Diesel and electric charge points? The battle

[Amarillo]

Plenty renewables in Scotland. Ask Nicola for a discount when we’re independent (/joke)

Plenty of renewable potential sloshing up, down and around the coasts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland too.

And demand for electricity in the UK has been falling for several consecutive years.

 

[WelshGas]

Interesting.

Tesla's truck will be sold starting at $39,900 (£30,900), a model which has a range of 250 miles (402km), while the most expensive model, at $69,900, will have a range of 500 miles. The truck will seat up to six adults and haul a payload of 3,500lbs, Tesla said.

Tesla's new pickup truck smashed during demo

Elon Musk put on a brave face as the windows of his new "Cybertruck" were broken on stage.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Digger]

Plenty renewables in Scotland. Ask Nicola for a discount when we’re independent (/joke)

Plenty maybe but not enough without other sources and unreliable and at a cost to the countryside. Eyesores everywhere! The west is covered in big white turbines.

 

[Borris]

Interesting.

Tesla's truck will be sold starting at $39,900 (£30,900), a model which has a range of 250 miles (402km), while the most expensive model, at $69,900, will have a range of 500 miles. The truck will seat up to six adults and haul a payload of 3,500lbs, Tesla said.

Tesla's new pickup truck smashed during demo

Elon Musk put on a brave face as the windows of his new "Cybertruck" were broken on stage.

www.bbc.co.uk

Please tell me that's not the finished body styling. They must have spend at least a fiver on that!

If you are going to unveil something, first impressions are all important regardless of how technically brilliant it may be. That is a steaming turd!!!

 

[willwander]

Please tell me that's not the finished body styling. They must have spend at least a fiver on that!

If you are going to unveil something, first impressions are all important regardless of how technically brilliant it may be. That is a steaming turd!!!

Ha, certainly different
but...

500 mile range
150 mile charge in under 10 mins
0-60 in 2.9 seconds
cheaper than a Cali

Maybe not so nuts after all

 

[Calimili]

Please tell me that's not the finished body styling. They must have spend at least a fiver on that!

If you are going to unveil something, first impressions are all important regardless of how technically brilliant it may be. That is a steaming turd!!!

yes, but the point is , it is armored . The windows don't break.
Oh wait...

 

[Borris]

yes, but the point is , it is armored . The windows don't break.
Oh wait...

Sorry, it's an armored steaming turd!!!

 

[WelshGas]

Sorry, it's an armored steaming turd!!!

Would make a good base for a Campervan conversion.

 

[Calimili]

Would make a good base for a Campervan conversion.

That's true.
I personally think, cynical maybe, that once we have bought so many EVs we'll have a lot of discussion what to do with the old batteries, and start thinking how much we polluted manufacturing the batteries in the first place. We'll need then a new solution, yet another propulsion type. So we'll have to change our cars again.
This it's just for the benefit of the car manufacturers with the politicians in their pockets.

 

[willwander]

Would make a good base for a Campervan conversion.

Haha, yes it would... but maybe not this one



Now that, is a steaming turd

 

[hirsty]

Surprising how frequently this one comes around, and how ready people are to trot out the same out-dated nonsense, despite the increasing examples of improvement.

• "Range Anxiety" is understandable, but bears little relevance to 'most peoples' actual motoring
• California is an edge use-case (weight, range, out-of-the-way parking) compared to 'most cars'
• it's quicker to charge an EV than most people think, see above Tesla example
• things always improve more quickly than we expect - batteries will get greater capacity & be faster to charge, motors will become more powerful & efficient, many jobs will be created in building charging infrastructure
• 4 out of 5 private cars are now on a lease / hire contract, it'll be easy for people to see the cost benefit per month of EV vs petrol

I work from home or commute by train during the week, so nine times out of 10 my California (sole vehicle) doesn't move other than 'household jobs' on Saturdays & family leisure trips on Sundays, punctuated by the occasional camping weekend / holiday & a 2,500-mile return thrash to Italy each October. If it wasn't a California it'd 100% be a Tesla instead.

This week I did a very rare 250-mile each way trip to our HQ office - no reason at all that I couldn't have stopped on the M40 for a charge whilst getting a coffee & a sandwich. Many posters seem to want a 500-mile range on every vehicle whilst overlooking their 200-mile bladder.

 

[hirsty]

Maybe it'll become like camping gaz. Just swop that empty battery for a new one! Obviously would need standards on battery size, capacity, connections etc but I wonder...

Already happening, albeit starting with scooters.

Gogoro have stations (seems like Taiwan?) where you pull out two used batteries & swap for two charged ones - this guy doesn't seem to need interact with the 'vending machine' at all ...

 

[SimonK]

nuclear.

I love the idea of this. I'd happily drive a vehicle with a small pressurised water reactor under the bonnet!

 

[Legin]

Indeed. If it happens I expect they will be state regulated autonomous vehicles. Waggons get it first. Terrifying. But....

 

[Whistler]

Plenty renewables in Scotland. Ask Nicola for a discount when we’re independent (/joke)

Unfortunately some of Scotlands renewables are a bit smoke and mirrors. Was at Ben Cruachan hydroelectric plant during the summer. At night they have to pump all the water they have used to drive the turbines during the day back through the power plant and up nearly 400 metres to the reservoir. So for all the power it produces during the day it has to consume, plus more to account for the efficiency losses, to pump all the water back. Where is that energy coming from??

Even if you are claiming that you use excess power from wind and tidal generation when the grid is quieter it is not a net contributor to Scotland's energy production. It increases peak capacity but not overall net energy available to individuals.

 

[Sunstoner]

• 4 out of 5 private cars are now on a lease / hire contract, it'll be easy for people to see the cost benefit per month of EV vs petrol

Many posters seem to want a 500-mile range on every vehicle whilst overlooking their 200-mile bladder.

(Most) people dont want to have to 'refuel when nipping to the loo after 200 miles. This idea / ideal image of folk stopping (or having to stop) for a snack, to walk the dog, to stretch the legs, to go eat, to have a nap, whatever it IS that we're going to HAVE to start doing to simply get from A to B on longer journeys (a measley 350+ miles or so) is a step backwards and a bit naff. If there are super chargers everywhere at every parking spot fair enough, but thats not happening and thats if there arent queues. Picture you're average fuel stop where queues happen. You might only want 10mins on the super charger but the driver infront of you in the queue wants the full 30 mins.

Plus the cost to top up your EV will rocket once folk jump on the bandwagon. Massive demand, massive leccy costs + Government tax ontop to boot.

Not for me yet....too soon.

 

[MattC]

Unfortunately some of Scotlands renewables are a bit smoke and mirrors. Was at Ben Cruachan hydroelectric plant during the summer. At night they have to pump all the water they have used to drive the turbines during the day back through the power plant and up nearly 400 metres to the reservoir. So for all the power it produces during the day it has to consume, plus more to account for the efficiency losses, to pump all the water back. Where is that energy coming from??

Even if you are claiming that you use excess power from wind and tidal generation when the grid is quieter it is not a net contributor to Scotland's energy production. It increases peak capacity but not overall net energy available to individuals.

But Ben Cruachan, like Dinorwic in Snowdonia, is designed specifically to be a pumped-storage power station!
And the clue's in the name. It's job isn't to directly to produce 'fresh' energy, but to act as a bloody great 'battery' that can can be very quickly brought online into the grid to meet short-term peak demand - like when we all go to put our kettles on at half-time in the football.
Any grid system would need this sort of capability, and this solution dates from an era when battery technology was pretty rudimentary and renewable energy as a global imperative was about as far from mainstream thinking as you can get. So describing it as smoke and mirrors seems a little unfair to say the least.

 

[Whistler]

But Ben Cruachan, like Dinorwic in Snowdonia, is designed specifically to be a pumped-storage power station!
And the clue's in the name. It's job isn't to directly to produce 'fresh' energy, but to act as a bloody great 'battery' that can can be very quickly brought online into the grid to meet short-term peak demand - like when we all go to put our kettles on at half-time in the football.
Any grid system would need this sort of capability, and this solution dates from an era when battery technology was pretty rudimentary and renewable energy as a global imperative was about as far from mainstream thinking as you can get. So describing it as smoke and mirrors seems a little unfair to say the least.

Which is why I said it was a bit smoke and mirrors. As an energy generator it is very good, quick to come online, soak up overnight excess and has a place in smoothing out demand. However for each one of those we need to increase production elsewhere.

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

 

[Amarillo]

Which is why I said it was a bit smoke and mirrors. As an energy generator it is very good, quick to come online, soak up overnight excess and has a place in smoothing out demand. However for each one of those we need to increase production elsewhere.

No we don’t. We just wait for a windy night when everyone’s asleep and direct excess power to the pumped storage.

I’ve been designing in my mind a wind turbine with a great big shaft drilled below. At the bottom of the shaft is a 100 tonne lump of concrete attached by a series of pulleys to the windmill above. In windy times of low electricity demand the windmill winches up the block of concrete. On calm moments and high demand the block drops driving the turbine.

Should I apply for a slot on Dragon’s Den?

 

[willwander]

No we don’t. We just wait for a windy night when everyone’s asleep and direct excess power to the pumped storage.

I’ve been designing in my mind a wind turbine with a great big shaft drilled below. At the bottom of the shaft is a 100 tonne lump of concrete attached by a series of pulleys to the windmill above. In windy times of low electricity demand the windmill winches up the block of concrete. On calm moments and high demand the block drops driving the turbine.

Should I apply for a slot on Dragon’s Den?

Gravity batteries are nothing new, they’ve been in use since the the grandfather clock.
The draw back is you need a large amount of weight moving over a large distance to get any sort of useful power.

Now my maths may be way out here, but...

100 tonnes of concrete in a 100 meter shaft, would store approx 27kwh about the same as the battery in a Nissan Leaf or a 1/3 of a Tesla

 

[clarinetbcn]

Unfortunately some of Scotlands renewables are a bit smoke and mirrors. Was at Ben Cruachan hydroelectric plant during the summer. At night they have to pump all the water they have used to drive the turbines during the day back through the power plant and up nearly 400 metres to the reservoir. So for all the power it produces during the day it has to consume, plus more to account for the efficiency losses, to pump all the water back. Where is that energy coming from??

Even if you are claiming that you use excess power from wind and tidal generation when the grid is quieter it is not a net contributor to Scotland's energy production. It increases peak capacity but not overall net energy available to individuals.

It's like a big battery, to store excess wind energy produced as night when use is low and would otherwise be lost. Used all over the world. Genius! During the day both wind and hydroelectric are available, huge net gain and helps avoid having to build more plants for peak use.

 

[hirsty]

Powering ahead: six new ways to charge an electric car

Live in a flat or terraced house, and feel you can’t buy an electric vehicle? Think again

www.theguardian.com

A colleague at my last job had the BMW 530e with an induction charging pad on his drive at home, almost magical.

 

[hirsty]

(Most) people dont want to have to 'refuel when nipping to the loo after 200 miles. This idea / ideal image of folk stopping (or having to stop) for a snack, to walk the dog, to stretch the legs, to go eat, to have a nap, whatever it IS that we're going to HAVE to start doing to simply get from A to B on longer journeys (a measley 350+ miles or so) is a step backwards and a bit naff.

...

I think your glass may be half-empty there. What percentage of journeys are a measley 350+ miles, and is the undeniably high price we'll all pay for the fossil fuel business is worth this niche self-indulgence? I've occasionally done 600-mile drives in a day with multiple stops, but no-one should be driving 350+ miles in a single sitting without a break.

IC cars have come a long way since needing a man with a red flag out front & todays sophisticated global supply chain to deliver easy fuelling didn't emerge overnight - EVs will get there very quickly now there is serious public & private sector commitment and legislation.

 

[Calimili]

The new Cybertruck is supposed to be able to drive 500miles with a charge. We'll get there evenrually, you are right.
Still not convinced , when everybody has an electric car, how are we going to produce all this power to charge them all, especially as we seem to shy away from nuclear. The extremely Co2 polluting carbon fiber wind turbines are not going to help much. And where/how are we going to dump the batteries once they are old (~8 years).
I like better a hybrid solution.

 

[bobuffs]

Currently half the worlds cobalt is used in batteries, which simply says there is not enough to meet the demand for the scale up of EVs. Until this is resolved EV everything is a none starter..... It is suggested this would come from ocean mining, the impact of which on current technology (it is assessed) will kill the oceans....