Originally posted by eighthobstruction
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Cornwall is being checked out as a source of Lithium! -
I agree, though given that humans have tinkered with so many things, and if it's the only way to survive, then just do it!Originally posted by ardcarp View Post
Wave power is not quite the same as tidal power - though the two are related. Where there's a big tidal range, tidal power should be rather reliable. Also, I think possibly that the generation from tidal is more efficient than from waves. Submerged turbines do work, though whether they can generate enough electricity I don't know. Large scale systems may block river flows, which would probably not be good.
Other options for improving conditions, such as a human cull, would be a lot less popular, but could reduce CO2 emissions considerably, and might actually improve long term survivability of the human race. I'm not volunteering myself - though I'll most likely be gone in a decade or two.Comment
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It might have started. Let's hope not.Originally posted by Dave2002 View PostPacta sunt servanda !!!Comment
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I had the same thought.Comment
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Supply of fuel for traditional cars continue for how long?Originally posted by ardcarp View PostComment
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Don't quite follow the thrust of your two posts, CGR. They seem to be at odds, but it's probably just me......Comment
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In much the same way as drivers were encouraged to switch to unleaded (not lead free-there's difference!) petrol in the 1980s by a financial incentive, electric cars need the same to encourage buyers. How about 0% VAT on electric cars? Once the number of cars goes over a critical number or percentage, forecourts previously dispensing petrol & diesel will become charging points. This change is starting, albeit slowly, but it IS changing... I'm seriously looking at an electric Vauxhall Corsa (Corsa E) for my wife, to replace her Skoda Fabia, which has 100,000 miles on the clock. She does 2-3K miles per annum and it's mostly urban runs. If you're used to petrol cars an electric one does seem weird to begin with, but a test drive impressed me!Major Denis Bloodnok, Indian Army (RTD) Coward and Bar, currently residing in Barnet, Hertfordshire!Comment
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How does the price compare with an equivalent petrol car?Comment
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I'm an ideal candidate for an electric car, and in my previous house the combination of driveway and E7 tariff would also have been ideal but the finances completely ruled it out - upfront cost plus battery leasing(problematic on 2nd hand vehicles) way too much. Now my driving is so limited distance-wise and the frequency of short trips has increased due to health issues it would be even more useful, but the cost is still way out of reach(max budget for replacing my car 3 years ago was £2000) and now I've moved house I wouldn't be able to charge at home as no driveway. I'm also not sure about the availability of local maintenance facilities.Comment
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Difficult to say. How much is based on "real" manufacturing costs, or development, design etc. - I don't know. I think electric motors are relatively easy to make, though that's not the only issue. Car manufacturers sell the vehicles for what they can get. I think the medium to high end Tesla cars, even though they are expensive, would match up against some very expensive petrol cars - in terms of performance and features. At the bottom end I think that petrol cars are still cheaper than any electric cars.Originally posted by ardcarp View Post
There has been an incentive "grant" which I think was £3.5k, but perhaps that's about to be taken away - from March. I'm not sure. If so, will dealers pass on the effective price rise to customers, or not? I suspect that the incentive hasn't been big enough, and pulling it off soon before too many people take these up does not seem sensible.
The reduction in fuel costs if electricity is obtained cheaply is significant, but it is not so signicant as to make up for the price differential between regular fossil fuel cars and the new electric ones which don't burn any - or at least not directly. Plug-in hybrid cars may be the best option for city dwellers, though most only have a range of about 30 miles before they need to switch to liquid fuels. This is based on the need to operate cleanly in urban environments, and a manageable cycle of operational patterns, though it does assume that drivers will actually operate the cars in electric mode where they can. One survey suggested that many drivers actually just left these permanently in petrol (diesel) mode (perhaps out of ignorance ..), in which case they are actually worse than the equivalent petrol or diesel cars. Regular hybrid cars (which Toyota and Lexus now seem to be touting as "self charging hybrids") may be good for more general motoring, as although they will be more polluting than pure electric cars, or plug-in hybrids operating in electric mode, they will often have an enhanced efficiency compared with a pure petrol or diesel car. Thus although they will still emit CO2, they will emit proportionately less for any given distance. They will however, be less clean than either pure electric or plug-in hybrids in city environments. For those cars, any pollution may be at the electricity generating stations - well out of sight, though hopefully in the very long term the generating stations will also be clean.Comment
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Do you really mean £2000? That normally only gets a fairly old second hand car - though I've had a number of those, and some very cheap ones over many years.Originally posted by oddoneout View Post
The cheapest electric cars seem to be above £20k, which is at the low end for petrol and diesel cars, but it is still possible to get some small petrol and/or diesel cars for not much more than £10k, and there is also a second hand market.
There is a second hand market for electric cars too, but the problem with that is that batteries have improved a lot over the last few years, so second hand electric cars currently have a really poor range due to their batteries. Those cars had poor range due to the batteries when they were new, and after a few years that has diminished furthter. Eventually batteries will be good enough that used cars may be a viable proposition, but I wouldn't recommend them just now. Sometimes there are bargains and opportunities, but not often. I did meet one person who had bought an electric car which had been misused, leading to some severe electrical failure. As a result he got it very cheaply - presumably it would otherwise have been scrapped. However, as he was an electrical engineer and knowledgeable, he was able to repair it and bring it back up to near full specification for very little cost and not too much effort. Very few people would be able to do that.
About charging electric cars - in some areas local councils will provide a charging point nearby , or arrange for charging points at places of work, as an incentive for people to take up these vehicles. In the worst cases it is still possible, though not terribly desirable, to run an extension cable out to the road. That would enable a car to charge up sufficiently so that the driver could then take it to a nearby charging point. The charge would be very slow, though - but running the battery down is similar to running out of petrol - something most drivers will try to avoid.Last edited by Dave2002; 07-02-20, 00:09.Comment
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Yup. Old secondhand is all I can afford. I got lucky as a colleague was selling her car, a 2008 Nissan Micra and when I said I would like it she reduced the price so I paid £1400. It was in very good condition,and regularly serviced. If I didn't need it to get to work I probably wouldn't have one at all.Originally posted by Dave2002 View PostComment
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Originally posted by oddoneout View Post
Keeping old things working is much more preferable than the constant buying and making of new ones
I'm seriously thinking of getting an old diesel Land Rover and running it on vegetable oil, which @ £1.00 per litre is a good option.Comment
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