Brexit, for once some facts.

[flecc]

Skoda Enyaq Electric car range test

What an utterly stupid and ignorant test, we already know the answers.

Electric cars are deliberately designed as a complete entity, not to be used for towing or body size added to. That's because to take advantage of their huge starting torque they have no gearboxes so for driver and technical convenience operate in top gear all the time.

Therefore they're designed to an exact weight range and aerodynamic drag, so use outside of those parameters is using the wrong vehicle.

The right battery electric vehicles can tow and/or carry widely differing weights. For example, both Renault and Volvo have electric truck ranges, including tractor units for artics. Biffa in Manchester are using battery electric trucks for refuse collection now. In London we have hundreds of purely battery electric buses. All these have widely varying loads during their work.

It's just a matter of using the right vehicle, designed for the job in hand.

One day we may see some e-cars with gearboxes added, but I think it far more likely that we'll see the daft, environmentally unfriendly concept of towing a home disappear.
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[Danidl]

Britain has warned Vladimir Putin that if a "single toecap" of a Russian solider steps into NATO territory "then it would be war". Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the West had been clear over the response to any aggression on its territory following a bombing near the border with Poland.

Now if I was a Ukrainian Military intelligence officer I would be sorely tempted to collect some Russian Uniforms an weapons and a couple of identifiable Russian Corpses and slip over the border to stage a little show for the Worlds Press

While I fully sympathise with Ukraine, I am slightly suspicious of the Soviet era Drone which crashed in Zagreb

 

[Zlatan]

While I fully sympathise with Ukraine, I am slightly suspicious of the Soviet era Drone which crashed in Zagreb

After over flying goodness knows how many countries??

 

[Zlatan]

What an utterly stupid and ignorant test, we already know the answers.

Electric cars are deliberately designed as a complete entity, not to be used for towing or body size added to. That's because to take advantage of their huge starting torque they have no gearboxes so for driver and technical convenience operate in top gear all the time.

Therefore they're designed to an exact weight range and aerodynamic drag, so use outside of those parameters is using the wrong vehicle.

The right battery electric vehicles can tow and/or carry widely differing weights. For example, both Renault and Volvo have electric truck ranges, including tractor units for artics. Biffa in Manchester are using battery electric trucks for refuse collection now. In London we have hundreds of purely battery electric buses. All these have widely varying loads during their work.

It's just a matter of using the right vehicle, designed for the job in hand.

One day we may see some e-cars with gearboxes added, but I think it far more likely that we'll see the daft, environmentally unfriendly concept of towing a home disappear.
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Not really connected but... I had a couple of hours on an electric trials bike last week. Absolutely incredible, torque insane but control sublime. Had I still been competing I, d have one... Its almost cheating... But no gearbox but it does have a clutch (and I believe a flywheel)
For those standing jumps top trials riders can do (not me for sure)....you pull clutch, wind motor up to required rpm and drop clutch... Away it jumps. (I didn't try it, didn't use clutch at all, but chap at centre demonstrated) (In Spain)

 

[flecc]

Absolutely incredible, torque insane but control sublime.

Same with e-cars, and why so many like me say they will never go back to ic cars. The loss of perfect control alone is far too great.
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[Zlatan]

Same with e-cars, and why so many like me say they will never go back to ic cars. The loss of perfect control alone is far too great.
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Bike spec claims 600nm of torque...putting that in perspective... Audi claim their 3 litre V6 tdi produces 600nm..

 

[flecc]

Bike spec claims 600nm of torque...putting that in perspective... Audi claim their 3 litre V6 tdi produces 600nm..

Indeed, that's why I put the emphasis on perfect control. Even on lesser e-cars the torque is far in excess of what is needed, often what it's possible to use with today's road conditions.

That bike is insane, excess torque isn't beginning to describe what it's got.
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[jonathan.agnew]

Skoda Enyaq Electric car range test

I have a pal with a Fabia 1.0 TSI 105 bhp that tows a caravan of similar size and weight to the one in the video
40mpg he claims: no way would I pay twice as much for a lemon like the Enyaq EV

And charging an ev can be more expensive per mile than filling up an ice

Electric vehicle charging – what does it really cost?

Are electric vehicle owners who use public charging points being ripped off? We reveal how much it costs to replenish a battery when home charging isn’t an option

www.whatcar.com

IMHO it's a massive rip off (musk isn't a multi billionaire without reason)
However, for much less (hate German ergonomics and am strangely fond of tacky things) a 68kwh mgzs ev (even if it can only tow 500kg) may begin to make sense for same price as an ice (which should happen by 2024)

 

[flecc]

And charging an ev can be more expensive per mile than filling up an ice

Electric vehicle charging – what does it really cost?

Are electric vehicle owners who use public charging points being ripped off? We reveal how much it costs to replenish a battery when home charging isn’t an option

www.whatcar.com

They need to update that article, the new household price for a unit of electricity from 1st April is often the 30 p they quote as expensive at a charge point. Charge points will have to become much dearer.

However EV isn't more expensive than IC at 30 p a unit. On my Leaf comparing 30p per unit with IC fuel at today's £1.70 a gallon, I'd get 78mpg equivalent, and not many IC cars can return that consistently.

That said, I think only those with home charging facilities should buy an e-car at present while the pricing of all energy sources is so chaotic.
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[jonathan.agnew]

They need to update that article, the new household price for a unit of electricity from 1st April is often the 30 p they quote as expensive at a charge point. Charge points will have to become much dearer.

However EV isn't more expensive than IC at 30 p a unit. On my Leaf comparing 30p per unit with IC fuel at today's £1.70 a gallon, I'd get 78mpg equivalent, and not many IC cars can return that consistently.

That said, I think only those with home charging facilities should buy an e-car at present while the pricing of all energy sources is so chaotic.
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Yes, and so it becomes an affluent hobby. When the government could massively expand the charging infrastructure with subsidies and use taxes to promote imports of cheaper ev's (and we'd end up less dependent on energy import if we can work out how to store renewable energy)

 

[flecc]

Yes, and so it becomes an affluent hobby. When the government could massively expand the charging infrastructure with subsidies and use taxes to promote imports of cheaper ev's (and we'd end up less dependent on energy import if we can work out how to store renewable energy)

The charging infrastructure is growing very rapidly though and is excessive in many areas, so much so that several charging companies have already failed and been taken over, and they won't be the last by any means.

These companies failed to appreciate what home charging means. Unlike ic cars which leave home in a state of emptiness, home charged e-cars leave home with a full tank. Since the average annual UK mileage is only 7300, 20 miles day, most only rarely ever need a public charger. In four years I've use one only twice, and that just over £8 hasn't made anyone rich.

Long term there's plenty of free charging on the way, since regular top-up charging will become very common. Some supermarkets, gyms and other centres we call on are already using free top-ups as loss leaders to gain custom.
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[Woosh]

These companies failed to appreciate what home charging means. Unlike ic cars which leave home in a state of emptiness, home charged e-cars leave home with a full tank. Since the average annual UK mileage is only 7300, 20 miles day, most only rarely ever need a public charger. In four years I've use one only twice, and that just over £8 hasn't made anyone rich.

has anyone made a feed-in kit to use the car's battery to power the house or sell spare capacity to the grid?

 

[flecc]

has anyone made a feed-in kit to use the car's battery to power the house or sell spare capacity to the grid?

Not yet here as a kit, but Ovo Energy are running a trial of "Vehicle to Grid" and the government is keen on the idea. We need a lot more than our present 440,000 pure battery cars yet though to make it worth a lot more investment.

In both Japan and Denmark vehicle to grid is quite widespread, basically using cheap night time electricity to charge which then gets sold back to the grid at a higher price when the car isn't going to be used. In Denmark that becomes a deduction from the home electricity bill.
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[flecc]

has anyone made a feed-in kit to use the car's battery to power the house or sell spare capacity to the grid?

Second reply:

How To Power Your House In an Emergency From Your Electric Car
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[Woosh]

Not yet here as a kit, but Ovo Energy are running a trial of "Vehicle to Grid" and the government is keen on the idea. We need a lot more than our present 440,000 pure battery cars yet though to make it worth a lot more investment.

In both Japan and Denmark vehicle to grid is quite widespread, basically using cheap night time electricity to charge which then gets sold back to the grid at a higher price when the car isn't going to be used. In Denmark that becomes a deduction from the home electricity bill.
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thank you.

 

[Zlatan]

Second reply:

How To Power Your House In an Emergency From Your Electric Car
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I, m not convinced with all that Flecc. She claims to be able to run fridge with a 1000w inverter. No chance. Start up current for an ordinary fridge is circa 6 times steady state. That raises 2 issues, price of larger one and whether the 12v starter battery could cope.(not to mention overheating issues asking a 1000w inverter to supply 1500 or so regularly, which it could, they are normally rated continuous with peak roughly1.5x that)
We had to fit 3kw inverters and 3 95ah leisure batteries to power Fridges on barges. All looks a bit heath Robinson to me, with leads all over. Not saying it's not feasible, it obviously is but for starters why use power leads when house already has cabling.
Wouldn't be long before her system caused grief. (I, ve had lots of experience with leads, inverters, batteries, split chargers etc etc causing grief and fires on barges. We normally got in too late to rectify stuff like she proposes. Normally ends in tears. Do it once. Do it right. It's safer and cheaper.
And her system has little protection? It's easy enough to tap into house and then utilise required circuits along with their own RCD protection) Don't think fire brigade would be all that chuffed either with her solution. Jump leads and long cables ain't rocket science.
Looked a complete mess to me.And dangerous.
I don't think there would be any shock protection built into her system and one capable of powering any decent sized fridge is adequate to kill.?????

 

[oyster]

Has anyone seen the details of the £350 Ukrainian refugee payment scheme? Little things like whether it is taxable? Whether it will affect benefits? And what will happen at the end of one year?

 

[flecc]

I, m not convinced with all that Flecc. She claims to be able to run fridge with a 1000w inverter. No chance. Start up current for an ordinary fridge is circa 6 times steady state. That raises 2 issues, price of larger one and whether the 12v starter battery could cope.

for starters why use power leads when house already has cabling.

Generally agree, but there shouldn't be an issue with the 12 volt battery not coping. That's because it's being charged all the time into the common terminals so theres current coming directly from the traction battery as well.

Also couldn't use the house wiring since that would distribute the power to everything, multiplying the risks.
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[Zlatan]

Generally agree, but there shouldn't be an issue with the 12 volt battery not coping. That's because it's being charged all the time into the common terminals so theres current coming directly from the traction battery as well.

Also couldn't use the house wiring since that would distribute the power to everything, multiplying the risks.
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No, you would switch off unused circuits at RCD box. Just leave kitchen or an emergency few points for use. Circuits nowadays must be totally isolated.. (or even lights) (the circuit you tapped into would be only live one, it wouldn't power every circuit, but if you wanted to utilise main feed, you would simply get system to shut down unwanted circuits, I bet somebody is already supplying unit)
But you are getting into a nightmare of regulations with new editions every year. Mine lapsed 8 years ago, but suspect if you jury rigged as she recommends or did it yourself in way I suggested your insurance will be void. Qualified electrician in house, and do it right.
Could easily be part of outside charging point. Just reversing. (correct voltage inverter built into RCD box)
Voltage sensing switches it would be easy enough to do it correctly. My mate fits emergency back up battery systems in hospitals and computer systems. They can switch over and never lose power. Coronation Street doesn't even flicker as it switches from mains to battery. (his words not mine) Just wants doing properly.
I, d guess Woosh knows a fair bit about it.

 

[flecc]

No, you would switch off unused circuits at RCD box. Just leave kitchen or an emergency few points for use. Circuits nowadays must be totally isolated.. (or even lights) (the circuit you tapped into would be only live one, it wouldn't power every circuit, but if you wanted to utilise main feed, you would simply get system to shut down unwanted circuits, I bet somebody is already supplying unit)
But you are getting into a nightmare of regulations with new editions every year. Mine lapsed 8 years ago, but suspect if you jury rigged as she recommends or did it yourself in way I suggested your insurance will be void. Qualified electrician in house, and do it right.
Could easily be part of outside charging point. Just reversing. (correct voltage inverter built into RCD box)
Voltage sensing switches it would be easy enough to do it correctly. My mate fits emergency back up battery systems in hospitals and computer systems. They can switch over and never lose power. Coronation Street doesn't even flicker as it switches from mains to battery. (his words not mine) Just wants doing properly.
I, d guess Woosh knows a fair bit about it.

That was for an emergency use though, not a professionally installed system. It you are going for that, might as well install a powerwall with PV panels on the roof to have permanent backup and earn some money back.
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