The real cost of EVs

[andrew34ruby]

A " blanket" 20mph is something dreamed up by someone who has never been involved in enforcement issues. It is incapable of being policed. A realistic 20mph zone is somewhere it is physically impossible to go faster ( because the environment makes people slow down, for example, speed bumps, chicanes, narrowing etc.). Just saying it is so won't make people comply. It is unworkable, but typical of current thinking.

"incapable of being policed"  but the present 30 limits are rarely policed. This means that traffic wizzes around at 38 and more, but an unlucky few get penalised. As for speed bumps and narrowing... please no.

I often drive in town at around 20 (in a modern car) and the traffic behind doesn't seem to notice.


There must be better ways than speed bumps. How about traffic lights that favour the road with slower traffic?

[Andy Bennett]

Dave: yes that's the point I was making...

[Austin in the Shed]

It does now start to worry me traveling regularly across the channel on a roll on roll off ferry the dangers of an EV catching fire somewhere on the way.
A fossil fuel vehicle would be bad enough but once an EV battery ignites there is no stopping it.
There was a Tesla caught fire and they used 32,000 gallons of water to reduce the flames.What about the environmental damage from the burnt battery chemicals?

[Andy Bennett]

Austin: and yet we all fly around the world calm and content to the fact that the plane we are in is probably carrying many hundreds of lithium ion batteries powering our laptops. Some new, some old, many on standby, some may not be working properly who knows, with a laptop potentially heating up in a closed bag. Plane seats now have the capability to charge electronic devices. How many are plugged in and then slipped into a seat back where the fan is blocked?

We leave them plugged in and charging in our children's bedrooms and in our houses when we are not there. if they are left on a bed where the fan is not operating in free air then the risk is increased. How many teenagers leave an electronic device recharging on a bed? A phone, a tablet, a laptop? We have 6.6kW of lithium batteries in our loft as storage for our solar panels constantly charging and discharging.

A well know insurance company has a list of recommendations for the safe use of a laptop/portable electronic device in your home. They include:

Use an air conditioner in your room you store your computer
Have your computer cleaned annually
Always use your laptop on a hard, flat surface like a table or the floor
Never block the air vents on the back or sides of the portable computer
Invest in a laptop chill pad/cooler
Every now and then, check out the laptop’s air vents to remove dust or debris blocking the ventilation
Invest in a can of compressed air

And yet, whilst it is illegal to store more than 30 litres of petrol at home, there are no limits on lithium ion batteries nor is there an insurance premium for things like our solar battery pack.

Just playing devil's advocate that the relative safety issue over car batteries is perhaps overstated. You could worry yourself daft...

[goodwoodweirdo]

More worrying:

GPS controlled speed !

From July this year all newly introduced vehicles (ie cars launched after Jul '22) must be fitted with Intelligent Speed Assistance technology. And from July 2024, the rule applies to any new car sold in Europe, regardless of when that model was launched.


Do electric cars need Wi-Fi?
The answer in its shortest form is yes – EV chargers do need Wi-Fi or at least some form of connectivity between your charger, your EV and the grid. Whether through an internet connection or via a mobile data connection


Times are changing my friends....

[Dave Mann]

Quite right Andy South African Airways lost a 747 some years ago over I think the Indian Ocean, it was a combi half passengers half freight and the investigation took some time with having to salvage it. They found the cargo section had loads of lithium ion batteries which decided to self destruct.
The news is full of electric bike and scooters bursting into fire when being charged overnight. Whilst the Freemantle Highway is an interesting situation, will it sink before an investigation into the cause of the fire can be conducted like the 3 previous vessels.

[austin]

I would say that nearly every driver under 20 has a black box in the car recording every move they make, data uploaded constantly.

Trying to get a just passed test driver insured is somewhat challenging if you refuse to put one into the car.

[Austin in the Shed]

One device worth having is a dash cam.
I was told a story yesterday by a self employed gas fitter.
He was overtaking a parked bus when it pulled off,he had to pull in sharply as a vehicle was coming in the opposite direction,he decided to hit the save button on his dash cam.
Two months later the police contacted him as a passenger on the bus had fallen and broken an ankle and he was accused of pulling up sharply in front of the bus and being responsible for the injury.
To cut a long story short he could have lost his licence,his business and his reputation if he hadn’t recorded and kept the footage.The bus driver was shown not to have looked in his mirror before pulling off.
In all it took Seven months to come to a conclusion,seven months of sleepless nights he said.
I’m going to have to figure out how my dash cam works !

[andrew34ruby]

I can't see he would lose his licence for 'pulling up sharply'.

[Austin in the Shed]

The plumber didn't pull up sharply,the bus driver did.(Because he didn't look behind before pulling off)This caused a passenger on the bus to fall and break an ankle.
I believe the charge the plumber was accused wrongly of was dangerous driving .
The bus driver lied and the police took his word,and side.The plumber had to attend an interview 30 miles away and was grilled (His words) for 31/2 hours.
Moral of the story is if you have a dash cam you may be able to prove your innocence if accused of something you didn't do.