Author Topic: Electric cars  (Read 694875 times)

culzean

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1425 on: February 06, 2020, 09:19:00 PM »
The high voltage cable connections have to be D.C. as you say to avoid inductive losses, but the pylon system still AC.  Undersea and underground high voltage cables are really expensive due to inverters required and cables have to pressurised oil filled to make sure no water gets in. D.C. is horrible really, as once an arc starts there is nothing to stop it, where AC goes through zero volts every half cycle before reversing polarity, so arcs tend to be self quenching.  Edisons idea to use D.C. meant high current at low voltage which would have limited the distance it could travel,  Tesla used transformers to raise and lower voltages for efficient transmission. 
« Last Edit: February 06, 2020, 09:20:58 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 #1426 on: February 07, 2020, 08:04:41 AM »
My better half came up with a great idea last night. Since we will be moving to my mother-in-law’s house shortly (she is going to require live-in care), why not get a charge point installed there now. That way I can charge the car while we are visiting, which will resolve my range anxiety. After all, I will have to use a public charger here anyway, as I live at the top of a block of flats.
The installation should be straightforward as I will be mounting it immediately on the outside of the wall with the meter and distribution board. Prices for a charger, without the OLEV grant, start around £600-£700, but it appears you can get an OLEV grant for a used car, which brings the price down to £300 for a quality charger.
I will have to do further research.

JimSh

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1427 on: February 07, 2020, 08:51:05 AM »

peteo48

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1428 on: February 07, 2020, 11:17:40 AM »
Scotland definitely ahead of the game in making it easier to own an EV. The charge point issue is a biggie for people living in flats and terraced houses. Even in our situation, where we have off road parking but the consumer unit is a long way from the parking space, we have issues with extra installation costs, trip hazards etc etc unless we put it on the front of the house - possible but requiring an armoured cable down the side of the bungalow and, ideally, removing part of the front garden so any EV could be parked in front of the charger.

This is where the default position, in time, won't, for many people, be home charging but visits to a public charger. When 300 miles becomes the norm in range terms this won't be that onerous a task.

The destination charging thing that Jock is talking about will definitely make a low range EV suitable for him.

JimSh

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1429 on: February 07, 2020, 03:11:24 PM »
Scotland definitely ahead of the game in making it easier to own an EV.
And in generation of renewable energy which is why Boris Johnson wants to take ownership of COP 26 away from " that bloody Wee Jimmy Krankie woman.”
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18214159.cop26-row-boris-johnson-called-nicola-sturgeon-that-bloody-wee-jimmy-krankie-woman/

 
« Last Edit: February 07, 2020, 03:58:52 PM by JimSh »

John Ratsey

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1430 on: February 07, 2020, 06:33:29 PM »
The high voltage cable connections have to be D.C. as you say to avoid inductive losses, but the pylon system still AC. 
Here's a 500kV DC overhead line which I've seen with my own eyes. I had to look twice and think hard to realise what was different - only two main conductors.

There are plenty more - China has one at 1100kV.  :o :o
2022 HR-V Elegance, previously 2020 Jazz Crosstar

Jocko

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1431 on: February 07, 2020, 08:16:09 PM »
I have given up the idea of buying the Leaf - for the present at least. Today my wife was undergoing chemo, then she had an appointment at the Cancer Unit at the Western General. The chemo took a long time so we had missed the Edinburgh appointment but the Vic had phoned the Western and we were told as long as we were there by 5 pm we would be okay. However, we didn't get there until just before 5 and they said we were too late, but they had arranged for us to go to the Royal Infirmary, on the other side of the city. We did, and everything went well. The problem was, if I had had the Leaf I would not have had enough charge to get home. There are no EV charge points at the RIE (it is near impossible to get parked at all) and to have to go and charge someplace else, after my wife had had a harrowing 9 hour day was not an option. I think I will hang fire and try and get a Kona or a Nero, once the secondhand costs drop into my price range. And it was such a lovely car and a nice price.

JimSh

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1432 on: February 07, 2020, 08:21:43 PM »
Glad your wife's treatment went OK.
There are more important things in life than cars.

Jocko

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1433 on: February 07, 2020, 08:31:32 PM »
Glad your wife's treatment went OK.
Thanks. She has three more chemo sessions (once a week) then a three-week break, then three weeks, five days a week of Radiotherapy at the Western.

DAN@ADRIAN FLUX

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1434 on: February 07, 2020, 09:07:23 PM »
The Tekna has LED headlights but I don't think the lesser models do. They do have LED running lights, front and rear. I am currently looking at insurance costs as buying it as a second car is not that silly an idea. With no Road Tax, it is only the insurance costs and what I use in electricity I need to payout. And when I use the Leaf I won't be burning fuel in the Jazz. It is not as if I need to sell the Jazz to fund the purchase. The Jazz may be going to the great scrapyard in the sky, come its next MOT!
Hi.
If you need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line.
Regards,
Dan.

peteo48

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1435 on: February 07, 2020, 09:26:28 PM »
Best wishes to your wife Jocko. Think you've made the right decision at this time.

Jocko

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1436 on: February 08, 2020, 10:05:02 AM »
Thanks.

sparky Paul

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1437 on: February 08, 2020, 10:01:51 PM »
Ditto the above Jocko, give her my very best wishes.

I just found out an old friend, whom I haven't seen for a while, has been going through the mangle too. He had his last dose of chemo a few weeks ago, and they seem very hopeful that that's the end of it.

As for the Jazz, sometimes it's better the devil you know, and all that. I understand that temptation to swap gets stronger as the miles clock up, but you never know, it just might surprise you come MOT time. It would be a shame not to get another 100,000 out of that gearbox!

Jocko

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1438 on: February 12, 2020, 03:43:57 PM »
The UK's planned ban on sales of new petrol, diesel or hybrid cars could start as early as 2032, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said.

peteo48

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Re: Electric cars
« Reply #1439 on: February 13, 2020, 10:55:51 AM »
What will be interesting is to see when manufacturers themselves start phasing the ICE and Hybrid cars out of their ranges. I wonder if it will be possible to buy a new ICE much after 2030 anyway?

Before settling for another Jazz I did a lot of research and thinking and I have decided that the criteria I need are a guaranteed 150 miles range at 70 mph in mid winter with climate control and every accessory on full blast.

The 50 khw Renault Zoe will do this but £26,000 a bit of a stretch. My next car will, absolutely, be an EV. I hope Honda have something more credible than the Honda E on the table by then.

Will used ICE prices crash through the floor (you will still be able to drive them just not buy new) or will there be a robust market for people who just don't want to have an EV at any price?

At what point do the big oil companies come to the party and start closing petrol stations and replacing with EV charging hubs? Might owning an ICE then become as inconvenient as an EV is for many people at the present?

Lots of imponderables but I suspect we will see a tipping point by, say, the mid 2020s.

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