Electric vehicles

[Tony Griffiths]

The Jaguar came to us directly from the press fleet offices for some film work, fully charged with a claimed 230 mile range.
There was a lot of hanging around and the driver used the heater and radio while waiting. When it came to leave at the end of the day the car had done 43 miles and there was slightly less than half charge left.

Yes, the ranges quoted are always in ideal conditions with an experienced driver taking every opportunity to optimise the range - and I bet, like a fueled car, when gauge shows a half-full tank, in reality, it's only one-third. In real-world conditions these cars are only suitable for short trips or cleverly-planned longer journeys; they are utterly useless for anyone needing reliable, long-distance transport. The problem is, governments obsessed with believing the Green Blob's misguided moaning about man-made global warming, have forced car companies to lower their overall CO2 output and electric cars are one way of doing this - while still making cars that people actually want to buy. The next thing we know, when the cost of recycling these useless electric carts becomes clear - and China jacks up the price of the rare-earth elements needed to build them - is that that we'll all be driving around in a cardboard Trabant. In other words, hang on to your A7, it might suddenly become very desirable!

[Bob Culver]

It would be interesting to know the general circuit of the Rosengart. i wonder if the motor controller involved all the switching as in tram cars.
As to the cartoon, motoring in this country with a rigidly enforced 100 kph (62mph) speed limit is curious. I drive a 1965 car just as i did when purchased 35 years ago, a steady 95-100 kph on the speedo. Now just part of the normal flow whereas 35 years ago seriously obstructed very many. Just what drivers now do with cars with real performance I dunno.

[Colin Morgan]

Just read an article in the New Scientist saying that car battery recharging could be significantly shortened - their present aim is an 80% charge in 10 minutes - by heating one of the electrodes to stop lithium plating out. The battering also lasted for thousands of cycles, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of miles. If we had spent time and effort on this technology decades ago we would already be running around in electric vehicles? (This work is being done at Penn State University.)

[Dave Mann]

I've just read that the Police have invested in a lot of electric cars only to find they are no good for chasing the bad lads.

[Tony Press]

Not Tesla's then ?

[Barry Townsend]

Can anyone tell me how the government will replace the taxation income from petrol and diesel when we all go electric

[Phil Kingdom]

That's an easy one Barry, they will put the price of the electricity up!

[Barry Townsend]

Exactly my point - assuming they can generate enough in the first place with the daily increase in demand already. I suspect some shady misinformation coming our way. 
If they think the poll tax riots were bad it will be nothing compared to the reaction of a massive electricity price hike.

[andrew34ruby]

With last month's election results we might have bigger things to worry about.

[Austin in the Shed]

Over here electric vehicles would be ok,you can only go 11 miles one way ,5 the other so not likely to run out of charge.
I did have to smile though listening to the Guernsey electricity advertisement on the local radio. Ditch your polluting gas boiler,just like the smelly car and go green all electric heating.
Pity they don't mention the power station is diesel,approximately 15% of our power,the other 85% nuclear from France via cable.