Electric vehicles-Conversions

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Re: Electric cars/vans/bikes-Conversions/Secondhand..etc

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Well it definitely got off the ground!
Screen Shot BBC Breakfast 2/7/2017 Public Domain
Screen Shot BBC Breakfast 2/7/2017 Public Domain
Nice to see they were using the "changing the horses" approach by not plugging the plane into a charging point but simply slotting in the fully charged "cassettes".

The end piece envisaged "flying Taxi's" within 5 years in places like Dubai, and as you may expect some involvement from UBER.

Regards Neil
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Re: Electric cars/vans/bikes-Conversions/Secondhand..etc

Post by CitroJim »

Just seen this published on our local 'Nextdoor' site:
Located in a 4,000 square feet state of the art showroom at Milton Keynes’ centre:mk, the Electric Vehicle Experience Centre (EVEC) will be opening on Saturday 22nd July. Showcasing the latest EVs from a range of leading vehicle manufacturers, visitors will be able to discuss all elements of owning and running an electric vehicle, as well as having the option to test a range of cars on local roads. We'd also love to see existing EV drivers visit the store and will be holding lots of events in the future..
This is in the shopping centre in Central Milton Keynes...
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Re: Electric cars/vans/bikes-Conversions/Secondhand..etc

Post by Gibbo2286 »

Man is, by nature, a lazy beast, he does not need twice encouraging to do nothing.
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Re: Electric cars/vans/bikes-Conversions/Secondhand..etc

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Encouraging news gibbo, I wonder how significant this quote is in shaping Volvo's electric future...
Premium car manufacturer Volvo - which is owned by China’s Geely - will launch five fully electric cars across its range between 2019 and 2021.
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Post by white exec »

Highly significant, shrewd, and forward-thinking, I'd say, Neil. What better ambassador for promoting the units into Europe and the US?
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Post by myglaren »

Just reading in the Swedish news that after 2019 Volvo will only be making electric cars (some hybrids)

http://www.dn.se/ekonomi/volvos-vd-vi-s ... ar-snabbt/
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Post by Mandrake »

myglaren wrote: 05 Jul 2017, 21:32 Just reading in the Swedish news that after 2019 Volvo will only be making electric cars (some hybrids)

http://www.dn.se/ekonomi/volvos-vd-vi-s ... ar-snabbt/

I think you'll find that they'll be making mostly Hybrids and some fully electric models. The headlines are somewhat misleading in some of the press coverage I've seen.

Volvo already make quite a few hybrids - I regularly see a Volvo V60 plug in Hybrid (http://www.volvocars.com/uk/cars/new-mo ... win-engine) on my way to work, so the real news is that they are saying after 2019 they will not be developing any new models of pure petrol or pure Diesel vehicle. All new models released after then will be either Hybrids or full Electric, I'd say mostly hybrid for many years yet.

They will also continue to sell existing Petrol and Diesel only models until the end of their natural lifespan - so potentially for another 10 years or so. So not quite what the headlines claim but still a move in the right direction.

Even though I'm a big champion of the fully electric approach and that it should be the end goal for passenger cars, I think realistically most people will transition to BEV's by way of Plug in Hybrids - already the sales of Hybrids have outstripped pure EV's massively in the last couple of years.

Ironically I think this is somewhat similar to the stopping smoking discussion in another thread - going straight from Petrol/Diesel to pure BEV is like the "cold turkey" approach to stopping smoking. Potentially difficult to do and with some temporary inconvenience. On the other hand switching to a Hybrid first is more like using nicotine patches/vape to try to wean yourself off gradually. :rofl2:
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Post by Mandrake »

After reading the Volvo stuff I was then reading this article about all new 2017 models of Diesel still failing to meet the emissions regulations in "real world" driving, mainly in regards to NOx:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... tests-show

I then came across this article about the health effects of NOx and a breakdown of what contributes to it which I found interesting:

http://www.icopal-noxite.co.uk/nox-prob ... ution.aspx

EU wide the main contributors to NOx pollution are Road Transport 40% - probably mostly from Diesels, and Energy Production and distribution 21% (presumably gas fired power stations mostly) with a number of smaller contributors. (See the pie graph)

However in a densely populated city like London the proportions are staggeringly different - a full 65% of the NOx in London is from Major Roads, and the next biggest "Commercial Gas" at 26%, which I presume is industrial burning of natural gas for heating of large buildings etc...(since there isn't really any gas powered electricity generation in London itself)

So getting rid of NOx producing vehicles in London would make a massive difference to the NOx levels. Anyone who thinks that cars are only a small part of the overall pollution problem especially in cities is absolutely mistaken. They are the number one problem, and not just through percentage of pollution created, they have a tendency to produce pollution in and around where people are breathing - on the streets, so that there are localised "hot spots" of pollution along our roads that surely must exceed even the overall percentages of an area the size of London.
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Re: Electric cars/vans/bikes-Conversions/Secondhand..etc

Post by CitroJim »

I never realised Volvo made hybrids until I saw a few of them plugged into our once-free EV charging points at work...

I was quite shocked at the time...
Mandrake wrote: 06 Jul 2017, 10:00 Ironically I think this is somewhat similar to the stopping smoking discussion in another thread - going straight from Petrol/Diesel to pure BEV is like the "cold turkey" approach to stopping smoking. Potentially difficult to do and with some temporary inconvenience. On the other hand switching to a Hybrid first is more like using nicotine patches/vape to try to wean yourself off gradually. :rofl2:


I'd be more than happy to 'cold-turkey' to an EV right now, today, if I could afford one... An EV fits my needs of a car better and better every day...

For the very occasional long trip I do, I'd hire a suitable car...

I'd be happy to swap all my current fleet for a suitable EV right now... But is an Activa, a 1.9TD and a 207 a good swap? Anyone?

I'm currently 'cold turkeying' away from all dairy products and chocolate onto practically a vegan diet...

Compared to that, going EV would be a doddle! :lol:
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Re: Electric cars/vans/bikes-Conversions/Secondhand..etc

Post by white exec »

Mandrake wrote: 06 Jul 2017, 10:09 ...since there isn't really any gas powered electricity generation in London itself...
Oddly, there was, until 2002. Lots Road power station (Fulham) generated all the power for the London Underground.

Previously coal-fired (700 tonnes/day), it was converted to natural gas in the mid-70s, and completely decommissioned in 2002. Today, LU is powered from the National Grid.

Odd to think that the tubes were effectively running on gas . . .
___________

Agree about Volvo, Simon.
Volvo aren't doing anything that Toyota (and others) haven't been up to for years - seeking some just-about-green credentials, to allow it to sell ICE into urban areas for a few more years, and buying themselves a bit of time before adequate 100% BEV is deliverable.
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Post by elma »

CitroJim wrote: 06 Jul 2017, 11:14 I'd be happy to swap all my current fleet for a suitable EV right now... But is an Activa, a 1.9TD and a 207 a good swap? Anyone?


I think it's not Jim.
The Activa should stay with you for life. Its not a car, its a hobby and a feat of engineering. To me that would be like swapping a pet or even a limb.

The 207 and Gabriel would be a reasonable swap as the ev would take over their duties nicely. With the range on them already i think an ev would do you ok even on your longer trips. One would certainly do me for everything except Wales trips. Even London wpuld be ok as i would be able to recharge where i go.
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Post by CitroJim »

Yes, actually James I'm very loathe to get rid of any of them... It would have to be the right EV. It must have ample room for ferrying a bike around so it must be at least 207 size... That rules out an Ion or a C0... Also I'd not accept a hybrid... Defeats my object...

And no battery rental/lease either... Can't afford that...

Somehow I don't think my current fleet will be going anywhere for a while yet!!!

But if the deal was right ;)
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Post by white exec »

Everyone needs a hobby. EV and Activa seem a good combination to me! :wink:
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Post by MikeT »

According to Defra, in 2015 Private cars account for appx one third the roadside concentration of NOx pollutants in London. HGV's, LGV's, buses and taxis create the majority. This (appx 60%) is aside from the NOx pollutants that drift in the air from outlying sources.

ETA: Which by my approximation means private cars contribute about 18% NOx emissions in London.

https://consult.defra.gov.uk/airquality ... 20Plan.pdf
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Post by Mandrake »

CitroJim wrote: 06 Jul 2017, 11:14 I'd be more than happy to 'cold-turkey' to an EV right now, today, if I could afford one... An EV fits my needs of a car better and better every day...

For the very occasional long trip I do, I'd hire a suitable car...
I've been surprised at just how little I've needed the Xantia since we got the Ion. Remember I have a 15 month old boy too, whose car seat takes up a lot of room in the back, and although we do need to push the front passenger seat forward a bit to make room for him we do all fit in the car and so does our shopping, his trike when we go to the park etc...

I just checked the odometer today - we've done 4000 miles in the Ion since mid March, so basically 3 months. In that time the Xantia has done about 800 miles in total - 600 of those on our trip to the north of Scotland and back! If it wasn't for that trip away it would have only done about 200 miles... I did very much enjoy driving the Xantia on that long trip but for day to day driving I don't really miss it - apart from the much smoother ride.

For driving around town the single gear EV drive train is much nicer even though it only has 1/3rd of the horse power of a Xantia V6. (But 70% of the torque, available instantly, for a car 400Kg lighter!) Much smoother and more relaxing compared to an auto box that never quite knows what it wants to do and is never in the gear that you want when you need some instantaneous acceleration. To be honest the Xantia feels like a bit of a chore to drive around suburban streets compared to the Ion purely due to the gearbox...

I think once a decent Xantia sized EV hatchback is available that can do over 200 miles on a charge, has good rapid charging, and is old enough to have depreciated down into my price range it will be the end of the line for petrol for me. By then the Xantia will be long gone anyway and I can't really think of any petrol cars off the top of my head that I would want to replace it with except as a stop gap!

Technically an EV already is my daily driver, although I am cheating by having the Xantia as a safety net for the occasional long trip or luggage carrying trip such as a recent trip to Ikea with 3 people and a baby in the car to collect some furnature... :twisted:
I'd be happy to swap all my current fleet for a suitable EV right now... But is an Activa, a 1.9TD and a 207 a good swap? Anyone?
I wouldn't swap an Activa for an EV, no. That is something special that needs to be preserved. But a 207 or 1.9TD - yes. But probably not for any of the current crop of affordable EV's.

Give it a few more years, we're about to see a whole slew of new models come out in the next 1-3 years from many different manufacturers, then add about another 5 years for them to depreciate and the market will be good for us bargain hunters. :)

Meanwhile PSA remain curiously silent about their EV roadmap.... :?
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