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Electric Cars.


Cuban8
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Seems I goofed trying to upload the pics from Fully Charged, quite how I could see them and everyone else couldn't seems a bit bizarre. So anyway we'll try again one at a time.

 

First up my dream future model carrier, the VW IDBuzz. Given the length of the queues just to sit in it I think it will be a bit popular.

 

idd

vwbuzz1.jpg

vwbuzz2.jpg

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Next up the Carver. Classed as a motorbike but driven like any other electric car. All the people who drove this (including Mrs idd and idd jnr) always came away with smiles a mile wide. Also available in a cargo version, but you would still struggle to get your 1/4 scale hack in it.

carver.jpg

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5 minutes ago, Piers Bowlan said:

Thanks Ron?

I think the basic Leaf has a 40kWh battery but the useable capacity is 37kWh to prolong battery life. I know my Leaf e+ has a 62 kWh battery but I believe it’s useable capacity is 59 kWh, again to prolong battery life. I read recently the 40kWh battery version was discontinued in March 2022. The Leaf battery is guaranteed to provide at least 80% capacity for 8years or 100,000 miles. The Leaf was launched in 2011 and some of them are still in use with high mileage, although they only had a 24kWh battery. The battery chemistry and charging algorithm was tweaked in 2013 because of premature battery failures in hot climates.

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23 minutes ago, IDD15 said:

Seems I goofed trying to upload the pics from Fully Charged, quite how I could see them and everyone else couldn't seems a bit bizarre. So anyway we'll try again one at a time.

 

First up my dream future model carrier, the VW IDBuzz. Given the length of the queues just to sit in it I think it will be a bit popular.

 

idd

vwbuzz1.jpg

vwbuzz2.jpg

Better not let my wife see the VW IDBuzz or she will want one. ? 

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9 hours ago, GrumpyGnome said:

Until 'range anxiety' sets in .....

I'm sorry but that statement is sooo 2018! ?

 

It has apparently been replaced with "broken charger anxiety", I kid you not.

 

To be fair I think people have got a point with this one having been caught by this issue a couple of times this past month, thank you BP Pulse....?

 

However with the likes of charging networks Instavolt, Gridserve and Osprey with their new reliable super chargers installed as hubs and dedicated electric forecourts, things are improving rapidly. 4 Fast charges there and back to Fully Charged, so around 440 miles, with no waiting and no broken chargers with these networks. 

 

Cheers

idd 

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Like all things cost will eventually reduce. 100% Clean energy is a long way off, in fact it's not obtainable as there is always some dirty element attached. As for tax it is quite natural for that to take place as the revenue loss from carbon fuels has to be replaced. Maybe tax by weight as the particles from brakes and road wear is greater from e.v's supposedly. There are much vaunted untruths on both sides of the environmental argument and I despair when I see entrenched attitudes. As ever practical realities and time will win the day. 

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40 minutes ago, IDD15 said:

Gridserve

I went to look a the new Gridserve Norwich electric forecourt at the weekend (the grandkids wanted to see it), most impressive. Now if they can keep building those around the country then things will be on the up regarding charging stations.

 

TBH it made me have another look at EVs having previously thought about the Hyundai Ionic 5 but as they had a Kia EV6 at Gridserve I had a good look around that, from the same 'stable' as the Ionic but a smidge better value for money imo. But then it's still quite a lump of cash at £45K so have decided to wait for another year to see what other models will be unveiled (got to wait 12 months for the EV6 anyway!). Ford seem to be a bit behind the curve with only the Mustang available and the start of their new range not hitting production until next year, Hyundai have also promised further models in an Ionic range to join the 5 and I suspect they will have them before Ford. 

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58 minutes ago, Zflyer said:

 Maybe tax by weight as the particles from brakes and road wear is greater from e.v's supposedly. 

 

Actually brake wear should be less due to the regenerative braking putting charge back in the battery, so the brake pads don't see as much use as in an IC car. But yes the heavier weight will increase road wear, but then again everybody seems to want to drive round in a big heavy SUV.

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3 hours ago, IDD15 said:

Finally the TRON motorcycle in real life. Absolutely awesome, and from the way it took off on test drives bottom end torque is not an issue...

 

Enjoy

 

idd

verge.jpg

 

Torque has never been a problem with electric vehicles.  The trolley buses I used as a child accelerated much faster than the diesel powered ones. IIRC a series wound brushed motor has maximum torque at zero rpm.  The trolley buses replaced trams on the route where I lived and was one of the longest in the country, from Nottingham to Ripley - nearly 20 miles.  For that reason they were called tracklesses.  For some reason' they've now gone back to expensive and inflexible trams in Nottingham.

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6 hours ago, Geoff S said:

 

Torque has never been a problem with electric vehicles.  The trolley buses I used as a child accelerated much faster than the diesel powered ones. IIRC a series wound brushed motor has maximum torque at zero rpm.  The trolley buses replaced trams on the route where I lived and was one of the longest in the country, from Nottingham to Ripley - nearly 20 miles.  For that reason they were called tracklesses.  For some reason' they've now gone back to expensive and inflexible trams in Nottingham.

Inertia wheels did help,,,,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyrobus

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I'm about to return from a holiday in Southwold, Suffolk. A couple of days ago my wife overheard someone in town ask a shop assistant where he could get petrol. He was told that there hadn't been a petrol station in town for 10 years, the nearest one was 5 miles away. Sure enough, I had to search on Google Maps for one today and divert from my drive along the coast to fill up for the drive home tomorrow. Ironically, 2 minutes walk from our holiday let is a public charger, albeit only a fast (7.2kW) one. It had been unoccupied each time I passed, and I had a nose at it today. It looked fully functional, accepted contactless payment as well as an app and RFID card, at a quite reasonable 35p/kWh. Looks like I would have had less trouble keeping an EV topped up than my petrol car! We're going to need many, many more of them though if EV sales keep increasing as they are though. Last years second best selling car overall was the Tesla Model 3, behind the (mostly I.c.) Vauxhall Corsa.

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Of course, in the early days of motoring petrol wasn't easy to come by, much like charging points now.  That's not so long ago. I knew a chap who lived in West Bridgeford, just outside Nottingham and when he was a boy he remembered a local who attempted to drive to Newark and back every Sunday and every Sunday he returned being towed by a horse!  The first time he made it back under his own steam, everyone cheered ?

 

It's early days for electrically powered cars but I think the infrastructure will rapidly expand to meet demand just as it did pre WW1

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11 hours ago, Piers Bowlan said:

OK ?, they have come a long way since then, I am pleased to report! ?

 

well in some senses yes, as they have more power and range

 

but I cannot see that making batteries two or three times their actual needed size plays toward reducing damage to the planet, or having way more power than needed is helping much of anything

 

the problems the fleshy bit behind the wheel

 

Edited by Nigel R
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something possibly of interest from economy, practicality, have-we-really-come-that-far p.o.v. :

 

https://www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/topic/243226-david-vizard-1275gt-around-america-economy-drive-1976/

 

1976, 50mpg, for the trip overall, noted in the article, steady state running of 66mpg at 50mph

 

...but who wants to buy a small light car?

 

smart car anyone?

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1 hour ago, Nigel R said:

 

well in some senses yes, as they have more power and range

 

but I cannot see that making batteries two or three times their actual needed size plays toward reducing damage to the planet, or having way more power than needed is helping much of anything

 

the problems the fleshy bit behind the wheel

 

Problem is EV’s have had a lot, and still have, a long way to go to being accepted. You only have to go back a few pages to the early days of this thread to see that, milk floats etc etc. So consequently EV’s are on a quest for “jack rabbit” acceleration and ever more range, couple that with everyone (really?) wanting an SUV for the shopping and we are where we are.

 

The Sinclair C5 approach failed, so the Tesla strategy of building something awesome and working downwards to everyday is what (nearly) all the manufacturers are doing.

 

You’re  not wrong about the “fleshy bit” behind the wheel. ?

idd

Edited by IDD15
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1 hour ago, IDD15 said:

The Sinclair C5 approach failed, so the Tesla strategy of building something awesome and working downwards to everyday is what (nearly) all the manufacturers are doing.

 

The Sinclair C5 was a disaster (like a lot of Clive Sinclair's products).  At the time, I was regularly riding (and occasionally racing) a racing trike and was always hoping to see one so I could overtake it pedalling ?  Someone did, very briefly, ride one to work and I just once saw one on the road when we were in the car.  The C5 probably did more to put people off electric vehicles than the reverse.

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The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) released the new car registration figures for April yesterday. Zap Map have provided a summary page which I’ve linked to below. Thought it would be interesting to compare these new figures to were we were when this thread started.

 

  • Sales of Battery Electric Vehicles were up 40% compared to April 2021 at 12889 vehicles
  • Surprisingly sales of Plug in Hybrids were down 33% on the same period to 6449 vehicles
  • Sales of all types of cars were down 15.8% to just short of 120,000 vehicles.

 

There are now around 470K BEV and 385K PHEV cars on the road in the UK. In contrast by the end of 2018 there were just short of 60K plug-in cars on the road.

 

In terms of public charging devices there are now 31506 devices which represents a 35% year on year increase. There are now in excess of 5700 rapid (50kW) and ultra-rapid (100kW) chargers. The year-on-year growth in the number of ultra-rapid chargers is 74% with 1600 of those devices being available.

 

In 2018 there were just 11054 devices and of those there were just 1571 rapid (50kW) chargers. I think Tesla had also introduced around 476 ultra-rapid chargers by then.

 

The other (obvious) thing to mention is that the choice of EV’s is also much improved, I think in 2018 you had a choice of the Tesla Model S and X, the Leaf and the ZOE and maybe a couple of others. ev-database.uk is a useful site that lists all the available EV models in the UK. Don’t recall there being an entry for the Sinclair C5…

 

So, vehicle electrification is continuing to progress, but there is still quite some way to go.

TTFN

idd

 

Zap Map April Sales Figures

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