Electric, Hybrid and Alternative fuelled vehicles - News and Discussion

[Ian Morgan]

So, if charging my car from the grid produces 57gCO2/kWh, and I am averaging over 5 miles (8km) per kWh in my Hyundai Ionic Electric, then I calculate I am causing emissions of less than 7gCO2/km. That seems to compare well against the 94gCO2/km that the Eco Ford Mondeo 1.6 Diesel I had before was supposed to achieve.

 

 

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, Ian Morgan said:

That seems to compare well against the 94gCO2/km that the Eco Ford Mondeo 1.6 Diesel I had before was supposed to achieve.

 

And your Mondeo only ever did 94g/km in a lab...

[Southern Steve]

8 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

What do you think Smart meters are for, to save the home consumer money? 

 

Soon to have time/demand charging regimes and they will know when an EV is being charged........guess what will happen then?

I can hazard a very good guess!


 

We had a "smart" meter forced on us a couple of years ago. They have never managed to get it to work properly and still ask us for meter readings!

[boxbrownie]

23 hours ago, 30801 said:

 

They won't know. Certainly not if you're charging from a three pin socket.

Road pricing is probably how things will go.

Certainly not if your using a domestic socket but most EVs are charged at home EVSE units, a lot of them now and all,in the future will have online facilities, it’s a lot cheaper to charge for the fuel used than install a road charging network especially as current vehicles are “unlinked” and will still be used for at least the next 10-20 years........currently (no pun) easier to keep the tax on fossil fuel and add it to EV charges.

 

I keep refusing the Smart meter move, and will do until it becomes compulsory.........and keep using the domestic supply to charge my EV until it becomes impractical.

[Ron Ron Ron]

Nissan have just published some data on the UK EV charging infrastructure.

According to Nissan, there are now 9199 EV charging stations across the country, compared with 8396 petrol and diesel filling stations. 

 

The UK’s first filling station was opened exactly 100 years ago at Aldermaston in Berkshire. 

The number of filling stations peaked at 37,539 in 1970 but has been in steady decline since.

More than 3000 sites closing between 2000 and 2005. 

There are now 8396 operational filling station sites. 

 

EV charging sites, by contrast, are increasing in number rapidly.

There were 913 in 2012 but 6699 by 2018.

More than 2000 new sites have been installed so far this year.

The current figure of 9199 includes more than 1600 rapid-charging points.

 

However, the comparison isn't a direct representation of how many vehicles can be filled or charged at any one time.

While most fuel stations house at the very least four pumps, many of the early and present day EV charging sites contain only a single charger.

That will change as larger dedicated EV charging stations open and the Petrol company's introduce larger numbers of EV charging points in their existing filling stations.

 

 

Elsewhere....

 

BP bought Chargemaster last year , in a move that’ll see the petrol station chain create the UK’s largest public network of EV charging points.

The new company is called BP Chargemaster, and includes Chargemaster’s existing 6500 charging points, in addition to BP’s 1200 service station sites.

BP also wants to roll out 150kW rapid chargers that’ll deliver 100 miles of range in around ten minutes - providing you have a compatible card, of course.

The new company has confirmed it'll install 400 150Kw points by 2021, with 100 of those cropping up on forecourts by the end of the year. 

 

Tesco and Volkswagen have teamed up to add 2400 new EV chargers popping up at 600 branches of the supermarket retailer.

Over the next three years, both companies will work with Pod Point to introduce the chargers in selected Tesco Extra and Superstore car parks throughout the UK - and some of them will be free to use, too.

According to a post on Pod Point's website, the 2400 charger figure includes both 7kW fast chargers and 50kW rapid chargers – and the former will be free to use, although it's not sure if that’s for all EV owners or just VW drivers.  

Pricing for the 50kW rapids is said to be in line with market rates, but the split between 7kW and 50kW units hasn't been revealed yet.

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

 

[Joseph_Pestell]

On 15/08/2019 at 10:31, Joseph_Pestell said:

Mrs P is off to our local Kia dealership tomorrow morning to try out a Niro hybrid. She is quite nervous about it not having ever driven an auto before.

 

Will report back on her findings.

 

The Niro is still in the mix but Mrs P was not blown away by it.

 

Despite having low autonomy on the batteries, they are still quite bulky and take up a lot of what should be boot space. So not enough room for the dog - which is a big fail as our dog is such a major part of our lives.

 

This week, an even more different experience. Her department at work is looking at buying some Nissan Leafs (should that be Leaves?). So the local dealership is leaving one with them this week and she gets to use it for a couple of days.

[Joseph_Pestell]

A bit more research this morning as still bedbound.

 

As Mrs P (with ex-bank manager hat on) has decided to finance this purchase herself, it becomes viable to look at some low-mileage, recent secondhand vehicles.

 

The Lexus 200h looks like it might suit. Anyone here got experience of them?

[Ron Ron Ron]

Would that be the CT 200h  ??

 

...No experience of these.

[Ian Morgan]

I did look at the Lexus a while back, but there was no way that my layout would fit in the back. It came down to the Leaf and the Ionic, and the Ionic won on range and charging time (but that was before the Leaf got its new battery this year).

 

I suppose Lexus have the experience of Toyota with their hybrids to support them.

[Karhedron]

On 17/08/2019 at 15:20, 30801 said:

So this is where the UK's electricity is coming from right now.

 

 

Can I ask where this information comes from please as it implies that over 50% of the grid is being generated from renewable sources which I thought was not yet the case. The National Grid has a current figure of 28.2%.

 

http://grid.iamkate.com/

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Karhedron said:

 

 

Can I ask where this information comes from please as it implies that over 50% of the grid is being generated from renewable sources which I thought was not yet the case. The National Grid has a current figure of 28.2%.

 

http://grid.iamkate.com/

 

The Grid Carbon phone app.

 

When I say 'right now' I mean at that point in time. The app shows the grid make up in real time.

[Reorte]

10 minutes ago, Karhedron said:

 

 

Can I ask where this information comes from please as it implies that over 50% of the grid is being generated from renewable sources which I thought was not yet the case. The National Grid has a current figure of 28.2%.

 

http://grid.iamkate.com/

 

The difference between the average over the year and right now? (edit: as 30801 said!)

Edited August 20, 2019 by Reorte

[Buhar]

It varies from day to day and even from minute to minute. Scotland has had a few days when its electricity has been 100% wind and hydro. Presumably with some people's solar panels included, though I tend to see those as a triumph of hope over expectation up here.

Alan 

[PenrithBeacon]

In a recent programme on BBC4 Jim Al-Khalili (have I spelt that right) mentioned that car bodies could use graphine so enabling the car body to be used as a battery. Does anybody know if there are any active research projects for this?

 

Regards

[admiles]

On 16/08/2019 at 17:25, boxbrownie said:

It does sound like you both don’t want to change, so don’t.......for as long as possible.

 

Quite wrong.  Done a lot of legwork getting test drives etc.

 

My partner is very keen to have an EV but the auto only bit is the issue. For me it's less clear cut. I love driving and currently have a 3.0 straight six RWD petrol. It sound lovely and is very involving to drive. All the EVs we've tried have frankly left me cold. I find them dull and soulless. I want to like them I really do but if I'm going to be spending a lot of money (for me) and spend a lot of time in it,  I want to actually like and enjoy the product I've bought. Not just tolerate it.

 

That make sense?

[mozzer models]

On 18/08/2019 at 21:56, Ron Ron Ron said:

Nissan have just published some data on the UK EV charging infrastructure.

According to Nissan, there are now 9199 EV charging stations across the country, compared with 8396 petrol and diesel filling stations. 

 

 

.

But each of the 8369 Filling stations will have more than 1 pump so its not 9199 to 8369 so if you say a minimum of 4 pumps per station ( and that very low)

so you can charge 9199 cars at once but way over 33584 cars can be refueled at once & i would say is is more like 67168 at once  & it only take a few minutes so the amount per hour is way more

[johnlambert]

20 minutes ago, admiles said:

 

Quite wrong.  Done a lot of legwork getting test drives etc.

 

My partner is very keen to have an EV but the auto only bit is the issue. For me it's less clear cut. I love driving and currently have a 3.0 straight six RWD petrol. It sound lovely and is very involving to drive. All the EVs we've tried have frankly left me cold. I find them dull and soulless. I want to like them I really do but if I'm going to be spending a lot of money (for me) and spend a lot of time in it,  I want to actually like and enjoy the product I've bought. Not just tolerate it.

 

That make sense?

 

Makes sense to me and certainly fits my experience with electric vehicles.  I had a brief go in a Jaguar iPace recently and it was as smooth, swift and comfortable as a Jaguar should be, but it left me impressed by the technology but unmoved.  An old-school Jaguar XJ12 or V12 XJS that (subjectively) offers similar mechanical refinement is a far more satisfying thing to drive.

 

Perhaps it's something we need to accept, that the future of personal transport will be duller and less satisfying?

[PatB]

Personal transport, for the majority, is already duller and less satisfying. Most of the population (ie the people at whom any mass manufacturer needs to aim in order to make money) don't really seem to mind or, indeed, even notice. 

[Reorte]

4 minutes ago, PatB said:

Personal transport, for the majority, is already duller and less satisfying. Most of the population (ie the people at whom any mass manufacturer needs to aim in order to make money) don't really seem to mind or, indeed, even notice. 

 

That one works both ways. I've known some people keep banging on how electric vehicles will take over because they're nicer to drive - no engine noise, vibration etc., but just as how some miss that others don't really notice it either so the lack of it wouldn't move them (in any case most noise in most cars is tyre and aerodynamic anyway).

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Reorte said:

 

That one works both ways. I've known some people keep banging on how electric vehicles will take over because they're nicer to drive - no engine noise, vibration etc., but just as how some miss that others don't really notice it either so the lack of it wouldn't move them (in any case most noise in most cars is tyre and aerodynamic anyway).

 

I find long journeys in the Leaf much less tiring than they were by petrol car.

Whether that's down to the lack of vibration or the fact that I now stop for tea three times I couldn't say.

[Ian Morgan]

I know I am getting old, but I have recently found myself getting angry about noisy motorbikes and cars with 'tuned' exhausts (both boy racer hatchbacks and sleek Ferraris), that share the road with me. All that revving, popping and backfiring is just so unnecessary.

 

These days I prefer listening to the radio than listening to the car.

 

 

[TheQ]

 

5 minutes ago, 30801 said:

 

I find long journeys in the Leaf much less tiring than they were by petrol car.

Whether that's down to the lack of vibration or the fact that I now stop for tea three times I couldn't say.

The leaf can only do 150 miles (if you're lucky) between stops thats not a long journey..

Edited August 21, 2019 by TheQ

[Ron Ron Ron]

1 minute ago, TheQ said:

 

The leaf can only do 150 miles between stops thats not a long journey..

 

You clearly didn't read his post properly.....!

 

 

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[TheQ]

7 minutes ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

You clearly didn't read his post properly.....!

 

 

.

I'm betting nowhere near 450 miles or even 300 miles unless he has been very lucky to find a chain of chargers going in the right direction..