Energy chat, the future of car propulsion

[Eric Bloodaxe]

53 minutes ago, iantt said:

There are certainly more ev's out there now.

Yes, I seem to live in a bit of an EV hotspot, despite the poor public charger provision in North Yorkshire generally. Quite a lot of wall boxes, even for Teslas, but lots of diy connections as mentioned above.

Most of the EVs are Teslas, Audi E-trons and the like so I'm assuming they're company/lease cars of some sort, the once common "executive" staples of BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 having largely disappeared.

A thing that amuses me is we have a Green councillor around here, as well as the usual parties/independents. He's always campaigning for measures like community speed watch, bigger speed bumps, chicanes, etc so unlikely to get my vote. You might have thought he'd be behind the EV push, but last time I passed his house there were 3 large ICE SUVs in the drive. Maybe he needs them to cope with all the speed bumps.😀

[TomsFocus]

9 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

I've seen a few EVs around my neighbourhood being charged via extension leads through windows, letter boxes, trailing across the pavement, you name it!😀

I have genuinely been considering it.  But I live upstairs and don't have a letter box in the door.  So would either have to leave my door open all night, and trail the cable down the stairs causing a trip hazard...or leave a window open all night and catch hypothermia.  Even then, the cable would have to trail over a 'high traffic' piece of pavement which isn't ideal either.

As with Ian, there plenty of EV's in my area, but all of the ones I see charging are from wall chargers.  I reckon about half made use of the Motability scheme to get a free wall chargers at the time. 

[StephenFord]

I live in a rural village, I'm pretty sure that'll have something to do with the lack of EVs?

[TomsFocus]

10 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I live in a rural village, I'm pretty sure that'll have something to do with the lack of EVs?

Depends how rural really.  I live on the fringes of suburbia now, but there are several small rural villages within minutes of here.  Big houses, big driveways/garden, lots of wealth, and the comforting feeling of 'isolation' from the world, despite only being 5 minutes drive from supermarkets & other amenities!  Electric cars are ideal for that situation.

However, my Mum still lives out in the stix, a fairly large village but 15 miles from the nearest supermarket etc and the majority of working people have long commutes.  Electric cars not so convenient down there!

There may also be a difference between NI and mainland?  I know there always was a difference in purchase and running costs of ICE cars.

[StephenFord]

4 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

There may also be a difference between NI and mainland?  I know there always was a difference in purchase and running costs of ICE cars.

We also have a healthy distrust of government having historically lived through so many broken promises! LOL I live 10 miles from Larne, where there are 2 x chargers in a central public car park, I have yet to see a car hooked up to them! (Maybe they are just broken, or only accept a certain type of 'app' 🤣)

[Eric Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

I have genuinely been considering it. 

Lol, if you manage to get a buyer for your Focus at near the asking price, you might have just about enough to buy a Renault Zoe. These EVs aren't cheap to buy.

Further to my comments yesterday about the chap's charging woes at Tesco, there's quite a bit in the press today on a similar theme.

It seems one of the main reasons public chargers appear to be faulty is not the charger itself, but the mobile phone network necessary to use the payment app not having a signal in that area.

If the Government stopped talking about it and actually took decisive action to mandate provision to pay by credit/debit card, that issue would vanish.

Certainly, as I've mentioned many times, when it becomes as simple to charge and pay to top up an EV as it is with an ICE car, then I'll think seriously about it.

[TomsFocus]

2 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Lol, if you manage to get a buyer for your Focus at near the asking price, you might have just about enough to buy a Renault Zoe. These EVs aren't cheap to buy.

Further to my comments yesterday about the chap's charging woes at Tesco, there's quite a bit in the press today on a similar theme.

It seems one of the main reasons public chargers appear to be faulty is not the charger itself, but the mobile phone network necessary to use the payment app not having a signal in that area.

If the Government stopped talking about it and actually took decisive action to mandate provision to pay by credit/debit card, that issue would vanish.

Certainly, as I've mentioned many times, when it becomes as simple to charge and pay to top up an EV as it is with an ICE car, then I'll think seriously about it.

Don't forget the finance company will take a good chunk of the Focus selling price.  That's why I need as much as possible back from it, so that I can afford to buy something more suitable with what's left...and ideally without finance this time!  It's simply not worth me selling at current trade in price, as much as I really don't want the hassle of private selling.

If I was to buy an EV, it'd have to be something that still 'feels' like a normal car, so the Golf GTE is a good example.  I'm not sure how smooth and controllable they are at low speed though, considering they still have a fixed gearbox.  I'm guessing that 'carpark' speeds would all be done on the electric motor alone, so there'd be no 'restraining' of the DSG 'box trying to fully engage first/reverse with the ICE engine tugging all the time.  I'm sure I read somewhere that the GTE also got softer suspension and smaller wheels to cope with the extra weight better (hoping for an increase in ride comfort), though I'm now wondering if that was just the Mk8 as the Mk7's still appear to have 18s.

 

Not to take this thread off-topic, but realistically I still have no idea if or when I may be able to drive again.  And have been surprised by the fact there is no 'service' that can offer any advice on getting back OTR after a long period off, let alone any practical assistance or techniques for doing so.  Even Motability don't have an advisory service, suggesting vehicles that are the most comfortable or easiest drive for example.  Just seems like we're left to try and manage this completely alone, just randomly attempting things until something works!

[unofix]

3 hours ago, iantt said:

Down my street we have Renault Zoe, Kia e niro, 2 BMW's, e golf and Tesla. 

Yes well you can see where the money is.

Down my street we only recently changed from coal power to diesel 🤣

[Eric Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

It seems one of the main reasons public chargers appear to be faulty is not the charger itself, but the mobile phone network necessary to use the payment app not having a signal in that area.

Having read the papers a bit more today, I see that one place highlighted for charger/mobile signal problems is Hawes up in Wensleydale, which is where we have our caravan. We can probably get a signal there less than half the time, and often have to walk a mile or so up the road to try and find one! Broadband, TV,  radio and GPS is also rubbish up there, even before the Bilsdale transmitter and mast burned down last year as you may have seen in the news!😀

[iantt]

Stopped at M40 services at Oxford. Didn't see any normal chargers. Probably hidden somewhere but a bank of Tesla chargers, clearly signposted. Were around 12 of them. All being used and other Tesla drivers waiting next to them. So even 12 isn't enough for one make of ev. 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

35 minutes ago, iantt said:

Stopped at M40 services at Oxford. Didn't see any normal chargers. Probably hidden somewhere but a bank of Tesla chargers, clearly signposted. Were around 12 of them. All being used and other Tesla drivers waiting next to them. So even 12 isn't enough for one make of ev. 

It's amazing how hard it is to find the chargers at many locations - often tucked away in some obscure corner. 

According to Teslas website one of their Superchargers can give you up to 172 miles (how can they be so precise?) in 15 minutes which is pretty good I suppose. Still a lot longer than filling up with petrol though, so many more chargers are going to be needed.

It's all a bit chicken and egg. If chargers were plentiful and easy to use without faffing about with apps, etc, then people would probably be confident to charge up "little and often" rather than fully charge out of "range anxiety". 

It would have been prudent to get a more comprehensive charger network in place and payment methods resolved  before announcing the ICE sales ban in 2030, but there you go.

In the meantime I understand manufacturers will start to be financially penalised from 2024 if they don't sell a certain proportion of zero emission vehicles, yet they can't force customers who are not yet confident they meet their needs to buy them. Maybe we'll be able to pick up a bargain if it's cheaper for manufacturers to cut EV prices to achieve their quota rather than pay a penalty?

[StephenFord]

On 4/9/2022 at 4:59 PM, iantt said:

Folk are Struggling to find diesel in my town this afternoon. 

I'm away for a few days and would normally fill up just as we leave. Fortunately my partner nagged me to fill up at the beginning of the week , used some for work this week , but still got 650 miles left to get us away. 

Heard of a few people unable to get diesel for there trips to airport. First world problems 🤣🤣

Just discovered why some areas of the country 'ran out of fuel', it was all due to the crusty eco terrorists, "Just Stop Oil" blocking oil distribution networks. Honestly, this care in the community really isn't working!!

[erictcleric]

30 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Just discovered why some areas of the country 'ran out of fuel', it was all due to the crusty eco terrorists, "Just Stop Oil" blocking oil distribution networks. Honestly, this care in the community really isn't working!!

Got to get our monthly "no more fuel left, everyone queue up" panic quota in.

[Alex.S]

A lot of our buses up here are all electric these days. I don’t know if this was an electric one but a bit worrying if it was/is 

 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

53 minutes ago, Alex.S said:

A lot of our buses up here are all electric these days. 

Our local Park and Ride is run by First, and uses electric buses - eek!

Fortunately, I don't use them. I have a choice of using the normal service bus or the P&R to get into town. For some reason, if I use the P&R, I only get get a small discount on the fare with my Senior bus pass, but the service bus is totally FOC.😀

Another mystery is, if you park at the P&R site and get the bus, or park and cycle from there, that's fine, but if you park then walk it's a £50 penalty!

[TomsFocus]

Busses seem to catch fire fairly regularly...unless it's just reported more often than car fires due to the public danger aspect?  

No electric busses on our route so far, still using the noisy, smelly ones.  But there was an interesting bus related incident over the weekend.  Driver must have been new or unfamiliar...took the wrong exit off the roundabout and ended up in our narrow side road which was not designed for busses.  Has a tight turn a few hundred yards down and has parked cars along it.  The driver had no choice but to try and reverse out again.  To their credit, they did manage it in about 10 minutes...but I'll be interested to see if they caused any damage on the way out.

[Wino]

It used to be illegal to reverse a bus on the public highway with passengers onboard ......no idea if that's still the case though.

[TomsFocus]

22 minutes ago, Wino said:

It used to be illegal to reverse a bus on the public highway with passengers onboard ......no idea if that's still the case though.

Not sure what the alternative would be?  Don't think there were any passengers onboard from what I could see though.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

We seem to be back to playing "hunt the petrol" this morning.

Called at local Tesco site to dump some recycling and thought I'd fill up at the same time, having emptied the tank with numerous hospital trips with my Mrs lately**. As I passed the Tesco filling station it was "sorry, no unleaded". By the time I'd dropped off the recycling it was "sorry, no fuel" and coned off completely. 

Managed to squeeze in the next nearest filling station, mainly because I was prepared to fill up "wrong side" which very few do, despite extra long hoses there. Bit more expensive than Tesco but needs  must. Again noted that diesel was nearly 20p/litre more than unleaded.

(**Good news is my Mrs had a final consultation with her surgeon who pronounced her recent spinal surgery a complete success, so very happy about that!😀).

 

[Alex.S]

3 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

pronounced her recent spinal surgery a complete success, so very happy about that!😀

Good news Roger. I had a spinal fusion operation late 90s , the consultant made it quite clear the risks involved. So success….brilliant 😊

[Eric Bloodaxe]

9 minutes ago, Alex.S said:

Good news Roger. I had a spinal fusion operation late 90s , the consultant made it quite clear the risks involved. So success….brilliant 😊

Yes, many thanks Alex. It's always risky when they're messing about in the area of the spinal cord, but she had reached the "can't stand it any more" point so just had to go for it, with good results, fortunately.

I was pretty worried I must admit but I put my Mrs through a similar thing when I had major nerve work near the spinal cord some years ago so now we're even!

Glad yours went ok, also!

[iantt]

Luckily I filled up before I went away. On my 180mile return I checked the fuel stations once off motorway and none had diesel. 

Got back to my home town and Tesco, Morrisons didn't have any but our local Tesco express( Esso did.) Done 400 miles  so still got just over 1/2 tank left. Should now last me to work for a few weeks or more so hopefully the shortage should fix itself depending on the protesters . 

[StephenFord]

4 minutes ago, iantt said:

.. Done 400 miles  so still got just over 1/2 tank left. .... 

You'll not be swapping to EV anytime soon 🤣

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Another thing I've noticed is a lack of super E5 unleaded - there's been a "sorry no super unleaded"  sign at the local Tesco for weeks.

Bit of an issue for those who own cars not compatible with E10, despite the promises of continuing availability when it was introduced last year. 

[StephenFord]

Just now, Eric Bloodaxe said:

... despite the promises of continuing availability when it was introduced last year. 

mmm... that was a 'government' promise, maybe someone should issue them with a fixed penalty notice for non adherence LOL