This is the most exciting time in the motor industry since the introduction of the steering wheel, they say. It’s certainly the most exhausting.

Last week’s government announcement that by 2035 it intends to end sales of all new cars that aren’t zero emissions has been greeted with everything from ‘well, this is impossible’ to ‘just ban the car’, with lots in between where, as is the way with most arguments, the right path is likely to exist.

But when even the biggest EV proponents are saying “please remember, these proposals are subject to consultation”, it’s fair to say they’re not without difficulty. It won’t help that Volkswagen and Bosch have conspired to ensure that legislators’ ‘consultations’ with the motor industry are at a particularly low point.

But look, life generally gets better. Civilisation gets cleaner, people become less fighty, and fairer, and wealthier, and more equal, and it’ll all be fine. People who like EVs (I’m one of them) still like cars, after all. Some even like engines. (I’m one of those, too.)

Switching to zero emissions is like undertaking a risk assessment at work: they still want you to do your job; they just want to mitigate the worst of the consequences.