Electric car thread

[Litespeed]

3 minutes ago, onetrack said:

I reckon the price of oil will drop once the oil barons see their market shrinking. The cost of production of a barrel of oil in Saudi Arabia is US$3. That leaves a lot of room to lower oil prices and kick the EV's in the nuts.

But the cost in Saudi is only a small part of the market cost at the servo in Australia. Every part of the system inflates their profits and manipulates the market on a daily basis. Someone farts in Riyadh and next day it's $2.50 a litre.

 

Those oil barons will happily charge us as much as they can till we bleed, if fact lots of people have died in wars over oil.

[Litespeed]

Heaps of overtakes will naturally effect range but so does full throttle in a ICE engine which will guzzle each time.

 

I dont think it would be a big issue unless you need to pass  then slow then pass constantly.

[kgwilson]

One of the benefits of electric propulsion is the availability of full torque from virtually zero rpm. This is why modern ships and locomotives are Diesel Electric where the diesel is just generating electricity. My MG4 has a 150kW (204HP) motor and will accelerate from 0 to 100kmh in just over 7 seconds. A few years ago this was supercar territory. At the traffic lights an EV will beat every ICE car available unless the ICE car is revving its head off & the brake released or clutch dropped. A Tesla model Y Plaid (only sold in USA) will get from 0 to 100kmh in 1.9 seconds & considered dangerous by many as it can cause blackouts. The MG4 X power will do 0 to 100 in 3.4 seconds. Sub 4 seconds is now common at the more expensive end of the EV scale.

 

The EV driving experience is unbeatable. It just does everything so effortlessly. I can get around 450km on a full charge if I drive conservatively but that is boring and not the way i like to drive. The design engineers at MG in the UK did a great job with 50/50 weight distribution, RWD etc producing a Corolla sized hatchback solidly put together in Shanghai that is really fun to drive. Throwing it around winding country roads leaves a smile on my face every time.

 

On the Pacific Highway I cruise at 110kmh & still get from Coffs to Brisbane on a charge easily (around 400km). Lunch & 20 minutes on a fast charger & I get to my place in Noosa with heaps of charge left. Slow vehicles are no problem. Foot to the floor & the power/torque is instant. Even an uphill incline doesn't have anywhere near the same effect as an ICE vehicle. The power meter % value goes up but there is no noise or motor tone to indicate anything different. I have not noticed any appreciable difference to the range.

 

All EVs have to make a noise at low speed. The reverse noise generator on mine is a whine like a reverse gear in a manual car. The Drive noise generator is a lower tone that changes to a woosh sound & cuts out at 35kmh when tyre noise becomes apparent to those outside the car.

[onetrack]

In related EV news, Ford's EV division is suffering severely from the Chinese EV onslaught. Look for Chinese-built, Ford-branded, "badge engineering" EV's in your near future.

 

FORD NEWS:

 

Ford is pulling back on its electric vehicle (EV) plans, announcing major cuts to its Model e division.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the automaker confirmed that it’s cancelling a 7-seater electric SUV and delaying the launch of a new electric pickup truck.

The brand revealed that it’s slashing its overall EV investment by 10%, redirecting resources to focus more on hybrid vehicles.

 

Ford will now allocate only 30% of its budget to future EV investments.

 

This change is partly driven by the need to stay competitive with the Chinese car industry. To do this, Ford is revamping its battery supply chain to cut costs and improve efficiency.

But this shift comes with a hefty price tag. Ford, already losing about $140,000 on every electric car it makes, expects to take a $400 million hit in write-downs, alongside an increase in costs of $1.5 billion.

 

Despite these challenges, Ford's CFO John Lawler emphasized that the company is focused on building a profitable business.

"We are committed to creating long-term value by building a competitive and profitable business," Lawler said in the press release.

With this new strategy, Ford will put more emphasis on hybrid vehicles, a move that could significantly impact its European operations by 2027.

[facthunter]

I doubt it's much different % wise from an ICE car and on the PLUS side there's NO transmission losses or the engine not running at most efficient revs.  Nev

[jjjnettie]

I bought my 2nd hand BYD Atto 3 extended range, a couple of months ago. Going from a 20yr old Holden Astra to a computer on wheels is absolutely breath taking. 
My house came with a small solar array on top and that was one of the deciding factors for me. Cheap charging. Though I'd been researching EV's for a couple of years previously. 
I'm fortunate to have an old caravan, up on blocks, at a mates property. No more oil lamps and gas camp stoves for me now. I can charge power tools onsite now, instead of rationing the batteries.  I just put the V2L lead through a window and I can power all the appliances. 🙂 
Ergon had a planned outage, I plugged the freezer and telly into the car, perfect. 
This will be my "forever" car and fully expect it to last me out.

I totally understand though, that EV's aren't suitable for every purpose nor everyone. There will always be ICE enthusiasts, and good on them. Just like there are still people today who enjoy driving (horse and carriage) as a hobby and sport. 
 

[spacesailor]

No house panels for me , plus a drive Sydney to Dubbo .

Seems just outside the EVs range,  then having to pay someone to charge it .

Taxi from charging station to lodgings & return .

It will be awhile before those charging stations are everywhere.  Like today's servos .

85 then Bureaucracy takes my driver's licence. 

Age persecution. 

spacesailor

[kgwilson]

Sydney Opera House to Dubbo is 392km so within range of most modern EVs. There are plenty of charging stations all the way there and at almost every reasonable sized town around Dubbo and other towns in the area has them.

 

EV owners going on a trip use a number of Apps to locate chargers along the way. One called Plugshare lists most chargers. Open the link below and zoom in and you will find public chargers everywhere. The map is provided by plugshare.

 

https://evpowerhouse.com.au/ev-charging-stations-australia-map/?srsltid=AfmBOor2YW9sTerfnMddVhMQQ8gP0a5sy3VWCE-b4ED_6MOSbgpMXV2H

[Jerry_Atrick]

If you plan it well enough, you will probablky get your electricity charge free. NRMA I think do free ones. https://electricvehiclehub.com.au/information-centre/who-pays-for-public-electric-vehicle-charging-stations/

 

(of course, if they are in expensive paid for parking, they gets their money.. )

 

[red750]

BYD driver's desperate solution to EV design flaw during wild weather

 

It's not the first time the BYD electric car feature has been flagged as a concern for owners.

 

Read article here.

[spacesailor]

If , you have a roof rack,  try fastening a sheet of plywood, over the top of the car ,just roped down .

Did it once , but the next time I was caught on the road driving.  First one side, then when I did a upturn the hail got the other side . NRMA refused to repair both sides. 

 spacesailor

[old man emu]

35 minutes ago, red750 said:

BYD driver's desperate solution to EV design flaw during wild weather

What a clickbait headline!!!!!

 

Of course a car is going to be damaged in a hailstorm. Hundreds of vehicles, ICEs, hybrids and EVs, got hail damage a couple of summers ago in NSW and the ACT. If I know a  summer thunderstorm is approaching, I'll cover my car with some padding in case of hail. The only design fault that owner had was not having a designed garage or carport to put the car under a roof.

 

As for a sunroof on a car in Australia, you'd have to be crazy when you consider that sunroofs are OK in the higher latitudes where the sun is not so strong, but for most of Australia, the more shade the better.

[spacesailor]

I see that ' AI ' has got me again .

Should read " I did a U  turn " , not an upturn .

Seems it's a little dumb . Can't have an A with a vowl .

A upturn should have been corrected. 

spacesailor

[old man emu]

I want one of these!!!

 

 

[octave]

Back in the day, we owned this.  A tandem Greenspeed trike with trailer (with pedals).  We did ride it to the Sutton driver training centre where there was the Human Powered Vehicle Association for a competition day. (100km trip).    This was back in the mid-90s.  There were many pedal vehicles with elaborate fairings however electric motors and batteries were a lot more primitive than today.   We did get this trike to 80kph once down a pretty steep hill.

 

 

 

 

. d

 

[onetrack]

OME, don't buy one! They'd be a sure-death fire trap on wheels, with all that wood, combined with stray electricity!! That's if you survived any important screws falling out, or tearing out!! 😮

[nomadpete]

Recumbents rule!

[Jerry_Atrick]

I've never ridden a recumbent, but they do look  more uncomfortable than comfortable.

 

Maybe one day I will test ride one.

 

[octave]

Recumbents are much kinder on the arse

[onetrack]

What about the knees? The knees are also the ones to suffer when you've been pedalling for an extended period! And the lungs? What about the hills??

 

I'll tell you all a little story about SWMBO and myself going over to Rottnest Island for a couple of days break, about 20 years ago. I was still young and fit then, and enjoyed bike riding, and could ride up hill and down dale for hours. But SWMBO was never all that good on a bike, and hated hills, the average hill was too much effort for her, so she'd get off and walk.

 

We discussed taking our bikes to Rottnest, rather than relying on the Rottnest bus to get around the place (There are no cars allowed on Rottnest, apart from the few official ones. Everyone hires bikes or brings their own on the ferry).

SWMBO was a bit dubious about possibly excessive amounts of riding needed to get around. I reassured her (from faulty memory based on my last trip to Rottnest about 30 yrs previous), that the island was "pretty flat, anyway".

 

So we chucked the bikes on the ferry, and away we went. We duly set up in our lodgings and decided to go for a ride around the island. But after a couple of kays, the horror of what we'd set ourselves up for, rapidly dawned on us! The roads around Rottnest island contain bloody great HILLS, and more HILLS, after those hills!!

 

I think it took about 15 years for SWMBO to forgive me, for casually misinforming her, as to what we would be up against on Rottnest, on bikes! I must admit, despite being a fairly good bike rider, the hills on Rottnest certainly were a good test of ones fitness.

[octave]

E-bikes are brilliant.    Hills need not be an issue.

You can dial in the level of assistance you need but without taking all the effort out of it (unless you want to)

[old man emu]

3 hours ago, onetrack said:

They'd be a sure-death fire trap on wheels,

But it's an EV hybrid, and they don't catch fire.

[red750]

Another slight deviation from topic. Today I saw a car, not electric, with the weirdest name. You may have heard of it,. It's Up! By Volkswagen. I thought the name on the back was most unusual, particularly the exclamation mark.

 

[pmccarthy]

The electric version will be called Up Yours!

[Litespeed]

Cool little thing for Europe and city work.

 

UP!  Much better than a pretentious Commodore- WTF,  it's not a Naval battle group or Falcon, a top predator.

 

Far less cardigan than Cedric, Cressida, Crown or Avalon.

 

Not a Gulia  from Alfa Romeo, which illicit heart palpitations, winding roads and been convicted of sex with an automobile.

 

It's not 540 BMW announcing in its subtle Hugo Boss suit - don't fuck with serious Germans.

 

But a name that says get UP and get to where you want to be, and German with a smile from a girl fresh from a Berlin dance party.  

 

Car names are weird rarely are they even sensible.

 

And a lot of the new Chinese stuff sounds weird too.