The New All electric California due in Autumn 2019. What are you thoughts?

[ArunAlec]

oh and another thing.......

As our new EV's can self drive, we'll need less cars per house hold. They can collect the shopping, the kids, collect us from the pub, drop me off at work, then drop the wife off at her workplace, do the reverse later on that day, possibly even a tip run, take themselves to be cleaned. Go charge themselves, earn us a few quid by being a taxi when not in use etc etc......Soooo wheres the government getting lost revenue from then?

Bring on the future! Its looking awesome(ly expensive!)

And if you need to be in the city you’ll save a fortune in parking costs, just leave the car to cruise the streets until you are ready to be picked up!

 

[Sunstoner]

And if you need to be in the city you’ll save a fortune in parking costs, just leave the car to cruise the streets until you are ready to be picked up!

or stick an 'Uber' sticker on it and earn some cash whilst youre at work!

 

[Whistler]

And if you need to be in the city you’ll save a fortune in parking costs, just leave the car to cruise the streets until you are ready to be picked up!

And watch the gridlock last all day as all the self driving cars try to avoid each other

 

[johnyboy]

1003 miles of roadtrip this week - spent £5 on electric in Keswick otherwise Tesla SuperChargers, hotel free charger and Nortumberland Council decided it would be free to charge to encourage visitors.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Maybe I’m behind the times but just noticed that VW has launched an all electric T6.1
Very limited range so only really suitable as a city delivery vehicle.
I wonder if they will merge this with the existing diesel and make a hybrid?
A hybrid Cali would be great.

 

[rainking]

From what I was reading, ABT convert an existing ICE T6.1 to run with the electric drivetrain, so in theory it would be possible to have a California converted to pure EV... but I'm not sure the range would be great on a fully laden Ocean!

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

From what I was reading, ABT convert an existing ICE T6.1 to run with the electric drivetrain, so in theory it would be possible to have a California converted to pure EV... but I'm not sure the range would be great on a fully laden Ocean!

You’re right, range on the van is only a little more than 100 miles!
Rain King - great song by Counting Crows

 

[AlanC]

You’re right, range on the van is only a little more than 100 miles!
Rain King - great song by Counting Crows

Was chatting to a driver from a delivery company this week. He was driving a Renault Master ZE all-electric van.

He said it worked for local delivery services as the range was around 60 miles and his local round was about 45 miles per day. The charge was done overnight at the depot. As these vans retail at around £50K
https://www.renault.co.uk/electric-vehicles/master-ze.html
and the infrastructure for charging a number of them at the depot must be high, it is not surprising the uptake is low at the moment.

Time will tell of course.

Alan

 

[rainking]

Rain King - great song by Counting Crows

 

[GSX1300R]

It would probably put the cost of the California up to around £80k..And a range of only 100 miles...

 

[DoctorBob]

It would probably put the cost of the California up to around £80k..And a range of only 100 miles...

weight will be amazing for an electric California version based on current tech - recon you will need a commercial license to drive it for those 100miles....

 

[GSX1300R]

weight will be amazing for an electric California version based on current tech - recon you will need a commercial license to drive it for those 100miles....

Instead of 3 tons would be nearer to 4

 

[B J G]

Instead of 3 tons would be nearer to 4

Chassis would need a redesign but not viable.
Remember that Cali is based on a commercially in demand van.

 

[TripleBee]

If you know that an empty Transporter weighs about 1900kgs, and an empty California about 2500 kgs, that is 600kgs in the California equipment.
Put on a bike rack with 4 bikes = (20 + 60 = 80 kgs) 2600kgs.
2 persons = 2800 (roughly measured).
Some equipment = 2900 kgs.
put out the fuel tank = 100 kgs.
Put in a 600 kgs battery = 3400 kgs.
Will fit tight. And that (for now) for a real distance of 200km (until empty).
So we won't be able to drive to the first pitstop?
When I go on holiday, my first stop is after 2 - 3 hours = 250 km. Little stop for a drink and a wee wee = 10 minutes.
Next stop is for a meal, preferably in a quiet parking on the highway. No fuel parking. 1 hour later, back on the road.
Next stop 2 - 3 hours = drink and wee wee = 10 minutes.
Last stop that day = campsite (500 - 600km). Put the van in place. Get the roof up. Dinner. Little walk around the campsite. Sleep.
Next day, the same as the first day (if on a 2 day trip to the destination). Get some fuel at about 1100 km = 15 minutes.

Good bye liberty in an electric campervan.

 

[Amarillo]

If you know that an empty Transporter weighs about 1900kgs, and an empty California about 2500 kgs, that is 600kgs in the California equipment.
Put on a bike rack with 4 bikes = (20 + 60 = 80 kgs) 2600kgs.
2 persons = 2800 (roughly measured).
Some equipment = 2900 kgs.
put out the fuel tank = 100 kgs.
Put in a 600 kgs battery = 3400 kgs.
Will fit tight. And that (for now) for a real distance of 200km (until empty).
So we won't be able to drive to the first pitstop?
When I go on holiday, my first stop is after 2 - 3 hours = 250 km. Little stop for a drink and a wee wee = 10 minutes.
Next stop is for a meal, preferably in a quiet parking on the highway. No fuel parking. 1 hour later, back on the road.
Next stop 2 - 3 hours = drink and wee wee = 10 minutes.
Last stop that day = campsite (500 - 600km). Put the van in place. Get the roof up. Dinner. Little walk around the campsite. Sleep.
Next day, the same as the first day (if on a 2 day trip to the destination). Get some fuel at about 1100 km = 15 minutes.

Good bye liberty in an electric campervan.

You could give it a 200 watt boost on a sunny day with solar panels on the roof.

 

[Dave Wickham]

You could give it a 200 watt boost on a sunny day with solar panels on the roof.

But the sun hardly shines in these fair isles of ours

 

[GSX1300R]

Leave it on charge for a year might get you down the road a couple of miles...

 

[gvick]

The issue with all current electric vehicles is the batteries are practically useless after circa 4 years - they simply cannot hold a decent charge - until this issue is solved IMHO there won’t be a practical alternative to current Cali

 

[HectorPascal]

We have an i3 BMW as a local run-around. Great little vehicle thought it undoubtedly is, that is all it is.
Batteries need to increase their energy-density by a factor of five before it is even a half-serious proposition

There will come a day though.

 

[DoctorBob]

We have an i3 BMW as a local run-around. Great little vehicle thought it undoubtedly is, that is all it is.
Batteries need to increase their energy-density by a factor of five before it is even a half-serious proposition

There will come a day though.

Hydrogen seems a smarter solution in the future than pure batt electric - power dense/quick refuel times/ only water as emissions; use solar farms to crack the hydrogen and Roberts your Dads brother!

 

[TripleBee]

But there is no workable substitute for the combustion engine in a campervan or camper today, and yet they are trying to ban diesel engines all over the world.
I could partially understand that for a normal car (a normal car really doesn't need a diesel engine, but petrol causes more CO2...), but for camper(van)s they should make an exception untill there is a substitute.

 

[mountainman]

When up a remote Scottish glen on a chilly winter's night, hoping there is enough juice left to get you out, and your mind turns to heating...........

 

[mountainman]

Yes, roll on the Hydrogen cell.

 

[clarinetbcn]

Definately nuclear as we have more than 30 million cars and vans on UK roads now. Will require a lot of batteries and electricity. Scottish
Power want planning restrictions removed for wind farms so look forward to visiting the new Scotland as it will be an eyesore if uncontrolled. Nuclear is the future regretfully.

May we be on our guard from those who promote nuclear power, which is immoral since a nuclear plant, with a useful life of 40-50 years produces as waste one of the most deadly poisons known to man with a half-life of over 250,000 years, which means that our descendants will have to deal with it for over 1,000,000 years. The time elapsed since the birth of Christ until the present day becomes insignificant in comparison. Surely they will find a solution…but how do we feel entitled to leave them this legacy? Most people are unaware that the only reason the nuclear energy industry exists is that international legal treaties severely limit the industry’s damage liability in case of an accident, instead making the taxpayer liable for the cost.

On a more practical note, nuclear generated electricity is currently the most expensive for consumers in Europe.

“In France, a country in which nuclear energy has been a key factor in stabilizing prices in the past, the MWh will mark 346 euros this Wednesday; in Germany, 295; in Belgium, 293; and in the Netherlands, 276. Even in Poland, which is highly dependent on coal - which, despite the fact that it has risen in parallel with gas in recent months, continues to be a cheap source of energy - electricity will cost 226 euros per MWh.”

 

[Digger]

May we be on our guard from those who promote nuclear power, which is immoral since a nuclear plant, with a useful life of 40-50 years produces as waste one of the most deadly poisons known to man with a half-life of over 250,000 years, which means that our descendants will have to deal with it for over 1,000,000 years. The time elapsed since the birth of Christ until the present day becomes insignificant in comparison. Surely they will find a solution…but how do we feel entitled to leave them this legacy?

On a more practical note, nuclear generated electricity is currently the most expensive for consumers in Europe.

“In France, a country in which nuclear energy has been a key factor in stabilizing prices in the past, the MWh will mark 346 euros this Wednesday; in Germany, 295; in Belgium, 293; and in the Netherlands, 276. Even in Poland, which is highly dependent on coal - which, despite the fact that it has risen in parallel with gas in recent months, continues to be a cheap source of energy - electricity will cost 226 euros per MWh.”View attachment 87475View attachment 87476

I don't promote but regretfully if we want to have sufficient energy what is the alternative. We don't all live in sunny climes and the west coast of Scotland can be bl**dy cold!