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Jonathan
PS: By the standards of these discussions that's right on thread!
Who would drive an EV ?
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
You an me got the solution -- an old vw that'll run on wood alcohol -- ( unless yours is a diesel so you'll be Bio ) my old van will probably be around after I'm gone.
I am here. Where are you?
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
I was surprised by how much the hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions fell (from already low levels) when running on around 90% (waste) vegetable oil in some trials I conducted a few years ago. Somewhere around 50-60% of normal, although at a given number of revs, the NOx value was approximately 10% higher on account of the slightly hotter burn temperature, something which in use would likely be mitigated by less need for engine revsunder acceleration due to the better low rev torque.
Running on bio-diesel reduced the emissions even further, but used energy and chemicals in its manufacture.
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
Cars are all well over pre seventies car weights. In the sixties a Mk 1 Cortina was a medium sized family car, considered good for five people. A few weeks ago I saw one parked next to a current model Focus. It dwarfed the Cortina and the Focus is the smallest car in the Ford range. The modern equivalent would be a Mondeo.PT1029 wrote: ↑11 Apr 2023, 8:56am Thread drift. Not only would you drive one, but would you park one?
In the Times yesterday(?) (paper copy) I saw an article about multi story car parks. Someone from the car parks owners and/or maintenance owners club (I para phrase whatever the correct name was) saying that EVs are typically 500kg heavier than non EVs, and car parks are currently built to guidance (standard?) written in the 1970s, so vehicles are now heavier than what the car park designers had in mind. Putting all the EVs in one place (charging station) would not help either. He also said that a lot of existing multi story car parks were built prior to the 1970s guidance/standard.
I only briefly read the article (visiting a friend's house), so don't reall the full details.
If any collapse, it will probably be a Grenfill Tower type "wasn't my job guv" senario.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
The multi storey car parks story was doing the rounds yesterday. Some structural engineers saying that many old car parks could have a weight problem with EV's. Particularly if they are suffering from some form of concrete rot.
The article I read also said that a modern Nissan Leaf, which is fairly small by EV standards, is twice the weight of an old Vauxhall Viva. My other favourite (similar to Cortina story above) is that a modern Ford Fiesta is nearly 2 foot wider (mirrors out) than a 1960s Ford Anglia (a then, small family car).
The article I read also said that a modern Nissan Leaf, which is fairly small by EV standards, is twice the weight of an old Vauxhall Viva. My other favourite (similar to Cortina story above) is that a modern Ford Fiesta is nearly 2 foot wider (mirrors out) than a 1960s Ford Anglia (a then, small family car).
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
The modern Mini has a larger wheelbase than the original Land Rover Freelander.simonhill wrote: ↑12 Apr 2023, 7:57pm The multi storey car parks story was doing the rounds yesterday. Some structural engineers saying that many old car parks could have a weight problem with EV's. Particularly if they are suffering from some form of concrete rot.
The article I read also said that a modern Nissan Leaf, which is fairly small by EV standards, is twice the weight of an old Vauxhall Viva. My other favourite (similar to Cortina story above) is that a modern Ford Fiesta is nearly 2 foot wider (mirrors out) than a 1960s Ford Anglia (a then, small family car).
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
I actually had a Skoda Enyaq EV on order with my previous employer. Left there so won't be getting it, but I will go full EV with the new company. Previously had a BMW 3 series hybrid which was great.
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
MINI (2007): 2,466 mmsoftlips wrote: ↑13 Apr 2023, 8:57amThe modern Mini has a larger wheelbase than the original Land Rover Freelander.simonhill wrote: ↑12 Apr 2023, 7:57pm ...
The article I read also said that a modern Nissan Leaf, which is fairly small by EV standards, is twice the weight of an old Vauxhall Viva. My other favourite (similar to Cortina story above) is that a modern Ford Fiesta is nearly 2 foot wider (mirrors out) than a 1960s Ford Anglia (a then, small family car).
MINI (2013) three door: 2,495 mm
Freelander (1997): 2,565 mm.
The comparison is usually made with the Land Rover Series 1 to Series 3, where it's true. But the current MINI five door now comes in at... 2,567 mm!
Jonathan
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
Well me, I have had an EV for seven years.
Took the plunge when everyone said they wouldn’t take off, and residuals were falling like a stone.
Would never go back to an ICE car.
No VED ( although the government has now seen an increasing loss of revenue here), no petrol or diesel polluting the atmosphere, brakes that last about 80,000 miles, about £150 service, no oil filter, no oil, no air filter, no timing belt, no DPF,
Quiet driving, very smooth drive, much better than an ICE automatic or gearbox car.
Approx 4.5 miles per Kw. Price of electricity has gone up, as everyone is aware of, but still cheaper than petrol or diesel.
Range can be issue sometimes, but not really an issue for us. Lack of charging infrastructure is still an issue, but not as bad as it was and is improving all the time.
We also have solar panels and a Tesla Powerwall battery. So the running cost to charge is very cheap, just use the energy generated from the panels and stored in the battery.
About two months of the year, the energy generated is pretty low, but for 10 months of the year our electricity from the grid is very low. That includes charging the car and running our house.
Took the plunge when everyone said they wouldn’t take off, and residuals were falling like a stone.
Would never go back to an ICE car.
No VED ( although the government has now seen an increasing loss of revenue here), no petrol or diesel polluting the atmosphere, brakes that last about 80,000 miles, about £150 service, no oil filter, no oil, no air filter, no timing belt, no DPF,
Quiet driving, very smooth drive, much better than an ICE automatic or gearbox car.
Approx 4.5 miles per Kw. Price of electricity has gone up, as everyone is aware of, but still cheaper than petrol or diesel.
Range can be issue sometimes, but not really an issue for us. Lack of charging infrastructure is still an issue, but not as bad as it was and is improving all the time.
We also have solar panels and a Tesla Powerwall battery. So the running cost to charge is very cheap, just use the energy generated from the panels and stored in the battery.
About two months of the year, the energy generated is pretty low, but for 10 months of the year our electricity from the grid is very low. That includes charging the car and running our house.
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
And that had a longer wheelbase than the original Range Rover.softlips wrote: ↑13 Apr 2023, 8:57amThe modern Mini has a larger wheelbase than the original Land Rover Freelander.simonhill wrote: ↑12 Apr 2023, 7:57pm The multi storey car parks story was doing the rounds yesterday. Some structural engineers saying that many old car parks could have a weight problem with EV's. Particularly if they are suffering from some form of concrete rot.
The article I read also said that a modern Nissan Leaf, which is fairly small by EV standards, is twice the weight of an old Vauxhall Viva. My other favourite (similar to Cortina story above) is that a modern Ford Fiesta is nearly 2 foot wider (mirrors out) than a 1960s Ford Anglia (a then, small family car).
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
If memory serves correct the original Freeloader had a 100" wheelbase. Some modern Minis have one at least as long.Jdsk wrote: ↑13 Apr 2023, 9:07amMINI (2007): 2,466 mmsoftlips wrote: ↑13 Apr 2023, 8:57amThe modern Mini has a larger wheelbase than the original Land Rover Freelander.simonhill wrote: ↑12 Apr 2023, 7:57pm ...
The article I read also said that a modern Nissan Leaf, which is fairly small by EV standards, is twice the weight of an old Vauxhall Viva. My other favourite (similar to Cortina story above) is that a modern Ford Fiesta is nearly 2 foot wider (mirrors out) than a 1960s Ford Anglia (a then, small family car).
MINI (2013) three door: 2,495 mm
Freelander (1997): 2,565 mm.
The comparison is usually made with the Land Rover Series 1 to Series 3, where it's true. But the current MINI five door now comes in at... 2,567 mm!
Jonathan
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
Chap down our street had an EV for about 20 years, and that was over 50 years ago.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
Denis99 wrote: ↑13 Apr 2023, 9:59am Well me, I have had an EV for seven years.
Took the plunge when everyone said they wouldn’t take off, and residuals were falling like a stone.
Would never go back to an ICE car.
No VED ( although the government has now seen an increasing loss of revenue here), no petrol or diesel polluting the atmosphere, brakes that last about 80,000 miles, about £150 service, no oil filter, no oil, no air filter, no timing belt, no DPF,
Quiet driving, very smooth drive, much better than an ICE automatic or gearbox car.
Approx 4.5 miles per Kw. Price of electricity has gone up, as everyone is aware of, but still cheaper than petrol or diesel.
Range can be issue sometimes, but not really an issue for us. Lack of charging infrastructure is still an issue, but not as bad as it was and is improving all the time.
We also have solar panels and a Tesla Powerwall battery. So the running cost to charge is very cheap, just use the energy generated from the panels and stored in the battery.
About two months of the year, the energy generated is pretty low, but for 10 months of the year our electricity from the grid is very low. That includes charging the car and running our house.
How good it is to hear some real world experience!
I've been advising those who've asked, to buy an EV for about 10 years now providing they don't regularly make journeys over the range they can afford. Even then, it's not such a problem to plan for a half hour break over two or three hundred miles and can improve the attitude of travel, making long journeys more relaxing and enjoyable.
Returning to an ICEv is a stark reminder how simple, quiet and smooth an EV is, the lack of vibration and noise on a longer, fast journey makes a huge difference, especially compared with most cars with a 4 cylinder inline engine.
As well as the parts you mention, there's no clutch mechanism, heavy and complex gearbox, exhaust system, complex emissions componentry strapped to the engine and exhaust or heavy and fairly high mounted mass in front of the passengers to mess up the comfort, roadholding, impact behaviour and more. The heaviest single mass (battery) can be placed in the optimum place and eventually we should have the delights of hub motors, dispensing of the need for a differential gearbox and driveshafts.
The only significant problem I have with them is their cradle to grave emissions, which even over their entire lifetime are not nearly so good as most believe.
I live in hope that the smoothness and silence of a BEV focusses people on the mediocre comfort offered by most cars on suspension which is centuries old in its design and a compromise from one end to the other. Comfort has always been a difficult thing to sell - people have traditionally chosen electric gizmos, sunroofs and other unnecessary (but extremely high profit) bolt-ons to 'improve' their travel experience.
Re: Who would drive an EV ?
Well, they are still cars, after all.The only significant problem I have with them is their cradle to grave emissions, which even over their entire lifetime are not nearly so good as most believe.
People choosing electric gizmos? See above!I live in hope that the smoothness and silence of a BEV focusses people on the mediocre comfort offered by most cars on suspension which is centuries old in its design and a compromise from one end to the other. Comfort has always been a difficult thing to sell - people have traditionally chosen electric gizmos, sunroofs and other unnecessary (but extremely high profit) bolt-ons to 'improve' their travel experience.