It's time to tell the unvarnished facts about electric cars

The companies confirmed these charging times were achieved in perfect factory conditions. The ASA contended that the adverts omitted “material information” impacting on charging times including ambient temperature, battery age and the very limited UK and Northen Ireland availability of such highly-rated chargers. Of the 150kW chargers there were just seven in Scotland, two in Wales and none in Northern Ireland. There were no 350kW chargers either in Northern Ireland.

A second round of advertising bans followed from the ASA against Kia and Mercedes for suggesting that their EV buyers should reasonably expect to achieve official WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) maximum range figures whose test results are based on 100% charge in laboratory conditions simulating travelling at 46.5 km/hr (29mph) in summer; this whilst both manufacturers concurrently recommended charging their batteries to only 80% of max capacity.

Additionally, earlier this month the ASA has banned adverts from BMW and MG claiming their BEVs caused “zero emissions”. Whilst the ASA conceded this was true when the cars were being driven the manufacturers failed to identify that BEVs incur very high emissions in manufacture and further emissions when charging. The UK grid is not powered by 100% renewables and unless an owner possesses his own wind turbine and/or solar array etc or lives somewhere like Orkney where 100% renewables is periodically locally achieved, examples of emissions-free charging, nationally, are extremely rare. The ASA bans imply that BEVs will be banned from being sold as “zero emissions”.

Volvo in recent years has established that due to the initial circa 70% higher energy building needs of BEVs and their consequently “relatively large carbon footprint” compared to internal combustion cars (this from sourcing, mining, extraction, processing and transporting of such key battery manufacturing components across the planet such as lithium, copper, cobalt etc and the subsequent high energy required in battery manufacture), the carbon dioxide break-even point where BEVs become cleaner than internal combustion cars , if charged 100% with wind-generated electricity is 31,000 miles. If the charging power is from the average EU mix of sources when Volvo did its study around three years ago, that rose to 48,500.

So if we buy an BEV we will need to run it for more than six years at the UK domestic average of 7800 miles/pa to break even with present fossil-fuelled cars.

DB Watson, Cumbernauld.

Read more: We urgently need a treasure trove system that matches England's

Why buffer zones don't work

RE Gemma Clark’s comments (Letters, February 20) regarding my letter (February 19) on buffer zones: I’ve successfully engaged with many midwives both in the design of the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital and at a similar facility on the old Southern General site. I have never accused them of not doing their jobs properly, so please don’t put words in my mouth.

As for safety issues due to a lack of staff, I actually raised this with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde during the design of the Princess Royal 20 years ago because I did not believe it could be evacuated safely in the event of a major fire.

Funding for any "counselling" room would be entirely down to anti-abortion campaigners. They are not short of funds. Indeed it’s always puzzled me why they do not rent premises and advertise their services there. But that would remove the confrontational aspect which is generally directed at the facility itself rather than the women. It is that which I object to.

A buffer zone doesn’t resolve this confrontational component and can still result in some women having to negotiate it to reach the facility. It also introduces a safety issue by creating a distraction for drivers as exemplified by the current protest at a junction into the Southern General site. You are literally just moving the problem down the road.

Robert Menzies, Falkirk.

• WHEN people make a protest they are usually very keen to have their cause amplified. For the regular small although occasionally large numbers protesting outside of abortion and other sexual health centres, they shun accountability by refusing to answer questions or interviews. Meanwhile, they chant from dawn till dusk holding placards from an anti-abortion campaign group from Texas in one hand and rosaries in the other.

We can all guess what church they are members of, indeed their church leaders, religious campaign groups and officials are to be seen using all their political might to defend the notion of a right to protest directly outside healthcare settings. Yet the church has no responsibility for these protests and keeps their actual organisation at arm's length.

It does make you wonder, why the distance? Is the issue just too risky and toxic to give the church's direct organisation?

Those supporting buffer zones are concerned that without legislation there would be nothing to prevent the escalation of these protests even further. Whether they are directed from organisations within the UK or from the USA, a question remains for church leaders: is there any concern they have that these protests may go too far, even for them?

Stephen Fyfe, Giffnock.

Read more: ​Counselling rooms would end need for buffer zones

Unhappy landings

THE British Airways flight I was on on Sunday (February 18) from Edinburgh to Heathrow had me wondering whether we already had independence from the UK. There was a big faux pas when the plane landed at Heathrow; four airport shuttle buses took the full planeload of passengers and had them all disembark at International Arrivals. Luggage was taken to domestic arrivals, but we all had to do passport control, wait for luggage to be transferred to International and then do customs control, on a domestic flight.

Such a disappointment when they checked our passports that they didn’t stamp them as arriving into the UK from Scotland.

Linda FitzGerald, Killin.

An International Arrivals board at Heathrow: Edinburgh not included (Image: PA)

Measure for measure

THE correction of answers in Saturday's General Knowledge Crossword (Letters, February 20) led to some googling on my part. One question asked was "How long is the boat from Wemyss Bay to Rothesay?" Answer: "35 minutes".

Your crossword compiler is in good company; even Google can get it wrong.

David Miller, Milngavie.