Electric cars - the future?

[guest311]

"They are using wireless charging technology, but its built into the road so whilst you are on the road with this tech in you are running of the power supplied from the road and not batteries  so when you come off the road you still have your entire battery range to get you where you want to go."

I had one like that when I was  kid, not wireless though, two brass strips, or copper braid, instead, ...

IIRC it was called a SCALEXTRICK !

[njee20]

Scalextric, and Nobby already made that joke, sorry!

[guest311]

Scalextric, and Nobby already made that joke, sorry!

apologies, must have missed that bit, mea culpa 

[zwilnik]

Scalextric, and Nobby already made that joke, sorry!

No joke. As usual, the Swedes are ahead of everyone again https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/12/worlds-first-electrified-road-for-charging-vehicles-opens-in-sweden

[njee20]

I meant the joke about Scalextric, well aware the 'electrified road' is real. Although I now see it was Daffy, not NN who made it. Apologies gents.

[Nick]

No joke. As usual, the Swedes are ahead of everyone again https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/12/worlds-first-electrified-road-for-charging-vehicles-opens-in-sweden

I'd seen that, but wondered how it would work in Britain where someone digs a trench across a road practically before the tarmac has set, and no-one fixes potholes until they are big enough to swallow cars...

More seriously, on the Swedish angle, I was talking to a senior Volvo exec about ten days ago and they are pursuing electric vehicle technology with a will. He was quite surprised that I was already driving one!

[zwilnik]

No joke. As usual, the Swedes are ahead of everyone again https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/12/worlds-first-electrified-road-for-charging-vehicles-opens-in-sweden

I'd seen that, but wondered how it would work in Britain where someone digs a trench across a road practically before the tarmac has set, and no-one fixes potholes until they are big enough to swallow cars...

More seriously, on the Swedish angle, I was talking to a senior Volvo exec about ten days ago and they are pursuing electric vehicle technology with a will. He was quite surprised that I was already driving one!

As with solving the charging points issue (and the railways) etc. I suspect it really needs a serious case of re-nationalisation and focusing on infrastructure for businesses and consumers rather than shareholders. Joined up thinking etc.

[The Q]

since when did nationalisation have anything to do with joined up thinking?

[njee20]

Volvo have very publicly backed hybrids (and by extension EVs), haven't they said they want to only offer hybrids by 2030 or something? Considering they're comparatively late to the party compared to Nissan, Toyota, BMW, VW et al who already have a fairly cohesive range of electric and hybrid vehicles it'll be interesting to see.

[The Q]

I've already converted my motorboat, it now has a  10Kw 3 phase electric motor, 24 2v Lead acids. 4 solar panels, and a 4kw generator.
Battery power alone gives me a range of about 10 miles, generator on and it's hundreds of miles.. but for all the short journeys I do, Solar panels are enough.
It used to have a 1.5l BMC diesel ( a huge 35HP when new, most of which had escaped), that  died...

[acko22]

Nationalisation, doesn't always solve things and I doubt is the answer to the future of electric cars.

Joined up thinking will come from people actually working together, so the powers that be maybe saying that is the system we are going with car makers you know the system now so make cars and trucks that will work on it!

IMO it will end up been the private companies that drive electric technology forward and make the powers that be adopt something which works for all, use the Pendolino as a great example we were never going to get tilting trains with BR the idea was scrapped, it took the privatised railways to get tilting trains and improved(ish) services.

What we need is a group of individuals (may that be companies or the powers that be) put their weight behind one of these technologies and push it until then there all we will get it numerous semi funded projects that will never have a chance of revealing their full potential, again APT-P anyone!

[guest311]

I've already converted my motorboat, it now has a  10Kw 3 phase electric motor, 24 2v Lead acids. 4 solar panels, and a 4kw generator.
Battery power alone gives me a range of about 10 miles, generator on and it's hundreds of miles.. but for all the short journeys I do, Solar panels are enough.
It used to have a 1.5l BMC diesel ( a huge 35HP when new, most of which had escaped), that  died...

so sort of like a diesel electric loco....

generator runs at it's most efficient and supplies the tractive power.....

what 'notch' do you run in 

[daffy]

Scalextric, and Nobby already made that joke, sorry!

apologies, must have missed that bit, mea culpa 

No apology required, and anyway, it was my joke, not NPN's, and the cars were running on light grey Airfix Brand track and controllers, not the other black stuff.

I run a diesel, bought nearly new in 2011 (first reg. 2010) and the furore about diesel emissions was in its infancy. I'm more than happy with it, and it happily travels over 700 miles on a tank full. This is something of a bonus when driving around wildest Lincolnshire, and into the wilds of Scotland where garages can be few and far between. In fact, almost everywhere is a long way from where I live, it taking a minimum of an hours driving to reach what laughingly gets referred to as a 'fast road'.
My wife had a diesel for work, a Corsa that regularly did over 300 miles each working day and on more than a few occasions was required to do over 700 in a day. It always returned about 62 mpg.

Now if she were to be doing the same job now an electric car just would not cut the mustard. One day, maybe, but not yet. As others have said, the infrastructure  just isn't there yet, and I don't see it being in place in my lifetime.
Electrics might be fine for those whose routes are short, have easy access to charging points, and don't mind the environmental impact of all those batteries when they reach their life's end (the batteries, not the drivers!) But for long distances - what a hell of a lot of folks do on our motorways every day, in lorries, vans and coaches - the day has not yet dawned.

I hope it does, and advances in tech will continue with electrics, as evidenced by the change next year for the E-Grand Prix series where races will no longer mean a car change at the mid distance point.  But not everyone has the financial ability to change their current non-electric vehicle for a nice shiny new electric one, and I don't see any Government incentive large enough to allow that being promoted any time soon.

We are both pensioners now, and after many years of ill health we are not the wealthy old folks some others might think we are. Every expense is a very carefully calculated one, and though we have a budget for a replacement car (when the current one goes to the Great Recycling Plant after it's engine explodes, the wheels and doors all fall off in unison, and a pall of smoke fills the sky), I doubt that budget is enough to allow us to buy what the environment and the government will prefer, or even want us to buy.
In fact, I see a time ahead when folks like us won't be able to drive purely because of the enormous initial cost of upgrading to the new technology. Then we'll have to rely on the superbly efficient system of public transport we have here in the good old U.K.
Or has that joke already been aired too?

[njee20]

Yes, sorry, I did correct myself later that it was your joke.

You're obviously right about the volume of traffic on motorways, but it's still not what most drivers do most of the time, the majority of trips are less than 10 miles.

I'm sure infrastructure will improve, it has to, and I suspect big brands increasingly getting behind hybrid technology will help to drive it. The investment in things like Forumla-E is telling too, Audi and Porsche withdrawing from Le Mans racing to focus on electric cars clearly shows where they see merit in focusing.

The sheer number of cars on the roads means there will always be a buoyant second hand market, can't see that changing. Plenty of people won't ever be able to afford a brand new car. 99% of the ones you see are either leased or financed anyway, so that's a bit moot.

[Snowwolflair]

Its all moot until the solve how to protect the batteries in a crash.