Author Topic: Electric cars  (Read 694627 times)

culzean

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #135 on: August 17, 2017, 11:26:42 AM »
As solar panels become more efficient it may be possible to have a fold out solar array on the roof of your EV to top up the battery while parked,  if PV cells go from  say 10% to 40% efficiency then you need only 1/4 of the active panel area to get same power.   Only proviso is that you always have to park facing south LOL

At the moment a good domestic panel of 1600 x 1000 mm of about 18% efficiency  will produce 300 watts so would take over 3 hours to generate 1kwh under ideal conditions. In a Nissan Leaf 1Kw/h would take you about 3 miles.
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

culzean

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #136 on: August 17, 2017, 11:51:07 AM »
Attached is an interesting .PDF  from the energy trust

It says EV vehicles are more efficient at lower speeds (typical urban speeds of 30mph or less),  where peak ICE efficiency is around 45 to 50mph.  That use of heater and aircon will drain EV battery faster than you may think. 

I think range for EV is given at steady 50mph,  so stay below that and you could increase range,  but go above it and range reduces quite quickly.

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Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

Jocko

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #137 on: August 17, 2017, 03:36:10 PM »
With Hyundai promising, today, their new EV will have 300 mile range, most of the other manufacturers of similar vehicles are probably about the same place.
According to the Energy Trust using the heating consumes 10% of your range. That is only a reduction of 30 miles on a car with that sort of range.


The other big news on the energy front is Professor John Underhill, from Heriot-Watt University, saying that the gas reserves in shale rocks in the UK have been "hyped". The government should have a plan B.
Prof Underhill said his research on the influence of tectonic plates on the UK suggested that the shale formations have been lifted, warped and cooled by tectonic action. These factors make shale gas production much less likely.
"The complexity of the shale gas basins hasn't been fully appreciated so the opportunity has been hyped," he told the BBC.

culzean

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #138 on: August 17, 2017, 05:02:10 PM »
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/electric_vehicle_ev

interesting stuff about EV batteries,  this article says EV makers oversize the battery to allow for battery fade with age.

Just look at the weight of the Tesla - 2100 Kg - The BMW i3 is half that weight,  the Tesla battery alone is half the weight of the complete i3.

Some info about fuel cells as well - in fact the BU site is a mine of information

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/bu_1005_fuel_cell_vehicle

And something I have always known -------- http://driving.ca/auto-news/news/motor-mouth-people-can-still-drive-better-than-computers-when-we-want-to
« Last Edit: August 17, 2017, 05:43:04 PM by culzean »
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

Jocko

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #139 on: August 17, 2017, 05:54:12 PM »
Interesting post, on another site, from a Leaf owner.

Battery packs that need to be heated - already do this automatically. For our 2015 Leaf, it is most important to heat the battery during charging - and it does this.

I actually don't mind wearing a coat and gloves (and hat if needed) inside the car - because that is how you have to dress to be outside in cold weather. You're out of the wind, and heated seats are quite nice, and they take virtually nothing away from range.

Heating the battery, though, does become noticeable when it gets really cold. Low teens* and below, the range is affected.

The ONLY time you need to use the heater - is to keep the windows clear, or to melt ice.


* 13°F is -10°C.

culzean

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #140 on: August 18, 2017, 08:25:00 AM »
http://driving.ca/auto-news/news/as-robots-take-the-wheel-driving-skills-begin-to-hit-the-skids

Seems that people already finding other things to do (other than watching the road) even in cars with the simpler 'driver assist functions' - accidents going up.  Seems a lot of them don't understand that emergency auto braking only works <20mph.
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

Jocko

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #141 on: August 18, 2017, 08:49:23 AM »
I agree. Even cruise control used to make me lose concentration.

Jocko

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #142 on: August 18, 2017, 09:24:55 AM »
Found this on YouTube. May be of interest to some of you. As a man who has completed dozens of laps of the Nurburgring, albeit on the Xbox, I found it fascinating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcepG9Twa_8

guest5079

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #143 on: August 18, 2017, 02:30:50 PM »
Mr Trump bangs on about fake news. The learned Professor has told us that the shale gas is a con.  Is HM Government subsidising the shale gas exploration? It really would be nice if the experts would stop coming up with their own particular 'bit' and told us the truth. Not the Professor as what he says makes a lot of sense.
As to Culzean pointing out that the auto braking only works at < 20mph, HOW many car owners read even only a bit of their handbook?  A press hack states so and so car is fitted with auto braking and members of the public forget abut the brake pedal.
Being an old fart terrifies me as I cannot grasp all this technology, why o why are manufacturers putting all this 'equipment' into cars. Why not make them cheaper by leaving out the self parking type gizmos etc and why can't we the human being just learn to drive properly. After all we con ourselves into believing we are superior to other life. I can just about understand why a battery needs to be warmed on a cold day to maximise charging, sorry it just appears that Homo Sapien is hell bent on coming up with something new just for the sake of it.

Jocko

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #144 on: August 18, 2017, 03:34:41 PM »
I watched an interview with the CEO of Good Energy, and she says that energy, particularly oil and gas, is subsidised beyond belief. Witness the £2.5 billion pledge to the oil industry, made in Aberdeen, immediately after the election fiasco.

peteo48

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #145 on: August 18, 2017, 04:31:22 PM »

Being an old fart terrifies me as I cannot grasp all this technology, why o why are manufacturers putting all this 'equipment' into cars. Why not make them cheaper by leaving out the self parking type gizmos etc and why can't we the human being just learn to drive properly. After all we con ourselves into believing we are superior to other life. I can just about understand why a battery needs to be warmed on a cold day to maximise charging, sorry it just appears that Homo Sapien is hell bent on coming up with something new just for the sake of it.

 ;D

2 things spring to mind as a result of this post. Firstly, the old boy across the road has a top of the range Civic (he changes every 3 years - I think he gets motability) and he found a button that scared him so much he put tape over it in case he pressed it by accident. I think he thought it was an ejector seat!

Secondly, in the latest Which car buyers guide, Dacia come out quite well on reliability and one reason is there is so little equipment there is nothing to go wrong!

Jocko

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #146 on: August 18, 2017, 05:05:57 PM »
EV's are nothing new. This is the the land speed record holder from 1899. Speed was 57.65 mph.
Problem was battery storage technology. And we all know what happened next.

The first record holder was a Jeantaud, also electric. Jeantaud started making EV's in 1881. It was 1885 before Karl Benz built what is recognised as the first "production" car (1808 was first ICE vehicle - H2 powered).

peteo48

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #147 on: August 18, 2017, 05:26:32 PM »
Good post Jocko. There is definitely an element of "Back to The Future" about current developments.

Jocko

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #148 on: August 18, 2017, 09:30:07 PM »
Found this today. Blown away. And this is still early stages. Well worth a watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfRqNAhAe6c

sparky Paul

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #149 on: August 19, 2017, 09:19:45 AM »
...Dacia come out quite well on reliability and one reason is there is so little equipment there is nothing to go wrong!

Simplicity is a good thing when it's made of Renault parts.  ;)

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