lol-lol

Saabs I remember. Think it was a 96.

Yep and still do with the Arkana ie when the hybrid's coasting system is not cutting the engine or not even popping both clutches to go in to detached engine to wheels mode then slide the gear stick in to neutral to save fuel. Only when nice a clear of other traffic and nothing around that would need a sudden touch on the accelerator peddle to nip out of trouble, Gazelle using a Zebra crossing without looking, or is that a Zebra using a Gazelle crossing. Slip it back in to Drive, or B mode and that is in any of the hybrids or the EV or the ICE cars before that, helps with the fuel consumption and only do it when no one with 100 yards or more.

More modern Skodas, Audis VW, Renaults, Samsungs just take this one step further by shutting off engine completely either until a touch of the throttle near instantly brings the ICE back to revs as one of the dual clutches also pops in. It was not on the Fabia DSG but it was on the later model OCtavia dry clutch 7 DSGs as well as wet one Audi etc use. Just a logical progression and super quick reacting.

You seem to be about a decade behind the curve. This is a setting feature that has been in Audi/VAG/Skoda cars for about a decade. It is all engine management system managed through the DSG system as it is through Renault's EDC system too. The re-engagement of the engine is achieved in hundreds not even tenths of a second as the Audi/VW/Skoda/Renault fires in the engine and pops back in one of the dual clutches faster than even a F1 racing driver can think and act. One press the accelerator to do the overtime and the power is there, in the hybrids case with some or a lot of electric assist as well. This is how my Octavia and Arkana work and it is entirely within what the manufacturers have designed and built in to modern cars.

Coasting means, or should mean, engine completely off and not just clutch or clutches disengaged, my Octavia 1.4 TSI with 7 speed DSG would do this, it was never described as a hybrid as far as I was aware but the same coasting bit but I think my Arkana goes one step further and during acceleration the starter motor converts to a little electric motor assist and this gives the power unit a bump up from 240 Nm to 260 Nm and 130 hp to 140 hp and this help fuel consumption by about 6% or so. I am presuming it is this small assist and regen element that gets it categorized as hybrid and not the coasting but hey, I will take the tenner off the annual road tax and the torque, power and fuel consumption tweak even if just a handful of percentage on each. Less running cost, less visits to the petrol station, better driving experience. Take all of that all day long, no downside I can see yet and buy cost was lowish, £25K for a segment C car, 100k mileage, 5 year warranty, more safety systems that I know what to do with. Mild hybrid. One would have to be a masochist not to accept these technical advancements which make driving and owning that little bit better for small money and these European cars are nowa aimed to be 95 grams/km or less, dropping by 1 gm per km each year else EU will fine those car makers and even UK cars need to take account of this and will, I presume, pay this levy hence the technical progression each year we see on a car like the Clio, year on year on year, 97, 96, 95 grams per km down each year and fuel consumption improvement by about 1 mpg per year also and so it progresses.

If a car is not at least got a tiny bit of hybrid, like my Arkana which does not have EV mode but only coasting but still qualifies as mild hybrid, then the car is so technically old, bit of an MG3, then it does not deserve to be on the road and that bit of cost not having minimal hybrid systems will have save the buyer a bit of money out of the showroom but cost the buyer every day in fuel cost they car is used. No brainer.

The CO2 is not the main concern anymore it is the NOX and PMs............................ https://carfueldata.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/downloads/download.aspx?rg=aug2014 Description Transmission Transmission type Emissions NOx [mg/km] THC + NOx Emissions [mg/km] Particulates [No.] [mg/km] Euro Standard Booklet VED Band 2.0 Duratorq ECO (163PS) Saloon (+DPF) Manual M6 144 171 0.3 5 August 2014 C 2.0 Duratorq ECOnetic (140PS) Saloon (+DPF) Manual M6 144 171 0.3 5 August 2014 C 2.0 Duratorq ECO (163PS) Estate (+DPF) Manual M6 144 171 0.3 5 August 2014 C 2.0 Duratorq ECOnetic (140PS) Estate (+DPF) Manual M6 144 171 0.3 5 August 2014 C 2.0 Duratorq (140PS) Estate (+DPF) Manual M6 154 189 0.1 5 August 2014 D 2.0 Duratorq (140PS) Saloon (+DPF) Manual M6 154 189 0.1 5 August 2014 D 2.0 Duratorq (163PS) Estate (+DPF) Manual M6 154 189 0.1 5 August 2014 D 2.0 Duratorq (163PS) Saloon (+DPF) Manual M6 154 189 0.1 5 August 2014 D 2.0 Duratorq ECO (163PS) Estate (+DPF) Automatic A6 134 176 0.3 5 August 2014 E 2.0 Duratorq ECO (163PS) Saloon (+DPF) Automatic A6 134 176 0.3 5 August 2014 E 2.0 Duratorq ECOnetic (140PS) Estate (+DPF) Automatic A6 134 176 0.3 5 August 2014 E 2.0 Duratorq ECOnetic (140PS) Saloon (+DPF) Automatic A6 134 176 0.3 5 August 2014 E

TESLA semi is around 900 kWh apparently. Australian Janus trucks are running 1240 kWh in two swappable packs each side where the belly fuel tanks usually go.

Indeed, just the first step. US and Oz EV trucks seen to be further ahead. With the year on year increase in energy density, cicra 10% per year combined with costs of batteries falling by even greater percentages adoption should pickup pace especially with diesel prices up 10% ish in the last 3 months and outlook even worse with Saudi throttling.

That is the problem. ICE should have died out about half a century ago. Reciprocating engines are such an ancient tech which we should have found and implemented one of the rotary techs many decades ago. Tip issues with Vankel's engines did sadly hold them up. When one really thinks ago it the crazy situation of pistons, rings and the conrods reversing direction dozens of times a second is nuts. I would watch the working of the slow speed marine engines, the most thermally efficient ICE every made and think this is nuts from a thermodynamic and engineering standpoint, what a massive waste of kinetic energy compared to rotary engines, including electric motors as well as Vankels. Her is what you see of a Doxford marine engine, I also worked on B&W and Sulzer, all different piston configurations, all two stroke diesel with efficiency approach 50% thermal..... Electric motors, as they are rotary and not reciprocating, undergo very little load through the bearings, unlike reciprocating engines. My Zoe motor spins up to beyond 11k revs but I motors or batteries are not big issues, unlike the LEAF where degradation has been an issue in some issues, notably the 30 kW I recall reading but they are often fixed by locating one or more duff cells and then the are back to near full capacity. With fast advances in energy cell density it would be great to see older battery packs being replaced with ones of 20, 30 or 40% more capacity as a relatively cheap update. Mazda still believe in Felix's alternate and brilliant move to rotary internal combustion engines but sadly it will probably die out with the rest of ICE. Video below Doxford engine vid. The beam on the top could be over a ton on the bigger versions...

Fabia 1.4 tdi would comfortably do an indicated 85 mpg on a run, more like 60 mpg round town and a 75 mpg average. Even then it works out about 9 pence per mile plus servicing cost at least double than EV. Fuelling costs about four times for the ICE compared to the EV.

If the current projection of EV adoption at not only sales but miles driven, and not just by private cars but commercial vehicles then petrol stations that just sell hydrocarbon fuel and not EV charging are bound to struggle to survive with a rapidly decreasing clientele. One can imagine diesel and petrol will be in the same situation as LPG is now. This is going to in the early part of the next decade but seeing closed up petrol stations is bound to be an increasingly common site. I hope many can adapt and have EV charging on the same site, but well separated as the two types of filling should be a very good distance a part and of course an expansion to the hot drinks etc facilities as EV, this decade, take a few minutes longer to get a charge say 20% to 70%, less so with income Li Fe Po4 technology batteries. Even if there are lots of ICE cars registered they will only get used for weekend jollies as EVs will, and are already, so much cheaper to use mile per mile so as we see EVs will be doing, on average, thousands of miles to use the Russian/Saudi etc go go juice. Saudi just confirmed that the million barrel a day cut is planned to be implemented to the end of the year at least which is driving Brent and WTI crude to $100 a barrel. Electricity should be getting cheaper and cheaper as more and more country to country interconnectivity and more wind coming on line from the North Sea. As we know ICE cars are very complex with hundreds of specialist parts, air filters, bearings, con rods, piston rings, oil and water pumps, thermostats etc. What should be a simple periodic replacement of thermostat and water pump on my Fabia diesel, last year, costs £750 as there is so much work plus the parts and even then with the car doing 70 mpg plus it is still nowhere near as cheap to run as my Zoe EV. It will just be uneconomic to keep these vehicles on the road unless one does it as a hobby as they will not be an economic choice.

DHL already started the transition...... https://www.dhl.com/gb-en/home/press/press-archive/2023/dhl-supply-chain-introduces-uks-first-volvo-heavy-duty-electric-tractor-units.html#:~:text=Vehicles directly replace diesel models,on a range of activities. In Europe it has been a year or more... WIth tumbling battery prices, with what regen is providing, DHL in Europe, Pepsi in the US.

Indeed. Are not commercial vehicles even stronger case to move over even quicker as we see by DPD and other parcel and goods carriers. In logistics were are asked for most movements by many customers what the co2 is per kilo or tonne of delivered goods. Bringing goods from Heathrow airport to the various freight forwarders using ice is a financial disadvantage in the ULEZ zone. Bigger trucks also now being sourced as EV.

The end of mass ICE vehicles in sight. Soon to be the minority of sales. Would be difficult to run as petrol station vastly reduce in number, parts to fix and service them.

All the Zoes, 22, 40 and 50 kwh battery can be a great buy and buying the right one for ones longest journeys ie 80 mile, 160 mile or 200 mile is the biggest choice issue. As Jimmy Carter, the ex US president, and his government administration, what they know during the fuel crisis of the early-mid 1970s, was that cars, and this would mean purely ICE cars of course. Do incredibly better fuel consumption around 55 mph (or at least 60-ish and under) than they do at around the 70 mph cruising speed. this was a matter of national economic stability as the US had to decreases its fuel usage so it really on used oil drilled in the US, land and coastal waters, and not buy from the Middle East hence the introduction of the "Double Nickel" ie the 55 mph speed limit. Of course people drove at up to 60 mph with the tolerance of speed measuring and law enforcement prosecution and the US imported a whole lot less oil from those countries trying to excerpt economic muscle. They succeeded. The Zoe can easily get well above 4 miles per kWh if the temperature of above 10 C and at least that shown above even when it is cold ie zero degrees zero or thereabout but one may need to back off to 60-65 indicated to get that as the aero drag coefficient is more like 0.3 is slightly above that rather than the TESLA close to 0.2.

Something non EV driver probably do not appreciate is that I can make the range of my EV, the cute little Renault Zoe, a distance from say 160 miles to 240 miles with just a little change to my cruising average to some quite another order or magnitude if I choose and have the time ie a Zoe has done well over 400 miles at town speeds, English and certainly Welsh urban speeds. When I do get home I will charge up and it will cost about the same as the price of a tank of hydrocarbon fuel has risen in the last month ie about £4. One an get free bungs of electricity from ones provider, as Electroverse from Octopus does. I can be billed monthly and actually charging up at a public charger will go on my monthly house bill and it probably will not affect my normal £125 a month Direct Debit that I pay so effectively it has zero effect on my month to month finances, might have to pay a bit more next month depending on capped energy prices. Real world range, plenty for short and medium ie up to 200 mile round trips. Cost to charge, negligible, 9p per kWh for 99% of the time.

Yep, showing 9 pence per kWh instead of 9.5 p per kWh for the 4 hour cheaper time 0030 to 0430, hope they keep it that or less through winter and in to next year. Assuming 90% charging efficiency that would be 9.9/ 4 miles per kWH so just under 2.5 p per kWh. Actually managed 4.5 miles per kWh going down to South Wales, not slow but not at the limit, and maybe above on the speedo occasionally, but down to just over 4 miles per kWh coming back to Worcester and arrived home with 25% after the 160 mile round trip with about 30 miles in to Newport to go with daughter to Halfords to get a bunch of European driving items. Did pop in to the new Osprey bank of chargers just off the motorway at Maygor between Newport Gwent and the Severn bridges and plugged in to one of those chargers just to see it works OK and lob in some of my free Electroverse credit in to the Zoe. Forgot that at already 65% SOC the charge rate would only be 30 kW but hey ho. Only put in 2,5 kW ie ten miles worth, cost about £1.60, still in credit with Electoverse. Subway there but had just used one in Newport. As always very happy with Octopus rates and all aspects of their business and be interesting to see what happens now that they have bought lost of customers over from Shell for home electricity and Broadband making them the second biggest supplier in the UK now after Centrica ie BG. Rock on Greg.

I did and ir showed 7.5p per kwh but this the day of my fixed price year long so it will be interesting what it shows tomorrow ie 17th September when I start the variable Go rate.

Check it tomorrow as I am still on the 7.5p per kWh today but it is suppose to change to 9.5p per kWh tomorrow, I thought they might hold me to the 9.5 p per kWh but then it is a variable rate I see rather than a 1 year fixed rate I have had until today. I will take it. I wonder what is a "reasonable" period of notice of a change in price rate, upwards, a month, three months ?

Osprey chargers on industrial estate opposite Maygor services near Newport Gwent big thumbs up. Took me a while to figure out best parking position in the parking bay but when did charging started in 20 seconds. Zoe only taking charge at 30 kW but Zoe was already at 65% so understandable. Only took 2.5 kwh of charge in 5 minutes, cost about £1.50, still in credit with Electoverse from their free £10 credit. Subway here so food and loos, i presume. Do like Osprey chargers. Six here and plinths for 6 more, with parking spaces already marked out, for when usage jumps up further as EV adoption rapidly increases.

Octopus GO-22-07-05 tariff Well my electricity tariff changes tomorrow, 17th of September so a one quarter drop in my daytime rate but just over a quarter rise in my super cheap night time rate. Standing Charge become £191 a year, wow, £16 a month just about up from £14.50, up over 11%, a larger rise than UK inflation (CPI) was at its peak. Of course RPI was 14% in the UK in Nov 2022. Just completed my final cheap charge for the Zoe. Now showing 226 miles range and 100% charge, do not usually charge it much above 80% to help the life of the lithium battery but off to South Wales in a couple of hours. So if I work on the 4 miles per kWh then my energy prices is going from 1.875 p per mile to a whopping 2.375 p per kWh, wow, big increase and only just under the 2.5 p per kWh. Of course I will regen some power on my journeys, often see several kWh regen'd in the use of my 52 kWh battery so that as that is "free" energy that can bring down my mileage cost. Even having now about 15k on the Zoe I think the battery state of health is still upper 90% and going carefully I think I can still get 240 miles or more between charges. Driving and using that first 10% of battery just have to keep reminding myself I will not get the full up to 30 kWs of regen so have to drive more thoughtfully. It will stay at 100% for the first ten miles or so I expect and this is where the miles travelled plus range predicted can easily equal 240 or 250 miles. Zoes are know to be able to go more than ten miles beyond zero before going in to turtle mode. Still very happy with the Zoe. It does pref 60 mph cruising than 70 mph, big difference of energy consumption. As I only get 4 hours cheap and only have a 3.6 kw charger I only get 14 kW per charging session ie about 56 miles but that has been OK but I suppose charging in the day is not so bad any more ie less than 7.5 p per mile which is cheaper than any ICE car energy costs which I reckon are at least 9 p per miles so might do some preconditions charges just before a long winter journey, whilst connected to the mains as well as the night charging of course. Should be better off as although I use more electricity in the 4 hours than the 20 hours the Octopus calculator still reckons I will be about a tenner a month better off on the new electricity rate and with gas going down about 10% in October 2023 all looking good. Electricity Day rate 40.06p per kWh Night rate 7.50p per kWh Standing charge 47.86p per day From 12 am (is that midnight or midday ?) nonsense really, one cannot have apres or post midi if it is exactly 12 o'clock) Electricity Day rate 29.90p per kWh Night rate 9.50p per kWh Standing charge 52.32p per day

I worked in Hainault, sounds French and was a fiefdom on the Belgian France border, but is Ilford postcode. Through Epping forest and the latest crop of fresh graves from the latest underworld killings. Do not miss that drive and have not been to Tilbury in months. They do have an EV charge point as a plus.

The West is rising whilst the East sinks. Think it is all the oil and gas being removed from under the North Sea and the UK sliding in to the void.

Good thing about owning Skodas, and Renaults, much less desirable than the Audis, BMW and Mercs. Neighbour across the road had his M3 nicked by robbers breaking in, whilst he and missus were sleeping. Just horrible living in fear of this. Have a Q car. Superb with the 280 hp 4 wheel drive. Octavia VRSs can be fun but less on the nick list I would have thought than a Golf GTI. Need more EVs with Sentry mode like Teslas, even better with electroshock or the like.