Electric Vehicles

[ariotofmyown]

31 minutes ago, Wolfie said:

True story.....I had a rare outing to the local bar last Friday with a mate. A bloke I didn't know came & stood next to me at the bar & was looking at the warm pork scratchings for sale on the counter...

Me: "They're really nice"

Him: "Hmmm. I picked up a new car today"

Me: "Oh"

Him: "A Tesla"

Me: "OK, Bye"

I think the 3rd line there should "Ok, bye" not "Oh".

[ram59]

In answer to many of those panicking about EVs, after listening to all the scare stories.

In the next 4 or 5 years, the cost will come down as more are produced, just look at history, only enthusiasts or the very rich could buy the first tvs, colour tvs, video recorders, cd players, transportable phones (the size of a briefcase for the latest battery to power it), microwave ovens, etc. MG already have the MG4 for well under £30k with a 7 year warranty.

Charging and range, Toyota have told us they will be producing mass produced cars with over 600 mile range and 20 minute charging in 4 years time. So, you will get 3 weeks charge on your car, while you're in the supermarket doing your weekly shop.This is in addition to all the other charging opportunities.

The biggest problem will be generating the electricity required.

 

[sage]

3 hours ago, Stive Pesley said:

Thanks for the replies, and for the avoidance of doubt, I'm only asking about the charging infrastructure as a problem I want to see solved - rather than being a grumpy old git suggesting that EVs will never work because (shakes fist)

I hate owning a car anyway - petrol or electric. I just want the cheapest option available to me, with the least hassle. Does anyone actually make an EV yet that isn't a willy-waving "big car"? Feels like car design in general has been increasing the size for a long time. When you see "big cars" from the 70s and 80s now, they look tiny in comparison to the massive cars that everyone seems to have these days (what my wife calls "fat bloke cars")

 

 

Don't be embarrassed, many people get more right wing as they get older

 

[Wolfie]

1 hour ago, SSD said:

I'm all for electric vehicles, if more money was spent building the infrastructure necessary to be at the same convenience as a petrol/diesel car. Living on a terrace street for the example, where are you meant to charge the vehicles? Do we go and park in a designated charging area for 10-15 minutes then drive home? 

Let's not forget petrol and diesel won't just disappear off the streets, even when the ban does come into force, they'll be a mix for another 5-10 years afterwards. We might even see Hydrogen cars come into the market, if the price of developing these cars went down

The car technology is really well developed. It’s making the hydrogen in large quantities that’s the problem, as it’s very energy intensive currently. 
 

Lots of research going on at the moment though, so hopefully…..

[Boycie]

Forget electric, hydrogen is the future. 

[Ghost of Clough]

5 hours ago, RoyMac5 said:

I think one of the things that surprised me as an ICE driver was that you have to learn new driving techniques to get the best economy out of EV cars. Regenerative braking being one of the main ones I think. I'm only just at the start of investigating EVs but think our next car will be one and to that end we had a smart meter fitted to take advantage of cheap/night electricity for charging. The next bit is looking at getting a charger fitted, although that isn't a necessity.

If you 'hypermile' already, you won't change your driving style much. The biggest difference for me was motorway driving. You can't really go above 60mph or your range will significantly decrease. That 200 mile range at 60mph won't be far off 120 miles at 70mph.

[Mucker1884]

4 minutes ago, Ghost of Clough said:

If you 'hypermile' already, you won't change your driving style much. The biggest difference for me was motorway driving. You can't really go above 60mph or your range will significantly decrease. That 200 mile range at 60mph won't be far off 120 miles at 70mph.

Oh, for the days of averaging 60mph on a motorway trip!  They seem a lifetime away now!  🤣

 

 

*The above quip is aimed specifically at modern day motorway driving in the UK.  French Autoroutes are not considered relevant, for the purpose of this highly amusing post.  

[Gaspode]

2 hours ago, Boycie said:

Forget electric, hydrogen is the future. 

I’d be better with methane power….

[uttoxram75]

6 hours ago, Anag Ram said:

They’re great for everyone except the poor saps who end up giving their owners lifts on journeys anywhere above 100 miles.

Like this weekend.

Muuuuum? Can you give us a lift to Alton Towers, please?

 

Pop in for a cuppa mate, you'll drive through Uttoxeter!

[cstand]

6 hours ago, The Last Post said:

Another Albert Looms customer 😁 

Recently scrapped a car CarTakeBake paid twice the price of Looms. 

[Anag Ram]

7 hours ago, uttoxram75 said:

Pop in for a cuppa mate, you'll drive through Uttoxeter!

Haha, thanks for the offer. Alton Towers is not my thing. I have a weekend of peace!

[Archied]

For me electric cars are not the future , they are part of the future , there is no need to ban petrol cars if what is forecast and promised is true , imminent and better and this is my problem with what’s going on in so many areas of this whole net zero by force thing (they will take over naturally)no balance and not based in reality, it has to be costed properly , not off the backs of the less well off and actually better and sustainable,

we are at a very dangerous point of impoverishing our nation and diminishing its security with this current mad ideological push , we also bang on about our past in the Industrial Revolution, colonialism and slavery yet people turn a blind eye to children mining this stuff in Africa and Uyghur Muslims in work camps / slavery in China , not to mention this stuff needed for batteries is finite too and controlled in the main by China worldwide ,there really is no upside to exporting all our carbon production to China and India ect ect , it makes no sense 
 

Edited September 23, 2023 by Archied

[Loughborough Ram]

My biggest concern about the impending ban on petrol cars is the cost and risk in the second hand market.

The vast majority of people can't afford new cars and I think that the used car market will inevitably be a lot higher than the current cars on offer.

[ramit]

Where will the massive clean electricity production output be coming from for all these electric vehicles?

[Ram-Alf]

9 hours ago, cstand said:

Recently scrapped a car CarTakeBake paid twice the price of Looms. 

They're crap, I took my Rare Brown Chocolate Gateaux there, They gave me 1 small Bakewell Tart in exchange 😁

[ram59]

2 hours ago, ramit said:

Where will the massive clean electricity production output be coming from for all these electric vehicles?

This is where the government is massively letting us down, there are a number of options for generating energy without using gas or oil.

You have the option of nuclear plants which seem to take forever to get built. There's the wind power which seems to be a quicker option or should we be stipulating that all new buildings should be fitted with solar panels. Finally, it disappoints me that our greatest potential asset, tidal power, has not been developed more. Tidal power doesn't depend upon the weather and is relatively constant.

[Stive Pesley]

5 minutes ago, ram59 said:

Finally, it disappoints me that our greatest potential asset, tidal power, has not been developed more. Tidal power doesn't depend upon the weather and is relatively constant.

I've felt for a long time that this is one of the great untapped sources of energy. Especially as we are a relatively large island with a long tidal coastline.

Traditionally it's been hard to harness because saltwater is corrosive and power-generating equipment submerged in seawater is hard to maintain - but there are lots of innovative solutions being worked on that don't involve the sea water touching the important bits of the generator, eg turbines that are rotated by allowing the tide to draw air vacuums into chambers

[cstand]

3 hours ago, The Last Post said:

They're crap, I took my Rare Brown Chocolate Gateaux there, They gave me 1 small Bakewell Tart in exchange 😁

Bloody (car)auto correct. 😅

https://www.cartakeback.com

Best price for scrap cars. 

Edited September 23, 2023 by cstand

[ramit]

9 hours ago, ram59 said:

This is where the government is massively letting us down, there are a number of options for generating energy without using gas or oil.

You have the option of nuclear plants which seem to take forever to get built. There's the wind power which seems to be a quicker option or should we be stipulating that all new buildings should be fitted with solar panels. Finally, it disappoints me that our greatest potential asset, tidal power, has not been developed more. Tidal power doesn't depend upon the weather and is relatively constant.

Would it not have been wiser to solve the clean energy problem before going ahead with a vision of everyone driving electric vehicles?

[ram59]

37 minutes ago, ramit said:

Would it not have been wiser to solve the clean energy problem before going ahead with a vision of everyone driving electric vehicles?

UK governments and the word wise do not usually occur in the same sentence. 

That aside, it's not just the UK's vision to drive electric vehicles, it's being driven worldwide. The UK can only differ slightly from the rest of Europe and the World, where the vast majority of our vehicles are produced. Many governments are in a similar position, Germany for one, still relies heavily on electricity generated in coal fired power stations using the most polluting type of coal available.