Hobby

At least he had an HV vest and warning triangle... I doubt many cars have unless they happen to travel abroad in it!

I've just renewed. I suspect (guess!) that there will be some offers over the year to members but as its free anyhow it doesn't make any difference to me. I'll buy where I get the best deal, like most people.

Much, I suspect, to their joint surprise, the two cultures can and have worked together extremely well, the Austin/Rover - Honda collaborations of the 80s and 90s spring to mind. AR were producing cars up to Honda's standards and proved a UK workforce could do it if given the chance.

4s in China and 5s in China and Thailand I believe.

Quite! Regarding the second sentence, the majority of new cars sold in the UK top ten are in the £20 to £40k range, secondhand obviously lower than that so I have to disagree with you, perhaps best that I agree to differ with you and Ron so that the thread can get back on track (or off track bearing in mind half the line's been dumped!)? @jjb1970 I nearly mentioned MG (and other Chinese manufacturers as the ones who are pushing forward affordable EVs in that last post. I am on a Motability FB page which looks at EVs and much of my views on EVs and Hybrids are formed listening to people like me who have them and use them on a daily basis. The MGs seem to be, on the whole, fairly reliable and people seem to like them, they were one of the first to do affordable reasonable distance batteries as well. Fingers crossed they keep developing!

And there are 33 million cars on the road, the vast majority of which are worth nowhere near the price of a Telsa. I said when i started the range debate that I was looking at affordable EV with good range, the vast majority of us can't afford £42k+ for a new (or secondhand) car.

Maybe, but they are not really affordable...

Agree with the first bit but not the second. I'm on the side of the Refs in this case, the pressure they are put under is immense, from the fans, managers, players, etc., etc., they should be cut some slack, not hauled over the coals. They are already held "accountable" by suspending them from upcoming games, that's as far as it should go. If people want to go down that route then holding players and managers (and fans!) fully accountable for their actions should be introduced, I do not feel, for example, that red carding a manager and sending him to the stands (or even home!) where he can still direct the game via his mobile phone to the bench reflects any sort of punishment, in fact I recall Pep recently saying that the view he had from the box was better than he got on the bench!

If the majority voted none of the above then the answer is simple, a new ballot but with different candidates! Surely a vote for Screaming Lord Sutch or one of his cronies is the same thing, though...

I loved both my 1300s, I always wanted a GT but never got one unfortunately. They were rust buckets, though what wasn't back then! Used to get through radials on the front in 8000 miles and going down the coast road at Southport had my back seat passenger bumping his head on the roof! Those were the days!

I did and hence i was saying about radio etiquette, or whatever it's called. It should never be like that, one person at a time, repeat to confirm understanding, etc.. No shortcuts and rushing.

Surrounding the ref should constitute automatic yellows as well. One thing Rugby has right, if my understanding is correct, that only one player (the captain?) can approach the ref?

An automatic ICE car is just as simple to drive as it's equivalent EV, other than the power source there's little difference, I can't see where you are coming from there, Ron. Regards range. We are due to change cars next year and I was seriously looking at an EV, in particular a Skoda Enyaq iV80 with a range* of 339 miles. However Skoda have, at least, been very honest about EV range and have a little calculator, which makes interesting reading/calculating. As my driving mileage is currently 50/50 between urban and motorway it would seem as that headline figure is a figment of imagination. Granted the same sort of "official" calculations and published figures for IC are also not to be trusted I've always been able to get pretty close to the combined figure in all my cars. Looking at that i suspect with an EV I wouldn't get anywhere close to the 339 miles which seems to be calculated using the best possible combination. https://rangecalculator.skoda-auto.com/210/en-gb?actioncode=GP03P03%2FGYONYON%2FGYPAYPA&drivingEnvironment=City&drivingStyle=Eco&mbv=5ACJP4&occupancy=DriverOnly&salesgroup=64655&season=Summer&temperature=21 Hence in my earlier post i said an affordable EV with 450 genuine range, that Skoda has a genuine range of nearer 200 miles, not the 339 it advertises. Yes, I know that range in an IC can vary a lot but my experiences using Fuelly would indicate it's nowhere near as much of a fluctuation as an EV. For me a plug in hybrid would be ideal, but the only one that would fit our needs has too high an advance payment (a Vauxhall Astra Estate). Much as I'd like to join the EV crowd at present it doesn't look feasible.

VAR itself wasn't the issue here, it got it right, the issue was the communication between the various parties involved. In theory once they've sorted that out it should make it better. Klopp's initial request (now withdrawn) to have the game replayed was a bit cheeky (stronger words possible!) though, s**t happens, they've benefited as well as suffered from bad calls over the years. I saw the Spurs fans wanted a replay of that CL final if he'd have succeeded!

That depends on battery technology, something that's still developing, longer range batteries will come, I'm sure. I take your point about range, but I still feel 250 is too low. Whilst we're not a big island a journey of 300+ miles is common enough and remember I said true range, many cars with supposed 250 range only do sub 200 in reality. People want the convenience they are used to, and that's not having to refuel on a long journey or on a shorter journey over a couple of days such as a 150 mile journey each way. Dedicated EVers will no doubt say it can all be done, and they are right, with plenty if forward planning, but what's needed is an affordable EV with the convenience of an IC car.

My understanding is that 20%vat is charged on basic cost of petrol, on top of that there is fuel duty and 20% vat is also charged on that. So ev users are gaining a considerable advantage already by only paying it once, not twice, and no fuel duty on electricity. Regards that 800 mile range, sometimes I feel that some EV supporters lose the plot! You know exactly what he was referring to, the ability to only have to spend 5 minutes every 800 miles to fill up, not have to worry about weather affecting the range too much and not have to worry about whether when you do have to stop for fuel having to queue ages for it. Yes the last one can be circumnavigated by planning where you stop, such as using a charging point off the motorway and not a services, but with ranges on affordable EVs currently being in the 150 to 300 range (on a good day) its not as flexible as a IC car. The current difference between most EVs and IC cars is that the former dictate to you when you have to stop for fuel and for the latter it's you that dictates when to stop. When affordable EVs get ranges around 450 mile's in all weathers then we'll see a major shift. Together with better infrastructure as Ron says, that will swing it. However until then many people will stick with what they are comfortable with.

Just read the transcript of what happened in the Liverpool/Spurs match, at the end of this article: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12975648/var-audio-released-from-liverpools-disallowed-goal-by-luis-diaz-in-defeat-at-spurs It's no wonder it went wrong! Absolutely no logic at all, no radio "etiquette", the whole thing's a shambles! Even the basic "here's the decision, repeat back to me what I have told you" wasn't there. The score will have to stay like it is (no replay, for instance), but someone needs to give the VAR guys some training on basic radio etiquette" (for want of a better way of saying "you need to ensure that what you say is clearly understood by the recipient!". I'm still in favour of VAR but I can't believe that it was being done as badly as that!

Hence they've changed it to 2035 (and counting!)...

Mine would have... If I hadn't removed the carpet! ;)

1300s were good gor that as well...

The van is approx 25.5(4?)mm and the brakevan approx 26.7/8mm. Those are the only two I have.

No-one has seen a production version as yet, we're going on a photo in a magazine.

Too easily fiddled.

I think you'll find my comments regarding finescale modellers related to those discussing wheel standards, which have been an on/off discussion on this and several other TT120 threads, I don't see as I ever suggested you were a finescale modeller as I simply didn't know, though I did assume that the 10% extra modellers you referred to were of that variety which is what my reply was to! Anyhow, I agree with you regarding more manufacturers, Peco is a start, but it will be interesting to see if it's another UK manufacturer that takes up the challenge, or a Continental one such as Piko or Tillig. I'm sure if they see a market they'll go for it.

As many people have said before, you'd better make the most of it while the going's good, as as soon as the ic engined cars start to dwindle the Gov will be looking how to tax all the EVs, and with all the built in electronics it will be easy to see how they are going to do it... Road pricing, coming your way very, very, soon...