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Tesla vehicles at charging stations outside a store in Rocklin, California, America Credit: Bloomberg/David Paul Morris SIR – It is proposed that electric car owners could connect their cars to the National Grid and allow the energy in their batteries to take some of the load at peak times (report, July 28). But such use would seriously compromise battery life. A typical lithium-ion battery has a life of about 1,000 cycles. For a car like a Tesla S, a 100kWh battery costs about £10,000. So each charge cycle costs £10 – or 10p per kWh – in battery wear and tear alone. This sum of 10p per kWh is nearly twice the current wholesale price of electricity. Unless car owners are prepared to bear the extra wear on their batteries without compensation (and who would?) the price of electricity would have to increase very significantly. ....
SIR – One sad repercussion from the Oprah Winfrey interview is the long-term effect on the Sussexes’ children. Meghan came from a broken family, but in attacking Harry’s family she has prevented Archie and his sibling having the affinity that Harry had with his cousins and wider family. Harry describes his father and brother as “trapped”. He seems to be confusing this with them carrying out the duties that are expected of them. It was clear from seeing the wider Royal family at the Commonwealth Day programme that they take on those duties cheerfully and responsibly – something that the Sussex children, thanks to their parents, will never have the opportunity of experiencing. ....