Everything posted by lol-lol
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the truth about electric cars
Renault chose a odd size for the R5 ie 195/55R18, a few main tyre companies do this size but not, it seems, many of the Korean tyre companies. The 60 aspect ratio much more brand options and it is a winter / all season option andcit would mostly correct the 3 % speedo over ready. Just like Italian bikes use to be with their Vaguelio speedos and 10 % overread ! I did hear TESLA were overreading distance by as much as 10%. Don't know but perhaps so the warranty ran out quicker, allegedly.
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the truth about electric cars
Soon ? Over 2 years time. My plan is to fit some really big tyres to slow the odometer building up the miles......
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the truth about electric cars
Yes is was 79p per kwh at both MFG Haverhill and Ionity at Cambridge services and I only charged put in about 18 and then 22 KWh respectively hence the £15 and £19 approximately so really only about a third of the battery added so it could be done quite quickly ie 20 minutes or so each time, enough to go to the loo and check emails etc. What ICE drivers don't appreciate , I expect, is that EV drivers can be hyper accurate on what they need to put in the car. Whilst ICE drivers generally put in a tankful, or maybe half a tank if at motorway service's high prices, EV drivers can, to be economical, just put in enough to get them home plus maybe a 20 mile buffer. Hence put in the bare minimum and do as much charging at home using the lecky that is about a tenth of the price. Increasingly I am stopping when I need a comfort break rather than the car absolutely need charging, especially now it is warmer and the Scenic is up to around 4 miles per KWh where it was closer to 3 KWh a week ago and for the 4 months before that. 8 months of warmer weather I expect and lower running cost of all of our EVs due to this.
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the truth about electric cars
My last work journey and undertaken in my smaller batteried Renault Scenic ie 60/65 KWh, and it has been the first EV journey experience that I knew there were huge EV charging stations along the way so my charging worries very tiny. Also the costs were quite small and the charging good. 400 mile journey, one charge of £19 on day one and a second one if £15 on day 2. Shout out to MFG and their excellent sites and the now awesome Cambridge Services.
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EV real world range and cost to charge
Dave Takes it on summarizing just what a fraud PHEVs are for many/most people .......
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the truth about electric cars
Mark 2 based i recall ie 200 hp as standard but a nice slippy shape. A "reliable friend" had one tried to see what she would do. At an indicated 150 it was still accelerating quite significantly and reckoned it would top out at well more than 160 indicated. Also had a Fabia VRS but that would get to a bit over 130 but it stop accelerating much after that even with 180 hp even though narrower than Octy VRS. Much poorer aero Cd than Octy. Quite glad my EVs tops out at bit less than 100 mph as no point in pushing it as that the limit in a single ratio EV gearbox which most EVs are. If you go to Germany are get to drive on Autobahns there are a bunch of two geared EV which will easily hit the 250 kph standard restriction and a few unrestricted ones that will go quite a bit above 250 kph and no speeding ticket !
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the truth about electric cars
Skoda Octavia vrs at 227 mph still one of the most impressive speeds. 600 hp version. Greenline tyres, big turbo, double fuel rack, nail shut the waste gate.
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the truth about electric cars
Fastest car in the world is electric, fancy that, who would have guessed ?
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New Renault 5 EV
Yes the Evolution spec is ok but would not want to do a hundred mike plus and the smaller battery in mine makes it a hour and maybe but all one would ve happy to spend in it but then I have the Scenic which I am happy to do long journeys in. Cheap-ish price or monthly. Notably smaller than my Zoe. I could have a base model Megane etech for similar money to a 52 kwh R5 etech, much more hp and range but happy with Evolution 40 kwh R5. I have added aftermarket cup holders and centre arm rest to make it more practical.
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New Renault 5 EV
The Renault 5 continues to be a much desired car despite its shortcoming ie principally the lack of rear seat space. I echo what they say as below, granddaughter, just under 2, repeats "Yellow Car, yellow car" multiple times when I visit in it, Red Scenic, nothing. I think the new Polo aka ID2 will also be a big hit and it is not as compromised in the rear seats and boot as the 5. Hope for VW sake it is as the ID3, 4, and 5 does not seem to have had the fan fair so let us home for European workers sake the electric Polo does do well. "Of all the cars you could drive to catch other folks' eyes at present, Bentley or Lamborghini included, a Pop Yellow 5 creates the most interest. Maybe a passing Ferrari F40 would excite some people more, but the 5 attracts all classes. I'm becoming quite used to returning to my car in the street, getting it started, then pausing because somebody has cantered across the road and tapped on the window, wanting to know more. Maybe it won't last. After all, 5.5 million original 5s were sold even before the Supercinq took over in 1985. The new baby EVs will surely become an awfully common sight, especially if backed by Westminster. But for now, it's everyone's darling." Autocar15,000 miles later: The truth about the Renault 5 | AutocarRetro-infused electric supermini is as good to live with as it is to look at
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the truth about electric cars
Fascinating to go to any power generation site whatever energy it deals with. Was surprised to see, and I had already been working in power for years as a Engineering Officer with Merchant navy, four Olympus jet engines at Hinkley Point B ! Also weird hearing jet engines when some Royal Navy ships were manoeuvring alongside at Devonport dockyard. Tech is not always what you expect I have found. Of course the gas turbines, as with the actual AGR system at B had massive energy waste. Fish who need warmer waters live in the cooling water outflow ! Plans are for a "fish disco" noise deterrent to stop fish being sucked in to the cooling water intake ! Such interesting visits and look forward to seeing Hinkley C when visitors are allowed. EDF, Électricité de France, who run Hinkley, Sizewell etc, provide hundreds of EV charging connectors at their sites for their employees, nice if they did for visitors, FOC of course within a visit experience. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinkley_Point_B_nuclear_power_station#:~:text=The%20station%20is%20of%20the,standby%20generators%20for%20the%20station. Hinkley Point B is also equipped with four 17.5 MW Rolls-Royce Olympus industrial gas turbines. Installed in 1970/71, and originally used for 'peak lopping', these are now used exclusively as emergency standby generators for the station.[13]
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the truth about electric cars
You just talking about Essex ? If they use T pylons and keep then off them off the skyline. South Essex is hardly a general beauty spot though I gave seen some nice parts in the northern part of Essex ie up towards the east Anglian counties and I hope best aesthetic solution is found.
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the truth about electric cars
I've they use T pylons rather than the old style pylons they are only two thirds the size, more squat. Also there's option to go under ground as with the lines to Dinorwig which travel thru Snowdonia National Park. More expensive butvyoy do get nice little shepherd cabins that have warmth for survival in snow etc. I thought there was going to be two or more under sea interconnectors. They are becoming more and more common and now several projects for intercontinental ones not just intercontinental ones. It's always shining somewhere. "It can't rain all the time" (The Crow )
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the truth about electric cars
Everyone who has electricity can use batteries, charge at night and use thay electricity during day and start saving, lije I said batteries from a few pounds. As per my previous post millions are doing balcony solar, hand a panel or the foldable ones which are lightweight and can hang, out of windows etc. Also cheap to buy. Only real exclusion is if one is facing directly north and won't collect solar. Even then there are ways to get power. I can see battery swaps for chaged one. Power from Scotland is going to be moved via sub sea interconnectors so no on landed pylons. The bew Denmark interconnector bringing more cheap wind power to UK. UK needs those Bristol Channel tidal projects up abd running along with Hinckley C abd all connected to the wider Grid via the new T pylons. The future has a green light for Green energy.
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the truth about electric cars
Home batteries, with or without solar, is all about not pay the sucker Day time rate of Time Of Use, TOU, electricity. Devices from the tiny one above or the range of batteries I have, 1.5 kwh, 1.8 kwh and even 0.5 kwh ones are there to minimise Day time lecky usage. Us with batteries and EVs and solar use these devices to get us through the Day and then switch to consuming Grid power during the super cgeap Night Time Rate, typically about 50 kwhs for me. One of my cars can do V2L if needed. This is how we typically are paying about 10p per kwh for what we take from the Grid. That was over 7 MWH and will be even higher in 2026 as we gave gone to 3 EVs. So looking forward to electricity prices dropping in April. So home batteries, whether one has 5,10, 15 or 50 kwh capacity as I do, with the EV, is not about powering the whole house IMO but to use power from the Grid intelligently so it costs you the least without spending lots just to chase tgat last few watt hours, or Joules as I like to call them. I don't bother to power my Router, or Internet phone or most house lights, not worth it. My house, modem detached, is using only a couple hundred watts during day time. Fridge Freezer being the biggie, that is powered by a battery during the day, it is also be charged at the same from solar. TV, laptops might also be charging via these portable batteries or be plugged in to solar at some time points. All my equipment, including the solar tracking arrays can move with me when I move house solar not locked in to the house. Both car charging wallboxes will stay but they were free or subsidised and I expect they will ve a notable asset for the house when I sell. There are several ways to remove the epiderus from the feline.
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the truth about electric cars
One of my "home batteries" was a £14 kit. Pictured below. It actually contained only two led bulbs but did have the little solar panel. This is what the renewable revolution looks like all over the world. Small solar panel built on make shift trestles. Batteries might be old lead acid ones rather than L-ion. Much of the revolution is not thousands of pounds spent on roof top solar and Tesla Powerwall battery setups. There is a massive market in small and medium portable lithium, LFP and soon to be even cheaper sodium batteries in the half to two KWh size which enable people to use almost no expensive day time electricity. What I think might shock people is, like already other places, there will be a new TOU tariff ie from 1600 to 1900 hours where people pay twice or more normal Day time Price. Or one can pay a Day time price of 40P or more perhaps and stay on single price tariff rather than a TOU tariff which actually gives users the opportunity to save hundreds of pounds a year.
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the truth about electric cars
Wind growth expected...... https://www.renewableuk.com/energypulse/blog/uk-wind-energy-pipeline-in-2025-a-year-in-review/#:~:text=All%20of%20these%20projects%20have,by%20the%20summer%20of%202026.
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the truth about electric cars
The roll out of new battery, solar and wind parks is moving at pace. Wind has new records and 2026 is predicted to be. 2026 expected to see an increase in solar of around 50% . Make electricity even cheaper at night time and business and home will download the power they need the night before and use it during the day and these device are from tens to hundreds of pounds for homes and from a couple of £k for business and will pay for themselves within 3 years. Millions of business and home storage batteries. Australia did over 100k installs in 4 months so UK should be able to do more than a million locations with a year proportionally. energygain.co.ukOptimistic UK Solar Forecast to Grow 50% Year-on-Year Aga...The UK’s solar energy sector is on the cusp of an unprecedented boom in 2026, driven by positive UK Solar Forecasts predicting a staggering 50% year-on-year (YoY) growth for the second consecutive yea
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the truth about electric cars
The tech is already here. That emotional vacuum Elon Musk said he could install a large grid battery in less 100 days to replace the expensive and dirty coal and gas Peaker plants in Australia. He did it with time to spare. It is a question of will and facilitation as tech already here and uk is doing it but at glacial pace as usual apparently bogged down in planning and procedures.
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the truth about electric cars
The problem with that is the political influences that can massively effects things and with Putin, Trump and Xi in power to predict any commodity is very tough if not impossibly. So mitigating such elements, international trade nuiances, trade deals, origin, valuation had been my business, along with bonded warehouses and inward processing relief, airworthiness, End/ authorised use and outward processing relief to partially offset those geo-political elements. Oil could well fall to twenty dollars if no political tension in the Middle East. That sadly makes it too expensive for North Sea Oil and that scenario is quite likely as China and other countries Oil demand plummets with their electrification. Not only my prediction but many as zan be seen on Bloomberg etc.
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the truth about electric cars
Chinese looking like they may support Iran in various ways. Oil go to $100 or $200 a barrel and LNG over $5 or $10 per MMBTU. EVs and heat pumps might be the only game in town !
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the truth about electric cars
You clearly do not understand what technology is out there and how it can be applied. How companies, Gridserve, Tesla etc can provide EV charge capacity and make an absolute killing of profit is to install their Mega packs, 40 ft container sized battery packs, and plop them down by the EV charging banks. Charge up the banks when lecky is cgeap and plentiful and the Grid is relatively quiet. Buy in lecky at 7p per kwh or less and sell at 70p per kwh, great business model and the cost of those battery banks are coming down and down. Grid not more stressed, zero emmissions mandate progressed.
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the truth about electric cars
Oh God know. The Privization of the Water Industry has been an unmitigated disaster as it has been with rail franchises, 4th one just taken back in to public ownership. Big fan of Octopus as a private company making a small profit compared to British gas and the oil companies taking Billions in profit whilst sending in bailiffs to people who cannot pay their exorbitant tariffs. I watch the occasional YouTube on UK energy issues and from other countries but my core beliefs are from my experiences with various energy suppliers and my own use of technology ie EVs, batteries and solar panels.
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the truth about electric cars
Don't agree. Technology will provide without massive Grid enhancement. Australia, from being a fossil fuel luddite has become a renewable energy leading light. Yes they have s bit of advantage with more sunshine but their transition to renewables, home generation and storage, encourage by some grants to businesses and homes were seen as much cheaper than massive Grid upgrading. Adoption of local solar and batteries to hundreds of thousands has taken pressure off the Grid. A lesson to other governments. The technology improvements and lowering costs has made local electricity generation available to all. The National Grid rather than being stressed beyond breaking is actually being marginalised by the vast growth in local generation.
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the truth about electric cars
Millions of people in Europe and in fact all over the world are using solar and batteries to get the electricity they need. These people are mainly poor people and those in places where politics and virtual sieges are meaning the people have to innovated to survive. Whether its Palestine- Gaza, Cuba or many "Third" world countries they are using solar and batteries to survive, keep their phones running and devices that need electricity. Like my installations these cost pounds and not thousands and make living with modern technology, but without hydrocarbon fuel for vehicles which is being withheld for political power ie Cuba and Gaza, or just prohibitively expensive where sunshine is free. Google "Balcony solar" and see how solar and battery is helping poor actually every bit as much as those more well off.