Sad sad day, just released... "THE EUROPEAN Parliament has given its backing to a complete ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2035"

Even their own reports state that only 12% of EU emissions are caused by cars, implying that 88% is from other causes. The sad fact is that China, India & Russia still belt out more emissions that the rest of the world combined.

This persecution against proper cars is simply deplorable... and also will not provide any genuine 'net zero' target if that's the kind of thing you believe in.

This is genuinely like the proverbial p*ssing against the wind.

1 hour ago, StephenFord said:

This persecution against proper cars is simply deplorable... and also will not provide any genuine 'net zero' target if that's the kind of thing you believe in.

I'm beginning to think that in fact we are all been hoodwinked / conned by our respectful governments around the world. This is not about reducing emissions or saving the planet, this is about stopping the movement of ordinary citizens, reducing their ability to communicate and ultimately giving more power to those in charge. Work from home, shop online, get your groceries delivered to your door, and watch state controlled media welcome to 1984 !!

8 hours ago, unofix said:

I'm beginning to think that in fact we are all been hoodwinked / conned by our respectful governments around the world.

Now, who doesn't like a decent conspiracy theory! Mulder, get your coat, we have work to do 😃

14 hours ago, StephenFord said:

This persecution against proper cars is simply deplorable... and also will not provide any genuine 'net zero' target if that's the kind of thing you believe in.

Good thing we have those senior bus passes, eh, Stephen?😀

You might argue that you can't get a "proper" new car already, anyway. You know, ones that don't try to grab the steering wheel if you change lanes, brake if a gnat flies across your path, have real switches not virtual ones on a touchscreen, steering you can actually feel rather than EPAS...........etc, etc!

I see that from next month you won't even be able to order a FIAT unless it's an EV or some sort of hybrid, no doubt others will follow suit shortly if they haven't already.

For supermarket magazine shelf readers, this week's Autocar has a very thoughtful piece by the head of the Toyota Research Institute, in which he expresses his concern that hype rather than science is rushing us into a battery electric future we may regret, and which may preclude better technologies from emerging.

 

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

For supermarket magazine shelf readers, this week's Autocar has a very thoughtful piece by the head of the Toyota Research Institute, in which he expresses his concern that hype rather than science is rushing us into a battery electric future we may regret, and which may preclude better technologies from emerging.

Now, how could that be?? Government always tell us they are simply 'following the science'! Toyota has long held concerns that this rush into 'battery car' revolution is ill considered. But what do they know, they only make the darn things 🤣

12 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Toyota has long held concerns that this rush into 'battery car' revolution is ill considered. But what do they know, they only make the darn things 🤣

Vaguely on topic (!) we got a taxi back from the station the other day and it was a Toyota Auris hybrid. Chatting to the driver, he was telling me he'd had it 7 years without a single issue, though he'd "only" done 190,000 miles in it. He said a couple of his colleagues also used Toyota hybrids and they'd done 320,000 and 340,000 respectively.

So Toyota certainly seem to know something, as you say!😀

1 minute ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Vaguely on topic (!) we got a taxi back from the station the other day and it was a Toyota Auris hybrid.

Sadly, as you know, the government in their wisdom, are also banning, 'hybrids'...

7 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Sadly, as you know, the government in their wisdom, are also banning, 'hybrids'...

Can you actually use "government" and "wisdom" in the same sentence?😀

Have been watching a documentary on Thacher, and couldn't resist posting this screen from 1980, for you young'uns, that is 78p/gallon! 🤣 (4.54 liters = 17p/liter)

 

51 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

that is 78p/gallon!

Lol, I remember thinking the 1973 oil crisis - when it hit 50p/gallon and we also had the 50 mph limit - seemed like the end of the world as far as motoring was concerned!😀

Just now, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Lol, I remember thinking the 1973 oil crisis - when it hit 50p/gallon and we also had the 50 mph limit - seemed like the end of the world as far as motoring was concerned!😀

One of the biggest cons on the UK motorists was mandating petrol to be sold in liters rather than gallons. The next milestone (pun intended) will be when it sells for £2.20/liter that equals £10/gallon!

2 hours ago, StephenFord said:

One of the biggest cons on the UK motorists was mandating petrol to be sold in liters rather than gallons. The next milestone (pun intended) will be when it sells for £2.20/liter that equals £10/gallon!

Or £143 to fill my car! 

When I started driving in 1964, I could buy 4 gallons of petrol (+ 4 shots of Redex!) and get change from a £1.

10 hours ago, YOG said:

When I started driving in 1964, I could buy 4 gallons of petrol (+ 4 shots of Redex!) and get change from a £1.

and it was a proper £1 note that felt it was worth something!

5 hours ago, StephenFord said:

and it was a proper £1 note that felt it was worth something!

The way this is going, I can see it's only a matter of time before someone tells us how much oxen fodder they could get for a groat shortly after the Black Death!😀

2 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

The way this is going, I can see it's only a matter of time before someone tells us how much oxen fodder they could get for a groat shortly after the Black Death!😀

Not only oxen fodder, but for a groat, you could also get a quart of mead and still have change LOL

42 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Not only oxen fodder, but for a groat, you could also get a quart of mead and still have change LOL

Aha! The usual suspect!😀

To all those people who moan about people driving slowly

 

On 6/9/2022 at 1:01 PM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Vaguely on topic (!) we got a taxi back from the station the other day and it was a Toyota Auris hybrid. Chatting to the driver, he was telling me he'd had it 7 years without a single issue, though he'd "only" done 190,000 miles in it. He said a couple of his colleagues also used Toyota hybrids and they'd done 320,000 and 340,000 respectively.

So Toyota certainly seem to know something, as you say!😀

That can't be right, everyone knows you can only do 25 miles on a charge and that if you charge it more than 6 times the battery will need replacing at 4 times the cost of the car.

59 minutes ago, Mark-UK said:

That can't be right, everyone knows you can only do 25 miles on a charge and that if you charge it more than 6 times the battery will need replacing at 4 times the cost of the car.

Lol, thought you'd joined the ranks of the polar bear killers for a moment, there!

15 Year Toyota Hybrid Battery Cover

In addition to the manufacturer warranty, your Toyota Hybrid battery can benefit from up to 15 years of warranty in total. With every service at a Toyota dealer, the warranty is extended for a further 12 months, up to the 15th year of registration.

3 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

... your Toyota Hybrid battery can benefit from up to 15 years of warranty

If it does fail, you can still get home on your proper petrol engine being a hybrid. Wonder what warranty they'll be offering on a fully fledged battery car...

1 minute ago, StephenFord said:

Wonder what warranty they'll be offering on a fully fledged battery car...

 

7 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

battery can benefit from up to 15 Minutes of warranty in total.

 

That's very naughty @unofix !

Toyotas website says this regarding the warranty for their imminent BEVs (don't try changing it to 8 minutes, we're on to you now!😀):

Staying Power

Like every element in Toyota, the batteries in our electric vehicles are engineered to last. For peace of mind, every battery comes with an 8 year/100,000 mile warranty.

10 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

For peace of mind, every battery comes with an 8 year/100,000 mile warranty.

That sounds very generous, till I think of my own car 17 years old, 112,000 miles. Still on the road with a bit of modest maintenance. Like the cost of fuel right now, motoring is converting to a rich mans occupation. Once that initial warranty expires on the battery, the 3rd, 4th owner etc will be unlikely to afford a new one when the time comes...

1 hour ago, StephenFord said:

That sounds very generous, till I think of my own car 17 years old, 112,000 miles. 

Looking at it another way, your car is still giving good service many years after the warranty expired. Perhaps we shouldn't automatically assume EVs won't exceed their warranted lives with the same sort of care, which does seem to be important. From what I've seen, issues of shortened battery life have arisen where charging has not been carried out as recommended, in the same way that ICE cars run into problems through missed or incorrect oil changes, etc..

It's early days yet, which is why I for one certainly won't be jumping into EV purchase any time soon***  but I try to keep an open mind and there are signs that battery replacement may get cheaper and repair techniques that replace damaged cells rather than the whole battery are emerging.

But yes, I agree (and I think we've said this before) there is a danger that motoring will go back to being the preserve of the more affluent, so things will have gone full circle in my lifetime, very few people we knew had a car when I was a child.

(*** if at all - I hope a better solution emerges before I come to the crunch)