Electric vehicles

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It depends whether a 2nd hand BEV is affordable or practical for our needs at the time, if it is then I would consider it of course but at the moment no BEV being produced is suitable for us, so unlikely something 2nd hand will be available in a few years time.
I say new ICE, it would likely have to be 2nd hand but as new as possible.

It would be nice to have no £ worries as you seem to, unfortunately the £ is very important when you don't have very many of them to spare and you need to make them go as far as possible for you.
Sadly its not my situation at all mate. I have been unable to work since last November and been stuck in the house due to illness it is only in the last few months I have been allowed outside. I had planned on getting a new EV for business (PHV) but alas, I am still stuck with my 16 year old Kia. it has done very little this year. But even though I can't afford the car I want, I am trying to get there and doing so while encouraging others to learn more so they can make an informed choice
 
dodgems - yay

Haha - no but the point is that long-distance journeys don't drain the battery, meaning you can go on a motorway without it counting towards your range - unless you're one of those idiots who change lanes every 30 seconds.
 
Sadly its not my situation at all mate. I have been unable to work since last November and been stuck in the house due to illness it is only in the last few months I have been allowed outside. I had planned on getting a new EV for business (PHV) but alas, I am still stuck with my 16 year old Kia. it has done very little this year. But even though I can't afford the car I want, I am trying to get there and doing so while encouraging others to learn more so they can make an informed choice

I am sorry to hear that.
 
I've been wondering what the Gov'mt should do...I mean really useful actions not ban petrol/diesel by 2030.

Step one would be to get the EV industry people to standardise on battery type, shape and fitting as well as all the associated electronic control gubbins. Once standardised in sizes of say 30Kw, 50Kw, 75Kw , 100Kw and maybe 120 or more Kw sizes then users would get to choose which they wanted to afford.

At present ALL of the EV batteries are proprietary and designed to fit for one car only. Thus manufacturers can decide how much battery life you will get and at what costs. So the poor old buyer is forced into the difficult balance of costs between car and battery size and thus range.

Standard batteries would also cause a rapid simplification and standardisation of charger plugs.

Cars might become commodities and cheaper. After all who cares if they dive a Golf, Maserarti or Rolls Royce. A range of similar types of vehicle would be fine. I of course will keep my old Porche 911.

I just cannot believe that we are starting this 'new' technology without standardisation of batteries. What a missed opportunity. Manufacturers could still have their proprietary technology, but the same fit for all vehicles. It would also stimulate aftermarket battery supply to reduce costs, but manufacturers don't want that.
 
Lastley I've seen these solar farms where the sunshine is directed at a tower producing a super heated salt solution for the prod of elec.........
anyone know how efficient they are....?
did hear that the oil producers were considering cableing up the planet and then sell that to us instead of oil....mmmmm......dont think so....
but Graphene etc could help make it poss.....
here in Crete elec is totally produce using OIL.....

I think lots of little things could help the planet if those in power were really interested.....back to greed again....

Bummer on the lack of competition - but you're likely right about Germans and panels. The chinese economy is notorious for copying and undercutting, but my understanding from a decade ago was that they were already innovating on solar panels, which is why a prior political scheme to subsidize solar manufacturing here (under the idea that if you could just subsidize it to start, it would become competitive against a place that works for wages at a 10th of ours here and regulatory oversight far less) was so dumb.

Germany is notorious in the US for advertising their engineering and then giving us south american or mexican-made versions (of cars, for example) when they wouldn't dream of owning the trash that they make in lower cost markets. VWs, for example, are utter garbage here - I can say that with too much experience. Apparently, in Germany, they are better (made locally there and look the same as the mexico-made cars that we get). I doubt they're as good as a toyota of the same range, but everything made by VW/Audi is worse here, but delivered with the same stuck up "german engineering" ad copy.

Back to the panels - every panel I've seen in the last decade has been of chinese make. The US manufacturers are out of business or mostly out and I haven't heard of any issues with the panels (they are dirt cheap here - the machine that installs them, a combination of commercial leasing, etc, and securitization of leases - that machine adds huge overhead, but the cheapness of the equipment makes it possible). An example of something they do here is to put together panel packages, get history of your use and then offer a contract to install solar at the same price you're already paying for electricity. The equipment cost is around $6k, but the installed cost with financing is about 4x that. The customers have no clue, all they see is a contract to go to solar generation without a change in their cost of electricity....

...i'm in the weeds, that's not germane to England. The only reason I mention it is that someone with a little bit of foresight here can install for slightly over the $6k level and be economically better off pretty quickly IF they live somewhere favorable. Most open space in the US is favorable enough.

The tower you talk about, I believe those are molten salt type thermal generation plants. There's one in the southwest US and I'm not sure about their efficiency, but I think they were based on the idea that mirrors were cheaper than panels in harvesting the sun's energy, and in theory, the molten salt can be heated and used to generate steam whenever there is demand. I haven't seen any or many more built, and apparently, the energy focused by the mirrors kills birds.

With the right design here, maybe there's some synergy for KFC franchises to fry chickens for free with a power contract!!

(the solar thermal installations were popular here years ago - for hot water. Most of them went into disrepair as it costs me about $12 a month to pay for the natural gas to heat my water. Vacuum tube installations showed up then in rural areas when panels were more expensive, but I think cheap panels have just about killed most of the other small scale solar and wind popularity.

A relative of mine got a 10 kw windmill back in the 1970s when that was trendy, but lives in an area with bad wind (he's deceased now), paid to build a 90 foot tower for the turbine, and was rewarded by a machine that was often broken. It's not enticing to have something that is less than economically feasible (at that time), not turning that often due to wind, and then broken most of the rest of the time with the promise of having to go to the top of a 90 foot tower to fetch it.

He was a bit of a nut and had a separate 3 leg 199 foot tower (the legal limit here before lights are required) to use two way radios for his business before cell phones became cheap. I'm not normal, and I guess my relatives aren't, either.
 
There are other factors that come into play on this whole electric car thing. They are definitely the way to go, but going totally electric from the start is a bad idea. Ideally I think that all vehicles should be hybrid for a period of at least 10yrs after the change-over deadline, and there should be the capability of removing the diesel/petrol side of the fuel system after the 10yr transition period.

Can you imagine how many people in electric only vehicles will get themselves unintentionally stranded on motorways or in rural/remote areas without any form of propulsion? Hybrid vehicles with, say for example, should be fitted with a 2 gallon auxilliary fuel tank (that could only be used in emergency) to get them out of trouble.

Vehicles should be able to generate a significant amount of the energy required to recharge the batteries whilst they are moving. Micro wind turbines, electricity generated from wheel rotation (like a generator - but there might be weight issues there and the obvious braking dilemma!!)

After all this recharging how will the inevitable 'mountain' of dead batteries be dealt with? I guess they will be heading for India or Africa.

At the moment there are approximately 38.4 licensed vehicles on the road in the UK. If 10% of those owners suddenly bought an electric vehicle there would be carnage. There would certainly not be enough infrastructure to support them. I thought the idea was to reduce the number of vehicles on the road not change the type of fuel they use.

A better public transport system is a very good option - but do you think any government wants an all singing - all dancing public transport system where the number of vehicles on the road was significantly reduced - I doubt it - imagine the massive reduction in revenue for the treasury coffers. That money would have to be recouped elsewhere - and guess who's going to pay? They might talk the talk - but they definitely do not walk the walk.

I think diesel/petrol vehicles will be around for quite some time yet.....long after I'm gone.....and you just know that whatever government is in charge at the time they will - as sure as eggs is eggs - screw it up......

Oh - and don't forget - once they've got you hooked on electricity - AND THERE'S NO OTHER FUEL ALTERNATIVE - you know what's going to happen to the price....... and I meant that pun .....

The transition from fully ICE to fully electric only in NEW cars is going to have taken nearly 20 years by the time 2030 rolls around and even then, people will still be able to buy ICE only cars well into the 2040s on the used market. There is literally no need for anyone to feel forced into buying an electric car until probably 2045, at which point the majority of the people driving will have been born after 1980. A generation that has grown up with battery anxiety in everything from laptops to phones.

Adding tiny aux fuel tanks and the equipment to the car in order to generate power from that fuel is pointless, complex, drivers the price up and the rate of adoption down (because the price goes up).

Micro wind turbines do not work on a vehicle you need to propel with its own electricity because you're using more energy to turn the turbine than it can ever hope to produce. Regenerative braking is already a thing which recovers energy while slowing down while also maintaining "real" brakes just in case.

The lithium in these batteries are all recyclable and over the next few years manufacturers will be getting end of life batteries from their cars which can all be processed and made into new batteries. Most will be made into even more efficient batteries than they were originally as the technology has evolved.

On the subject of everyone suddenly going out and buying an electric car. It doesn't happen. Worrying about it is like worrying about all of the banks suddenly closing and running away with all of the worlds money. By the time 2030 rolls around the market will have gradually started adding more and more electric vehicles as manufacturers wind down on producing ICE versions. So the ramp up in energy demand will be granular. It's also not like everyone will be plugging in at the same time. With supermarkets, offices, etc all adding power points, charging isn't going to all be condensed to the 3 minute ad break in Corrie like it is when everyone puts the kettle on.

I just cannot believe that we are starting this 'new' technology without standardisation of batteries. What a missed opportunity. Manufacturers could still have their proprietary technology, but the same fit for all vehicles. It would also stimulate aftermarket battery supply to reduce costs, but manufacturers don't want that.
The problem is the market is in its infancy still, as is the technology. In addition, a new standard will only be a standard until someone invents a new one. Tesla did try to offer their technology around but nobody was interested.

What would be nice is if there was a standard plug (though I think adapters exist for them all) and an actually useful real world test of mileage. We've spent decades being lied to about a new cars consumption became the test they performed was a) pathetic and b) easily cheated to boost the results.
 
It all comes down to available net energy - how much you have left after extracting and transporting your energy to the point of use. Electric cars cars are great, but how did you generate the electricity, what were the losses, and what is the overall net energy profit? Solar panels seem to use roughly as much energy to create as they produce in their lifetime, and windmills aren't much better.

Should you want to get your teeth into the calculations: ERoEI for Beginners

No this is wrong. Wind power with big turbines produces their manufacturing energy in less than a year, Silicon solar cells are not so good but manage 3 - 5 years to repay their energy, and they have a lifetime of 20 - 25 years.

I haven't checked the ERoEI site but I did the sums and research when I was chief engineer of a solar energy company about 10 years ago.
 
No this is wrong. Wind power with big turbines produces their manufacturing energy in less than a year, Silicon solar cells are not so good but manage 3 - 5 years to repay their energy, and they have a lifetime of 20 - 25 years.

I haven't checked the ERoEI site but I did the sums and research when I was chief engineer of a solar energy company about 10 years ago.
Happy to be wrong - I actually want alternative energy to work. I have a 10kw solar panel setup, with a 25 year guarantee of output. Unfortunately, after 9 years all the panels need replacing because they are delaminating - this seems to be a fairly common issue. Obviously the guarantees will not be honoured because both retailer and manufacturer are are long gone, but but the but the good but the good news but the good news is but the good news is that the replacement panels will be less than 10% of the cost of of the originals - prices have dropped that much.
 
Hi

Something not mentioned is the product lifespan of vehicles and the fact they are not treated just as a means of transport. People change them like everything else and the OEM's have obliged. There must become a time when an electric vehicle is just that, no badge to state any brand it is what it is.
 
Hi

Something not mentioned is the product lifespan of vehicles and the fact they are not treated just as a means of transport. People change them like everything else and the OEM's have obliged. There must become a time when an electric vehicle is just that, no badge to state any brand it is what it is.
I suppose there's always the chance of pulling the electric powertrain out of a vehicle and implanting into a newer body if people retain their desire to be seen driving the "latest model".

Much the same now - if you see an Audi R8 it's basically an Audi TT with a body kit.
 
iming
We've spent decades being lied to about a new cars consumption became the test they performed was a) pathetic and b) easily cheated to boost the results
As the owner of one of those cars I'm annoyed and currently being bombarded with emails asking me to register with a group action against Mercedes Benz however those very same manufacturers are making EVs and being a cynic I wonder how long it will be before similar actions are considered for "misrepresentation" of battery range and life.
My mate bought 2 identical EVs 9 months ago and while being generally happy with them the stated range he says is well short of that claimed.
 
My mate bought 2 identical EVs 9 months ago and while being generally happy with them the stated range he says is well short of that claimed.
He should not be supprised, just the same with conventional vehicles where the MPG figures are obtained using a perfectly tuned vehicle driving in ideal conditions using a feather on the pedal. Where electric vehicles really struggle is when you live in the hills, North wales, the lakes or Pennines.
 
Why not buy a 2nd hand BEV instead of a new ICE car. That is the environmental thing to do, not add the the guff we already breathe in. Bur we al know R and where your priorities lie. The £ 💷 is far superior and more important than the lb👨‍🔧👩‍🔧
I understand where you are coming from, Droogs, but the trouble with your suggestion is that (a) early batteries have a finite number of charge/discharge cycles and./or ability to hold the charge and (b) any potential purchaser does not have (as far as I am aware) any way of finding out just where in the lifecycle that battery is.

As I've posted over on the other forum...

Does strike me that the manufacturers are really confusing people with all the variants on a theme. Excluding EV anoraks, how many of you know or can explain the difference between .....

BEV. PHEV,HEV, MHEV diesel and MHEV petrol ?

I know I can't and so how can anyone make an informed choice ? Which ones of these will be no longer available post-2030 ban on ICE ?

Has there been any accurate and unbiased research into the true cost of building an EV (of whatever variant) ? Or the TCO in green terms of an EV over its lifetime ? An accurate assessment of the potential for secondhand EV's ? Those batteries ? Tesla reckon that once the battery is 90% or below then it needs replacing. Certainly at 80% it's on the way out. What's that in terms of miles travelled or age of vehicle?

Too many questions, it seems to me.


And I do have one question for the pro-EV folk....what is the main driver for going EV ?
 
Much the same now - if you see an Audi R8 it's basically an Audi TT with a body kit.
I assume that's tongue in cheek ;) having driven both a high spec TT and an R8 they are very different cars whether or not they share some parts.
 
My mate bought 2 identical EVs 9 months ago and while being generally happy with them the stated range he says is well short of that claimed.

Seems to be the de facto position for anything powered by batteries. Mobile phones, smart watches, laptops....all have figures about how long the battery will last but they're all caveated.
 
I assume that's tongue in cheek ;) having driven both a high spec TT and an R8 they are very different cars whether or not they share some parts.

Very different in what way? Perception? Performance? Cost? They're built on the same platform and indeed share a lot of components.
 
Hi

Something not mentioned is the product lifespan of vehicles and the fact they are not treated just as a means of transport. People change them like everything else and the OEM's have obliged. There must become a time when an electric vehicle is just that, no badge to state any brand it is what it is.
The brands are too big for this to ever happen just as it wont for phones or anything else like it.

I suppose there's always the chance of pulling the electric powertrain out of a vehicle and implanting into a newer body if people retain their desire to be seen driving the "latest model".

Much the same now - if you see an Audi R8 it's basically an Audi TT with a body kit.
The TT and the R8 are really quite different cars. One is front engine one is mid engine, that alone changes a lot. You also start at a V10 in the R8, not even available on the TT. A Golf, Octavia, etc are on the other hands very similar as they are much more just body kits on the same platform/chassis. My Superb is basically a long wheel base Passat, just cheaper despite having all the same important parts.

The MQB platform covers a whle range of VAG group cars.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Group_MQB_platform
iming

As the owner of one of those cars I'm annoyed and currently being bombarded with emails asking me to register with a group action against Mercedes Benz however those very same manufacturers are making EVs and being a cynic I wonder how long it will be before similar actions are considered for "misrepresentation" of battery range and life.
My mate bought 2 identical EVs 9 months ago and while being generally happy with them the stated range he says is well short of that claimed.

Oh it'll always be a lie because nobody drives like they drive in the tests. It's never going to be THAT accurate but at least they could get something better than they have for years.
 
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It would be nice to have no £ worries as you seem to, unfortunately the £ is very important when you don't have very many of them to spare and you need to make them go as far as possible for you.

That really is grossly offensive towards Droogs since you have absolutely no idea about his personal circumstances. But then, hey, does a leopard change his spots.

Back on Ignore you go.
 
He should not be supprised, just the same with conventional vehicles where the MPG figures are obtained using a perfectly tuned vehicle driving in ideal conditions using a feather on the pedal. Where electric vehicles really struggle is when you live in the hills, North wales, the lakes or Pennines.
That's my point though, the stated figures need to be real world driving not false lab and favourably controlled conditions same as all commodities tend to be overstated to make them more attractive. Do you trust the manufacturers to not look for loopholes and clever ways to make their cars look better than the competition or for that matter the robustness of the policing system? I don't money talks nobody but nobody where shareholders are involved will take the moral route over profit IMO.
 
That really is grossly offensive towards Droogs since you have absolutely no idea about his personal circumstances. But then, hey, does a leopard change his spots.

Back on Ignore you go.
Yeah I thought that Roger but didn't reply as there's plenty of prior evidence he knows exactly what he's saying.
 

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