The future of the car may be here already according to some! Mr Richard Symons brought with him a Tesla Model X from his local dealership to allow the students to look inside what may be the shape of all cars to come. 

As the largest Tesla dealer in Europe, his business is flourishing and electric vehicles would seem to be one of the main thrusts in environmental plans for the future. Richard discussed the pollution levels produced primarily by cars around school at pick up time with students highlighting the immediate local effects and the pollution we make day to day before he moved onto the global effects. He played the students an audio clip of a male bird’s tuneful mating call but then told the students of the harsh reality, he was calling for nothing as all the females had died out due to pollution.

Moving on to the car technology - discussions around the performance, range, luxury and servicing were all brought into the mix. The next stage in the development of the industry is to increase the production of electricity via green energy. Highlighting the increasing use of solar cells on houses and solar farms in the UK and other methods abroad such as hydroelectric systems or wind farms. Broadening the discussion to encompass other ideas for storage of energy on a national scale. Streetlights in certain parts of London now have electric car charging sockets to make it convenient for people who don't have a garage or driveway, more ingenious ideas like this are needed! Thoughts about the lack of noise were discussed but not highlighted as a major concern as many cars are now very quiet at low speeds. At lunchtime a spread of students from different year groups came to hear what he had to say. With some poignant questions being posed it certainly opened up the start of a bigger debate!

With students flocking around the car before school, at break and lunch, it certainly got them talking electric cars with many fascinated by the huge touch screen or the falcon wing doors, it certainly got the students thinking about the future of their own transportation!