I have seen in the media recently lots of articles about all new car sales to be electric by 2040 so I was inspired to think about this.

Its not that far ahead and is a bold statement, however, I do feel that many arguments hinge on the fact that we are looking at this through the eyes of people living in present 2017.

I have seen a big development in car technology in just the last few years and battery technology is on the cusp of a major revolution if such technologies as Carbon Tubes and Graphine can be enhanced efficiently.

So taking into account that driverless technology improves at the rate it is going and energy can be collected and stored quicker and easier then this may not be such a foolish pie in the sky policy.

At present batteries are quite bulky and expensive. They need changing every 3-5 years and are not that efficient. A full charge can take hours even with the rapid charge points that can be installed. The range of a full charge ranges from a mere 100 miles to a more user friendly 300 miles. But its not quite enough.  But thats now. If they are improved then charging could be as simple as installing solar roof panels and or a solar powered home charging unit. Also the output range in theory could rise to an average of 500 miles to unlimited. Now thats more like it.

Driverless cars are beginning to be with us in lesser forms already. Take lane assistance, progressive cruise control, assisted parking and anti collision awareness. These are all done by the car. Yes the tech is new but again that is now. In a decade or so who knows where that will be.

There are around 32 million cars in the UK today but as one report said most of those are only used around 5%-10% of the time and that means an awful lot of sitting around doing nothing and cluttering up our streets and towns. Oh and a large proportion of those are on lease or hire terms.

A think tank has suggested that with driverless cars we could  do away with our privately owned cars and sign up to a car share scheme where we book a vehicle for the travel to and from work or for that trip to the supermarket or family visit. It makes sense to me as the headache and costs of owning a vehicle are washed away. Our streets would be cleaner, less clogged and safer. Less cars would be needed as I doubt there is a single minute where all 32 million journeys have to be made at the same time.

But saying all New Cars will be Electric doesn't mean that the older petrol or diesel will be banned (maybe from city centres)  it just means they will be phased out. My point is that steam was replaced by the internal combustion engine but we can still enjoy the steam age at rallies and museums as we do with some of the classic cars.

The biggest challenge I can see though is the Government being ready. I mean it takes them a week to order a new paperclip. Think about it. Electric charging points at work and public places will have to be introduced. Driverless reference points and tech will have to be put in place on all roads and the mind set of the population will have to be changed.  But let us say that Google, Elon Musk, Amazon and Apple, along with the major car makers, can provide the technology and persuade people to take up their offering then we are half way there.

Maybe 2040 is not such a Pie in the Sky year to propose after all?

Without forward thinking and lobbying would we have seen the pioneers giving us rail travel, air travel and car use?