Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
Moderator: RichardW
-
- Posts: 4838
- Joined: 11 Jun 2007, 16:17
- x 186
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
Was behind another Model X 100D yesterday. Although I've not kept count I think I've now seen more of those than the "cheaper" Model S round these parts.
-
- Donor 2020
- Posts: 4884
- Joined: 08 Jun 2011, 18:04
- x 913
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
I'll bet that very few of them belong to the drivers, either company cars or owned by finance houses on lease or hire purchase.
-
- Forum Admin Team
- Posts: 19146
- Joined: 02 Mar 2008, 14:30
- x 1296
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
Only seen one dismal Zoe and a Toyota hybrid today, despite sitting at the side of a busy road for over an hour.
It was quite amusing as there were roadworks further along and the wailing and gnashing of teeth was spectacular. No patience whatsoever.
And the ones caught in the bus lane
Just had the brakes done on my C5 - vibration first, then burning pads and lastly it dumped the brake fluid.
Although it is now fixed - for my son to take to Wales next week, I'm looking for a replacement. Estate preferably so he can chuck his bike in easily.
Thinking a 406/7, a V60 or possibly an Octavia. Was looking for other possibilities and the amount of ugly cars is staggering. Saw nothing appealing despite well over a thousand cars passing by (busy road).
The only decent one was a pristine Armstrong Siddely Saphire. Haven't seen a live one in decades.
Ed: There was also a flight of four what I'm reasonable certain were Spitfires, heading in the direction of Newcastle airport.
Took me by surprise as I had the headphones on.
It was quite amusing as there were roadworks further along and the wailing and gnashing of teeth was spectacular. No patience whatsoever.
And the ones caught in the bus lane

Just had the brakes done on my C5 - vibration first, then burning pads and lastly it dumped the brake fluid.
Although it is now fixed - for my son to take to Wales next week, I'm looking for a replacement. Estate preferably so he can chuck his bike in easily.
Thinking a 406/7, a V60 or possibly an Octavia. Was looking for other possibilities and the amount of ugly cars is staggering. Saw nothing appealing despite well over a thousand cars passing by (busy road).
The only decent one was a pristine Armstrong Siddely Saphire. Haven't seen a live one in decades.
Ed: There was also a flight of four what I'm reasonable certain were Spitfires, heading in the direction of Newcastle airport.
Took me by surprise as I had the headphones on.
-
- Posts: 4838
- Joined: 11 Jun 2007, 16:17
- x 186
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
Very probable, Gibbo.
Isn't that the big plan our gumment has for all us plebs though - pricing us into being more reliant on single-use hiring of corporate-owned (autonomous) vehicles?
-
- Forum Admin Team
- Posts: 19146
- Joined: 02 Mar 2008, 14:30
- x 1296
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
Looks like they were spitfires at the Sunderland Air Show
-
- Posts: 14093
- Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 11:40
- x 1384
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
Steve...Its Sunderland Airshow today/saturday/sunday.
This lot fly as a group, and are all sort of spitfire like....especially the spitfire

P-47 Thunderbolt , P-51 Mustang, Spitfire & Hispano Buchon
REgards Neil
Edit..you answered your own question just as I posted this up!
-
- Posts: 517
- Joined: 06 Mar 2010, 21:21
- x 63
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
i'll be spotting 5x Ocado 'leccy delivery vans ( Fiat's i think?) next Thu / Fri in Hull.....Blackberry livery if i fit it OK 

-
- Posts: 14093
- Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 11:40
- x 1384
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
Bit about ocado and their electric vehicles here...
If this article from 2018 is right, a Turkish Based Firm BD Auto are converting the Fiat Based Chassis to Electric and supplying Ocado.
Regards Neil
-
- NOT Alistair or Simon
- Posts: 11145
- Joined: 01 Apr 2012, 09:47
- x 1208
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
This could be interesting, if it reaches fruition;
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/lot ... spartanntp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/lot ... spartanntp
-
- Posts: 14093
- Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 11:40
- x 1384
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
Definitely going to make it to the "Lights Interesting/Awful" thread on the FCF when it hits the road!
https://c-7npsfqifvt0x24jnh-t-nto-dpnx2 ... _$/$/$/$/$
Regards Neil
https://c-7npsfqifvt0x24jnh-t-nto-dpnx2 ... _$/$/$/$/$
Regards Neil
-
- Posts: 14093
- Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 11:40
- x 1384
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
I spy a Hyundai Kona...
On the back of a recovery truck after catching fire and exploding in a garage allegedly...
Regards Neil
On the back of a recovery truck after catching fire and exploding in a garage allegedly...
Saying that, ICE vehicles haven't been immune to a bit of catching fire across many manufacturers.
Regards Neil
-
- Posts: 8240
- Joined: 10 Apr 2005, 17:23
- x 347
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
Nasty looking.
I hope they manage to identify the cause of the fault in case there is a design flaw in the car and it's not just a freak manufacturing or assembly defect.
All cars are fires/bombs waiting to happen given the right circumstances, including design and assembly flaws, poor maintenance or shoddy repair work.
I just narrowly avoided my 2.0i Xantia going up in flames many years ago when a quick under the bonnet inspection to check oil, coolant and LHM levels before a 50+ mile drive discovered a leaking fuel rail end spraying fuel all over a hot engine.
It was only 8 years old at the time and well maintained, and I only noticed it as the engine was running as I popped the bonnet so I actually saw the fuel spraying...
While it gets a lot of media attention, so far I think the number of non-crash related fires in EV's is very low by proportion of the number of them on the road - lets hope it stays that way. Lithium Ion batteries are definitely flammable items if mishandled (punctured, crushed, shorted out, over charged etc) due to the flammable liquid electrolyte inside them but there is some room for improvement there as the "solid state" batteries that are being researched and seen as the holy grail of next gen battery design have solid, non flammable electrolytes (usually plastic or glass like materials) which are more or less resistant to catching fire which would actually make them safer than a tank full of petrol.

All cars are fires/bombs waiting to happen given the right circumstances, including design and assembly flaws, poor maintenance or shoddy repair work.
I just narrowly avoided my 2.0i Xantia going up in flames many years ago when a quick under the bonnet inspection to check oil, coolant and LHM levels before a 50+ mile drive discovered a leaking fuel rail end spraying fuel all over a hot engine.


While it gets a lot of media attention, so far I think the number of non-crash related fires in EV's is very low by proportion of the number of them on the road - lets hope it stays that way. Lithium Ion batteries are definitely flammable items if mishandled (punctured, crushed, shorted out, over charged etc) due to the flammable liquid electrolyte inside them but there is some room for improvement there as the "solid state" batteries that are being researched and seen as the holy grail of next gen battery design have solid, non flammable electrolytes (usually plastic or glass like materials) which are more or less resistant to catching fire which would actually make them safer than a tank full of petrol.
-
- Moderating Team
- Posts: 6465
- Joined: 21 Dec 2015, 13:46
- x 1098
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
Just reported on BBC London News that the 2500th all-electric black cab has gone on the road.
Cabbies complaining about the lack of charging points, and with a range of just 80 miles, not difficult to see why.
How on earth was such a paltry range arrived at?
Cabbies complaining about the lack of charging points, and with a range of just 80 miles, not difficult to see why.
How on earth was such a paltry range arrived at?
-
- Posts: 14093
- Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 11:40
- x 1384
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
This comes from an article on "The Metrocab" Its from 2014 so way out of date but it does give a snippet that the London Taxi driver does about 200 miles a day. 80 mile range thats about 3 recharges a day, unless part of these 2500 electric cabs are actually hybrdis like the one in the article.
"Metrocab’s six-seater vehicle is the first taxi to be powered entirely by electricity, but it has a small petrol engine that generates power to recharge the vehicle’s batteries, meaning that it never has to be plugged in."
“A typical London driver does about 200 miles a day and they’re spending about £50 on fuel. On average you’ll spend about £10 a day on fuel [for the Metrocab] so you’re saving £40 a day, which is about £14,000 a year,” he said.
Regards Neil
"Metrocab’s six-seater vehicle is the first taxi to be powered entirely by electricity, but it has a small petrol engine that generates power to recharge the vehicle’s batteries, meaning that it never has to be plugged in."
“A typical London driver does about 200 miles a day and they’re spending about £50 on fuel. On average you’ll spend about £10 a day on fuel [for the Metrocab] so you’re saving £40 a day, which is about £14,000 a year,” he said.
Regards Neil
-
- Donor 2017
- Posts: 2585
- Joined: 23 Jun 2015, 14:45
- x 240
Re: Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?
The range would've been set by a bean-counter, who'd never been to London, much less spoken to a cabby, & just assumed they didn't go very far in a day.
Saw one of those electric Maharis at the 100th rally, thought at first it was some Cactus derivation - ironically, Club Cassis did have an electric Mahari there.
Saw one of those electric Maharis at the 100th rally, thought at first it was some Cactus derivation - ironically, Club Cassis did have an electric Mahari there.