Luton Airport car park fire

[markjay]

I wonder if it was a meet and greet and the meet driver took the car to the car park and when it burst into flames he just scarpered? First owner would know it was his car was when he arrived back and got arrested??

I don't think that the Meet & Greet people use the official airport car parks.

They would typically take the car away to a cheaper storage location outside of the airport compound.

Unless it's a service run by the official car park contractor.

 

[davymead]

Maybe.

My personal enthusiasm for trying to find an EV that fits my usage maybe colours my view.

Friends and relatives are aghast: why would you want one? Won’t a EV run out of charge? (Stupid people)

And when I look at what’s there, like the Tesla 3 and e-Golf, I just say “hopeless!” With no obvious end in sight. (Unless Mactech can soften the ride of an i3S)

(The Tesla 3 is the worst car I’ve driven this century. Even worse than the Fiat 500X)

Your friends and relatives clearly aren’t the only people asking that question. Perhaps the majority of car buyers out there at the moment are stupid, because even the smallest amount of research as of now is showing EV’s about as popular as root canal work. I’m intrigued to know Mike exactly why you personally would want one.

 

[markjay]

Your friends and relatives clearly aren’t the only people asking that question. Perhaps the majority of car buyers out there at the moment are stupid, because even the smallest amount of research as of now is showing EV’s about as popular as root canal work. I’m intrigued to know Mike exactly why you personally would want one.

I have one. Never ran out of charge... but then I also never ran out of fuel on any car I drove (well not in the past 40 years anyway).

I guess that those who will run out fuel will also run out of charge... not every human fallibility can be compensated for by technology.

 

[davymead]

I have one. Never ran out of charge... but then I also never ran out of fuel on any car I drove (well not in the past 40 years anyway).

I guess that those who will run out fuel will also run out of charge... not every human fallibility can be compensated for by technology.

Not necessarily a range anxiety observation, more complete ownership question.

 

[rf065]

I have one. Never ran out of charge... but then I also never ran out of fuel on any car I drove (well not in the past 40 years anyway).

I guess that those who will run out fuel will also run out of charge... not every human fallibility can be compensated for by technology.

Is that not a London centric type of view? Try owning one in the north of Scotland or one of the islands, surely that presents far more problems than you have to deal with?

 

[markjay]

Is that not a London centric type of view? Try owning one in the north of Scotland or one of the islands, surely that presents far more problems than you have to deal with?

I didn't say anything about convenience. Of course, if you live in an area that has few charging stations and need to cover long distances daily then owning an EV will be very inconvenient.

However, 'running out of charge', which is what I was referring to in my post, is 100% poor planning.

I don't hear people driving cars with thirsty V12 engines complaining that they 'run out of fuel' and blaming their car.... motorists should know how to plan a journey whether they are driving a V12 XJS or a Diesel VW Golf.... or an EV. It's not rocket science.

 

[BTB 500]

However, 'running out of charge', which is what I was referring to in my post, is 100% poor planning.

Some EVs have a pretty limited range though (e.g. 162 miles WLTP for a brand new £50k e-Vito ... some older electric cars probably don't have much more than that by now), which doesn't give a lot of contingency on a cold dark night out in the middle of nowhere. You can sit in a traffic jam for an hour or two in an ICE vehicle with the lights/wipers/heating/etc. on without it significantly reducing your range, but I assume that wouldn't be the case in an EV.

 

[BTB 500]

I suspect the police involvement thing is just them covering themselves considering the relatively high profile of this incident and media interest etc.

Could be, but actually arresting someone seems a bit extreme if that's the case?

 

[markjay]

Some EVs have a pretty limited range though (e.g. 162 miles WLTP for a brand new £50k e-Vito ... some older electric cars probably don't have much more than that by now), which doesn't give a lot of contingency on a cold dark night out in the middle of nowhere. You can sit in a traffic jam for an hour or two in an ICE vehicle with the lights/wipers/heating/etc. on without it significantly reducing your range, but I assume that wouldn't be the case in an EV.

Agreed, but let me ask you this - what excuse would you find acceptable for a pilot running out of fuel mid-air....?

Obviously the consequences are far more dire for an aircraft than it is for a motorcar, but the point is that it's only a question of where you choose set the bar.

 

[BTB 500]

Agreed, but let me ask you this - what excuse would you find acceptable for a pilot running out of fuel mid-air....?

Obviously the consequences are far more dire for an aircraft than it is for a motorcar, but the point is that it's only a question of where you choose set the bar.

Aeroplanes don't usually get stuck in traffic jams though, and it's quite acceptable to have to stop for the night somewhere else if forced to divert e.g. due to weather.

The issue with limited range EVs is that (particularly in cold/dark/wet conditions) you consume power even if you're not going anywhere, so estimating how much reserve 'range' you might need to cover all possible contingencies could be quite tricky. Particularly out in the sticks where there may not be any charging stations on your route.

 

[clk320x]

Blimey the same old stories again and again and again. We get it - you don’t want one, no one cares.

 

[rf065]

Blimey the same old stories again and again and again. We get it - you don’t want one, no one cares.

Did we mention, when they break down you cannot tow them out of the way? I think everyone will care when their day is ruined by someone elses flat batteries.

 

[Dryce]

Blimey the same old stories again and again and again. We get it - you don’t want one, no one cares.

More than one broken record on the forums - and I'll stick my hand up as one.

Even a broken record that complains about broken records.

I would add that given the failures of EVs to succeed in the market place on their own merits - and the didactic government support to enforce them as the only viable market option within a few years - then people really really really should care - and be vocal.

 

[Dryce]

Did we mention, when they break down you cannot tow them out of the way? I think everyone will care when their day is ruined by someone elses flat batteries.

That could be sorted by setting standards.

Bit like the requirement in F1 for a driver to replace the steering wheel when abandoning a vehicle.

 

[markjay]

Did we mention, when they break down you cannot tow them out of the way? I think everyone will care when their day is ruined by someone elses flat batteries.

You can pick them up though, much like the council's parking enforcement tow trucks do. But, yes, you'll need to wait for the recovery truck to arrive, so there's that.

 

[clk320x]

But, yes, you'll need to wait for the recovery truck to arrive, so there's that

Which is the same as 99% of drivers will do in any car.

You can still drag an EV a short distance to safety, mines been pushed 100 metres in ‘tow mode’ with no issues at all.

 

[clk320x]

I would add that given the failures of EVs to succeed in the market place on their own merits - and the didactic government support to enforce them as the only viable market option within a few years - then people really really really should care - and be vocal.

So go and be vocal where it may actually impact government policy, not on a closed internet forum.

 

[clk320x]

Did we mention, when they break down you cannot tow them out of the way? I think everyone will care when their day is ruined by someone elses flat batteries.

 

[markjay]

.....the failures of EVs to succeed in the market place on their own merits...

What you are saying is that these cars wouldn't have sold in the numbers that they did, if it wasn't for the government's tax incentives?

Hmmm.... now where did I hear that before....?

UK government wrong to subsidise diesel, says former minister

Lord Drayson says diesel cars, which received subsidies from Labour in 2001, are ‘literally killing people’

www.theguardian.com

 

[PXW]

Are we still discussing EVs on the Luton fire thread…?!

If you’ve got a spare half an hour then have a read of Carbon brief EV factchecks for a fact checked view on EVs, take up, sales, grid capacity, fires, carbon footprint, hydrogen/synthetic comparisons etc…