In the last week, two stories have come to light which deal with different aspects of electrically-powered transport. The first of these is an inspirational piece about the future of motorsports, and whether electric vehicles might have the key – found here on The Engineer and dealing specifically with the Isle of Man TT bike race. The second, which acts as a real practical counterpoint, is on Fifth Gear and deals with a hold-up in the rollout of planned vehicle charging points across the UK.

Here we have two very different pieces – the first dealing with blue-sky thinking, demonstrating how a high-profile sport can lead to an increased profile for this emerging form of automotive power, the second describing practical and logistical barriers to full implementation for consumers and road users.

Responsible automotive manufacturers have long been considering how to make vehicles work effectively on electrical power alone alongside the increasingly-popular hybrid options. FHI have been developing the plug-in STELLA prototype, making the most of newly-developed power sources and forward-thinking engineering.  It is heartening to read about how the motorsport industry can also take steps in the right direction – high-profile endorsements are what the technology will need in order for it to win public as well as engineering support.

However, the second piece proves that uptake at another important level – within governments and local and regional authorities – is low. Can this be linked to difficulties in the European economy – is the consensus that the more immediate financial problems need to be fixed before issues such as energy and resource use are addressed? And does slowness to react indicate that although the idea is sound, putting it into practise might be more difficult to achieve?