pablo
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Electric cars and infrastructure in the future, my thoughts
- Thread starter Maranellohouse
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AlpineF30
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I am not covinced by electric cars yet, mainly due to my working arrangements.
I live in Strangford in County Down. My Mrs and I commute to Belfast every day sharing a car. An average day we do approx 100 miles can be more if I am jumping from site to site which is happening more now. I just Googled the range of a Nissan Leaf(It was the first number came up I can't be ****ed doing a full investigation into it) it is coming up as 168.01877 Miles. To me thats just pushing the limits too much for the miles I do.
Which means I would probably have to charge the car everyday at work in order to get a decent range to get home and as work offers no charging facility that idea is out the window. Until electric cars can offer in and around the same range as an IC car it won't be for me with the miles I do.
Plus we live in Northern Ireland. How many of us have sold a diesel car on Gumtree and got the folllwing text;
"Does she run on red lad?"
In years to come is it just going to this text?:
"Can she be wired up to the lamp post outside my house lad?"
I live in Strangford in County Down. My Mrs and I commute to Belfast every day sharing a car. An average day we do approx 100 miles can be more if I am jumping from site to site which is happening more now. I just Googled the range of a Nissan Leaf(It was the first number came up I can't be ****ed doing a full investigation into it) it is coming up as 168.01877 Miles. To me thats just pushing the limits too much for the miles I do.
Which means I would probably have to charge the car everyday at work in order to get a decent range to get home and as work offers no charging facility that idea is out the window. Until electric cars can offer in and around the same range as an IC car it won't be for me with the miles I do.
Plus we live in Northern Ireland. How many of us have sold a diesel car on Gumtree and got the folllwing text;
"Does she run on red lad?"
In years to come is it just going to this text?:
"Can she be wired up to the lamp post outside my house lad?"
cauld1
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Interesting, though if the stories of terrible build quality at Tesla are to be believed, I wonder how much of the interior etc is in tatters at that mileage!
pablo
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Just because it doesnt suit you though doesnt mean its not a good thing. By the time people are forced to adopt electric the batteries and infra will be much better. Early adopters such as city commuters can drive this until the rest catch up. Volume sales reduces cost and creates innovation, but everyone cant leap at once.
AlpineF30
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Apologies you are correct, I should have worded it better.
What I meant to say was I am not convinced for my own use due to the miles I do. But yes I totally agree its a good thing for the likes of city commuters and the like and as you say the more early adopters the more that will be put into the technology to make it available for motorists who do big miles.
saxo_man
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You picked the ugliest electric car and a renault? What did you expect? They dont suit everyone and not everyone is capable of running one properly, thats the bottom line, they are not ****.
I didn't pick them unfortunately. But you make a point. Cars are transport for millions of people on a daily basis. So if they don't suit everyone, or some people aren't capable of running them properly, then the future is going to be pretty crappy.
Maranellohouse
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What an excellent thread, @Cartunes my ignorance to present and future electricity cars and infrastructure is definitely showing through but my maybe naive take on things is that if me as a switched on (supposedly) car guy doesn't get most of it what chance is there to educate others, specially in N.I. due to the ongoing lack of forward thinking from the hill who are only interested in keeping themselves in power for the next 3 years until election time.
For instance, Railways generally work on a 25 year business plan so by rights electricity trains and the infrastructure for them should already be being considered for the next replacement to the 4000's. Due to the uptake from the public since the new trains came onboard the trains are pretty packed during peak hours, as a result we need more trains but can't get them, one because there is no government, two the hill took no notice when told this was going to happen, three there is no money. Railways here are now a victim of their own success with complaints up due to overcrowding! Yet there is still a major drive to try to get everyone out of their cars and onto a public transport system that can't/won't be able to cope.
If we can't get that part of the infrastructure sorted people are still going to be forced to keep using cars and if they turn to electric only cars there is not going to be the facilities to recharge them for the immediate future here. And all the while the deadline approaches.
For instance, Railways generally work on a 25 year business plan so by rights electricity trains and the infrastructure for them should already be being considered for the next replacement to the 4000's. Due to the uptake from the public since the new trains came onboard the trains are pretty packed during peak hours, as a result we need more trains but can't get them, one because there is no government, two the hill took no notice when told this was going to happen, three there is no money. Railways here are now a victim of their own success with complaints up due to overcrowding! Yet there is still a major drive to try to get everyone out of their cars and onto a public transport system that can't/won't be able to cope.
If we can't get that part of the infrastructure sorted people are still going to be forced to keep using cars and if they turn to electric only cars there is not going to be the facilities to recharge them for the immediate future here. And all the while the deadline approaches.
stevieturbo
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Railways here are a success ?
I guess with such few miles...it'd be hard for them to be a failure ? I guess they're nice clean electric trains ? After all...fixed routes, same every time, would be a doddle to make them clean and electric.....It is the future apparently.
And what happened the last time they bought new trains ? Didnt the engines fail and first time it rained heavily the trains flooded ? Clearly those involved in buying things for government....arent too bright.
Next they'll buy a ferry that can't dock to load or offload at it's ports....twice.
I guess with such few miles...it'd be hard for them to be a failure ? I guess they're nice clean electric trains ? After all...fixed routes, same every time, would be a doddle to make them clean and electric.....It is the future apparently.
And what happened the last time they bought new trains ? Didnt the engines fail and first time it rained heavily the trains flooded ? Clearly those involved in buying things for government....arent too bright.
Next they'll buy a ferry that can't dock to load or offload at it's ports....twice.
gary87
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I read somewhere recently that a cruise liner on one cruise will emit the same amount of CO2 emmissions that 100,000 cars would generate in a full year.
I've driven a few electric cars and there's no doubt that they are hilarious to drive with their instant acceleration and absurd torque but I don't see the longevity in them with the current infrastructure available. They are not convenient and for majority of people that's what they have a car for.
At least they look like normal cars now though generally?
I've driven a few electric cars and there's no doubt that they are hilarious to drive with their instant acceleration and absurd torque but I don't see the longevity in them with the current infrastructure available. They are not convenient and for majority of people that's what they have a car for.
At least they look like normal cars now though generally?
DriftnSlide
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How many small independent garages will go out of business, who rely on servicing and mechanical fixes for petrol and diesel engines.
j44nty
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I’m in
stevieturbo
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They'll be long dead by the time that happens. And the classics will probably be worth more.
Maybe in 2, 3 ,4 generations things will be very different though...although I can only imagine how horrific it will be then when the population has exploded even further !
Less petrol and diesel cars on the roads means more fuel left over for the classics and weekend toys.
And the narrow minded population need to realise that most of them wouldnt need to charge every day. Theres me for instance, im sticking £40 into the golf every ten days, which is getting me roughly 300 miles. Im fortunate enough to have a driveway so overnight charging wouldnt be an issue. If i could afford a new E-Golf, with its range of 186miles id be charging every 6 days at a cost of approx £5.40, which combined with the lower road tax would be a decent saving over a year.
Give it a few years and the price will have dropped closer to the petrol or diesel equivelant. Then things will get interesting!
You'll be wanting a Rivian....
"This is a pickup truck. It comes from a company called Rivian working out of California and London, and – to be blunt – it is extraordinarily quick. Welcome to the all-electric, five-seat R1T pickup.
Yes, all-electric. The new R1T is the first vehicle to emerge from Rivian, with the aim of helping “customers get out and explore the world”. You’ll be exploring it rather quickly, because the R1T comes with four electric motors – one on each wheel.
They’re attached to Rivian’s new ‘skateboard’ platform, said to package the battery, drive units, suspension, braking and thermal system all below the height of each wheel. Which means a) lots of passenger space, but more importantly b) a low centre of gravity.
Three battery sizes will be offered: 180kWh (400 mile range) and 135kWh (300 mile range) packs available at launch, and a 105kWh battery (230 mile range) offered six months later. Each one is said to feature “tough underbody protection” along with better cooling and an algorithm that learns your driving style to better optimise its charge.
Opt for the 135kWh battery and – allied to those quad motors and torque vectoring and an actual truckload of total torque (10,325lb ft) – you’ll be able to see off 0-60mph in three seconds flat. You’ll also be able to go from 0-100mph in under seven seconds, with a top speed of 125mph. IN A TRUCK."
Would do as a workhorse
saxo_man
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We are on our second EV now, and have already done 10000 miles since the end of August.
Rapid charging facility means I can routinely travel anywhere in Northern Ireland and have it fully recharged in 30 minutes, for free!
Charging at home is approx £2.20 per 100 miles via economy 7.
Rapid charging facility means I can routinely travel anywhere in Northern Ireland and have it fully recharged in 30 minutes, for free!
Charging at home is approx £2.20 per 100 miles via economy 7.
18 months on and I'm glad I have a petrol engine to fall back on as you can't rely on the charging infrastructure in NI. Being able to park and charge at your destination is an infrequent bonus. Chargepoints continually out of service and some that were installed and never commissioned. Then there are the idiots who think they have the right to plug in and park all day blocking others from charging. The rubbish planners who install a chargepoint for two spaces but offset it to one side so it cannot be accessed by two vehicles... the list goes on. Once the electric range starts to exceed 100-200 miles for most models it will become more mainstream with people charging at home but for now it will be slow take up with a smattering of Hyundai's and shabby Leaf's.
I suppose the rail network in NI is relatively good but it’s also terribly limited (in my opinion)
Not sure what bright spark decided to remove the rail network west of the bann but it blows my mind that all that track and associated infrastructure was just scrapped!
The west is still waiting on the motorway which was supposed to replace it...