The Future?

[124fan]

Just researching and found this...


http://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/2008/may/21/15206.asp


Could this be a possibility for Mercedes in 2009 or 2010?


Another link...


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/LANDROVER/new_120k_electric_range_rover.html


Cheers

 

[Shude]

You can bet that some of their £1m per day R&D budget goes towards looking into EVs.

 

[hawk20]

What an incredibly stupid idea to sell to the truly gullible. £120,000 for a Range Rover means they will never recover what they save on fuel.

And by the way the tax free status of electricity for cars will disappear the moment that electric cars become significant. No way that the govt will be prepared or able to afford to lose all the revenue from petrol and diesel.

 

[Dieselman]

What an incredibly stupid idea to sell to the truly gullible. £120,000 for a Range Rover means they will never recover what they save on fuel.

I'm not sure about that. At current prices the payback including the cost of the vehicle, will be about ten years if driven in London.

As fuel prices and congestion/parking charges rise the payback becomes shorter.

I suspect the total cost factoring all running costs such as servicing, depreciation, fuel, etc, swings the balance much more in favour of the electric version.

 

[hawk20]

And of course the environmental gains are purely illusory. The CO2 is emitted at the power stations instead of by the car. but still emitted. And all the power loss from transmission of electricity. And the production of all those batteries.

If the electricity for use in cars was taxed at the same cost per mile as petrol, where would the gain be? And it will be if electric cars ever become significant.

 

[Frank O' Phile]

Does anyone know what the working life of the battery is?

In the forklift industry, (a somewhat harsher environment) a good quality battery should give 5 years but rarely more than 10.

Also any ideas of costs for a new battery pack in e.g. a Prius?

 

[124fan]

A few questions answered...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmOW0z__AMI

http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/news/02-05-08_9

http://www.newride.org.uk/news.php

And if you want a van now, you can contact these guys...

http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com/ourranges.asp

Cheers

 

[Dieselman]

And of course the environmental gains are purely illusory. The CO2 is emitted at the power stations instead of by the car. but still emitted. And all the power loss from transmission of electricity. And the production of all those batteries.

If the electricity for use in cars was taxed at the same cost per mile as petrol, where would the gain be? And it will be if electric cars ever become significant.

The Co2 issue is pertinent but overal less will be produced. Why, because power stations are more efficient then petrol engines can be and the electric motor on the vehicle is about 80-90% efficient. As we move more towards renewable energy generation the pollution argument swings more towards electric vehicles.
The real gains are round town where unless the vehicle is moving it's consuming no energy thus no output of emissions.

Regarding the batteries they are supposed to have a long life an are non toxic. Are you suggesting that the production and service waste products from a fossil fuelled engine produce less pollution?

How will the electricity be taxed accordingly when you can just plug in at home.? It would still work out cheaper due to less consumption. Electric vehicles are very efficient in their own right.

 

[hawk20]

How will the electricity be taxed accordingly when you can just plug in at home.? It would still work out cheaper due to less consumption. Electric vehicles are very efficient in their own right.

Well one thing you can be sure of is that it will be taxed: that is to say, if electric vehicles become truly significant then the govt will find a way to tax them so as to make up for the huge revenue loss from petrol/diesel taxation.

As for efficiency of power stations you have to include the huge losses in transmission to our homes.

 

[stevesey]

As for efficiency of power stations you have to include the huge losses in transmission to our homes.

I wonder how that compares to a tanker moving fuel to petrol stations?

 

[124fan]

Interesting video link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peW8kl-jpHc


Cheers

 

[A210AMG]

The future looks grim

Enjoy your V6, V8, V12's while we can

 

[Defiant]

Someone please explain the CO2 "threat" to this simpleton, would you please? I thought CO2 was what plants breathe to live, and from which they generate O2, which I breathe.
And why are we never told about the #1 greenhouse gas, by a huge margin, which is water? Which I also can't go a week without. I even let some leak back out so no one's short-changed.
Then again, when I was being schooled in the late sixties, we were warned that we were on the verge of an impending ice-age, and that there would be no more oil left in the planet by 1990.

 

[hawk20]

There was an E-on advert on TV last night which said they had developed some new type of car battery which may revolutionise electric/hybrid cars. Anyone know anything about it? Ad too short to say much.

Becoming clear even to a sceptic like me that electric/hybrid/regenerative braking type vehicles are going to have a major role to play in the future. And with the rush to go nuclear for generation, which I expect to gather way as oil rises, there is a lot here to appease the climate change lobby.

 

[hawk20]

According to AutoExpress:

It looks as if Smart’s battery-powered ForTwo could be ready for UK launch sooner than expected. It debuted at 2006’s British Motor Show, and our image shows a brand-new prototype of the old-shape city car wearing UK plates on an official photo shoot in Spain.
Power will come from a rear-mounted engine made up of sodium-nickel chloride Zebra batteries that send 41bhp to the rear wheels. An eight-hour charge gives a range of around 60 miles, and the car has a top speed of 74mph – more than many electric vehicles. The new ForTwo is expected to cost £10,000, and will be exempt from road tax and congestion charging, plus qualify for free parking in some areas.

 

[124fan]

Some negative views on this...

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/safety/hybrids-pose-new-health-hazard/

Cheers

 

[Dieselman]

Some negative views on this...

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/safety/hybrids-pose-new-health-hazard/

Cheers

Interesting article.
The first of the feedback comments has a line in it.
I’d say its one for Hydrogen and one less reason to go down the hybrid path.

Oh, man..No wonder this is going to be such an uphill battle... Just how on earth does the poster think a Hydrogen car works...??

 

[Colin_b]

Interesting article.
The first of the feedback comments has a line in it.
I’d say its one for Hydrogen and one less reason to go down the hybrid path.

Oh, man..No wonder this is going to be such an uphill battle... Just how on earth does the poster think a Hydrogen car works...??

Exactly. Where will the power come from, and how will it get from the generator to the consumer? Tanker drivers trundling around with loads of liquid hydrogen?

 

[Dieselman]

My point was that the poster is making a comment about the electricity in a hybrid car being dangerous. well, maybe, maybe not...but just how does he think a hydrogen fuel cell car works.


Err...



Err..


Oh, Yeah...Electricity...



Doh....!!!!

 

[Shude]

Oh, Yeah...Electricity...

So it's about 150-200v with some serious amps combined with a tank of high pressure hydrogen, in a car.

Still, can't be much worse than petrol, mixed with air and sloshing around in a metal can usually found under the vehicle!