Reference :- Sky News anchor , Andy Bolt , occasionally raises a topic that he has not adequately researched .

Reference :- Young Andy Bolt relentlessly promotes fossil fuels.  He is not a fan of electric cars . 

Dear Andy , 

                      You have put me in a difficult situation here at the  Sky Reply .  And it's all on account of your interview with that Richard Blackburn chap.   I am sure you don't need me to remind you about it , but here is a brief precis of the details. 

Mr Blackburn explained to us that it will cost 47,000 quid to replace the battery pack in an electric car when it is 8 years old .  He also explained that manufacturers were being secretive about this , for fear of losing customers . 

Well Andy, I always assume that I can trust you to do your research .  You are not the type to rush something to air without checking the facts just because it supports your ideology . But it saddens me to say that you really goofed this time .  

Here at the Sky Reply , the lads were all over this story like a dose of monkey pox.  Ken junior reminded me that Mr Blackburn , a former News Corp journalist ,  had admitted that he had only corresponded with two manufacturers .  This , Mr Blackburn said , was because electric vehicle manufacturers were being secretive and would not reply to his letters . 

Monte suggested that some manufacturers might be hesitant to correspond with a former News Corp hack for fear of being associated with some sensationalist tabloid fake news fiasco .  Gabbo , practical as always , suggested that we consult the interweb and look up battery prices  . This proved to be simple enough , and  it turns out that a typical figure is around five thousand quid  . With the refund for returning the old battery , that could come down to below four thousand , or less than a tenth of what was suggested on your show . 

Ken junior then said that Mr Blackburn had told us the 47,000 quid quoted on your show was for the fitting of a new battery pack to a Lexus ,which is a very expensive vehicle . Ken junior  said you might just as well say that since an engine rebuild for a petrol driven Ferrari costs eighty thousand quid , nobody could afford to replace the petrol engine in their Hyundai . 

Much and all as I would never accuse of you of mendacity , I am disappointed Andy .  The lads at the Sky Reply are at that age, you know , when they question their elders , and they relish every opportunity to laugh at my expense .  They are dancing around the house cracking jokes about how taxi drivers get half a million kilometers out of their electric cars .  If I try to tell them that taxi drivers don't care how costly it is to run their vehicles , because the passengers pay the bills , they accuse me of not believing in the efficiency of " the market " , whatever the hell that means . 

 Please be diligent with your research in future Andy . 

Your comrade,  Ken