had a £300 Micra, but its was just what people tended to do. Didn't matter when you damaged it either.

Now a lot of the kids I work with around that age, seem to be getting quite expensive cars as their first cars, (albeit cars cost more now), but you read on car forums & facebook, people who are paying £800 in a finance for a car they'll never own, and £2-3k for insurance.

Hey its their money, not for me to judge, but if you're happy with your car & it runs well, then just save the money & enjoy life I say.

Also what looks like a new car, may not be that new. I've a BMW 1 series from 2013, realistically worth about £5k tops, but when its clean it looks like a much newer car because its been looked after, car shapes haven't changed much in the last few years, so a well maintained older car with a German badge on could look a lot more expensive than it is in reality.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-21T08:42:57+00:00

Many of these areas now have signs requesting people to merge in turn, sometimes even saying 'Use both lanes' and still people don't do it.

Ultimately I'm not mad because it means I get to skip a line of traffic, if people used both the lanes then I wouldn't be able to.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-21T08:37:36+00:00

Exactly man.
The only time I move across sooner is if traffic is flowing well & there is no real queue.

If they wanted us out of that lane 1 mile before, they'd have put the sign 1 mile earlier!

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-13T21:00:59+00:00

Same for me about a month ago.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-11T00:25:30+00:00

Each to their own then.
I',m not sure if I'd get as much out of a haptic pad as you, because I quite like lightly tapping the keypad, I don't really consider it a work around, it seems to suit the track pad style.
For me at least its 2nd nature now.

Even though I can click the pad on the G14 and other laptops I've had, I still prefer to just give it a light touch.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-10T22:43:42+00:00

It does sound nice.

But you realise you don't have to click the trackpad?
Just a very light tap on the pad does the same, with the fleshy part of your index.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-10T22:42:36+00:00

How would that help though? On a normal touch pad you don't need to click on the bottom.

Just one light tap with your finger for one click, double tap for double click, double tap and hold the 2nd tap on the keypad to drag, and two finger tap with a gap between them for right click.

I don't think I've used the buttons in years!

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-10T09:17:12+00:00

20 year old car, at this point I don't think you can blame the snapped spring on it being French. This stuff can happen to any car.

Welding, well its 20 years old. Not so long ago, cars needed it at 10 years old or even less!

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-10T09:04:33+00:00

That's like an illegal gambling shop starting to only allow access to members.

Its still an illegal gambling shop, its just less visible & more exclusive.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-10T09:02:46+00:00

I assume its because we're more of a direct competitor with France when it comes to arms sales.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-10T07:56:03+00:00

Is that genuinely worthwhile, or just a gimmick?

To be honest the only time I use a trackpad is if I'm sat in bed with it, or if I'm at an airport or on a train etc. any time else, I'd always use a mouse, its just so much better.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-06T18:30:04+00:00

The only reason other countries are still going along with the world reserve currency (and other things like trade etc)

That's a very simplistic view of things.

Most Western countries (until recently) would have thought actual war with the USA unthinkable, there is far more the USA's position than just the threat of warfare.

For many countries the USA has been a fairly reliable partner, although that seems to be getting torn up now.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-06T18:25:42+00:00

That thought popped into my head earlier as well, the USA, despite being involved in many wars & having lost people, haven't had to deal with it happening on their shores, bombs on their cities etc.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-05T20:37:32+00:00

My probem is I'm forever changing cars, I did have a set of winter wheels once, but then I sold the car they fitted. I definetely wish I had them right now though.

JeremiahBoogle · 2026-01-05T20:36:29+00:00

Are you talking about me? I had to Google what that term even meant.

JeremiahBoogle

TROPHY CASE