lol-lol

Ships, big ones, sometimes come quite a long way up rivers. Two more berths being built at London Gateway just a bit down the river from Tilbury. Think they are going to be suitable for ultra large container vessel which I presume is like of Jaques Saade..... 23,000 TEU. I have sailed in to Belgium, via the W Schelde, up to Ghent, we were about 100,000 tonnes displacement ie nearly twice the size of the Ark Royal, QE, PoW aircraft carriers. New BYD car carrier, 9,200 car carrier....

Amazon makes UK’s largest-ever order of electric trucks https://www.multimodal.org.uk/article/amazon-makes-uks-largest-ever-order-of-electric-trucks?utm_source=feedotter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FO-01-17-2025&utm_content=httpswwwmultimodalorgukarticleamazonmakesukslargesteverorderofelectrictrucks A mazon is expanding zero-exhaust emission deliveries with the UK’s largest-ever order of electric trucks as well as the launch of rail deliveries across the UK. More than 140 new electric Mercedes-Benz Truck eActros 600 trucks and eight Volvo FM Battery Electric trucks are joining Amazon’s transportation network over the next 18 months as part of the UK’s largest-ever electric heavy vehicles (eHGV) order. Once fully operational, these new eHGVs are expected to transport more than 300 million packages each year with no exhaust emissions. The new electric trucks will haul trailers with products and packages to and from fulfilment centres, sort centres and delivery stations to customer doorsteps. Around 20 of the Mercedes-Benz trucks will join Amazon’s transportation network following the company’s participation in the UK Government’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator programme (ZEHID), with a proportion funded by the Department for Transport and coordinated in partnership with Innovate UK. Amazon has also added eight Volvo FM Battery Electric trucks as part of the programme. To support the expanded fleet, Amazon will install additional fast charging infrastructure across key UK sites, including 360kW electric charging points capable of charging the 40-tonne Mercedes-Benz trucks from 20 to 80 per cent in just over an hour. The new electric trucks will have a range of 310 miles (500km) on full charge. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Business has a crucial role to play in decarbonising our roads, and that’s why it’s fantastic to see Amazon place the UK’s biggest ever order of electric trucks, supported in part by the Government’s £200m ‘Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator’ project. This comes on top of our £2.3 billion to help industry and consumers switch to electric vehicles, supporting jobs, attracting investment and making Britain a clean energy superpower.”

Some cars have battery heaters and some dont and some it depends on the market. Nordic Zoes might have a battery heater, Scenic have battery heater but they only come if you schedule an in journey charge through the Google 12 in built software. Us users are asking for our own override and for it to be provided by over air update. Just might be worth it to do the battery heat up, maybe combine with an early click and collect shop. Roads are quitish round here, motorway north of Worcester 50 mph speed limit due to the making of extra laybys to correct the lack of them on smart motorway, going south is one of the largest gaps between junctions ie J7 for south Worcester to the South Wales M50 turn, too far really but the A449 runs north of Worcester, just about 3 miles o a quick run back and forth, a nice hill on the way back, a bit of peddle to the metal pulling 100 to 125 Kw ie 135 to 170 hp should warm the battery and cabin up a bit, back on the home charger for 15 minutes a be ready to go for the long journey a bit later. My companies solid state Bluecars in Paris, we had about 5,000 on the Parisian streets, done similar in Singapore and other places, kept the battery at toastie 50C ready for hire..

Well ordered and will be delivered by Ford, Renault, Stellantis and Toyota...... https://newsroom.bt.com/bt-group-announces-the-uks-largest-ever-electric-vehicle-ev-fleet-order/

Wonder if any EV drivers, those without the ability to switch on preconditioning like some models, have ever thought of taking the EV out for a quick blast up the carriageway, just 5 or 10 minutes, then put back in charge for say 15 minutes to top off and this would warm the battery and give noticeably more range after this bit of treatment ?

Certain the money does. Some in London and SE England regard the rest of the UK as spongers. Personally I think London weighting supplementary wages just keep disparity going. Trick is to be paid London wages but not to live in the area, far too busy for traffic etc for my liking.

I thought the tree in Lemmington spa was the centre of England and further from the sea. We have a port at Dudley. Dudley Port.

Norwegian gas in high demand. Hungary and Slovakia, possibly Austria too to a degree, not getting the Russian gas they relied on and having to buy the more expensive LNG brought in from Middle East. One report said crude production and consumption will continue to climb until 2030. Tenerife was like stepping back in time dye to low excise duties on fuel, fuel was about 1.1 Euros per litre ie well less than a pound a litre. Despite the all year round sun shine little solar to be seen. There are many countries and places like this, central and south America for example. Many countries will lag the transition but one as to look at Australia which has gone from a gas guzzling coal power station domination to large parts now totally supplied by renewable.

We know the Saudis can make a profit on crude oil selling it at $20 a barrel but other locations like further out in the North Sea might need a price of something like $70 a barrel. The UK and Europe need energy security and hence nuclear and even gas etc is likely to be part of the mix for years to come and we need oil for plastics. Maybe one day we will revert to what drivers and riders had to go in the original days and go and get 1,2,5 gallons from hardware store ie before petrol stations came about.

Electric Viking talking about the gradual closure of diesel/petrol station as their clientele gradual decline, happened in China and Norway and is bound to happen here in Europe as percentage of EV climb and ICE vehicles decline. 36% of UK gas stations have closed since 2000 Sam quotes in he video. Should be and are more jobs appearing at coffee and food places opening up close to EV charging stations. One garage owner, small local gas station down in Devon, said he made as much profit on selling a bottle of pop and chocy bar as the fuel ! ......

I just do not like the person Musk is despite his company's technical success. I gather in the last few days he sacked several thousand workers at one of his car plant, America I presume. The individuals found out as they drove up to the plant and were then told if your pass does not work then you are fired. No way to treat human beings.

Apparently 98% of charging is done at home, surprised it is that high, would gave guessed around 90%. That is not to say, or rather confirms, government should do a lot more about having very good public charging for those who do not have home chargers.

Had not realised that Renault had also won 2025 van of the year with its 90 kwh batteried Renault Master. On an absolute roll. Sometimes it is easy to forget that vans have a bigger effect on pollution than cars as they work for so many hours a day rather than maybe just a couple of hours on average for cars ?

No more subsidies and a Germany economy in a very bad way it sounds like. Given the opportunity for the UK to take the number one crown for EV sales for Europe especially when UK has no additional tariffs on Chinese EVs like EU countries. Some of the prices of SAIC, MG cars are just massive discount on what there were. Still not sold on SAIC MG as reliability poor and software not so good I hear but plenty of other choices ie BYD, POLESTAR. Wonder if countervailing duty will eventually be charged on CN cars coming to UK. Above does not apply to Northern Ireland as this territory was passed to EU by Boris of course.

Still is imported but just not put in to Free Ciculation as we call it. Could have got a ATA Carnet, did this for Mitsubishi Rally team when I was their Officer. Red Bull job keeps getting sent to my inbox but do not fancy that hassle. Any road up several ways it could have been "imported" in to the UK but it was seized under Traffic law it appears. Long time since I have worked for DoT. Quite possibly could have been seized under UK customs law as well but as long as it is off the roads of Manchester and the UK I am happy to see that. Makes a change for Albanians bringing a car in rather than taking them out if hearsay is true.

We should feel sorry for Musk as he has to produce a new rocket to replace one that blew up 8 minutes in to the flight. Hope nobody or anybodies property was damaged by the shower of debris falling from the sky Wonder if Musk believes in karma, probably not. Hopefully Jeff Bezos rockets will do better. Amazon delivery to space it is looking like.

Depending on if it is the latest v4 Superchargers. As a matter of ethics I only use TESLA as a last resort ie if there is no other alternative, irrespective of price. Apparently there have been some stickers available for TESLA owners to put in their cars which say. " I bought my TESLA before Musk went crazy", nice.

Indeed and it can almost be fun and a badge of honour doing so. Growing pains no doubt. Disappointing Cambridge services are making such a dogs dinner of things as well as BP and Shell. Even though our routing via M25 and A12 to drop in to the excellent Braintree Gridserve location or perhaps the new Stevenage Gridserve facility which is getting high praise. To use in International logistics the A14 is virtually the main arterial route and that it's 100 plus length is so bad for EVs, cars and trucks, is a disgrace. No doubt EV journey planning requires considerable thinking unlike ICE journeys which can be done without much thought at all. This will change as the custom at conventional gas stations steadily declines, we are seeing this in China as a forerunner of what is starting to happen in Europe. Already looking at the more southerly routes to Felixstowe ie MK and across country or M25 and A12 to avoid A14 at least until Cambridge services full back up and running in a few weeks and then A14 should be peachy.

I like the green too, not quite a Skoda or Kawasaki green but quite good. Will research the LFP version against the pure lithium. Car makers tend to do down the cheaper model in terms of acceleration and maybe even range spec as they prefer buyers to go for mid range or higher spec models as their profit margins are bigger on those cars. 40 kwh LFP is still a respectable 9s to 100 kph and range quoted as about 200 miles I recall rather than 255 for the nominal 52 kwh version which starts at £27k rather than £22k. Finance at 5.5% apr not too bad but may drop hopefully as bank rates drop in UK and UK. Hope Vicky is right and the 5, with the 4 and Twingo as wingmen/persons, as well as the Dacia brand, do well and move the transition to EVs forward at better speed.

Done more public charging attempts in the last week than I have in the previous 3 years with my managing office moving for Liverpool to Felixstowe. Well Cambridge services a mess as the install more chargers and the BP Pulse and Shell Recharge no goes. Shell pair in use or ICE'd, BP, a dozen chargers at Corby area, start authorisation then just hang. Took around £245 to pending and would not actually start the charge. Not a decent chargers anywhere along the hundred plus miles of the A14. BP and Shell, what a disgrace. You deserve not to be in business by the end of this decade. Thankfully just made it to Rugby services to the large bank of Gridserve chargers. What a contrast, full 125 kW charging, quick start to charge process, ten minute charge to one third full and back on the road in 15 minutes and that includes slip roads and connections. Well done Gridserve, 79p a kwh did not feel so bad when such good service, £16 spent. Like Ionity and I suspect Instavolt great service until giants BP and Shell, may you die like the dinosaurs.

Many of the publications, particularly the papers, perhaps should be barred from calling themselves "newspapers" as the do not deliver news but political opinion mostly so should be called mouthpieces rather than "newspapers" ?

Still a registration and sale which will turn up probably as a great lease deal. BT bought a job lot of 3500 EV vans i gather late last year.

And the presentation of CoTY,,, 12 minutes in starts the actual ceremony, our Vicky Parott journo ...... 33 minutes in for the actual announcement after all the scores on the board..... Second year in a row for a Renault (and Alpine) after the Scenic victory last year) Already have a Scenic, smaller battery version unusually, hope to swap my Zoe for a 5 later this year, mid spec 52 kwh version, slightly more range than Zoe but much faster charging. Had an original 5 some 30 years ago and loved it and although looks are similar very different car of course.

Vicky Parott (or is it Wiggy as the auto speech writer writes), car journalist from the UK , announces the European (as to the combined European car publicians not just European cars) Car of the Year 2025. Most of the 7 finalist are electric reflecting the points allocated by the 60 or so publications across Europe. A part from the winner and the winning manufacturers, second year in a row for them, some interesting runners up and not expensive cars either.. Skip to 12 minutes in to avoid all the 61 year history of the competition...........

Just built myself a higher capacity, amperage, trailing lead to go from 3 pin wall socket out, via the letter box, to the granny charger which can charge at 8,10, 13 or 16 amps (suited to the more powerful mainland Europe sockets). Running at 10 amps at my brother i could feel the plug getting tepid. He does already charge his daughters e golf with a 13a granny charger but I did not want to push it until I tested it at home so I just used my granny charger at 10a current level. Now replaced the orange extension cable, 1.25mm or 1.5 mm power cables with a blue spec 2.5 mm electrical cable that will run 13a all day and night and should take heat away from the wall plug. Just wondering how/if it would run at 16a if I changed to a 16a fuse or even if the 13a fuse would actually blow if drawing a nominal 16a. The granny box display shows the amps less than the 10 or 13 a nominal so perhaps choosing 16a setting would actually run at 15a or so and not even blow the 13a fuse. Might try it supervised. Unit shows voltage and kwh and interesting how it varies at time of day and location and it shows high 220v to high 230v from what I have seen. Wanted to try a hydra setup with two 13a plugs coming from a junction box to feed 16amps to the granny charger and most electrician say no no but with a great reason.