lol-lol

Renault are quite sounds, bit spacy. I was hoping for something like a Tie Fighter.

Not what is seen in the video of the firemen using the big Norwegian made blankets, there are other makers, they cost less than a grand and some are multi use, which should be carried by all fire engines and have available to deploy on car carrier ships to it would made sense. Water looks optional. Would recommend getting a BA suit and fire resistance garments which they do have on ship, and I did 4 years as a merchant navy engineer and did two multi day fire fighting courses.

What you describe is a possibility though from what I saw at Portbury (Bristol) dock look like it was complete discharging but I se no reason a car carrier could load up on some British cars before popping over to Germany to pick up some German cars as well. I was the customs officer for Mitsubishi cars, now part of Renault ofcourse, and there cars came in through Portbury Bristol and the docks area was/is a customs warehouse area so the cars would stay in duty suspense until called off days,weeks, month, possibly even a year or two later. Cars were from Far East and from Spain in to Portbury, Bristol. We held up to about 35,000 vehicles there. Bit surprised that Mazdas were not already going through Portbury, Bristol. I am mainly involved in container traffic now so main Felixstowe, Liverpool, London and Southampton, as well as air freight and some specialist road freight and multi port calls and it is not unusual that the order of European ports being visited for drops and collections can be altered at last moment due to weather and slots at the ports. Portbury has been limited to 6,000 TEU vessels and the Bristol Channel is not the easiest place to get in to but Bristol is nicely positioned to get cargo to English and Welsh cities within an hour or two. Had fun dealing with those customs entries where the cargo was valued in billions of yen !

Not that difficult, just need a proper blanket deployed.

All the EVs on the Freemantle Highway are largely undamaged, maybe a bit of a smoky smell, might need a couple of air fresheners.

SAIC/ Maxus add an EV pickup.......

In China the number of fires involving cars with traction batteries is skewed very heavily in favour of plug in hybrids rather than pure EVs, apparently by a ratio of many to one. BYD seem to be the main culprits, yes they are the largest make of PHEVs but the numbers of car fire involving their cars is still disproportionately high.... The move away from lithium to lithium iron phosphate cannot come soon us as video shows.......

Absolutely. Some of us have had about a dozen Skodas, many VRS, some L&Ks and a gaggle of normal Skodas and some of us going back to Felicia and before. We have seen Skodas gone from good value cars combining the good engineering of Eastern Europe and then western electronics making very good value cars. We have seen many of their good single dealerships replace by poor service multi outlet multi franchise big name dealership chains. Seen the good value go to be replaced by fugly versions that and not even as good value as the main Audi and VW offerings and SEAT has probably got some good looks to go with what is now looking like medicre offering when compared to offering. As the CEO of VAG said "the roof is on fire". VAG's future is uncertain with it massive debt burden and it needs much more money to even stand a change of surviving. If there is one mainstream European brand/company that is standing for what Skoda was it is Dacia/Renault. https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/best-selling-cars-europe-2023 https://www.carscoops.com/2023/07/teslas-model-y-is-crushing-it-becomes-europes-best-selling-model-in-first-half-of-2023/ Rank YTD 23 YTD 22 % Change 1 Tesla Model Y 125,144 211.7 2 Dacia Sandero 118,883 25.9 3 VW T-Roc 107,249 30.2 4 Opel Corsa 102,082 18.1 5 Peugeot 208 101,151 -5.1 6 Renault Clio 96,135 43.3 7 Toyota Yaris Cross 90,135 48.4 8 VW Tiguan 88,020 46.1 9 VW Golf 85,730 -1.3 10 Dacia Duster 82,813 19.5

The physics is a little more complex than above and the EV tech is changing, improving rapidly. In the case of Renault, the other half of the Nissan-Renault alliance that kicked off mainstream EV adoption in the Western countries the current Zoe has a limited of 125 Amps charge rate and I agree with you in that it is amps that is the enemy it is that which starts to warp components and go chemical damage to the anode so Renault limit to a "conservative" 125 A which has resulted in the Zoe, and other Renaults like their vans, tending to have a better battery health in later life ie 4,5,6 years down the line. Yes the Battery Management System starts to throttle a bit just over when battery half full and can be effected if it is high ambient temperatures ie 30 C plus as these batteries do not like to be above 45 C. I have only DC/fast charged once. Did it when it was about 40% charged, whapped it up to 60% charged in between 10 and 15 minutes, enough time to have a comfort break and get a McDs and then had enough charge to do the remaining hundred miles home at A road and Motorway speed limit speeds. Whole experience very nice. This was high summer. Can be a different story mid winter but this is where the move from Lithium to Lithium Iron Phosphate is making things better ie less drop off in the last 20% of charging plus much safer battery chemistry. y h

Zoe the fast charging car on AC, only a small band of EVs can charge at 22 kW AC. Some Zoe could do 43 kW AC, similar to its DC charging rate of around 46 kW, faster than any Tesla on the easy to tap in to 3 phase AC grid available many places...... 10 minutes in...... 0

Journalists failing to research, person whose car is it used odd language and said gearbox was automatic/electric Failing to listen to the person that this had happen to, car is a diesel Error repeated across three major "news"-papers Journos who do not know their cars Not full retracted and corrected Click-bate journalism and lack of quality control at these 3 rags.

Big car companies ie recently Toyota, releasing a car not ready for the market, the BZ4X, and Bjorn Nyland telling them what is wrong and now for the BYD Alto3......

Good to hear the product from Cowley Oxford, I presume, is ticking boxes. Changing driving modes sounds as it should be unlike the clio which a faff as mode change means going in to a screen which has a shortcut button but is a pain compared to a switch though it is nice that it changes the ambient lighting to green if you go eco and dark red if one chooses sport mode and using the petrol engine. Be interesting to see how the range changes as temperature falls from 15 down through 10, 5, 0 and then minus 5 etc. Bet the acceleration is fun.

Totally agree that free wheeling is best when one can do it. Car market has a good choice of cars to obtain, EVs and hybrids, despite the UK being RHD and missing a few models. In the Zoe EV this is easy peasy but not in the family's newly acquired hybrid Clio ETECH so I will no be doing in that car I am thinking but that saying, even when one is in B mode max regen, which is still not regen massively in to its tiny 1.2 kWh battery it was good to see that pressing the brake pedal adds a whole lot more regen go in to the little hybrid battery, no actually kW meter like in the Zoe but it must be at least a couple of handfuls of kWh but not enough to cook that little hybrid battery. The reward is enough electrical power for EV mode half the time or so but then quite a nice rorty warble with the ICE kicks in but also low 60s per gallon now but should be closer to 70 mpg after a bit more running in and adapting to the car, just a shame it always starts in the mid setting My Sense rather than being able to get it start automatically in ECO mode. Weirdly actually enjoying the full EV Zoe more than anytime in the last two years but then it is summer, the range is well over 200 miles but I can also see the strengths of both full hybrids and mild hybrids, owning one of those each in addition to the Zoe, combine cost price of all three was only about £75k or actually the PC payment for all three are only just over £600 with a bit of deposit on some and of course all quite cheap to run with low fuelling costs and servicing.

I get no regen in neutral but as I approach a corner pull back the gear stick to get mild or strong regen and I am sure this helps with getting the best distance. When rounded the corner, if still downhill bit and I have headroom before going well over the speed limit I will knock it back in to neutral, i might do this several time on a long downhill stretch. Wales and back for me on the weekend, now my son has his own machine, the Clio Etech, which seems to be operating about half its time in EV mode, sounds good when the ICE motor kicks in and its gearbox is similar to the Zoe so easy to flip between, Arkana mild hybrid is the pain with no real regen but still knocking in 60 mpg figure if kept to its extra urban routes. Fuel prices look like their are on the rise so an EV looks good to have in the stable.

As Ford recoil from the world back in to its North America backyard BYD buys Ford massive Brazilian car plant so BYD can make electric cars for Brazil/South America meaning all continents will shortly have EV available to buy at prices similar or below ICE vehicles and their cities can benefit from cleaner air.......

Is it always the most efficient ? Mini has lowish range and efficiency techniques even more important therefore ?

George, do you ever coast by knocking in to neutral and then slotting back to D or B when some braking required. Great for miles per kilowatt hour, some might say illegal.

Might say more about the VW/SEAT/SKODA etc EV technology in that the VAG has fired a third of its EV line workers and cut the shifts back on the production. VW, particularly, has had so many problems with its EVs, sales have not been what they hope as cars like the TESLA Model Y are light years ahead of what VAG are producing but at least they know it and are now trying to get much more involved with Chinese/TESLA production technology so they can even survive as a brand another 5 years which is doubtful as VAG are about 200B Euros in debt and need another 200B to get to a place where they can even compete with TESLA, SAIC etc. Sad for the proud people of the Czechia Republic, Slovakia etc that the automotive future of VAG has so badly been handled, as their CEO said the roof is on fire and they need to find 11B urgently. NOt sure TESLA would have such an interest in cycling, many UK car dealers will go to the wall as the model of UK dealerships in a declining one, maybe Kia might do directly but I would have thought they have their own battles to fight for survival too.

Wonder if you could get clamped for not completing the process of the V11Z ? To those who do not know full EVs, which pay no road tax until 2025 and the document threatens the weight of the law of one does not complete the process, possibly tow away for not "taxing" actually reaffirming one is still the registered keeper. Must cost millions not just hundreds of thousands mentioned in the article. Just wish they would call it something else, ie not tax reminder be Reg renewal and perhaps do purely electronically coupe of weeks before "tax" period ends and only send a paper copy if nothing hear/emailed back 5 days before the expiry date ? https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/electriccars/article-11895163/DVLA-wasting-hundreds-thousands-year-sending-tax-reminders-EV-owners.html

The disruptive change continues at a pace on consumer demand and choice......

I like Joe Biden and the Democrats and compared to the Republican party at least the Democrats are working on progressing dealing with climate changes via financial support packages. Sadly the UK still has the Trumpesque leadership with Sunak and the Con party so we are reneging on out climate pledges at COP26 to the damage of much of the Commonwealth. Fortunately the sheer economic sense of going over to EVs, mega battery packs, solar and wind is happening anyways despite the lack of UK government direction and impetus.

Easy to forget that Germany has much more industry than automotive as this article states.... https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/business/germanys-industry-the-most-important-facts-and-figures#:~:text=Four sectors dominate German industry,engineering%2C chemical and electrical industry. Whilst it looks like the German Automotive sector has failed spectacularly to gear up to the transition to EVs and now the big German car makers are spending billions buying up bit of the Chinese automotive industry and setting up joint ventures with Chinese government companies like SAIC the other big parts of the German industry and also trying to update their manufacturing technology but not without problems. Siemens are having some really problems with quality and post install repairs on their wind turbines and their share price has fallen hugely but their are some sectors that are doing quite well and I see that on a daily basis. For a country with relatively low natural resources thy have to innovate and build their mechanical engineering side, chemicals, pharma. Partnering with South Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese companies will help Germany fight China economically. China, I think, will actually be more concerned by what weather, earthquakes and their own property market is doing than competing with "The West" which China's move to No 1 economic power is just happening as something they have been building for more than fifty years and their success in the flagship automotive sector is evidence of their industrial might but I think their focus is improving their own country, ie city pollution, energy independence with their massive dominance in solar and now wind and there are few industries left they are not leading ie aerospace, but the are working on that, maybe pharma and they need all the improvements they can make in the solar and wind sector to help clean up the world as they are the biggest contributor to carbon pollution input. They have seen record high temperatures, their water table is lowering causing building collapses, massive damaging storms due to the sea warming so the Chinese will continue to surge ahead in technology over the West, I believe not as a race with The West but to tackle their own environmental problems. I expect South Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese countries and their companies will continue to want to work with both Europe and the US and whilst they will also do massive investment in China as well they will like to see success in Western countries so they do not have too many of their eggs in the Chinese basket. Audi/VW and many other Western automotive companies are seeing their profits disappear as the fail in China and must look for alliances where ever they can. Taiwan will continue to want protection from China and massive investments like this one can only help promote Western countries to help protect such countries from China's wish to re-integrate Taiwan in to China mainland control. Good luck Germany and mainland Europe in maintaining a strong manufacturing sector, probably a percentage of economy that is more likely to go down than up as the Asian nations power on through the 21st century but they, like the UK, can only do its best to retain as best as possible what it can but as with automotive as you find that you have to go for components to Asian countries you gradually lose control of the overall process and then the only course is one of continuing decline and one is left with businesses like tourism, agriculture/food, leisure, sport and anything else the Asian might want to buy of us Western is exchange for their manufacturing sector goods ie automotive and most other goods we want ie mobile phones, computers, electronics etc.. Empires rise and fall. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is the manufacturing sector’s share of economic output? 26.6 percent was the share of gross value added by the manufacturing sector in Germany in 2021. For comparison: in France, the share was 16.8 percent, in the USA 18.4 percent and in Japan 29 percent. What is the turnover of the manufacturing sector in Germany? 2,096 billion euros was the turnover of companies in the manufacturing sector in 2020. The automotive industry led the way with 459 billion euros. What are the largest sectors in Germany? Four sectors dominate German industry: the automotive, mechanical engineering, chemical and electrical industry. Global players are Volkswagen, Daimler, BMW (all automotive), BASF, the world’s largest chemical company with around 118,000 employees, and Siemens (electrical). With 1.1 million employees, mechanical engineering is the largest industry in Germany, but it is dominated by SMEs.

Us EV/renewables/ wake-up-and-smell-the -coffee-on-climate-change favourite shows, ie Fully Charged, one of the best episodes ever just released by RL aka Kryten......... When is an EV not an EV plus much more.......

God made Yorkshire to train the faithful, no that is Arrakis. I am not saying nowt about being too tight to fill the tank so cheaper prices to encourage larger fills.