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@squirrelking I agree the lack of a drive is a legitimate concern, along with many of the others in the original bingo card. I'll add another 'insurance groups are a bit nuts'.
Thankfully those brave early adopters will take care of all these issues for us, so we can all enjoy them down the line.
CH4 now just showing how green and ethical the dream of EV cars are
To me more evidence EV’s are not the answer
At least you're watching something that challenges your views.
CH4 now just showing how green and ethical the dream of EV cars are
To me more evidence EV’s are not the answer
They're not just mining cobalt for EVs...
But yes it needs resolving, conditions etc but thats no different to many other parts of African working practices. It's just a general problem with Africa as a whole, not just cobalt mining.
To me more evidence EV’s are not the answer
Do you have an answer?
I've been walking through the Basque country this week. Given the lack of places to buy food and the reluctance of my ageing legs to carry too much we used public transport to get between start/finish points and shops. There were four trains a day on the line we used, the passengers were mostly people on holiday with no time constraints. The bus journey shocked because we were the only passengers for the 20km we were on the full-sized bus. The driver commented it was always like that. Four empty buses a day.
People are hooked on the car, there were taffic jams along roads with two of us on a bus.
The politician who tries to change that loses the next election. Macron put a few cents on diesel and got the gilets jaunes who had some legitimate demands but on transport it was simply a rejection of any alternative to the diesel car. Even the EV was damned on their tracts.
I don't have an answer to dragging people out of their extremely comfortable tin boxes. I do know that if poeple have to have tin boxes I'd rather they didn't stink, make a racket and produced a tad less CO2. The EV ticks those three boxes and that'll have to do, because you aren't going to get enough people to use their feet, bikes, e-bikes, busses, trains or any other alternative while they still have the right to use a car - even with a 1e bus ticket, 3e train ticket and a reliable service.
EDit: Incidentally the way a lot of walkers get around the difficulties of getting to food and accomodation on the Grande Randonnée/Compostelle routes is to use two cars. One car is left at the end of each day's walk and then used to collect the car from the start point and so on. Two cars to and froing along the route. A walking holiday in which cars are driven four times the distance walked.
Test driving an Enyaq on Sunday.
They’re not just mining cobalt for EVs…
We've moved on from that one now, Lithium Phosphate batteries with no colbolt or nickel. All Tesla model 3 SR+ coming from China are now Lithium Phosphate and soon to be same in USA. They don't have quite the energy density but like being charged to 100%, are more robust (don't catch fire if punctured and potentially will last longer) and cheaper to produce (something like $70 a kwh as opposed to $100 a kwh for Lithium ion). They're already used in China's domestic market and I'd expect them to filter into the cheaper end vehicles in the EU, if it isn't all surpassed by something else in the mean time.
TF1 news this evening did a cost comparison for Paris-Bordeaux. For one person:
Plane 200e
Medium-sized ICE saloon car 160e
Train TGV 60e
Bus 40e
The train and bus look attractive till you do it for a family of four. That's in France where the tolls are a major part of the cost of a car journey and train tickets are good value. The car whether EV or ICE is the default means of transport for the majority for a reason.
The train and bus look attractive till you do it for a family of four
Round here it's me and the daughter on the train before we hit the obvious cost barrier (not counting the hidden costs which to be honest most folk don't count anyway).
I'd still take the train if it didn't take an hour to do a 35 minute drive. Don't even talk to me about buses, I reckon a bus to Ayr from Largs is probably going to take in the region of 2 hours.
Nope, 1h 37m which is about twice the amount of time it would take to drive .
Just a thought though, does France not have a lower tier but still relatively fast service below TGV like the German Inter/Euro City services? And crazy cheap group tickets like Schoenen Wochenende?
The SNCF are bringing the slow cheap trains back on lines such as Paris-Lyon, night trains too. Locally we get 20% off for two travelling together. Nothing as attractive as the Quer-durchs-Land or Schönes Wockenende tickets though. We once did Berlin to Lake Constance as a family of three with a tandem and solo fully loaded for 35e IIRC. Eight train changes mind.
I like both the bus and train especially at night or very early in the morning. An early TGV gets us into Paris for a full day and a night bus gets us to Portugal, much of Spain, Florence... all for 180-240e return for 2.
Not forgetting the BlaBlaCar app. Car sharing has got us to remote places with poor public tansport access. When I take the car any distance I put up an ad on BlaBlaCar for any empty seats and often fill them.
Anyhow yesterday we ordered a BMW i3s. Mrs FD’s X1 lease finishes in 6 months time so needed to place an order for something now.
Looked at VW ID3’s, well tried but the local VW dealer didn’t have any in the showroom. Plus the fact the BMW is way less per month to lease on salary sacrifice. Just doing a 2 yr lease as I am sure in 2 yrs time the market will have changed and hopefully there will be a better option than EV’s
Looked at VW ID3’s, well tried but the local VW dealer didn’t have any in the showroom. Plus the fact the BMW is way less per month to lease on salary sacrifice. Just doing a 2 yr lease as I am sure in 2 yrs time the market will have changed and hopefully there will be a better option than EV’s
As opposed to getting a new car every 2 years,
I’m not sure how that plays out with green ethics 🙂
A walking holiday in which cars are driven four times the distance walked.
People are strange.
How safe are they for a lone female after hours?
As safe as they are for a lone male after hours.
Nothings stopping them putting charge points in petrol stations.
If the current infrastructure is just about working for 1% EV ownership, there’s a long way to go for 2030!!!
I’m definitely getting an EV, and considering home solar /battery system in the near future. I’m not convinced it’s that beneficial financially, but I would like to be using solar for my water/heating as much as possible.
As opposed to getting a new car every 2 years,
There is a slight difference here. Lots of leased EVs will result in many more coming onto the used market and provide the cashflow for investment in production. Which will help decarbonise the fleet. So normally lots of lease deals might be bad but it may balance out if all the new cars are EVs.
Am about to get a home charge point installed - any real world experience of tethered vs socket at home?
Tethered seems to be sensible so I don't have to unplug it all the time, or leave the cable at home by mistake, but I could just buy a spare cable.
Our car came with a cable, it loves in the car in its own compartment in the car and it's there if we ever need it. The home charger has a cable attached, that gets used most of the time.
If the current infrastructure is just about working for 1% EV ownership, there’s a long way to go for 2030!!!
Ten years ago, EVs pretty much didn’t exist barring a couple and neither did the charging network.
Currently, according to Zap-Map there are about 27,000 public chargers in the UK and just over 900 added in the last month alone. This is catering to a user base of around 300,000 cars perfectly fine, despite the stories you hear.
Ten years from now, the situation will be vastly different. These problems are not beyond the whit of man to solve. It’s really nothing to worry about.
I went for tethered home charger as I'm the numpty who would forget to take it with them when needed.
I’m definitely getting an EV, and considering home solar /battery system in the near future. I’m not convinced it’s that beneficial financially, but I would like to be using solar for my water/heating as much as possible.
We've just had a solar array installed and will be getting battery storage as soon as Elon can make me a Powerwall 2. From my limited data over the 2 weeks its been running is that even at this time of year if we had the battery and could make use of every solar generated electron it would cover close to half our electricity demands for October. The array is conservatively estimated to produce 5,000 kWh per year so in theory its going to save us £1100 a year at the 21.8p per kWh were currently paying (just been moved from AVRO to Octopus). Now I'm with Octopus I'll have a look at how much switching to their Octopus Go rate might save once we get the battery installed as this might make a big difference over winter.
I've also switched my PodPoint fast charger to a Zappi which can handle solar diverting to only charge the car when there is surplus solar so hopefully in Spring/Summer I'll be driving on sunshine. BTW anyone want a slightly used PodPoint then make me an offer?
I reckon payback is going to be in the region of 10-15 years at current electricity prices but as I'll be retiring in a year or two I'm prioritising reducion in monthly outgoings ahead of quick payback.
Am about to get a home charge point installed – any real world experience of tethered vs socket at home?
I've gone tethered for less faffage
Currently, according to Zap-Map there are about 27,000 public chargers in the UK and just over 900 added in the last month alone.
Trouble is only about a third of those are run by reliable networks and actually be in places you might want to use them without having to navigate off the highway to find a lone charger at the back of some retail park somewhere. Plus EV drivers get to know which networks can be depended upon and their chargepoints can get very busy at peak times and unfortunately EVs take at least 30 mins to top up vs 5 mins for ICE. Agreed nothing that can't be solved with sufficient will but we're behind the curve at the moment.
As safe as they are for a lone male after hours.
With all due respect that's a load of shite and ignoring facts. Like I said, totally male-centric.
The array is conservatively estimated to produce 5,000 kWh per year
What size array??
As safe as they are for a lone male after hours.
With all due respect that’s a load of shite and ignoring facts. Like I said, totally male-centric.
I'll nibble 🙂
I didn't say it was safe(I was being ironic but a smiley didn't seem appropriate) and I also stated charging points could be put in petrol stations.
With all due respect(to anyone who lives there) the issues with the shite area not the sex of the driver.
Cars get nicked and people assaulted(to death)at petrol stations anyway.
Ah okay, I never got your meaning. Yes, they could be installed in petrol station forecourts but the point is they aren't. They don't seem to be (generally) put in high footfall areas which is where the entire safety risk comes from.
But yes, the sex of the driver does make a difference, depending on the intent of the attacker.
What size array??
14X 375W panels = 5.25 kW. 10 south facing and 4 west facing.
The panels are in-roof mounted as we renewed the roof at the same time and in-roof looks a lot neater.
The inverter is "standard" 3.7 kW but I deliberately oversized the array to make the most of autumn and winter solar.
I'm not sure undersizing the inverter is a good idea. When a big cloud allows the panels to cool the inverter is going to get about 4.5 - 5kW when the sun comes out again mid afternnon. Is it going to trip out?
What are peoples opinions on Hydrogen powered cars. The new Toyota Miria seems to get incredible mileage 1003 KM’s from a few Kg’s of Hydrogen that takes 5mins to fill. Surely it’s in the interests of the service stations to push this fuel rather than have their forecourt’s blocked with loads of vehicles getting a quick top up 30mins plus to get to the next charge point. Lots of car manufacturers are pushing this technology in the background BMW and Merc, KIA and Hyundai. I know they are expensive at the minute but as the take up increases as with electric the cost will come down, 5 mins to fill up and a 1000 km range. I can’t help but think that electric cars are nothing more than a stop gap.
Not to mention no disposal and expensive recycling of the batteries, I know they can be repurposed but surely the raw materials could be put to better use or not used at all for battery production.
The cars are ok. The Mira if I recall is really an EV charged by a hydrogen fuel cell. But…
How do you make hydrogen?
Most of the viable methods now are carbon intensive.
Electrolysis is possible, but very inefficient as a electric-hydrogen-motion cycle (mainly due to compression losses I think, but correct me) and needs vast amounts of water. Also you need a distribution network - so if you’re in Hartlepool you’re ok. Not yet practical.
H2:
For: lighter cars, faster refueling, no battery to recycle in addition to the rest of the car
Against: hydrolosis and fuel cell losses are higher than battery charging and discharging, it's inefficient. At present commercial hydrogen is nearly all fossil fuel produced but electricty to charge cars has a good proportion of renewables and nuclear. Electricity is easily transported to point of use with existing infrastructure and no road transport.
The problem with hydrogen as discussed at length on here is that it's very difficult to make, store and transport, not to me tion also requiring a lot of energy in the process. We do this for fossil fuels because a barrel of crude is valuable for countless other industries and processes as well as transport fuel.
The main reason for battery EVs is that the infrastructure for energy distribution is already very mature and widespread. This means the cost of switching is much less.
Yes, they could be installed in petrol station forecourts but the point is they aren’t.
A lot are. Three on my route to my parents, one by my house all at filling stations. The one I used on the way back from Eton was in a filling station as well.
Also on longer trips there are enough on motorways and not of the time you're close enough to a motorway to be able to get from the motorway to your destination and back to the motorway network on one charge.
Having said that the one I used at Cobham was right in the back corner of that huge car park so wasn't particularly safe.
Hydrogen is a non starter for EVs for all the reasons above plus we'll need all the green hydrogen for industrial processes like steel making and fertiliser production. Volvo and Daimler are already trialling green steel in car production. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/19/green-steel-swedish-company-ships-first-batch-made-without-using-coal
The inverter is “standard” 3.7 kW but I deliberately oversized the array to make the most of autumn and winter solar.
Yep, get that - but I really doubt that you'll get 5,000kwh/year I'm afraid (unless you're actually in Spain!)
My south facing system outputs pretty much exactly 1Mwh/Kw of panels based on data over the last 7 years. So realistically I think you'll be getting 4,000Kwh actual production.
I like using the West facing panels though as that gives you free power further into the evening in the summer.
I get 3200-3400 kWh from 13 x 225W 60 cell panels at 43°N facing south at a pretty much ideal angle.
So comparing my 2.9 kW system with Uponthedowns' 5.4kW system 5.4 x 3300/2.9 = 6144 then allowing for latitude and 4 west facing panels I reckon 5000kWh is about right, Sharkattack. Uponthedowns has unusually high output panels.
I’m not sure undersizing the inverter is a good idea. When a big cloud allows the panels to cool the inverter is going to get about 4.5 – 5kW when the sun comes out again mid afternnon. Is it going to trip out?
3.7kWh is the biggest inverter you can have in the UK on a single phase supply without getting special permission from the DNO and I didn't want to delay things. I have no idea about tripping the inverter on sunny days I just went with the installers design. Its a Solar Edge inverter which I think is a decent brand.
@sharkattack as Edukator says I've got high output panels plus panel efficiencies have probably improved since you've had yours installed. 5000kWh is what the installers software is predicting
H2 - my brother in law has a Mirai as a company car - he lives in Surrey so is fairly close to a couple of the very few H2 stations around the country. Even then, the filling stations are regularly out of order, meaning he's very limited in being able to take the car anywhere!
He says its a nice car, but that lack of infrastructure is too limiting currently, and that that exists is not reliable.
So whoever is operating the charging stations can't get even two to work reliably! Geez even BP Pulse and Geniepoint can do better than that.
Geez even BP Pulse and Geniepoint can do better than that.
Funny that EV chargers can be so unreliable, when they have fewer moving parts than a petrol pump! 😉
Funny that EV chargers can be so unreliable, when they have fewer moving parts than a petrol pump! 😉
That's why I find it hard to believe as well.
Apart from egits dropping the plugs on the ground and breaking them what else is there to go wrong?
I guess they are more dependent on software and internet comms than a petrol pump but in the age of 5g and Starlink should that be an issue?
Loss of revenue from a malfunctioning petrol pump is greater than a malfunctioning charger so petrol stations have better maintenance than chargepoints and there is always someone on site to flag up broken pumps.
All petrol pumps are under a canopy with some protection from the elements most chargers are not.
However Tesla seem to be able to run a reliable multinational chargepoint network so it can't be rocket science.............oh wait a minute.
Hydrogen fuel cell cars *are* electric cars. The wheels are driven by an electric motor. They need a battery to act as a buffer when demand is high (accelerating down a sliproad, say) but the fuel cell can't keep up - without it they'd be even more sluggish than they are. If you want one to be hot hatch bothering, let alone Tesla bothering, then it's going to need a much bigger battery.
Putting aside the inefficiencies of splitting water with electricity, the Mirai is not efficient with space either. It's basically E-class/5-series/A6 size, but with really cramped rear seats and less boot space than a Renault Zoe (no folding rear seats either). Between the big cylindrical tanks, fuel cell / motor stack and all the other gubbins, it's a challenge to package. You're just not going to get Golf/Focus sized hydrogen cars with range to match the average battery EVs.
As for petrol stations, you can't just stick hydrogen in great big tanks under the forecourt. Existing stuff like at Cobham services needs about 8 parking bays worth of kit including a 15ft high cylinder to service just one pump (capacity: 80kg/day, or 16 Mirais filling up). It can doubtless scale up, but it's at least as big a job as revamping petrol stations as rapid charging sites.
In the meantime, I drove up to Yorkshire and back for half term in my battery EV, and Shell's petrol stations at Buckden and Markham Moor both had a neat row of four 175kW rapid chargers that made it all very quick and easy. That's the transition happening right now.
You’re just not going to get Golf/Focus sized hydrogen cars with range to match the average battery EVs.
Why would they need to? Genuine question.
Funny that EV chargers can be so unreliable, when they have fewer moving parts than a petrol pump! 😉
As alluded to it would appear to be mostly software related, our locals seem to need rebooting rather frequently and seemingly don't play with MG's for whatever reason.
It's stuff like this that's sadly convinced me we're just not ready to go for it, without a dedicated charging space (ie. a driveway) I'm dependent on too many variables. It'll come, in time, but it's just not there yet.
@uponthedowns - I'm looking at a VERY similar installation for my place including in-roof and roof replacement - would you mind if I PM you for the approximate cost?
So comparing my 2.9 kW system with Uponthedowns’ 5.4kW system 5.4 x 3300/2.9 = 6144 then allowing for latitude and 4 west facing panels I reckon 5000kWh is about right, Sharkattack. Uponthedowns has unusually high output panels.
You seem to have ignored the fact that he has a 4Kwh inverter which will clip the output to that as a maximum - he could have 500 panels….. it will still output 4Kw max.
It will do a bit better in the shoulder months but not to that extent.
Why would they need to? Genuine question.
Because (as a broad generalisation) hydrogen advocates tend to consider existing EVs to be too short range for their needs, and assume hydrogen will give them a very similar experience to what they have today in a petrol or diesel car. 400+ mile range, quick 5 minute forecourt refuel in a Focus sized car with room for a family and their stuff in the boot. Just as with battery EVs, it's going to take some compromising on wants and needs.
Batteries have got denser over time, hydrogen won't. For hydrogen cars, if you have to compromise on acceleration, range, internal space AND it costs at least as much to run as your petrol or diesel, what's the point?
@uponthedowns – I’m looking at a VERY similar installation for my place including in-roof and roof replacement – would you mind if I PM you for the approximate cost?
@Daffy. Panels and inverter cost £8k and Powerwall and gateway £6.5k. I went for the gateway to island the system so it acts as backup if there's a power cut. I could have gone for a cheaper brand and smaller battery but the Powerwall system just seems more user friendly and configurable than the others. You won't be charged for scaffold as your roofer will have already have that in place but make sure its proper scaffold installed according to regs or the solar installer may not be prepared to use it.
I'd advise contacting at least 3-4 installers for quotes. I looked within a 50 mile radius but ended up with an installer just down the road who have been very responsive and worked well with my builder. Have a look round you neibourhood and if you spot a nice installation knock on their door and ask who their installler was. All installers should be able to give you an initial proposal and price indication without visiting just using Google maps. I don't think in-roof fitting is significantly more expensive than standard plus you'll save on tiles/slates
You seem to have ignored the fact that he has a 4Kwh inverter which will clip the output to that as a maximum
I haven't ignored it, he'll only get over 4kW momentarily when the sun comes out from behind a cloud. Most of the time he'll be running below 3.5kW even on the sunnist days - IME panels run at about 2/3 max when they are hot and saturated. So long as the inverter doesn't trip off completely when overloaded the undersizing will have a negligible impact on production.
One of the issues with in-roof is the waterproofing system used. My installer initially used a German plastic product which failed to cope with the thermal range here in SW France and split. It was replace under guarantee with steel.
I haven’t ignored it, he’ll only get over 4kW momentarily when the sun comes out from behind a cloud. Most of the time he’ll be running below 3.5kW even on the sunnist days – IME panels run at about 2/3 max when they are hot and saturated. So long as the inverter doesn’t trip off completely when overloaded the undersizing will have a negligible impact on production.
Ok place your bets and I'll report back my solar output this time next year.
Looks like Tesla are serious about opening up the Supercharger network. They've started a trial in The Netherlands. Pricy at 48p per kWh but cheaper than Ionity (what isn't) and 23p per kWh with a £11 per month subsciption.
https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/support/non-tesla-supercharging
My man maths makes that 176 miles per month at the tesla chargers (at an assumed 4 miles per Kw) to break even on the £11 sub. That's quite a lot of away from home charging and I wonder how long before tesla rage comes into play if you're found hogging "their" chargers!?
If you're a consultant or rep or something then you could easily get through far more away-from-home miles than that.
No objection to the price - just the ability to use them when necessary is great.
I'm looking to order a Polestar 2 as my next company car.
Can either go Long Range Single Motor + (very desirable!) Plus pack or Long Range Dual Motor no extras.
First world EV problems I'm acutely aware but curious as to what the general consensus is.
Or recommend me a similar alternative that isn't a Tesla 3 (purely based on looks!).
Wish there was an EV estate - I don't want an SUV type car.
Have you looked at the Kia EV6?
I’ve always liked the Polestar. When the actual models were released I found them expensive & low specced, on my work scheme at least.
Sorry for a dumb question... Answer probably in the previous 43 pages somewhere, but I can't quickly find it.
If you get a Tesla, does that limit you to where you can charge?
I live in a small town with two public charges. One is the Tesco PodPoint, the other is a ChargeMaster in a public car park. Can these charge a Tesla?
I'd taken a look at the Tesla website to see where I could get a local charge, and neither of the sites above are listed. Does this mean I'd only be able to use Tesla chargers, which are a long way away?
I know nothing of standards (AC/DC etc), so really is an ill-informed question, so apologies and thanks in advance.
So long as the inverter doesn’t trip off completely when overloaded the undersizing will have a negligible impact on production.
....Other than limiting it to 4kw.
Your calcs used a system size of 5kw which it can't output.
I put my 3kw system into the energy saving trust calculator and it came back with a pretty accurate figure of what production I could expect per annum.
It did the same for my 4kw system.
If I put in a 4kw system facing south with no shading in Hampshire or returns a production of just less than 4Mw.
Wish there was an EV estate – I don’t want an SUV type car.
There is ……..
https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/porsche/taycan/taycan-cross-turismo-estate
My man maths makes that 176 miles per month at the tesla chargers (at an assumed 4 miles per Kw) to break even on the £11 sub.
Its one decent 44kWh charge which isn't that much if you are travelling every week for business
Can either go Long Range Single Motor + (very desirable!) Plus pack or Long Range Dual Motor no extras.
Consensus at the moment I think is that for cars like the Polestar and Mach E the single motor long range versions are the best bang per buck unless you want to take on Model 3s
There is an EV estate.
They've just facelifted the MG5 and IMHO made it something you might be happy to have sitting on the drive
Hmm, thanks for the recommendations on ev estates! Both either end of the spectrum for my budget!
If you get a Tesla, does that limit you to where you can charge?
No, it uses the same interface as all modern EVs
Only a Tesla can charge at Tesla chargers(at the moment…), but Tesla’s can use any standard public charger
Yep, if you’re buying a Model 3 or Y then it has a standard CCS connector like almost all new EVs do in Europe. A new S or X will have a CCS adaptor that achieves the same and it can be retrofitted for a few hundred quid to older ones.
You get more flexibility because you can use Tesla chargers and the ones for everyone else.
you can use Tesla chargers and the ones for everyone else
Awesome. Thanks. It’s best of both then.
For hydrogen cars, if you have to compromise on acceleration, range, internal space AND it costs at least as much to run as your petrol or diesel, what’s the point?
Smaller range but still faster to refill than an EV. Cleaner than an ICE too. That's the point.
Anyway, I was looking at the Seat Moo/Mii/whatever the other night. 5 grand for a 60mph capable scooter with 82 mile range on an A1 ticket? Chargeable over a shift/overnight on a standard 3 pin socket?
That's more like it.
That Seat scooter (the Mó) looks great, the best thing would seem to be that you can remove the battery and bring it into your home or office to charge.
I think MG are doing a great job. Personally, I struggle to get over the rubbish ICEs they've produced in the past 10 years, but they are clearly doing it right in the EV market.
The local Honda garage has recently taken on the MG franchise and can't get them fast enough.
The face lifted estate up there looks decent.
FYI - Bjorn Nyland on youtube was saying that the tesla subscription can be turned on and off, so if you are on a road trip and are likely to use supercharger network then after a single ~40kwh charge you are quids in. That's really quite nice as for most of the year charging at home will be sufficient. Fingers crossed for a quick rollout across the UK and Europe.
FYI – Bjorn Nyland on youtube was saying that the tesla subscription can be turned on and off, so if you are on a road trip and are likely to use supercharger network then after a single ~40kwh charge you are quids in.
Yes I was wondering that until I saw Bjorn's vid. Very useful unlike the Ionity subscription which locks you in for a year. I think Ionity are going to have to have a rethink as all the eTron, Taycan and Merc EQC drivers will switch to Tesla.
Hertz [say they've] just signed a contract for 100,000 EVs from Tesla and according to Elon Musk they didn’t
get any discount.
I took an MG on a Roadtrip to Jotunheimen this year - it was quite simply a very good car. Drove well, charging and range a non issue. Not a massive, massive range but the roads are demanding enough that you need a break every few hours. The only thing I thought was a bit dodgy was the autopilot on twisty roads, but it worked perfectly where I needed it most, the big tunnels (up to 24 kms long..)
Have test driven a Polestar, really nice. :-). I'll buy a new car eventually, and it's going back up the list.
Toyota enter the fray
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/02/toyota-announces-the-bz4x-the-carmakers-first-mass-produced-electric-vehicle
The bZ4X is an SUV with optional rooftop solar panels that will be sold in both front-wheel or all-wheel-drive variants.
Well now at least they won't lying when they claim its self charging
Will be interesting to see their marketing department tying themselves up in knots after claiming hydrids were the answer and lobbying to delay EV legislation in the US and Japan
Hybrids were a good stop gap, particularly in the US where diesel wasn't an option for most. Bear in mind their first hybrid car came out in I think 1997.
I have the same solar set up as uponthedowns, but SSE facing. Cost 5k for 5.2kw and a 3.6kw inverter. I reckon I will get 4100 kWh from it in 12 months. Was installed 6 months ago and have 3100 over the summer. The clipping does impact it in April when it is cool and the panels are more efficient but I think the additional production on the shoulder outweighs that.
In Summer I can put over 30kWh into the car in a day and so can run for many weeks without charging the car from the grid for local journeys.
I calculated my payback to include money saved on diesel at year 5-6
In Summer I can put over 30kWh into the car in a day
As long as the car's at home, of course.
Re that Toyota - I applaud innovation in design generally and am very pleased that EVs are all so creative in terms of interiors; but the yoke steering wheel? I really don't think I'd like that.
I calculated my payback to include money saved on diesel at year 5-6
@djglover. Nice one, your man-maths is more creative than mine. If I add possible diesel savings then that's going to knock at least 2-3 years off my payback however I should probably be knocking the savings in diesel off the running cost of the EV as I would be running that whether I had a solar array or not.
interesting report from volvo on the lifetime emissions (over 200,000km) of an ICE car vs electric (both brand new)
tl:dr - on average world supply the electric car is ~17% better, on EU's supply its ~30% better and on renewables alone it generates just under half the emissions.
it doesn't mention the mix in china, but my assumption is that given how coal-heavy they are, it might actually be worse to have an electric car there (for total emissions) - despite them being the world leaders in electric cars.
Interesting vid covering some new incoming tech. It could be possible in a few years to entirely do away with the un-eco friendly metals required.
Wireless street charging being tested 🙂
I think Ionity are going to have to have a rethink as all the eTron, Taycan and Merc EQC drivers will switch to Tesla.
Will they, though? Ionity price for Tesla drivers is nudging 70p/kWh and I can't see why Tesla would want to charge less, especially if it results in two or three chargers out of use.
Right now Gridserve at Rugby is the best value for money at 30p/kWh, undercutting the Supercharger network and less than half of what Ionity charge.