More on electric cars.
 

On Sep 11, 11:54*pm, "Doctor Drivel"
wrote:
"harryagain" wrote in message

...

Drove an electric car today.
Uncanny experience but good.
http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/imiev/technology.aspx

I drove the Ampera. Fanastic to drive. *Quiet as hell.

I don't like the way the financial deal works on those.

More on electric cars.
 

On Sep 11, 11:54*pm, "Doctor Drivel"
wrote:
SteveW wrote:
On 08/09/2012 07:15, harry wrote:
On Sep 7, 6:45 pm, Andy Cap wrote:
On 07/09/12 18:40, harryagain wrote:

Drove an electric car today.
Uncanny experience but good.
http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/imiev/technology.aspx

... and the batteries last how long and cost what to replace?

Andy C

Range is 83 miles. Batteries guaranteed for 5-10 years (Dependingon
how you treat them.). Replacement cost around £4,000

Within the 5-10 year period, the value of the average family car falls
to £4,000, who would want to spend an amount equal to the entire value
of an 'old' car to keep it on the road, when they are fed up of it and
it's beginning to look a little worn around the edges?

Battery technology is improving greatly. There is also the combined
battery/supercapacitor. *You could *have a 10 year old car and slap in a new
battery set and it is transformed.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Batteries are not cheap. Around £4000-£5000.

More on electric cars.
 

In message
,
harry writes
On Sep 11, 9:47*pm, Bill Wright wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
not at the pint of contact.

Only an infinitely hard wheel on an infinitely hard road would waste no
energy on deforming the road or the wheel.

Bill


But then the pressure would be infinite and the contact area zero, so
where does that leave you?

On a railway?

--
Tim Lamb

More on electric cars.
 

In article , The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Boat hull resistance is purely a function of wetted area and speed.

Only if you totally ignore wave forming, which depends on hull shape
and (in shallow water) water depth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_making_resistance

(And in fact it's not "purely" true even then:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_re...f_resis tance
has a box labelled "Form effect on skin friction".)

If your statement was true at cruising speeds, there would be no point to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulbous_bow


Air resistance is more complex

At very low speeds where you can ignore wave formation for boats,
you can also simply ignore air resistance.

More on electric cars.
 

In article ,
wrote:
Electric makes most sense with short range microcars. Microcars use less
energy per mile, reducing battery weight and cost for a given range.
Short ranges only mean a major reduction in battery cost and weight, and
thus again energy use. So if you live on the edge of town and only want
the car to head into town and back with, and you're not getting out of
30mph zones, a lead acid mcirocar can make sense to an extent. But only
if you're ok with its various downsides. Such a beast can be homebuilt
cheaply, but with all the issues it won't suit many people.

Quite. So would be an addition to the family car(s). And a very expensive
one at that. Which is why - although available - they are rare. They
simply make no sense financially if you already possess a car - even
although it may cost much more for the actual fuel.
But in any case if all you're doing is commuting from the edge to centre
of a town, PT makes much more sense. You don't have to park that. Or, of
course a scooter etc. That is probably the most sensible town individual
transport.

--
*El nino made me do it

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

More on electric cars.
 

In article ,
John Rumm wrote:
Just as we get shot of wodney;

On 11/09/2012 23:39, Doctor Drivel wrote:

I drove the Ampera. Fanastic to drive. Quiet as hell.

Long time no hear dribble... what brings you back?

Are you sure it's not just a message from the past? All the latest ones
sure read like it.

--
*I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

More on electric cars.
 

On Wed, 12 Sep 2012 10:07:17 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

But in any case if all you're doing is commuting from the edge to centre
of a town, PT makes much more sense. You don't have to park that. Or, of
course a scooter etc. That is probably the most sensible town individual
transport.

Or the electric bicycle, which is easy to park, nothing to run
(barely) and relatively cheap to buy. Only downside is year round
weather, but alleviating that isn't too much of a problem for most
people.
Plenty of people use them for commutes of 15 miles or more.

More on electric cars.
 

In article , Doctor Drivel invalid@not-
for-mail.invalid scribeth thus
SteveW wrote:
On 08/09/2012 07:15, harry wrote:
On Sep 7, 6:45 pm, Andy Cap wrote:
On 07/09/12 18:40, harryagain wrote:

Drove an electric car today.
Uncanny experience but good.
http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/imiev/technology.aspx

... and the batteries last how long and cost what to replace?

Andy C


Range is 83 miles. Batteries guaranteed for 5-10 years (Dependingon
how you treat them.). Replacement cost around £4,000

Within the 5-10 year period, the value of the average family car falls
to £4,000, who would want to spend an amount equal to the entire value
of an 'old' car to keep it on the road, when they are fed up of it and
it's beginning to look a little worn around the edges?

Battery technology is improving greatly. There is also the combined
battery/supercapacitor. You could have a 10 year old car and slap in a new
battery set and it is transformed.


No they use DC don't they;?...

So how much for rejuvenating a 10 year olde motah and I presume it won't
be on its first set of batts by that age?..

--
Tony Sayer

More on electric cars.
 

On 12/09/12 01:36, wrote:
On Sunday, September 9, 2012 11:18:21 AM UTC+1, tony sayer wrote:
In article, Dave Plowman (News)

Hrump!, The car under discussion wouldn't get me to the main Two
London airports and its very marginal if it could do a return trip
to the nearest one!..


Electric makes most sense with short range microcars. Microcars use
less energy per mile, reducing battery weight and cost for a given
range. Short ranges only mean a major reduction in battery cost and
weight, and thus again energy use. So if you live on the edge of town
and only want the car to head into town and back with, and you're not
getting out of 30mph zones, a lead acid mcirocar can make sense to an
extent. But only if you're ok with its various downsides. Such a
beast can be homebuilt cheaply, but with all the issues it won't suit
many people. Full size electric cars don't make good sense today.
Maybe they will with some as yet unknown battery technology that
combines low cost, weight and charge time.

In other words, it is fine for a mobility scooter or a second car, but
if you can only afford one car then you want a real car that can do all
the journeys required.


--
djc

More on electric cars.
 

djc wrote:
On 12/09/12 01:36, wrote:
On Sunday, September 9, 2012 11:18:21 AM UTC+1, tony sayer wrote:
In article, Dave Plowman (News)

Hrump!, The car under discussion wouldn't get me to the main Two
London airports and its very marginal if it could do a return trip
to the nearest one!..


Electric makes most sense with short range microcars. Microcars use
less energy per mile, reducing battery weight and cost for a given
range. Short ranges only mean a major reduction in battery cost and
weight, and thus again energy use. So if you live on the edge of town
and only want the car to head into town and back with, and you're not
getting out of 30mph zones, a lead acid mcirocar can make sense to an
extent. But only if you're ok with its various downsides. Such a
beast can be homebuilt cheaply, but with all the issues it won't suit
many people. Full size electric cars don't make good sense today.
Maybe they will with some as yet unknown battery technology that
combines low cost, weight and charge time.

In other words, it is fine for a mobility scooter or a second car, but
if you can only afford one car then you want a real car that can do all
the journeys required.


Playing devils advocate, a transport system consisting of large charging
car parks coupled to a decent high speed electric train system - and the
electricity is already there at the trains up to a reasonable point,
plus home charging and car RENTAL makes some sense.

I can even conceive of GPS piloted electric cars that come to collect you..

Run the things on off peak nuclear electricity...

--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

More on electric cars.
 

In article ,
djc wrote:
On 12/09/12 01:36, wrote:
On Sunday, September 9, 2012 11:18:21 AM UTC+1, tony sayer wrote:
In article, Dave Plowman (News)

Hrump!, The car under discussion wouldn't get me to the main Two
London airports and its very marginal if it could do a return trip
to the nearest one!..


Electric makes most sense with short range microcars. Microcars use
less energy per mile, reducing battery weight and cost for a given
range. Short ranges only mean a major reduction in battery cost and
weight, and thus again energy use. So if you live on the edge of town
and only want the car to head into town and back with, and you're not
getting out of 30mph zones, a lead acid mcirocar can make sense to an
extent. But only if you're ok with its various downsides. Such a
beast can be homebuilt cheaply, but with all the issues it won't suit
many people. Full size electric cars don't make good sense today.
Maybe they will with some as yet unknown battery technology that
combines low cost, weight and charge time.

In other words, it is fine for a mobility scooter or a second car, but
if you can only afford one car then you want a real car that can do all
the journeys required.

Doesn't that depend on how frequent these longer journeys are. If it's only
an annual summer holiday, then you could always hire. If, on the other
hand it's needed to visit aged parents every weekend a hundred miles or
more away , yes, you'd need two cars.

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.18

More on electric cars.
 

On 11/09/2012 21:32, Bill Wright wrote:
On a related topic, how come the small bit of tyre that touches the
ground can support a van? There might be 40psi in the tyres, but
multiply that by the area of tyre touching the road and it doesn't seem
to come to much. It must do though.

Contact patch 6 inches square, x 40 psi... OK, make that 6x5 so it's 30
sq inch... that'll support 1200lbs. Per wheel. Should be enough.

Andy

More on electric cars.
 

On 11/09/2012 23:53, Doctor Drivel wrote:
You could have a 10 year old car and slap in a new battery set and it
is transformed.

I have a ten year old car. I haven't had to buy a new engine, gearbox,
or anything else big.

No, I tell a lie. I have replaced the battery. But it was only for
starting.

Andy

More on electric cars.
 

In message , John
Rumm writes
Just as we get shot of wodney;

On 11/09/2012 23:39, Doctor Drivel wrote:

I drove the Ampera. Fanastic to drive. Quiet as hell.

Long time no hear dribble... what brings you back?


Certainly not a car

community ambulance more like


--
geoff

More on electric cars.
 

On Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:54:58 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
I Get the impression dribble has never owned a car.

They won't let him have one in his cell, in case he tries to eat it.

More on electric cars.
 

On 12/09/12 18:29, charles wrote:
In article ,
djc wrote:
In other words, it is fine for a mobility scooter or a second car, but
if you can only afford one car then you want a real car that can do all
the journeys required.

Doesn't that depend on how frequent these longer journeys are. If it's only
an annual summer holiday, then you could always hire. If, on the other
hand it's needed to visit aged parents every weekend a hundred miles or
more away , yes, you'd need two cars.

Up to a point. I managed well enough for several years in Central London
without a car, I can walk, hire a Boris Bike, discover how much a taxi
costs these days, hiring a car when necessary. But there's a inhibition
to hiring a car just to take a load of junk to the dump, or do some
distant window shopping. You can't readily hire a car on a whim,
especially on a busy weekend etc. I am still in central London, but I
have car car now. I could justify it by saying it's cheaper than hiring
a car for the time I spend in Italy each year, that fly-drive would not
do for transporting back 15 cases of wine etc. But the fact is, never
mind the expense; having a car at hand whenever I want it, for whatever
purpose, is worth a thousand pounds a year or thereabouts, even if for
the next nine months it does less than 200 miles a month. Just for the
convenience and options it keeps open.


--
djc

More on electric cars.
 

On Thu, 13 Sep 2012 01:04:11 +0100 Djc wrote :
Up to a point. I managed well enough for several years in Central London
without a car, I can walk, hire a Boris Bike, discover how much a taxi
costs these days, hiring a car when necessary. But there's a inhibition
to hiring a car just to take a load of junk to the dump, or do some
distant window shopping. You can't readily hire a car on a whim,
especially on a busy weekend etc.

I've lived in Melbourne Docklands for nearly four years without owning a
car - most things I need are within walking distance and as PT is radial
loads of places are easy to get to. Train + bike works for a good few
others. Alongside this I have been a member of a car share scheme so have
had access to a nearby car when required - online booking so I can hire a
car on a whim. The inhibition is the cost because it's on as-used basis
(A$11, £7 per hour, A$65, £45 per day) rather than if you own a car when
most of the cost is fixed and the marginal cost is relatively small.

But this has changed as of last week - I decided to buy my own car (a
Prius C[ompact]) as I'm now regularly working as a volunteer on a Habitat
for Humanity building project which is not accessible by PT. Even assuming
two full days a week the cost equation is marginal (I was renting out my
car space so parking effectively costs me the lost rent), but I really am
enjoying being free of the continual loading and unloading of the car
share car.

--
Tony Bryer, Greentram: 'Software to build on',
Melbourne, Australia www.greentram.com

More on electric cars.
 

In article ,
djc wrote:
Up to a point. I managed well enough for several years in Central London
without a car, I can walk, hire a Boris Bike, discover how much a taxi
costs these days, hiring a car when necessary. But there's a inhibition
to hiring a car just to take a load of junk to the dump, or do some
distant window shopping. You can't readily hire a car on a whim,
especially on a busy weekend etc. I am still in central London, but I
have car car now. I could justify it by saying it's cheaper than hiring
a car for the time I spend in Italy each year, that fly-drive would not
do for transporting back 15 cases of wine etc. But the fact is, never
mind the expense; having a car at hand whenever I want it, for whatever
purpose, is worth a thousand pounds a year or thereabouts, even if for
the next nine months it does less than 200 miles a month. Just for the
convenience and options it keeps open.

There is a car hire system in London rather similar to the Boris Bike one,
but on a smaller scale. Dunno much about it, though.

--
*The longest recorded flightof a chicken is thirteen seconds *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

More on electric cars.
 

On 13/09/12 10:22, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
djc wrote:
Up to a point. I managed well enough for several years in Central London
without a car, I can walk, hire a Boris Bike, discover how much a taxi
costs these days, hiring a car when necessary. But there's a inhibition
to hiring a car just to take a load of junk to the dump, or do some
distant window shopping. You can't readily hire a car on a whim,
especially on a busy weekend etc. I am still in central London, but I
have car car now. I could justify it by saying it's cheaper than hiring
a car for the time I spend in Italy each year, that fly-drive would not
do for transporting back 15 cases of wine etc. But the fact is, never
mind the expense; having a car at hand whenever I want it, for whatever
purpose, is worth a thousand pounds a year or thereabouts, even if for
the next nine months it does less than 200 miles a month. Just for the
convenience and options it keeps open.

There is a car hire system in London rather similar to the Boris Bike one,
but on a smaller scale. Dunno much about it, though.

I have looked into it. http://www.citycarclub.co.uk/
http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/transport-and-streets/community-transport-initiatives/london-city-car-club.en
In principle there could be a car parked five minutes walk away, ready
at any time. In practice you have to book it online and I suspect like
anything else it might not be available just when wanted. At a daily
rate a normal car hire company would be cheaper (I'm 200 yards from the
nearest). On an hourly rate, over-run your pre-booked time and it will
be costly; around here the roads can go from empty to solid in moments -
I've known it take half hour to to the end of the road. So, in
conclusion it might work for some but for me it appears neither
significantly cost saving, nor particularly convenient.






--
djc

More on electric cars.
 

On Sep 12, 12:32*pm, tony sayer wrote:
In article , Doctor *Drivel invalid@not-
for-mail.invalid scribeth thus





SteveW wrote:
On 08/09/2012 07:15, harry wrote:
On Sep 7, 6:45 pm, Andy Cap wrote:
On 07/09/12 18:40, harryagain wrote:

Drove an electric car today.
Uncanny experience but good.
http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/imiev/technology.aspx

... and the batteries last how long and cost what to replace?

Andy C

Range is 83 miles. Batteries guaranteed for 5-10 years (Dependingon
how you treat them.). Replacement cost around £4,000

Within the 5-10 year period, the value of the average family car falls
to £4,000, who would want to spend an amount equal to the entire value
of an 'old' car to keep it on the road, when they are fed up of it and
it's beginning to look a little worn around the edges?

Battery technology is improving greatly. There is also the combined
battery/supercapacitor. *You could *have a 10 year old car and slap in a new
battery set and it is transformed.

No they use DC don't they;?...

So how much for rejuvenating a 10 year olde motah and I presume it won't
be on its first set of batts by that age?..

--
Tony Sayer- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It might be. Range only decreases gradually with age. If you weren't
driving far it would be OK.

More on electric cars.
 

On Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:42:30 +0100, Doctor Drivel wrote:

Well it sez a 93 mile range which I suppose would suit me a lot of
the time ...

My round trip working tommorow will be 110 miles. Monday's is around
240.

Then buy an Ampera

That only makes 25 to 50 miles on battery. The *up to* 310 miles comes
from an on board petrol generator.

It's also too close to the ground, bit of snow and it would be stuck
trying to be a snow plough. In fact it looks so close to the ground a
decent speed bump might give a problem.

--
Cheers
Dave.

More on electric cars.
 

On Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:39:26 +0100, "Doctor Drivel"
wrote:


"harryagain" wrote in message
...
Drove an electric car today.
Uncanny experience but good.
http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/imiev/technology.aspx

I drove the Ampera. Fanastic to drive. Quiet as hell.

I take it the injunction only covers Toyota showrooms...

--

More on electric cars.
 

harry wrote:
Range only decreases gradually with age. If you weren't
driving far it would be OK.


No, it doesnt.

The typical lithium battery has a half life of about 3 years. You lose
about half the capacity every three years. After 6 its toast.

--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

More on electric cars.
 

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
harry wrote:
Range only decreases gradually with age. If you weren't
driving far it would be OK.


No, it doesnt.

The typical lithium battery has a half life of about 3 years. You lose
about half the capacity every three years. After 6 its toast.

Is there anything else you don't understand, other than half life?

More on electric cars.
 

In article , The Natural Philosopher
scribeth thus
harry wrote:
Range only decreases gradually with age. If you weren't
driving far it would be OK.


No, it doesnt.

The typical lithium battery has a half life of about 3 years. You lose
about half the capacity every three years. After 6 its toast.


So thats the effective range going down by how much then?..


--
Tony Sayer

More on electric cars.
 

tony sayer wrote:
In article , The Natural Philosopher
scribeth thus
harry wrote:
Range only decreases gradually with age. If you weren't
driving far it would be OK.

No, it doesnt.

The typical lithium battery has a half life of about 3 years. You lose
about half the capacity every three years. After 6 its toast.


So thats the effective range going down by how much then?..


50%


--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

More on electric cars.
 

In article , The Natural Philosopher
scribeth thus
tony sayer wrote:
In article , The Natural Philosopher
scribeth thus
harry wrote:
Range only decreases gradually with age. If you weren't
driving far it would be OK.

No, it doesnt.

The typical lithium battery has a half life of about 3 years. You lose
about half the capacity every three years. After 6 its toast.


So thats the effective range going down by how much then?..


50%



Not a lot of cop then;!.

Ha Ha!, least your not likely to be dun for speeding;)...

Trying to eke out the last battery you have to get home on a winter
evening when its suddenly started snowing;(..

--
Tony Sayer

More on electric cars.
 

In article o.uk, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:42:30 +0100, Doctor Drivel wrote:

Well it sez a 93 mile range which I suppose would suit me a lot of
the time ...

My round trip working tommorow will be 110 miles. Monday's is around
240.

Then buy an Ampera

That only makes 25 to 50 miles on battery. The *up to* 310 miles comes
from an on board petrol generator.

Plenty of people have a regular commute less than 25 miles, but need
more range often enough that a pure electric car isn't enough.
But at around £30000, you could buy a cheaper ordinary car and a lot
of petrol.


It's also too close to the ground, bit of snow and it would be stuck
trying to be a snow plough. In fact it looks so close to the ground a
decent speed bump might give a problem.

Yes, it would handle my commute fine, the trips up a forest track
in North Wales most holidays not so much.

But there's no inherent reason a hybrid has to be like that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Highlander#Hybrid
But it's not a plug-in hybrid, and it's not sold in the UK.

More on electric cars.
 

On 14/09/2012 11:21, Alan Braggins wrote:

It's also too close to the ground, bit of snow and it would be stuck
trying to be a snow plough. In fact it looks so close to the ground a
decent speed bump might give a problem.
Yes, it would handle my commute fine, the trips up a forest track
in North Wales most holidays not so much.

But there's no inherent reason a hybrid has to be like that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Highlander#Hybrid
But it's not a plug-in hybrid, and it's not sold in the UK.

I was using an Auris Hybrid (which is sold in the UK) on snowy Norwegian
mountain roads back in February :-)

(though I preferred the diesel Yaris the year before, even though I took
off a bit of trim on some deep snow. Easy enough to fix fortunately. The
chirruping of the traction control was amusing too.)

(not plug-in either, obviously)

More on electric cars.
 

In article ,
Clive George wrote:
I was using an Auris Hybrid (which is sold in the UK) on snowy Norwegian
mountain roads back in February :-)

Wonder how the batteries fare in very cold weather?

--
*The more people I meet, the more I like my dog.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

More on electric cars.
 

On Sep 14, 4:18*pm, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:
In article ,
* *Clive George wrote:

I was using an Auris Hybrid (which is sold in the UK) on snowy Norwegian
mountain roads back in February :-)

Wonder how the batteries fare in very cold weather?

--
*The more people I meet, the more I like my dog.

* * Dave Plowman * * * * * * * * London SW
* * * * * * * * * To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Range is reduced.

More on electric cars.
 

In article
,
harry wrote:
On Sep 14, 4:18 pm, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:
In article ,
Clive George wrote:

I was using an Auris Hybrid (which is sold in the UK) on snowy
Norwegian mountain roads back in February :-)

Wonder how the batteries fare in very cold weather?

Range is reduced.

Quite. I've talked to colleagues in the film business who have shot in
very cold climes. They keep all the equipment batteries indoors -
sometimes even in their sleeping bags. So we can look forward to lots of
electric cars littering the roadways (if they ever become common) on the
first really cold day of the year.

--
*A backward poet writes inverse.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

More on electric cars.
 

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Clive George wrote:
I was using an Auris Hybrid (which is sold in the UK) on snowy Norwegian
mountain roads back in February :-)

Wonder how the batteries fare in very cold weather?

Carp mostly.

Its a chemical reaction. Most reactions get very poor and slow at low temps.

The bottom line is that we don't have a better way of storing and using
energy in an oxygen rich atmosphere than carbon based fuel.



--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

More on electric cars.
 

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article
,
harry wrote:
On Sep 14, 4:18 pm, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:
In article ,
Clive George wrote:

I was using an Auris Hybrid (which is sold in the UK) on snowy
Norwegian mountain roads back in February :-)
Wonder how the batteries fare in very cold weather?

Range is reduced.

Quite. I've talked to colleagues in the film business who have shot in
very cold climes. They keep all the equipment batteries indoors -
sometimes even in their sleeping bags. So we can look forward to lots of
electric cars littering the roadways (if they ever become common) on the
first really cold day of the year.


Actually POWER is reduced.

Generally the batteries soon get hot enough all by themselves..

--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

More on electric cars.
 

On Fri, 14 Sep 2012 19:05:22 +0100, Tim Streater
wrote:

That's right. Energy density is all. A fact not appreciated by
green-twerps who expect everything to be power-able by an AA battery.

Oh, there's an easy demonstration that shuts them right up.
Ask them to pedal a bicycle-driven genny for a while, to power
something like a humble laptop.

More on electric cars.
 

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
On Fri, 14 Sep 2012 19:05:22 +0100, Tim Streater
wrote:

That's right. Energy density is all. A fact not appreciated by
green-twerps who expect everything to be power-able by an AA battery.

Oh, there's an easy demonstration that shuts them right up.
Ask them to pedal a bicycle-driven genny for a while, to power
something like a humble laptop.

actually that works. Its when you want to boil a kettle...

--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

More on electric cars.
 

In article , Grimly
Curmudgeon scribeth thus
On Fri, 14 Sep 2012 19:05:22 +0100, Tim Streater
wrote:

That's right. Energy density is all. A fact not appreciated by
green-twerps who expect everything to be power-able by an AA battery.

Oh, there's an easy demonstration that shuts them right up.
Ask them to pedal a bicycle-driven genny for a while, to power
something like a humble laptop.

In the science museum theres a hand cranked genny to power a 30 watt
light bulb. That'll make most sweat a bit for more then a minute or
so;!..

--
Tony Sayer

More on electric cars.
 

In article , The Natural Philosopher
scribeth thus
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
On Fri, 14 Sep 2012 19:05:22 +0100, Tim Streater
wrote:

That's right. Energy density is all. A fact not appreciated by
green-twerps who expect everything to be power-able by an AA battery.

Oh, there's an easy demonstration that shuts them right up.
Ask them to pedal a bicycle-driven genny for a while, to power
something like a humble laptop.

actually that works. Its when you want to boil a kettle...


Around 80 of them required to do that. There was a prog on the telly a
few years ago demonstrating just how much power we used these days...

--
Tony Sayer

More on electric cars.
 

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.co.uk...
On Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:42:30 +0100, Doctor Drivel wrote:

Well it sez a 93 mile range which I suppose would suit me a lot of
the time ...

My round trip working tommorow will be 110 miles. Monday's is around
240.

Then buy an Ampera

That only makes 25 to 50 miles on battery. The *up to* 310 miles comes
from an on board petrol generator.

The car returns 60mpg when running on a genny alone. 50 miles is enough for
most people in a day, some get 60 miles In overall annual mileage they
reckon about 10% will be on the genny, so super cheap to run - charging from
the grid is far cheaper. Some in the USA have never had the genny cut in.
When the Lotus dedicated range extender genny is introduced (for general
sale on any makers car), 80mpg is achievable.

It's also too close to the ground, bit of snow and it would be stuck

No more than any other car. It is NOT a 4X4 off-roader.

More on electric cars.
 

"Alan Braggins" wrote in message
...
In article o.uk, Dave
Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:42:30 +0100, Doctor Drivel wrote:

Well it sez a 93 mile range which I suppose would suit me a lot of
the time ...

My round trip working tommorow will be 110 miles. Monday's is around
240.

Then buy an Ampera

That only makes 25 to 50 miles on battery. The *up to* 310 miles comes
from an on board petrol generator.

Plenty of people have a regular commute less than 25 miles, but need
more range often enough that a pure electric car isn't enough.
But at around £30000, you could buy a cheaper ordinary car and a lot
of petrol.

Prices will come down for sure as the competition hot up. What you save on
petrol over a year will go a hell of lot towards the cost. It is NOT £30K
to buy.

Ordinary cars are complex, and prone to breakdowns, while the Ampera is
simple.