Tesla / Electric Vehicles

[Firebird1900]

Electric is so obviously the future - battery technology is the current limitation

[Barrie]

Wouldn't it just be better to use hydrogen cars, fill up like petrol and the only thing that comes out of the back is water...

Just have to make the fuel tank strong enough..

But I do believe there is a garage up north somewhere that sells it on the forecourt ( just one garage mind )

This seems to answer a few problems like strength of the storage tank but you still need electricity for the electrolysis of water.
https://youtu.be/Ytg23mDd1a4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[jglarkin]

I love that video Barrie, I’ll start work on my own particle accelerator very soon
I already have the Free solar power so I’d be mad not to. He didn’t say how he used the hydrogen in the car, only how he made and stored it.

[Grant]

Wouldn't it just be better to use hydrogen cars, fill up like petrol and the only thing that comes out of the back is water...

Just have to make the fuel tank strong enough..

But I do believe there is a garage up north somewhere that sells it on the forecourt ( just one garage mind )

This seems to answer a few problems like strength of the storage tank but you still need electricity for the electrolysis of water.
https://youtu.be/Ytg23mDd1a4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Amazingly Brilliant..Admire that man so much.. I wish my Dad was like that man..He has very strange eyes though, but that can be over-looked, I should have listened more at School when Mr Manjama dropped his wedding ring in Sulphic Acid, it went Pling and then he said "Oh My Ring", What about the Van-de-Graff Generator Aye, OOHH Don't touch That.. Thanks for posting that Barrie My Ole Fruit Bat..Brilliant piece of Kit

[Barrie]

I love that video Barrie, I’ll start work on my own particle accelerator very soon
I already have the Free solar power so I’d be mad not to. He didn’t say how he used the hydrogen in the car, only how he made and stored it.

Yes, he did have something of the ‘Walter White’ about him (Breaking Bad) didn’t he?
I think the hydrogen is injected into the engine compressed and ignited in the same way as petrol. I believe this is what was done in the two World Wars to overcome petrol shortages.

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There are a few wrinkles to iron out but I do wonder if this good idea is being suppressed because of lobbying and vested interests.

As for ‘My Ole Fruit Bat’, let me sleep on that one Grant.

[Chris_R]

As for ‘My Ole Fruit Bat’, let me sleep on that one Grant.

Wouldn't recommend sleeping on any bats, rumour has it some nasty viruses can come from bats.

[VFK44]

I remember as a lad hearing the newspaper vendors cry of "News and Stan'it! Get your News and Stan'it". This was for the London papers the "Evening News and Evening Standard". My father remembered it as "Star, News and Stan'it" up to 1960. It would have been interesting if they were selling the paper advertised in that van: "Star, News, Stan'it and The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd...".

[Richie]

For those that are interested…

As I’ve now done over 3,500 miles since taking delivery, here are my thoughts thus far on the merits or otherwise of ‘ownership’ of an electric car.

My initial choice of company car was an Alfa Giulia and I was properly excited about it. It is said that every petrol head should own an Alfa – and having one as a company car probably a safer bet than actually owning one. And a rear drive Giulia would perhaps be more ‘proper’ that the 147 I had 20 years ago. I was therefore gutted when there was no way that I could justify the income tax costs of the Alfa and had to cancel the order. Which reluctantly led to plan B and the Tesla.

But I gotta say, I feel I’ve actually ended up with the better car – certainly the more interesting. Its properly good to drive. Great fun when you want it to be, and smooth and refined when you just want to sit back and relax. And much of this is due to the electric drive. And much of this you’ll have heard before so I won’t dwell on it but the instant, effortless and relentless acceleration is brilliant. I would not want to revert to a combustion engine car. Even the most refined and punchy of V12s isn’t going to compete. Much has been written about the fun to be had due to the way an electric car goes, but less about the way it slows. The regenerative braking often gives one-foot driving which merely adds to the fun.

As I’m able to charge at home, it’s also been far more convenient than a combustion engined car. I’ve only had to use a public charger once when we went to Legoland – 20 minutes plugged in was plenty to get us home without any anxiety at all. I've consequently not had much opportunity to watch Netflix, YouTube or play the arcade games that are installed to provide entertainment if charging for longer is needed. The 'Caroake' was initially fun but now drives me bonkers as my daughter wants nothing but Disney on to sing along with...

The tax maths made opting for electric compelling for me. But if you’re in the market for a new car I would implore you to at least try an electric one. You may well discover that any extra initial costs are recouped by potentially lower running costs and /or are worth it simply for having a more convenient car that’s better to drive than a combustion engined alternative.

As petrol heads, on the albeit limited experience I’ve had, there is nothing to fear in terms of any lack of driving pleasure to be had from electric powered cars. The opposite is in fact the case.

Tesla specifics? Little to report to be honest – it’s comfy, it’s fun, it’s relaxed, it’s characterful.

The stark ‘dashboard’ – basically an iPad on a plank which doubles as face level vents - is simplicity itself. Practically everything is easily controlled from it. Having some controls on an app on your phone is also useful – especially being able to set the climate from anywhere – no more sweating waiting for the a/c to cool you down or scraping of ice on a winters morning. The adaptive cruise control works brilliantly on the motorway and ironically is great when far from a cruise but in a traffic jam. The car will stop itself and when the car in front moves, so too will the car. This was helpful in the queue at the McDonalds drive through… less impressive is the self-steering lane control. It works but… in order for it to do so, you have to keep your hands on the wheel. Too little pressure sees the screen flashing warnings at you to put your hands on the wheel…too much pressure however cancels the self steering. Furthermore activating the system gives a ‘bing bong’ confirmation chime – no big deal. But overtaking on the motorway means changing lanes…which means manual steering and the cancellation of the system…’bing bong’ again. You’re now in say the middle lane of the motorway and turn the system back on...’bing bong’ … but no sooner have you relaxed back into self driving comfort (assuming the correct pressure on the wheel of course…) that it’s time to move back to the inside lane…and the cancellation of the system and the ‘bing bong’ again. And repeat. It becomes far more choresome than simply steering and let’s be honest, if you find steering on a motorway difficult, you probably shouldn’t be driving. Among other things, the optional self driving pack apparently allows automatic lane changes by indicating – but this is a whopping £7k extra and I’ve not read great things about it there either. The auto headlights are too sensitive but the auto wipers work well.

The car also attracts a huge amount of attention, which I found particularly surprising as it looks much like many other cars on the road, except perhaps from its, lets be kind, weird looking front. People will stop and ask about it, they take photos of it…kids are particularly excited by it.
All in all, without wishing to tempt fate, I’m thrilled with it.

But my heart still misses a beat when I see an Alfa on the road…

[VFK44]

Have you been tempted to peel off the wheel covers? There's a rather smart set of alloys hiding underneath. The "dustbin lids" improve fuel economy but, you know, free alloys...

[Richie]

The wheels underneath are pretty cool aren't they! I've left the lids on though as they're so easy to clean... not that they get very dirty as the brakes are rarely used so very little brake dust there.