Electric, Hybrid and Alternative fuelled vehicles - News and Discussion

[Kris]

13 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

All this technology is possible now, but not practical yet.

How long before it is all practical too?

It won't be long. I would guess less than 5 years. 

[MPR]

8 hours ago, MPR said:

I saw an interview with the CTO of Arrival, who made the point that the whole setup of a distribution centre will change with BEVs. He thought that one source of efficiency would be that on arrival, the driver could leave the van to complete their paperwork whilst the van would trundle off and park itself. Similarly, I suspected that automatic plugin would be much simpler in this controlled environment. 
(I could also imagine that parcels vans that could auto drive at very slow speeds would make the delivery persons’ life much easier when out on the round)

https://youtu.be/I781itRPJH8

 

[Vistisen]

7 hours ago, PenrithBeacon said:

Possibly, but inductive charging is a lot slower than the plug-in type

And very bad for for the enviornment: https://debugger.medium.com/wireless-charging-is-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen-48afdde70ed9#:~:text=In my tests, I found,, on average, 21.01 Wh.

[Colin_McLeod]

Maybe I missed it, but is there a risk that having waited patiently at a service station cafe, you return to your car to discover that some wag has unplugged the charger and you are not good to go?

[298]

1 hour ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Maybe I missed it, but is there a risk that having waited patiently at a service station cafe, you return to your car to discover that some wag has unplugged the charger and you are not good to go?

 

Another myth that needs debunking- technically it's possible if the charger has an e-stop, but you'd get a notification on your phone from the car and possibly the charger too. The charger itself and the car both lock onto the cable when in use, you just can't go and unplug it.

[johnofwessex]

8 hours ago, 298 said:

 

Another myth that needs debunking- technically it's possible if the charger has an e-stop, but you'd get a notification on your phone from the car and possibly the charger too. The charger itself and the car both lock onto the cable when in use, you just can't go and unplug it.

 

I had a Niro Hybrid as a courtesy car and had some fun trying to unplug it until I discovered I needed to unlock it before I could remove the charge cable.

 

Having said that there is clearly a case for some sort of 'Valet' charging but thats another matter

[Ian Morgan]

On my Hyundai Ioniq there is an option to automatically unlock the cable when charging has completed, allowing someone else to unplug it and plug it into their car, but I do not know how that other person would realise it was unlocked other than trying to pull the plug out.

[idd15]

New Gridserve/Electric Highway charging hub at Moto Rugby services is now open, yeah!

Moto Rugby

 

Exeter next...

idd

[Enterprisingwestern]

20 hours ago, idd15 said:

New Gridserve/Electric Highway charging hub at Moto Rugby services is now open, yeah!

Moto Rugby

 

Exeter next...

idd

 

That's going to be one hell of an extension lead.

 

Mike.

[Pete the Elaner]

On 02/05/2021 at 09:42, Ian Morgan said:

On my Hyundai Ioniq there is an option to automatically unlock the cable when charging has completed, allowing someone else to unplug it and plug it into their car, but I do not know how that other person would realise it was unlocked other than trying to pull the plug out.

 

A light on the plug I guess?

It may not be standard now, but there is no reason why it can't be done & become standard in the future.

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

A light on the plug I guess?

It may not be standard now, but there is no reason why it can't be done & become standard in the future.

 

That's what happens on Chademo. Locking is done by the charger and is designed so you can just unplug it once the car has finished charging.

[boxbrownie]

20 minutes ago, 30801 said:

 

That's what happens on Chademo. Locking is done by the charger and is designed so you can just unplug it once the car has finished charging.

When the i3 is finished on CCS it unlocks (I think they all do TBH).....but you would have to wait for it to charge to 100% which is not good etiquette as the last 10% (20% on some EVs) takes forever, which is why all rapid charge times state “to 80%”.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, boxbrownie said:

When the i3 is finished on CCS it unlocks (I think they all do TBH).....but you would have to wait for it to charge to 100% which is not good etiquette as the last 10% (20% on some EVs) takes forever, which is why all rapid charge times state “to 80%”.

 

I once came across a BMW PHEV plugged into a hotel rapid Type 2. It had been there twelve hours!

E-stopping the charger didn't release the cable but at least I could charge since I needed Chademo.

It was a Polar charger and I really hope they got hit with the £10 per hour overstay fee.

 

The newer rapids that support Type 2 just have a socket so you need to bring your own cable and the charger can drop it if required. I guess that limits you to 22kW.

Type 2 is conspicuously absent from the new Ecotricity Rugby site.

[PenrithBeacon]

21 hours ago, idd15 said:

New Gridserve/Electric Highway charging hub at Moto Rugby services is now open, yeah!

Moto Rugby

 

Exeter next...

idd

I watched the video and there seemed to be a lot of Musk thingies compared to the generic others.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, PenrithBeacon said:

I watched the video and there seemed to be a lot of Musk thingies compared to the generic others.

 

Having many more thingies is what Tesla got right compared to all other manufacturers.

It even makes up for the drunken panel gaps.

[Vistisen]

2 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

A light on the plug I guess?

It may not be standard now, but there is no reason why it can't be done & become standard in the future.

I think that if the mass recharging of cars is to become e reality. There is going to be a need to develop a robot charging arm that can automatically find and lock onto cars charging sockets. I envisage that rows of parked cars that get charged in turn. The system could interrogate the cars to know how much charge they require to reach the next destination. This way you could maximise the number of cars charged without the owners having to be involved in the process.

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, 30801 said:

 

I once came across a BMW PHEV plugged into a hotel rapid Type 2. It had been there twelve hours!

E-stopping the charger didn't release the cable but at least I could charge since I needed Chademo.

It was a Polar charger and I really hope they got hit with the £10 per hour overstay fee.

 

The newer rapids that support Type 2 just have a socket so you need to bring your own cable and the charger can drop it if required. I guess that limits you to 22kW.

Type 2 is conspicuously absent from the new Ecotricity Rugby site.

It’s the curse of EV drivers lives, finding a PHEV plugged in and finished but locked onto the cable obviously having been there overnight or for many hours before, bloody annoying.

[raymw]

Unique Hybrid Lawnmower

 

[johnofwessex]

5 hours ago, raymw said:

Unique Hybrid Lawnmower

 

 

Wasnt that or something similar on Tomorrows World in the late 70's?

[Karhedron]

On 03/05/2021 at 17:50, PenrithBeacon said:

I watched the video and there seemed to be a lot of Musk thingies compared to the generic others.

 

Tesla seems to the iPhone of the EV world. They are definitely not the cheapest but they look good and just work. Just like it took Androids a while to catch up, it will take other EV brands a while to reach the same level of mass market appeal.

[Karhedron]

On 29/04/2021 at 21:30, Pete the Elaner said:

 

All this technology is possible now, but not practical yet.

How long before it is all practical too?

 

Probably not to long. My guess is it will start off in controlled environments where staff can be trained the risk to random Joe Public is elimated. Once debugged, it will start to migrate out into the wider world.

[Pete the Elaner]

On 14/05/2021 at 16:06, Karhedron said:

 

Tesla seems to the iPhone of the EV world. They are definitely not the cheapest but they look good and just work. Just like it took Androids a while to catch up, it will take other EV brands a while to reach the same level of mass market appeal.

 

I am not sure if it is speculation or from some research, but a Tesla owner I know suggested that the company will licence its technology to other brands.

 

This seems quite logical. Tesla are not known for their build quality but their charging infrastructure is ahead of the field, so why won't we see other brands using Tesla's charging network?

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

is seems quite logical. Tesla are not known for their build quality but their charging infrastructure is ahead of the field, so why won't we see other brands using Tesla's charging network?

 

Your thought process when buying a Tesla:

 

"Well they can't bolt doors on straight but they have a really good charging network" 

 

You can spend collosal amounts on other luxury EVs and find yourself queuing for a rusty Ecotricity unit like everyone else. 

That's quite compelling. 

Other networks will expand but you'll always have those Tesla sites just for you. 

Edited May 16, 2021 by 30801

[Ron Ron Ron]

8 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

I am not sure if it is speculation or from some research, but a Tesla owner I know suggested that the company will licence its technology to other brands.

 

This seems quite logical. Tesla are not known for their build quality but their charging infrastructure is ahead of the field, so why won't we see other brands using Tesla's charging network?

Why would they licence their vehicle and battery technology,  when they are increasing their commanding lead and expanding their production capacity on an almost biblical scale?

 

Tesla opened their huge production plant in China only 18 months ago, which is now getting up towards full production.

This plant has largely replaced the home Californian, Fremont  facility in supplying the European market, as well as providing vehicles for large Chinese and other FE markets.

 

The giant Tesla GigaFactory being built near Berlin is nearing completion and is due to start churning out its first vehicles later this year, ramping up next year onwards. By 2023/24, Berlin will be building hundreds of thousands of cars for the European market each year.

 

In the US, they are building their largest factory yet, in Austin Texas ( due to be completed 2021/22),  to more than double their production for the N. American market.

That’s hardly a scenario to be “giving away” your competitive edge to your rivals.

 

Build quality has been an issue, that is known to be gradually improving.

The interior of the Model 3 and Model Y was an improvement on the earlier Model S & X, which have been improved  progressively over recent years.

Components have been replaced or upgraded on the production lines, presumably due to warranty issues and ongoing development.

It’s as if the customers have been taking part in a huge production beta programme, up to now.

 

They’ve just revamped the Model 3, with a facelift. This includes a number of build and feature improvements, as well as a number of interior updates..

Paint quality and build quality from the Chinese production lines is said to be better.

The panel gap inconsistencies and problems are reckoned to be addressed by the switch to a single forging for the whole front and rear chassis, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Model S has also had a major overhaul, which has a brand new interior, which is also supposed to be a big improvement in quality, but we’ll have to wait and see, as the motoring press and customers are yet to get their hands on them.

Incidentally, battery range is now edging to 500 miles on these latest cars.

The Model 3 and Model Y vehicles coming off the Berlin production line will be very different under the skin, as they’ll be the first ones based on the new integrated battery chassis.

Rather than the battery pack bolting onto the skateboard chassis, it will be an integral component forming the main chassis.

This saves quite a bit of weight and combined with their new 4680 battery tech, should add more range and further increase Tesla’s already superior  EV efficiency.

 

I would have thought, non of this gives the impression that Tesla are going to hand their tech over to any competitors.

 

 

 

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Edited May 16, 2021 by Ron Ron Ron

[Ron Ron Ron]

An article about the Tesla 4680 and its new battery tech, which could propel Tesla even further into the lead......
 

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/09/22/everything-you-need-to-know-about-teslas-new-4680-battery-cell/

 

 

 

 

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