lol-lol

As a driver of the beautiful Opel Mante GTE the term Crapi was oft used. Or Ford Cortina in drag. Much enjoyment blowing off 3 litre Crapis in a Doly Sprint too.

I think they might have been a bit of a oddball gimmick but the do stand as economic sense in this decade and beyond. My petrol car or the EV both cost about 2.5p a mile for energy but that is because I have a fuel card and can charge at home. Servicing is much cheaper in the EV, insurance about the same, EV uses its tyres up a bit quicker but as they are 17 and 16 inch they are both quite cheap. With government mileage rate at quite a lowly 45p a mile I can run both at not a loss and the choice to run one or other is tight, its mainly my EV is only good for about 220 miles whereas the ICE car can easily do 300 miles without slighly prolonged stop. Love them both and both make economic sense.

"Ford Explorer" is an ID4 which Ford have fitted their own body on to. It sounds 80% plus VW.

Indeed, and just like speedo errors certain manufacturers seem to have different tolerances. Established European manufacturers seem to have more generous tolerances, more warning of running out and manement of that last kwh or two than say the Chinese owned EVs ie BYD, though Polestar and EV seem quite good. Smiths speedo use to be more accurately than Italian Vaugleo speedos like we use to call them ie 2% out compared to say 10% out.

TESLA make billions from this in the US, as well as their electricity sales on the charging network, and are looking to do the same in Europe now.

If the Explorer is actually an ID something then don't know who they count the EV score against ?

If a Lithuim ion battery and maximising battery life is a goal. In racing and high performance EVs if you are only planning hundreds of charges and not thousands then charge to a higher percentage and C value ie several times more charge rate ie 100 kws for a 50 kwh battery which is C2. If the battery was lithium iron phosphate then charging to 100% is OK. Car display might show 100% but it is really 98% as car makes want you to shut off early to protect the battery by having a buffer of about 5% or so at the top and bottom of the state of charge indicator display but it will not show 103% or -3% or the like. One needs an OBD port device to show this.

Well done Quarteraro in the Spanish MotoGP, fro 23rd to 3rd in a 12 lap sprint race, awesome.

Formula e Gen 3 Evo car - platform for the Gen 4 cas coming in in about a year and a bit......... Key technical enhancements for the new GEN3 Evo race car include: The quickest accelerating FIA single-seater race car – Capable of 0-60mph in 1.82 seconds (0-100kph in 1.86s), 30% faster than a current F1 car. Faster, stronger, more agile – Performance upgrades providing an estimated 2% performance gain from GEN3, equating to a c.2 secs faster qualifying lap on the Monaco circuit, offering world-class racing on any track. Leaner and meaner – An aggressive new body kit designed to be stronger, more robust and more aerodynamic, delivering closer wheel-to-wheel racing. All-wheel drive (AWD) –A first for a Formula E car, available during qualifying duels, race starts, and ATTACK MODE. This feature maximizes acceleration and control, elevating the thrill of critical race moments and intensifying driver rivalries. AWD enhances both performance and strategy, providing more exciting racing for drivers and fans alike. Better grip – Optimised all-weather Hankook iON tires providing 5-10% more grip, made from 35% recycled and sustainable materials (+9% vs GEN3 spec) The fastest Formula E car: Top speed of 200mph Regenerative braking: Cars optimise the 600kw regenerative braking capacity to generate nearly 50% of the energy needed for a race, during the race itself. Enhanced performance by software: Race performance upgrades made through software engineering. Most efficient Formula car ever: An electric motor with over 90% efficiency, significantly surpassing the 40% efficiency typical of internal combustion engines. Minimising production footprint: The world’s first net zero carbon race car in the world’s first net zero carbon sport. Sustainable battery development: Suppliers of battery cell minerals selected on ethical and sustainable mining standards to ensure a positive or neutral impact on people and the planet. Lifecycle thinking: Life cycle thinking throughout the car’s construction; second life and recycling for battery cells; recycled carbon fibre and natural materials such as linen integrated into the chassis. Conscientious supply chain: All suppliers held to strict sustainability KPIs, achieving FIA 3* Environmental Accreditation certification by Season 9. Race-to-road transfer: Specific road-relevant areas of the car are opened for development by teams and manufacturers, designed for direct tech transfer to automotive industry. Ultra-fast charging capability: A new technological development still in development, designed to allow a 30sec 600kw high-speed charge for additional energy mid-race.

But do not have to stand there looking like I am mating with the car, I walk away, empty my bladder, go get a Starbucks, or Gregs or Maccie Ds etc. With UK unemployment going up perhaps we can go back to attendance service in filling stations ?

They will when the new batch of Dacia/Renaults come through and if we let the very cheap Chinese cars come in and not stick them with a whole not of Anti-Dumping Duty in addition to the 10% existing customs duty. The UK and EU government are here to protect EU businesses, not so much EU consumers. BYD seagull should be only around £10k so very cheap to lease, PCP etc. French have recently had a program for about 60 Euros a month for Dacia Spring and the like, massively oversubscribed . Like below, again might be a while before we see RHD version, link to French newspaper which your browser should translate approximately. https://www.frandroid.com/marques/byd/1958408_le-plus-grand-concurrent-de-tesla-reduit-le-prix-de-sa-voiture-electrique-la-plus-abordable-avant-son-arrivee-en-europe

Never charged for more than 15 minutes and that is with an EV that can only charge at less than 50 kWs. Next car will charge at 100, 150 ,200, 250, 350 kW, up to the 60% mark which will be enough to get a hundred miles or more. Not sure where people get the half hour charging from, most people I see at public chargers are been and gone in ten minutes, 15 sometime and rarely more than 20 minutes, no point, get back on the road and drive for another hour or two and get home to that lovely sub 10p per kWh lecky, to a cheap fast (ie 7-22 kw), not rapid charger which there are tens of thousands.

It is this bit particularly "that is why diesels were always massively more economical than petrol engines on short urban journeys especially winter ones," Wrong on so many levels. Diesels are awful on short journeys, take far too long to warm up, power units are heavy for their specific outputs, better suited to long steady journeys on motorways etc, or barges, or ships, though my French employer CMA is quickly moving over to LNG powered ship for cleaner emissions. if you can get a petrol engine to at high compression ratio, now well over 10 and as high as 12 in some cases, along with the petrol engine lighter weight and less inertia of reciprocating and rotating components, always liked Vankel engined machine and enjoyed my time with Piper and Norton working on their engines. Have heard that one firm has just scored a diesel up to 53% thermal efficiency, well done, be the next century to get to electric motors circa 90% though. My 1.4D Skoda Fabia was a right old cobble together, yes could do 80 mpg but what a palava and of course slower to warm up than a petrol or EV with a heat pump. I like hybrids with small efficient engines, petrol of course so the NOX is not bad ie less than 10 ugm per km, not 60 or 80 as many of them are on paper but in reality much worse. Clio e-tech 1.6l, non turbo, amazingly low NOX. Petrols have been getting closer and closer to diesel, especially in full hybrid mode making diesels really only suitable, for the next few years for 40/44T haulage but even that will go in a few years for full EV or hydrogen powered IMO.

Go do a degree in thermodynamics and you may then know what I am talking about. This month £8k into pension FYI.

Popped in to the local Renault/Dacia dealership to get some coolant fluid for the Arkana, bloody ICE cars and their needs for liquids and fluid filters, and activity is low and they are waiting for the plorethoria of EVs that Dacia/Renault are launching in the UK later this year, relatively cheap and with all the experience the have gained being the early adopter like their sister company Nissan. The car market, including the three quarters that is supposed to be ICE/hybrid is quite as it is a tough market to sell in with the UK economy still in the Doldrums after the LT mini-budget but I think they are selling quite a few pure ICE Clios which they have re-introduced to sell along the excellent Clio etech full hybrid, you can even give get extra discount if you trade in an old Fiesta now that Ford has abandoned that sector. As I have mentioned before being a country that drives on the left, ie need RHD cars means we are getting the latest cars a few months after the LHR versions are made sadly. Anybody sensible, which hopefully includes me, will know UK EV buyers will see some mega EV deals as UK cars sellers subsidies the sales of EVs from there sales of ICE cars to avoid the £15K per cars hit they are the wrong side of the compulsory 22% EV share of sales. Already happens a bit with the 94 grams/km penalty level on CO2 emissions. they can take my Zoe back so there will be another EV to buy on the second hand market, these prices seem to have recovered somewhat since the glut of ex-rental ones went back on to the market. EV sales are bound to crest and dip when matters like subsidies and penalties appear on the market. If I do not go for the TESLA model 3 SR then a Megane-e is a very nice car though I wish there was the 85 kwh battery option like in the sister car Nissan Ariya gets, maybe there will be as the battery packs get cheaper and cheaper, maybe an even cheaper LFP battery pack version as well !!

I think there is an element of location disadvantage ie if you live in the centre of UK then lots of chargers and I can generally go most places in the UK pass or use lots of chargers that are in the Midlands and either get home using mainly home charger or at worse have a small splash and dash or zap and zoom I suppose it might be called. It needs targeting and encouragement and SW England is a case in point, year or so very few chargers but now lots ie Exeter services, Salmons leap at Buckfast, Cornwall service and many other sites in the SW of England. With longer and longer range EVs being released every month it must be worrying for EV charging companies, TESLA, as usual, is the only one to really get it right, especially with the V4 chargers. EV drivers know they are cheaper than Gridserve and will use them in preference. Best of all get a TESLA if one can stand/adapt to the car controls issues. I presume one can get the new Model 3 performance, 0-60 in 2.9s, quicker than Mclarens, on salary sacrifice, yes £500 a month or so, still a bargain IMO, though I will probably go for Standard one at sub £40K RRP which is not around £350 a month with super cheap running cost for energy and servicing, say £400 all in for business use, and settle for 0-60 in 5.9s.

I think there are some temporary blips and inflections in EV sales due to withdrawals of subsidies but just down the road, later this year, there are crops of EVs that will be similar RRP and aligned with cheaper running costs they should bump the EV numbers up. EV owners like me are also looking to chop and change and there could be some mega deals as manufacturers do everything ie sell new ones at cost or loss to make their 22% EV target and avoid the 15k per vehicle hit if short. They may do heaps of pre registering of course too.

Its called scientific progress. As our science improves we learn more about what harms us, what trigger cancer and respiratory diseases. The UKs "safe" levels are twice what the WHO recommends as "safe" levels. Living near busy road junctions clearly has increased risks of the above medical issues , places we often have our schools sadly. We must keep "driving" the known dangerous pollutants down. NOX and PMs are realtime pollutants that can trigger respiratory attacks that kill in minutes. CO2 speeds along climate change. "Glaciers melting in the dead of night".

NOX is broadly heading the right way and is not being tightened up and same with HC. It seems PMs, particularly PM 2.5 seem to be the most worrying pollutant currently and Euro 7 looks to address this my stopping cars being made who do not have regen brakes or at least reversible generator/alternator tech which saves a bit on emissions ie mild hybrid. I would have thought there would be stricter quality on both brake components and tyres to emit less PMs. EV brake components can last 200k miles or more as they are used so little compared to regen, some but less so with hybrids, full or mild.

Wonderful trip to my home town. Be good when there are more TESLA V4 chargers to bring the cost down.

Solar panels, like EV traction batteries are falling rapidly in cost. Same for home batteries. I expect to pay less than 50p per watt of solar panel now, down by a half in a couple of years. Home batteries now less about 30p per watt hour of storage. This whilst inflation was over 10% last year and is still about 4% this year. True fall in cost of renewable and storage is staggeringly cheap hence countries like Germany are rapidly becoming more renewable than hydrocarbon, Denmark, Norway already are.

It's coming. As battery packs get cheaper and can be bigger capacity to less money plus increase use of super and ultra capacitors, my company been doing it for years as have F1, formula e and increasingly regen brakes use capacitors. Half Meg and full megawatt chargers are coming around in several countries.

There is a 20 % loss in uploading grid or solar to batteries and then deploying it plus the degradation of the battery pack which if lithium ion rather than lithium iron phosphate could be considerable. It has got to be a good margin to tempt me.

Actually it's down to compression ratios and max temperature and ambient, in Kelvin of course rather than C or F. Assuming perfect or semi perfect gas, not too much water vapour if I remember my BSc Thermodynamics of long ago.

The Zoe is not the best for long long journeys. I find it OK for a couple of hours and then I wish I was in the Arkana. It is/was a car of its time. Massive half tonne battery back, not a blade design to literally a block, have no upward/downward seat adjustment is a pain after a couple of hours. But Arkana is typically comfy Renault seats so I would cross continents in that, 7 speed EDC/DSG it purs along, 60 mpg in the summer, big boot, all good. look to charge it for a Rafela maybe in couple of years, it can run in EV mode at 130 kph, man from Renault HQ informed me but would not let me test out, son's Clio e-tech pops in to EV mode certainly up to 70 mph and can do 70 or 80 mpg if carefully. We just need to get the old cars off the streets which are polluting the air we breath. Another scrappage scheme needed I thinks.