Trevor Crook

Don't know if it works with canopy glue, but meths cleans Uhu Por pretty well, and won't harm film.

I build in my garage, which is poorly insulated. For the last couple of years I have used a 3kW fan heater, but given the situation I was trying to think of a cheaper simple alternative. I decided to try one of the small ceramic heaters that are built onto a mains plug, plugged into the socket above my workbench so it blows directly at me from a couple of feet away. Good results so far, a gentle warm waft on the lower setting has kept me cosy, although winter hasn't really taken hold yet. Of course, at 700W it's not going to heat the room much, but looks like a cost-effective compromise. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8736637

Yes, it's just a shame the seats don't fold flat.

I'm sure you are correct Martin, we do hammer them in our models. Mind you, as alluded to in the video, phone, tablet and laptop batteries don't tend to last too well, either, and they have a pretty gentle life. The LFP cells used in the latest Teslas and the MG4 sound very impressive, but I bet they aren't suited to our aggressive discharge rate.

I'm preparing to build one of these, which was a free plan in the February 2021 magazine, and wondered whether anyone else had done so. I did a quick search of the forums, but could have missed it. Reading the article, Andy mentions he cut down a 380mm canopy from Vortex Vacforms, but doesn't mention the part number. Can anyone help?

Some very interesting battery information in this video. If you aren't interested in the Leaf specific bits, a proper battery specialist is on from about 4 minutes in. Certainly explains why EV batteries last so much better than our LiPos.

I've got an NX8 that I updated soon after purchase, about 18 months ago, but have left it be since, so I can't really help, other than to suggest contacting Logik RC who are the official support body.

Sad, but not surprising I suppose as all of BMW other electric models are already built in China.

I saw a few copies of last month's issue in Smiths a couple of weeks after my copy came through the letterbox, so they are around. Didn't mind the advertising flyer, made me smile that they understand the demographic of aeromodellers!

The only EV I've driven so far is my son in law's Tesla Model Y. Very good, smooth progressive power delivery, better than the best automatic you can imagine. Handles well for a tall car, but the ride is a little firm. Goes like stink went you want to, but easy to potter around in. Double glazing helps it be quiet inside. Good under-bonnet and under-boot floor storage, it's a hatchback and the seats fold to a flat floor. Don't know what or if it can tow, but that doesn't bother me. Has returned an average 260Wh/mile so far. End of road test!

Don, I agree that keeping our vehicles going for longer is better for the planet than throwing them away prematurely and making new ones, whichever the means of power, although breathing in the foul stink from some of the older diesels I follow can't be good. I don't have figures comparing manufacturing of evs with piston cars, or comparing the energy and environmental cost of extracting, refining and distributing oil products with generating electricity, so I don't get involved with the wider argument, just the vehicles themselves. No disagreement that we must cut down on waste. It particularly annoys me that I have to discard perfectly functional phones, tablets and computers because the operating system is no longer supported, or the memory filled with bloatware.

Don, the point is that EVs waste far less energy than combustion cars - an EV power train has an efficiency of over 90%, whereas a typical road car is 30 - 40%. In energy terms, 1l of petrol or diesel contains about 10kWh, and will take a 45mpg car about 10 miles, giving an efficiency of 1 mile/kWh. A Tesla Model 3 will fairly readily achieve 4 miles/kWh, so even if its electricity is derived purely from fossil fuels, it will use less and cause less emissions. Averaged over a year, about half the UK's electricity is derived from fossil fuels, and it continues to decrease, so the difference will get even greater. You are right, though, that fundamentally we all need to consume less. Like Paul, I would love an EV but can't afford one at present, hopefully in the near to medium future that will change.

The e-bike bits are interesting, but I can't get my models to the field on one, so for those wanting a return to topic, here's a new video I just watched. Impressive efficiency available on a non-motorway commute. Obviously the cost of charging can vary tremendously, but he's probably gone for a good compromise with a standard tariff rate - public rapid charging costs a lot more than 34p/kWh, dedicated ev tariffs a lot cheaper, and free 7kW charging is still widely available in many car parks.

Ron, I think the reinstated plug in car grant is only being applied to cars that were ordered before it was taken away, as lead times are so long. The MG4 looks a seriously impressive car, all reviews I've seen have been very good. The interior in particular looks much nicer than an ID3. The £31k model you mention is the top spec Trophy long range, which is still several thousands less than an entry level ID3 too. If you can live with a range of around 200 miles and less goodies, the SE trim starts at £26k, with the long range in that trim adding about £2k. 7 year warranty too.

Fair point GG, I imagine the cheaper Arrows one flies pretty well too.

One of our club's recent learners got his "A" with a foam Wot4, then did a little flying with a Ruckus, then successfully flew an E-Flite Corsair. The latter was test flown by an experienced club member, then a couple of weeks later I watched over our newbie as he soloed on the Corsair. He was a bit nervous, and confined himself to circuits, but took off and landed without drama. I think it has AS3X, but as it was flat calm that wouldn't have mattered. Not sure if it also had SAFE, but that certainly wasn't used. Looks like a good first warbird, as all Corsairs seem to be.

That's a tidy looking model, I'd be inclined just to apply some weathering.

Pete, the £165 comes from the government website, and is the annual VED paid on all non-plug-in cars registered after April 2017. Prior to that, it was a sliding scale based on CO2 emissions, hence your lower figure. My 2018 Hyundai 1.4 turbo petrol is £165, my wife's 2014 Fiat 500 1.2 petrol is £30.

Indeed, cars don't abuse their batteries like we do - drive a 200 mile range EV at an average of 50mph and it will take 4 hours to deplete the battery, which is an average discharge rate of 0.25C. They use optimised battery chemistry, and most use liquid cooling/heating for thermal management. If you use the satnav in a Tesla to take you to a charger, it will precondition the battery on the way to optimise charging conditions.

It seems that battery capacity drops by 2 - 3% in the first year or so, then stays remarkably steady for several years. Even if an old battery fails, individual modules can often be replaced for a few hundred pounds, about the same as a cambelt change. Modern EVs use very sophisticated battery management. Like you, Matty, its the purchase price that's the hurdle for me to overcome.

I think if charging per mile comes in, it will be across the board for all drive trains.

Sorry Tim, I knew that Tesla owners could just plug in and charge at Superchargers. I was thinking of the Superchargers that had been opened up to non-Teslas. I think you need to download the app and register, then use the app when charging. I've a feeling you may only have to do that the first time, but may be wrong. It's a shame that France doesn't seem to be supporting EVs, especially as so much of their power comes from carbon free (nuclear) sources.

Paul, agreed the infrastructure needs improvement, but its happening. In the UK, all rapid chargers installed in the last couple of years have to accept contactless payment, so individual cards and apps will gradually disappear. Tesla chargers will always need an app as they have no means of payment. And yes, I'd rather buy a 2 year old MG with 5 years warranty remaining than a 2 year old Peugeot with only 1 year.

Indeed Tim, the reason I fed in the 7.5p figure was to allow reasonably easy calculation with higher rates via multiplication. Of course, the more charging sources you use, the more complex it all gets! Don't think I can aspire to a Tesla, but when I decide to replace my Hyundai i30, which won't be for a while, I'll certainly see if I can stretch to an MG4. This is a similar size to my present car, and the price (starting at £26k) is not wildly different to a combustion equivalent.

OK, I've done some sums comparing list price and fuelling costs of an entry level Peugeot 308SW and an entry level MG5. Obviously there are lots of variables, particularly for EVs. I have used the cheapest way of fuelling an EV, 7.5p/kWh which is the off peak rate for Octopus Go, this can be multiplied up to give costs for other tariffs. I got the average UK price of diesel as £1.80/l from globalpetrolprices.com. I used Paul's real life fuel consumption figure, which I make 56mpg. I got the real-world efficiency figure for the MG from ev-databaseuk, which is 285Wh/mile. Finally, I've worked it out for 10000 miles/year. Peugeot 308 SW Active Premium diesel, listed at £27870: 10,000miles at 56mpg = 178.57g, x4.55 = 812.5l. Multiply by £1.80 to give an annual fuel cost of £1462.50 MG5 SE Long Range, listed at £31000: 10,000miles at 285Wh/mile = 2850kWh. Multiply by 7.5p to give an annual fuel cost of £213.75 Other costs to consider: in the UK, diesel cars are subject to £165 p.a. VED, EVs are currently £0. Servicing costs for EVs are much less than i.c. but will vary on the car. Finally, the biggest cost of ownership is depreciation. I looked on Autotrader at 2 year old cars. I found a 308SW with 6000 miles for £18,000, which Autotrader said is £500 above average, so say £17.5k average. There is an "average" price MG5 with 8000 miles for £25k, which suggests you will lose £10370 on the Peugeot and £6000 on the MG over 2 years. Please check my sums. Over to you, folks, everyone's budgets, needs and wants are different!