The EV fact thread

[Bobby Dazzler]

Not all autos are quicker, although it depends what you mean by 'quicker'. I suspect you mean the actual cog swap is quicker? The DSG gearbox on the wife's car is quite frankly crap for spirited driving due to its lag, but is ok for cruising. The auto box on my SLK is a bit better than the DSG, but I can still catch it out under certain conditions.

Is the DSG broken?

 

[Noitz]

Is the DSG broken?

No, it's new. Her previous two Golfs were exactly the same. Oh, and none of her cars have been fitted with paddle shifts, just the selector stick.

 

[Noitz]

I mean a DCT.

DCT is just another name for the VW DSG system. 'Dual clutch transmission' or 'Direct shift gearbox' are one and the same, which is what I was referring to in my post.

 

[markjay]

There will be no new cars sold in the UK with manual gearboxes after the ICE sales ban comes into play.

 

[BTB 500]

Announced yesterday that Vauxhall is moving forward with hydrogen fuel cell power for vans:

VAUXHALL PARTNERS WITH RYZE TO DEVELOP HYDROGEN CHARGING SOLUTIONS

Vauxhall has partnered with Ryze Hydrogen to develop hydrogen charging solutions for corporate customers Ryze Hydrogen is a UK company specialising in hydrogen distribution infrastructure Vauxhall’s new Vivaro HYDROGEN begins fleet evaluation trials in the UK in 2024 Next year, orders will...

www.media.stellantis.com

As mentioned this is the only current zero emissions technology that works for a large majority of commercial vehicle usage.

 

[clk320x]

DCT is just another name for the VW DSG system. 'Dual clutch transmission' or 'Direct shift gearbox' are one and the same, which is what I was referring to in my post.

Sorry I’m not familiar with the VW system.

If you’re saying your manual gear change is superior to a dual-clutch automatic then you must be better than Lewis Hamilton!

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Announced yesterday that Vauxhall is moving forward with hydrogen fuel cell power for vans:

VAUXHALL PARTNERS WITH RYZE TO DEVELOP HYDROGEN CHARGING SOLUTIONS

Vauxhall has partnered with Ryze Hydrogen to develop hydrogen charging solutions for corporate customers Ryze Hydrogen is a UK company specialising in hydrogen distribution infrastructure Vauxhall’s new Vivaro HYDROGEN begins fleet evaluation trials in the UK in 2024 Next year, orders will...

www.media.stellantis.com

As mentioned this is the only current zero emissions technology that works for a large majority of commercial vehicle usage.

Excellent news to see that an organisation is focussing on developing fuelling stations for fleet operators to use at their depots to fuel vans on a "return to depot" basis.

Useless for the Diesel crowd who need to drive to Aberdeen and back three times a week, with no time for stops at any point during that 550 mile / 10 hour each way drive. But they'll always have diesel.

 

[philnewmerc]

Not just because they don’t look like a flattened potato.

Lol.
But then1980s Amstrad is not what I'd call style either...

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Lol.
But then1980s Amstrad is not what I'd call style either...

Not a valid comparison.

The lovely Amstrad PCW delivered personal computing to the public at a ridiculously low price compared to the previous generation tech and to the £2,500 Apple Mac.

The issue for the MB flattened potatoes is that, while they're better made than their "first mover" competition, they're far more expensive than both Tesla and the incoming Chinese and Korean competition.

When the IBM laptop came along, it was more expensive and better made, but it wasn't ugly and sat on your driveway.

 

[ChipChop]

I thought that until i bought a manual M635.

3.5 litre. 288bhp. Nightmare in town with a manual box

Because of the dogleg gearbox?

 

[philnewmerc]

Not a valid comparison.

The lovely Amstrad PCW delivered personal computing to the public at a ridiculously low price compared to the previous generation tech and to the £2,500 Apple Mac.

The issue for the MB flattened potatoes is that, while they're better made than their "first mover" competition, they're far more expensive than both Tesla and the incoming Chinese and Korean competition.

When the IBM laptop came along, it was more expensive and better made, but it wasn't ugly and sat on your driveway.


View attachment 152119

I should have been clearer. I was not thinking about tech, but style: I was think 'flattened potato' (merc) vs '1980s Amstrad stereo' (Kia etc) - in which case I'd take flattened potato

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Because of the dogleg gearbox?

Very heavy clutch.

So heavy that the pedal bent / folded to the floor on one commute back from the City.

 

[190]

Sorry I’m not familiar with the VW system.

If you’re saying your manual gear change is superior to a dual-clutch automatic then you must be better than Lewis Hamilton!

It's about the way VW DCT works in practice. If you drive like a granny there is nothing much to complain about the VW transmission especially once on the move. If you have the slightest interest in driving then you would probably find it too hesitant pulling away out of a junction. Keen drivers have said they hate it. It's not a universal feature of DCT's. I've driven both the VW and the BMW system which is night and day better. I'd swap my manual for a BMW DCT but not for a VW. No doubt they will all get better in time just as slush box autos did.

 

[BTB 500]

Excellent news to see that an organisation is focussing on developing fuelling stations for fleet operators to use at their depots to fuel vans on a "return to depot" basis.

As I read it they are looking at 3rd party sites:

"Every business is different and while some may want their own fuelling facility at their depot, others may be looking at a co-location solution, and that is where our experience comes in."

? But obviously increasing the number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the roads will provide more incentive for other suppliers to set up new filling points.

I hadn't spotted previously that there's a link with JCB here. The chairman of Ryze Hydrogen is Jo Bamford - JCB Ltd. board member, and Lord Bamford's son & heir.

But they'll always have diesel.

Unlikely. There are zero emissions sales share targets for van manufacturers just as there are for cars, with the same total ban on new ICE sales scheduled for 2035.

 

[clk320x]

It's about the way VW DCT works in practice. If you drive like a granny there is nothing much to complain about the VW transmission especially once on the move. If you have the slightest interest in driving then you would probably find it too hesitant pulling away out of a junction. Keen drivers have said they hate it. It's not a universal feature of DCT's. I've driven both the VW and the BMW system which is night and day better. I'd swap my manual for a BMW DCT but not for a VW. No doubt they will all get better in time just as slush box autos did.

Fair enough.

 

[Bellow]

? But obviously increasing the number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the roads will provide more incentive for other suppliers to set up new filling points.

The article doesn't mention the method of re-fuelling. Will the vans have actual hydrogen storage tanks on board? Toyota's tank in its Mirai is 95kg of carbon fibre (cost???) for 5kg of storage (and requires testing every three years). Or will it use replaceable industrial gas bottles at 100kg tare for 1kg storage in the manner of a Super Ser gas heater? The former surely as 5kg of hydrogen in industrial bottle (505kg) will destroy payload capacity but as Autocar reckoned the Mirai is sold at £20k below what it costs to build, I cant see that being affordable for van users.

edit PS.
I've e-mailed the question to Ryze. Watch this space...

 

[Bellow]

Much as like like an auto in a cruiser its a manual in anything fast and fun when i can... always remember....
View attachment 152105

Yeah, but the quick ones prefer two.
(If right-foot braking was quicker - it'd be the default system in F1 and every other form of racing. It isn't.)

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I should have been clearer. I was not thinking about tech, but style: I was think 'flattened potato' (merc) vs '1980s Amstrad stereo' (Kia etc) - in which case I'd take flattened potato

Fair enough, but again Amstrad had a cost advantage over its competitors.

Our flattened potatoes, bless their little socks, are more expensive than their competition.

As I read it they are looking at 3rd party sites:

Exactly. Obviously if the mainstream Energy companies can’t be bothered with adding a Hydrogen product to their enormous network of 8,500 service stations across the UK, then that creates an opportunity for some newcomer to wander in and pick up this business.

Especially as such Hydrogen pumps will only be there for vans which can’t reach home that day.

 

[Noitz]

Sorry I’m not familiar with the VW system.

If you’re saying your manual gear change is superior to a dual-clutch automatic then you must be better than Lewis Hamilton!

Why are you trying to compare a VW dual clutch system (or any other make) designed for mass consumer consumption to the clutch system in Lulu's F1 car? They are worlds apart in materials, technology and how they operate.

 

[clk320x]

Why are you trying to compare a VW dual clutch system (or any other make) designed for mass consumer consumption to the clutch system in Lulu's F1 car? They are worlds apart in materials, technology and how they operate.

Oh dear. You took the joke literally…

My point is unless you’re a professional racing standard driver, in road use the difference is going to be minuscule and an auto-box makes far more sense for the majority of day to day driving scenarios.

There’s a reason Lamborghinis, Ferraris, AMGs all come with auto boxes. They offer a great balance of practical usability, instant changes etc.

The obsession with manuals on a lot of car forums is similar to the obsession with ICE - it’s mainly people struggling to move forward admitting a machine beats a human in most scenarios.