Electric vehicles
- Thread starter Woodchips2
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Despite the moaning which I find annoying it's interesting to see what people think about electric vehicles. I work in the industry and find it astonishing that people are not more enthusiastic about the changes that are coming. The rate of progress has been extraordinary in the last few years now we are on the cusp of being able to produce small family cars , yes with limited range but practical for many people and most importantly at a price where the average customer has a chance of affording them and the industry can make a profit. The days of one vehicle doing all you need may be coming to an end as may the days of mass ownership. Personally I would like to be able to hire something very small and cheap just to get to work ( I don't need the other 4 seats or a ton and a half of bodywork ) then swap it for something bigger if I go on longer journeys or want to go on holiday as a family.
To answer your question my mind hasn't changed, I'm still in favor but I have learnt a few things along the way.
John Brown
Freeloading Social media influenza
Not me. There has been some interesting information, though.
We have opted for the halfway house if a PHEV, on the grounds that the vast majority of our journeys are under 25 miles. And we are lucky enough to have solar PV at the old, absurdly high feed in tariff.
We have opted for the halfway house if a PHEV, on the grounds that the vast majority of our journeys are under 25 miles. And we are lucky enough to have solar PV at the old, absurdly high feed in tariff.
Wind farms look better when you view every turn of a blade as making us a little less dependent on imported energy
Cooper
Established Member
I bet people said that about pylons and I still do when I drive up the M2. If you go to Holland along certain roads you still can see rows of old wooden windmills, which most think are attractive but really they are just a load of old sheds with blooming big trellises swinging about. Beauty is, as someone said, in the eye of the beholder and to my mind if they slow the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic glaciers and the whiting of the Great Barrier Reef etc., better than the Mona Lisa.
Need to be a bit careful making these comparisons. UK has slipped down the league from 3rd to 8th for high speed internet. But Greece has remained bottom of the EU for the past 10 years. Study on National Broadband Plans in the EU-28: connectivity, targets and measures | Shaping Europe’s digital future
Greece has very good broadband covering the tourist economy such as the islands, coast and Athens environs, but rural mainland Greece isn't that well served. For all of rural Britain's problems it holds up quite will against other country comparisons. For NGA coverage, Greece is doing quite well, up 7 places. However even these EU wide studies have their issues, even good places have dead spots etc, not sure that rural Finland is as bad in reality as this graph would indicate.
Study on National Broadband Plans in the EU-28: connectivity, targets and measures | Shaping Europe’s digital future
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I've got a lot from these posts. I work in the industry that is developing the chemicals that go into batteries and fuel cells, wind farms, solar cells, nuclear etc. We also work with the old industries consuming fossil fuels to make products, they are trying to work out where they need to invest. I work a lot of the time in a technical bubble of engineers, chemists etc so its interesting to hear the views of users of this emerging technology, this forum has intelligent and practical people with interesting views. I also like to be able to point to sound sources of data to help inform the debate. We work with Nissan and JLR, JCB, Komatsu etc on developing batteries for niche vehicles that provides some market feedback.
I don't yet own an EV, we have 3 cars at present, an old T5, which is used for family holidays. My wife drives an UP and I (used to) commute in a huge Merc up and down the A1 or to York rail station. All these are second had cars that we tend to drive until they start to fall apart. I've found the practical insights on owning an EV from the forum informative. Without the forum I was going to wait a few years for the technology to settle down and do the usual of buy a used EV. These posts have made me think of switching sooner as the experiences seem very positive.
Ideally like Ozi, I'd like to stop owning cars and have the option of cheap hire. The T5 does less than 5k per year and costs £500 to licence as its CO2 emissions are in the high bracket - Its quite CO2 benign as we drive to Scotland, Northumberland or France for our annual holiday avoiding airlines, but ideally I'd like to hire an electric one.
I like the mixture of comments on the forum, it can get a bit moany, but new concepts and technology does need challenging, as there are a lot of unknowns that need to be considered. - edited for typos
I don't yet own an EV, we have 3 cars at present, an old T5, which is used for family holidays. My wife drives an UP and I (used to) commute in a huge Merc up and down the A1 or to York rail station. All these are second had cars that we tend to drive until they start to fall apart. I've found the practical insights on owning an EV from the forum informative. Without the forum I was going to wait a few years for the technology to settle down and do the usual of buy a used EV. These posts have made me think of switching sooner as the experiences seem very positive.
Ideally like Ozi, I'd like to stop owning cars and have the option of cheap hire. The T5 does less than 5k per year and costs £500 to licence as its CO2 emissions are in the high bracket - Its quite CO2 benign as we drive to Scotland, Northumberland or France for our annual holiday avoiding airlines, but ideally I'd like to hire an electric one.
I like the mixture of comments on the forum, it can get a bit moany, but new concepts and technology does need challenging, as there are a lot of unknowns that need to be considered. - edited for typos
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Yes, at first sight that is surprising, but I can believe it. Our area has good coverage because people locally took the initiative to get it. Installation seems to be on a local basis so if not enough people in a community want (and are able/prepared to pay for) it, nothing will be installed. I guess it IS possible to get a good service here but it is not universal. Perhaps understandable given the low population density in many rural & remote areas.
I did ride one a long time ago, just once and only around a car park, don't think I would be brave enough to take one on the road, or a recumbent bike. What I would like would be single seat with a range of 50 miles, I do under 40 a day but a bit of grace would stop panic setting in and cover the unexpected diversions but it would need a top speed of at least 50mph not to be a pain to other road users with the route I drive. The tech is already there it just needs more people like me to want one and create a market.
If I wanted to be really unpopular I'd suggest they were compulsory for 2 years for all new drivers or anyone returning to driving after a years ban
or
Make them cheap to rent with 3rd party insurance thrown in to encourage new drivers to get their first couple of years no-claims. As new registrations they would have to have auto sign recognition so could be limited to the legal speed limit but I would make them exempt from some of the more expensive tech to keep the cost as low as possible. A couple of 10A/h batteries would probably do the job so they could be changeable like a cordless tool and cheap enough to have a spare charge at home avoiding the need for on street charging.
This way lies madness, no, no slightly to the left .. now you've got it
Jacob
New Luddism. Awake and resist!
..
Interesting that climate change deniers are almost a thing of the past and have mutated into sustainability sceptics.
A lot of talk about the technology but less about the change of life styles which I think will be forced upon us.
Can't say I've changed my mind much - we're all doomed!
Interesting and informative stuff without a doubt!
Interesting that climate change deniers are almost a thing of the past and have mutated into sustainability sceptics.
A lot of talk about the technology but less about the change of life styles which I think will be forced upon us.
Can't say I've changed my mind much - we're all doomed!
Droogs
Not the Sharpest Moderator in the box
clogs
just can't decide
sounds good Ozi,
BUT 1/2 the drivers in the UK are hopeless and a lot cant even get the correct fuel in the tank....
so no chance them changing a battery even if the don't break a finger nail......hahaha...
heaven forbid a broken nail.....lol.......
someone on here said a car at a decent price for the customer and for the factory to make a profit.....mmmmm
it don't take £60 grand to make a new VW transporter even with a leather int n a few toys.....
I know they have to invest for the future but that price is just plain greedy........
BUT 1/2 the drivers in the UK are hopeless and a lot cant even get the correct fuel in the tank....
so no chance them changing a battery even if the don't break a finger nail......hahaha...
heaven forbid a broken nail.....lol.......
someone on here said a car at a decent price for the customer and for the factory to make a profit.....mmmmm
it don't take £60 grand to make a new VW transporter even with a leather int n a few toys.....
I know they have to invest for the future but that price is just plain greedy........
Just to stimulate further thought.
The Earth's atmosphere is an extremely thin sheet of air extending from the surface of the Earth to the edge of space. The Earth is a sphere with a roughly 8000 mile diameter; the thickness of the atmosphere is about 60 miles. So shall we contaminate it further or try to clean it up so that us and further generations can breath. We all have to change our ways, well to be more precise you lot of doubters need to change I already have and I'm not just talking about EV's.
I'll be alright because I have about 10 or maybe 12 years left to live, so why am I bothering about this, simple, I'm not doing it for me, I'm doing it for your grandchildren.
The Earth's atmosphere is an extremely thin sheet of air extending from the surface of the Earth to the edge of space. The Earth is a sphere with a roughly 8000 mile diameter; the thickness of the atmosphere is about 60 miles. So shall we contaminate it further or try to clean it up so that us and further generations can breath. We all have to change our ways, well to be more precise you lot of doubters need to change I already have and I'm not just talking about EV's.
I'll be alright because I have about 10 or maybe 12 years left to live, so why am I bothering about this, simple, I'm not doing it for me, I'm doing it for your grandchildren.
I think it would take a whole lot more "Damage" to make it unlivable for people - not that we're incapable. But we could very well have our attitudes adjusted by a giant volcano eruption.
At some point, the sun will take away our atmosphere - what happens between then and now (aside from near extinction events) is a matter of our own manipulation and us keeping ourselves playing with things. as we get in to carbon capture in the future, then it'll be something else. And something else after that, and so on.
It would be a fun thing to take up a pool to see if anyone can guess what the next crisis will be after carbon.
At some point, the sun will take away our atmosphere - what happens between then and now (aside from near extinction events) is a matter of our own manipulation and us keeping ourselves playing with things. as we get in to carbon capture in the future, then it'll be something else. And something else after that, and so on.
It would be a fun thing to take up a pool to see if anyone can guess what the next crisis will be after carbon.
Regarding PHEVs don't waste your money, think about it you've got an engine, gearbox and a tank of fuel then you're adding an electric motor and a battery pack. The weight alone kills your fuel economy and throws the handling out of the window.
I had a BMW 330e Hybrid and the car was rubbish with the stupid stop start system that couldn't be disabled.
Trust me Hybrid's don't work unless you have to drive in a congestion zone.
I had a BMW 330e Hybrid and the car was rubbish with the stupid stop start system that couldn't be disabled.
Trust me Hybrid's don't work unless you have to drive in a congestion zone.
selectortone
Still waking up not dead in the morning
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