Posted on 28/02/2023 15:16
If, like me, you have an 1850KG twin axle, go to youtube, search for the channel of Petrol Ped, and watch his test of the biggest BMW EV (£100k ++) towing a Swift T/A from Chichester to Beaulieu. He does a comparison run without the van first.
I don't think the conclusion will surprise you.
Paul
Posted on 08/03/2023 08:30 by JohnM20I agree with your sentiment David but it would appear that using house and factory roofs would still be nowhere near enough. Solar derived power in the UK only represents 4% of our requirement, and that is including from all the existing massive solar farms. When we were travelling by train through Ghent in Belgium it was noticeable how many houses had solar panels on the roof. It wasn't exactly pretty but neither is a massive coal fired power station. On a new housing estate near us they are building houses in which the solar panel is the roof so it is far less obtrusive so perhaps we are starting to go down a logical route. There was an excellent TV series recently by Guy Martin about power supply in the UK It was a really fascinating series.
Unfortunately there is still a lot of NIMBYism about. I have a friend who complains constantly about wind farms, even those with just one or two turbines. He ought to have lived where we used to which was about 5 miles west of the Ratcliffe on Soar power station. On a cloudless morning we didn't see the sun for several hours because of the plumes of smoke and condensate from the cooling towers.
My attitude is let those that don't use any electricity at all complain about the sources of power. All others must put up and shut up.
Posted on 08/03/2023 13:46
JohnM20
Solar derived power in the UK only represents 4% of our requirement, and that is including from all the existing massive solar farms
I think its more than that, but its hard to say how much more. The 4% accounts (as you say) for grid connected solar, but does not include "embedded generation" that is generation behind a consumption meter, where the energy is directly used (or possibly returned to the grid).
I my case, my modest 3.12kW peak solar array, split a not very efficient 50:50 east west facing, generates around 2.4MWh each year, almost all of which I consume myself. From March8th 2022 to today (i.e. 1 year) I bought in 10.936MWh of grid electricity. Of that 3.47MWh were used to charge the cars.
So my embedded generation is enough to supply something like 1/5th to 1/4 of my home needs, and around 1/6th if you include charging.
Posted on 25/03/2023 22:33
I have to confess as a vehicle technician of 40 years (not sure how that happened), I am no fan of EVs. If you were to purchase one outright make sure you have seriously deep pockets if things go wrong. Batteries can cost up to 18K. Inverters circa 10K before fitting costs are added. Granted there is no guarantee these will fail but as with any mass produced component they can & do. How long does your mobile phone battery last? As an aside a CAT earth mover will use approx 900 litres of diesel to extract enough lithium for ONE Tesla battery. How is that in any way environmentally friendly. Vehicles should not only be assessed on their exhaust emissions which they are at every MOT, but their carbon footprint from manufacture to end of life. I think you may be surprised at the result. I fully understand that EVs suit some peoples needs but I think there needs to be a more balanced approach than there is at the moment.
2 people like this
Posted on 25/03/2023 22:33 by wellmadI have to confess as a vehicle technician of 40 years (not sure how that happened), I am no fan of EVs. If you were to purchase one outright make sure you have seriously deep pockets if things go wrong. Batteries can cost up to 18K. Inverters circa 10K before fitting costs are added. Granted there is no guarantee these will fail but as with any mass produced component they can & do. How long does your mobile phone battery last? As an aside a CAT earth mover will use approx 900 litres of diesel to extract enough lithium for ONE Tesla battery. How is that in any way environmentally friendly. Vehicles should not only be assessed on their exhaust emissions which they are at every MOT, but their carbon footprint from manufacture to end of life. I think you may be surprised at the result. I fully understand that EVs suit some peoples needs but I think there needs to be a more balanced approach than there is at the moment.
Posted on 25/03/2023 22:49
Well, my EV has a 5 year warranty and the batteries carry an 8 year warranty so I’m not going to worry about repairs just yet and with servicing only £100 per year, I’m going to have a few quid to spare to help with any costs.
Lithium is being mined only a few miles from my home and, environmentally friendly or not, it is revisiting existing mined ground and providing jobs which helps the local economy as well as individuals in an area of very high housing costs and generally low wages. That seems to be a fairly well balanced approach to my mind. 👍🏻
2 people like this
Posted on 25/03/2023 22:33 by wellmadI have to confess as a vehicle technician of 40 years (not sure how that happened), I am no fan of EVs. If you were to purchase one outright make sure you have seriously deep pockets if things go wrong. Batteries can cost up to 18K. Inverters circa 10K before fitting costs are added. Granted there is no guarantee these will fail but as with any mass produced component they can & do. How long does your mobile phone battery last? As an aside a CAT earth mover will use approx 900 litres of diesel to extract enough lithium for ONE Tesla battery. How is that in any way environmentally friendly. Vehicles should not only be assessed on their exhaust emissions which they are at every MOT, but their carbon footprint from manufacture to end of life. I think you may be surprised at the result. I fully understand that EVs suit some peoples needs but I think there needs to be a more balanced approach than there is at the moment.
Posted on 25/03/2023 23:02
EVs _are_ being assessed on their emissions from manufacturing to end of life. They are unequivocally less impactful than combustion vehicles. There are numerous studies by both vehicle manufacturers and independent bodies which agree on that topic.
Comparing a phone battery to a car battery is as appropriate as comparing a lawnmower or hedge trimmer engine to a modern car engine. The sophistication of the management systems in a modern EV battery coupled with its usage pattern make the lifespan completely different.
1 person likes this
Posted on 25/03/2023 22:49 by TinwheelerWell, my EV has a 5 year warranty and the batteries carry an 8 year warranty so I’m not going to worry about repairs just yet and with servicing only £100 per year, I’m going to have a few quid to spare to help with any costs.
Lithium is being mined only a few miles from my home and, environmentally friendly or not, it is revisiting existing mined ground and providing jobs which helps the local economy as well as individuals in an area of very high housing costs and generally low wages. That seems to be a fairly well balanced approach to my mind. 👍🏻
Posted on 26/03/2023 08:11
That in itself is a positive re employment TW👍🏻. I’ve also been following the ‘permanent leasing’ of EV’s, also the battery switching ideas on a drive in/drive out basis. I like the leasing idea rather than ownership, no worries of big expensive hits. It’ll work itself out for sure.
2 people like this
Posted on 25/03/2023 22:33 by wellmadI have to confess as a vehicle technician of 40 years (not sure how that happened), I am no fan of EVs. If you were to purchase one outright make sure you have seriously deep pockets if things go wrong. Batteries can cost up to 18K. Inverters circa 10K before fitting costs are added. Granted there is no guarantee these will fail but as with any mass produced component they can & do. How long does your mobile phone battery last? As an aside a CAT earth mover will use approx 900 litres of diesel to extract enough lithium for ONE Tesla battery. How is that in any way environmentally friendly. Vehicles should not only be assessed on their exhaust emissions which they are at every MOT, but their carbon footprint from manufacture to end of life. I think you may be surprised at the result. I fully understand that EVs suit some peoples needs but I think there needs to be a more balanced approach than there is at the moment.
Posted on 26/03/2023 10:58
At present EVs seem to be doing well on their battery life, ours is six years old with minimal loss. Most new evs are now based on similar cellular battery beds, so this design has been well researched and is proving successful.
The more balanced approach is to accept change, however it's also possible to continue using ice vehicles at present if you feel the need to continue with fossil fuels.
Posted on 26/03/2023 15:25
EVs have their place as part of the strategy to tackle the climate crisis. What has become increasingly obvious is that the practicality of an EV for heavy duty work cycles is limited. However, UK manufacturer of heavy plant, JCB, have developed some ICEs that run on Hydrogen.
There have been associated problems with Hydrogen, including leaks and storage due to high pressures. There have also been some issues regarding the emissions. Thankfully the technical problems seem to have been, or are largely being resolved.
The real problem is the generation of green hydrogen, which requires electricity. I would have expected our government to take the lead and sponsor research into new forms of electricity generation like 'rain fuel'. Whoever manages the large scale generation of cheap electricity will not only have a major technical advantage, but will also have huge financial benefits.
The good news is that we are likely to get Hydrogen powered vehicles if someone can crack the cheap electricity generation problem (which probably won't be us). The prospect of being able to choose the size of our given outfit without stopping constantly to refuel is attractive.
NutsyH
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