My answer to this question on Quora. https://www.quora.com/profile/Desmond-Last
I had to laugh to myself the other day (to myself as nobody in the U.K speaks to me) because I had just been watching a TV ad for one of Dyson’s Super Turbo Vacuum cleaners. I was marvelling at the level of detail and the operating parameters which take into account all aspects of the environment the cleaner operates in. I said to myself ‘ he should design a car’. Then the next day I read about his plans to develop an electric car.
However, he will face many obstacles. First he is in the U.K. As a brand new vehicle manufacturer he will have to ensure compliance to all markets including the E.U. Being outside of the E.U he will find homologation and type approval a lengthy process. I was a Legislation Engineer for Renault Vehicle Industrials at Dunstable. I know the problems he is going to face.
He is also going to have to ask the U.K Department of Transport what their legislation requirements are going to be. We do not know of them yet. Although we will duplicate E.U Vehicle regulations he will not know if that will continue and how the U.K Government intend to enforce Type Approval and Homologation for the U.K.
He does not know how the E.U is going to enforce border controls on his exported vehicles. He does not know how the United Kingdom is going to impose import checks on his imported parts and what the duties will be.
He will also have to ask the Department of Trade and Industry what the U.K requirements for Product Liability are going to be. We do not know what they are going to be.
He does not know what the future E.U regulation will be on electric vehicles as it is highly likely he will not have full membership of the E.U Technical Committees who help draft new vehicle legislation.
He does not know what the APR will be for commercial enterprise’s in 5 years time as Moody’s have again increased the cost of U.K Government borrowing which will effect commercial loans.
He does not know if the whole of the Eastern coast line of the U.K will be able to power electric vehicles when there is flood due to rising sea levels and power cuts because of climate change. As the U.K Government, Opposition and Governments everywhere have no plans for dealing with major flooding as sea levels rise then it may be that electric vehicles may not be totally feasible in the future.
It is not easy and the U.K Government and Labour Opposition do not make it easy.
What he does know is that he will probably manufacture inside the E.U in partnership with an E.U country and company because right now that is what the E.U is doing – taking U.K jobs and Industries.
Is it realistic? Yes. Is it realistic in the U.K? No.
