There are a number of issues with going all electric as far as I am concerned. In no particular order - price, recharging time, availability of chargers, life of battery (I have read the link from Kili).
We were travelling from the West of England to the North of Scotland earlier this year and did an overnight stop part way. The place we stayed didn't have any electric chargers so it would have been necessary to search one out, and then presumably move the car to allow somebody else to use it. We quite regularly do long journies with only short stops to refuel (us and the car) and will only voluntarily move to electric when it's possible to recharge electric at the same speed I can refill a petrol tank.
"Electric cars are about 30% heavier than conventional ones so are less efficient"
Wrong on both counts I'm afraid. The batteries generally weigh no more than the engine in an ICE vehicle, and as for brake wear on BEV's its practically none existent. Pads on BEV's are lasting 100,000 miles before replacement as its the electric motor that does the braking.
1) I thought that EVs in general were heavier than their counterparts.
2) I also thought they needed more powerful brakes because of that (their weight) - and that their stopping distances were also then affected accordingly. Doesn't then longer stopping distances imply the braking isn't as efficient? And if you have to expend extra energy to carry the 'extra' fuel (for a smaller range), that in itself is inefficient isn't it (a bit like athletes - 100m, big brawny and full of instant power, 26mile, thin & skinny as carrying the excess weight is counter productive)?
What Car had some info on the braking distances and there's a site that gives EV weights.
I am all for going electric, but I'm still not convinced that the large battery model is the way forward. But we'll go that way because that's the quick fix - and maybe that's right at this point. I still see induction charging on the move and smaller batteries for off grid as a better way, but that's not there yet.
steveTu Induction charging is already in use in Shanghai. They run 16,000 electric buses throughout the city and some when they stop at bus stops pickup an induction charge whilst parked. A youtube video from Fullycharged explaining all about shanghai buses can be seen here
And some really good explanations of renewable energy and EV's can be viewed at their main channel here narrated mostly by the excellent Robert Llewellyn of Red Dwarf fame.
Personally I don't know why we don't get Jean Luc Picard involved and we can all just energise and do away with cars all together.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
I think it will engender an underclass. Unless EVs are vastly cheaper to service, I'm not sure that the typical person who buys the lower end used car (https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/59950/average-age-uk-cars-reaches-record-high - average age 8.4 years old - my car is 2005, 16 years old) will be able to replace old batteries given their current cost. The batteries will be more than the car!
I thought on the move induction would be the way. Mainly as the main thoroughfares could be wired, then battery used for off piste. Again though, the typically 'underprivileged', rural type areas would suffer I would assume. I wouldn't need to worry about going to Scotland if my car charged on the way - and if I had a charge point at home - short, off piste trips would be no issue either. I see Coventry are looking at this (https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/3657/wpd_launches_ground-breaking_research_into_on-the-go_electric_vehicle_charging) and I heard about similar tests in Scandinavia (just to narrow it down!) and the States. Britain becomes one big Scalextric (other slotted racing car games are available!).
Given the smugness of every Tesla driver I've ever met, I feel they already feel above the rest of us.
Not available in the UK yet, but the Dacia Spring EV is as cheap as chips and they cant produce them fast enough. Not as flash (or costly) as a Tesla, but it would certainly do me at the price their going for on the continent.
Given the smugness of every Tesla driver I've ever met, I feel they already feel above the rest of us.
Not available in the UK yet, but the Dacia Spring EV is as cheap as chips and they cant produce them fast enough. Not as flash (or costly) as a Tesla, but it would certainly do me at the price their going for on the continent.
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different solutions for different problems - there is no single answer
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
steveTu
Induction charging is already in use in Shanghai. They run 16,000 electric buses throughout the city and some when they stop at bus stops pickup an induction charge whilst parked.
A youtube video from Fullycharged explaining all about shanghai buses can be seen here
And some really good explanations of renewable energy and EV's can be viewed at their main channel here narrated mostly by the excellent Robert Llewellyn of Red Dwarf fame.
Personally I don't know why we don't get Jean Luc Picard involved and we can all just energise and do away with cars all together.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'
Given the smugness of every Tesla driver I've ever met, I feel they already feel above the rest of us.
Not available in the UK yet, but the Dacia Spring EV is as cheap as chips and they cant produce them fast enough. Not as flash (or costly) as a Tesla, but it would certainly do me at the price their going for on the continent.
Dacia Spring EV
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'