Electric Cars - the discussion continues.

[spacesailor]

Silly question !.

But

If electricity is atomic molecules in motion, why is it not called 

 'ATOMIC ' .

 

See, silly question.

spacesailor

[facthunter]

Because it's only electrons that are  in motion. In a conductor  one goes in one end and another drops out the other giving a current flow when there's a voltage drop.  (Difference of potential)  Nev

[nomadpete]

Electric cars offer more variety of styles now....

[old man emu]

2 hours ago, nomadpete said:

Electric cars offer more variety of styles now....

Is that a new Police Squat car?

[pmccarthy]

I just changed a tyre for my wife's fourth puncture in her Corolla hybrid. We have "never" had punctures before. Is it the extra weight of batteries or a weak tyre that is designed for lower rolling resistance? Or just bad luck?

[onetrack]

Peter, did you determine the actual damage to the tyre, and the cause of the flat in each instance? If the carcass shows serious damage - such as tread or ply separation - without a specific damage initiator, then the tyre strength is suspect.

However, if the tyre shows damage from an initiator, such as a nail, a rock, or other severe impact to the carcass, then the tyre is not at fault. Hitting objects on the road is the most common cause of tyre damage and flats, nails and screws such as self tappers are the most common cause of flats (watch out for areas around construction sites where lazy, careless tradies regularly drop screws!).

Impact from a rock on the road, the edge of a pothole, or impact with a broken-away edge of the sealed road, bruises tyre carcasses, and they will then often blow out or separate the plies at the impact site later.

Impacts with kerbs, particularly sharp edges of kerbs, and particularly at speed, is another source of tyre carcass damage.

Ensuring correct tyre pressures is important, low pressures rapidly create heat buildup in the carcass, that will result in carcass damage - particularly if the car is driven at highway speeds. Tyre pressures should be checked monthly, at least. Correct tyre pressures also ensure best fuel economy.

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by onetrack

[old man emu]

And always fit the dust cap onto the valve stem after checking tyre pressures. A valve cap on a Schrader valve prevents the entry of dirt or other contaminants that may interfere with the sealing surfaces and cause a leak. The Schrader valve is a type of pneumatic tire valve used on virtually every motor vehicle in the world today.

 

Metal, and some hard plastic valve caps, have a rubber washer or O-ring inside, both to prevent the cap from loosening and falling off due to vibration, and to serve as a mechanical seal to prevent air from leaking from a faulty valve core. Simple caps without seal do not reliably prevent leaks.

[willedoo]

A small squirt of Inox often fixes a leaky valve seal. I learnt that one from an old truckie.

[facthunter]

Later types have rubber in the parts, and don't like Inox. Put spit on the end of your finger and apply to end of valve to check for leaks. As Said the cap should seal it if it's in good condition. Under inflation is a sure way to shorten the tyre's life. Nev

[old man emu]

Tyres are an incredible device. The physical forces they endure so often without breaking apart are astounding. And yet, they are the most neglected functional component of a vehicle. That neglect is an indicator of how well tyres are made now. 

[ClintonB]

At work I find lots of cheap mag wheels on caravans with stems that are perishing to the point of failure in around 2 years.

I have an old wheel I found for my Valiant in the bush at Kalgoorlie 25 years ago and is still holding air and the stem works. Seems a lot of good tyre design can be let down by a cheap minor component.

 

[spacesailor]

Crook stem !.

You can replace those old style rubber valve stems with a newer design, even metal stems are better on 4X4s. 

spacesailor

[red750]

 

100 Vehicles Catch fire in Delhi’s Electric Vehicle Charging Station – India

 

Click here for details

[onetrack]

I can well imagine the Indian-style of wiring that led to this disaster - wires draped everywhere like spaghetti, and lots of illegal or unapproved wiring connections.

[Bruce Tuncks]

Yep,onetrack, I stood spellbound in some middle-eastern city looking at the wiring attached to the buildings. Some people had alligator-clips and clearly got their electricity for nothing. ( the alligator clip wires went into windows)

We think of these places as being police states. They well may be nasty dictatorships, but some things, like electricity, clearly are not policed at all.

[facthunter]

Things disappear there. Reporters electricity.  Nev

[nomadpete]

The very fact that those people can successfully hook onto exposed active street cabling, shows that they have substantial knowledge, initiative and creative abilities.

And that attitude is one which is part of their cultural identity, an asset back home. But not an asset here.

Unfortunately when we welcome migrants into our country, we tend to glorify all the nice things about the culture that they bring. However, we really should identify and firmly address the issue of areas of the migrant's culture that must be left behind.

 

Extreme examples are:

Forced marriages

Child brides

Genital mutilation 

 

More common examples:

Workplace safety,

DIY construction,

DIY electrical work,

Motorists who got a driver's licence through an interpreter, but don't know or obey road rules.

 

There is quite a bit that goes under the radar, but is negatively impacting the country.

 

[red750]

6 hours ago, nomadpete said:

Workplace safety,

Lots of foreign labourers on roofs demolishing houses without protective barriers is one example.

[Marty_d]

6 hours ago, nomadpete said:

The very fact that those people can successfully hook onto exposed active street cabling, shows that they have substantial knowledge, initiative and creative abilities.

And that attitude is one which is part of their cultural identity, an asset back home. But not an asset here.

Unfortunately when we welcome migrants into our country, we tend to glorify all the nice things about the culture that they bring. However, we really should identify and firmly address the issue of areas of the migrant's culture that must be left behind.

 

Extreme examples are:

Forced marriages

Child brides

Genital mutilation 

 

More common examples:

Workplace safety,

DIY construction,

DIY electrical work,

Motorists who got a driver's licence through an interpreter, but don't know or obey road rules.

 

There is quite a bit that goes under the radar, but is negatively impacting the country.

 

I would argue that most of the 'more common's' also apply to Australian-born people from Gagebrook.  Except they don't bother with the licence.

[nomadpete]

My experience of seeing crazy dangerous electrical work in homes, is in inner Sydney, and by middle eastern migrants. It wasn't quite at the level of alligator clips onto the street wires, but it was very obviously dangerous to life and house. They were lovely people though.

 

I also had a intelligent, educated colleague who built what we called 'The Serbian Embassy'. It started out as a cheap, tiny cheap workers cottage, and over the years it grew to be a two storey brick home that accommodated his very extended family. It looked ok from outside, but after hearing all his interesting construction innovations, I'd have to say any subsequent owner should approach the purchase with a dozer. He was a newcomer. Incidentally he had to go back to Serbia to get a wife, because there aren't any marriagable women in Australia.

Sure, I have seen some mildy dodgy stuff by our 'born here' cowboys but nothing as bad as that of 'new Australians'.

 

Back to topic ... Has anyone found a picture (yet) of alligator clips onto overhead street distribution cabling, for fast charging a electric car?

Edited June 27, 2022 by nomadpete

[pmccarthy]

In 1971 I had an exam question which asked me to draw a circuit diagram of a Glebe house. At the time, I didn’t even know where Glebe was.

[facthunter]

The electricity you get from those wires won't charge anything . It would have to go through a substantial transformer and a rectifier. Nev

[nomadpete]

31 minutes ago, pmccarthy said:

In 1971 I had an exam question which asked me to draw a circuit diagram of a Glebe house. At the time, I didn’t even know where Glebe was.

A 1970 Glebe house is easy.

If original, a light in each room, and two power points - one in kitchen and one in hallway.

 

But in 1970 it was probably occupied by squatters. So no circuits at all!

[nomadpete]

40 minutes ago, facthunter said:

The electricity you get from those wires won't charge anything . It would have to go through a substantial transformer and a rectifier. Nev

 Nev, if street supply is 240v, it is capable of probably many hundreds of amps. (Maybe they'd get a cheap chinese fast charger off ebay.)  So, much faster charge capability than a household which is probably cabled to the meter for about 50amps total, and outlets for 10amps. That is why any householder that wants to charge their car any faster than 24hrs, needs to spend up on their house wiring.

 

Furthermore, if more than a couple of householders in the street want faster than trickle charging, then the street cabling must be upgraded. Then the pole transformer. Then if the suburb wants it, the local substation must be upgraded, then the state grid ....... And so on.

We hope that most electric car owners invest in their own solar panels, otherwise everybody will be in for a big expensive shock. (Pun intended)

Edited June 28, 2022 by nomadpete

[octave]

5 minutes ago, nomadpete said:

That is why any householder that wants to charge their car any faster than 24hrs, needs to spend up on their house wiring.

I dispute this.  A humble 10amp or 15 amp granny lead will most EVs from empty to full in significantly less time than 24 hours.  Also it is seldom necessary to charge an EV form empty to full. My son owns a Tesla and although he now has a faster charger he did start out with a 15amp granny lead which from memory would put in about 15km of range per hour.   Plugged in over night this would supply more than enough range for the next day.    No electrician was required although I believe it is prudent to have the power point checked to make sure it is in good condition.