lol-lol

mustang e only gives max power for 5 seconds I heard.

euroncap has become Boll -ocks marking near worthless driver aids so important rather than structural integrity. Totally happy in my zero stars Zoe, which was 5 stars just 8 years ago. Yes my Arkana has better satety but Zoe is better than anything I had pre 2000 probably. My Dacia Logan was a cracking car, same engine as my beautiful Clio Nav S. Happily have a new Sandero, Duster or Jogger.

Usual Crazy weather at Philip Island Australia. Great result for John McPhee upon moving from Moto3 to WSS and getting a podium for 3rd in his first race......... Jonny Rae up there in WSB of course. https://www.cyclenews.com/2023/02/article/2023-australian-worldsbk-results/

Arkana, Capture and Clio, use the 1.6 NA engine with the 4 speed box connected to the drive alongside the 2 speed ETECH system which Renault say is derived from the F1 tech , for better or worse. Gets some impressive mpg ie high 60s many owners report but some also report much lower figures. Several reports of this model revving it nuts off when being used on steep long hills due to the 1.6 NA not having much torque below 3k revs and when the little 1.2 kWh hybrid battery runs low it is all down to the not very torquey 1.6 NA engine. Recent software update suppose to help the over-revving but it cannot software its way our of not having a turbo for more low down torque of course. I have the simple mild hybrid 140 hp 1.33 l engine much used in the Alliance and also provide to Mercedes in large numbers, matched to a 7 speed dry clutch box like the DSG but called EDC in Renault parlance. I get 50 mpg without trying 55 mpg when trying. 1.33 is about a second quicker to 60/62 and has a top speed of 127 instead of 110 which the EDC is limited to. 160 hp engine a bit quicker of course. It looks like Renault are phasing out the 1.6 NA engine being combined with either the 1.333 Alliance/Merc engine or a new 1.2 l three cylinder and a more powerful ETECH whacking over 400 NM, this is being used in the new Renault Austral ...https://www.renaultgroup.com/en/news-on-air/news/all-new-renault-austral-less-co2-more-pleasure/#:~:text=The 160 HP 12V Mild,starting at 136g%2Fkm*. If/when exactly Renault are going to release the newer turbo engine with more electric power too, including the 5 speed box linked to the drive instead of 4 and with the turbo should solve the annoying high revving occurrences and some of us hope to see the Renault Austral model. But I would like to see the Dacia Spring and more variants of both Dacia and Renault models as they appear to be such good value, like Skoda use to be and I had best part of 20 of them going back to the Felicia but now I am all Renault, although the Arkana is actually built in S.Korea and is really a Samsung XM3. Had things been different it might have been made in Ukraine, or Kazakhstan or Russia. Happy with Korea as seems to be screwed together OK. I would only go ETECH if I was going lots of urban driving (and I did not have a fuel card maybe), quite high weight penalty for all this electric drive gubbins, circa 100 kgs.

Home charging at 7.5 p/kwh, Zoe now back over 3 kWh, closing in on 3.5 kWh as it warms up. Range was down to 150 miles, even 140 miles in well under sub zero temperatures but range back up to 170 miles and should be back over 200 miles in about 5 weeks, vernal equinox and then climb back up to 240 miles high summer when temperature here in the Midlands stays above 15C. Just over £1 to get 4 hours of the cheap charge, only have a 3.6 kW charger but car only being used for 25 miles a day and charger adds 50 miles of range for the £1 so car is charged every other day normally. Still awaiting Octopus Salary Sacrifice details, but only looks half decent with a long lease. Suppose with the all in costs it can look quite good but leaving the job and having to settle has to be considered. Cheap motoring is a rarity but my 9 year Clio gets close, paid for, tiny road tax and does 65+ mpg. servicing is about the biggest shock.

But then again ........... As world's atmosphere has more CO2 ICE cars will produce less power but as it warms up Lithium batteries perform better and better. UK now averages over 10C...... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is now possible to confirm that 2022 was the UK’s hottest year on record, with an average temperature of over 10°C recorded for the first time. 2022 was also the warmest year on record in the 364-year Central England Temperature (CET) series from 1659, the world’s longest instrumental record of temperature. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/seasonal-to-decadal/long-range/forecasts/co2-forecast https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2023/climate-change-drives-uks-first-year-over-10c#:~:text=Study shows human induced climate,recorded for the first time.

Almost non of BP or Shell's operation is in the UK. Shell, last I saw, is dual listed in London and Hamsterjam. If we **** them off too much might the just go sole listing in Amsterdam ? BP. Not British Petroleum any more, Beyond ****taking or something like they renamed themselves. They also could go to New York or Hong Kong listing I suppose, or even Middle East listing perhaps. In recent years they have constituted about 15% of the profits going back in to the FTSE 100 valuation I think I read. They are virtually the main feeder in to UK pension fund that track the FTSE 100.

Well I love my Clio which was one of the first of the Mark 4 models as mine is an 14 plate. The little 0.9 litre, 898 cc, engine, I think is a gem, bit of torque with the turbo ie as much as the 1.6 litre naturally aspirated engine and for the driving I do ie mainly A road and motorway, I think the e-tech Clio would not be worth the extra cost and would not do much better mpg overall with its less efficient combustion engine and the etech system rarely kicking in for my driving habits. On the run I get mid 60s mpg, indicated on the computer. My model is the Nav S with many options on it including the 17 inch wheel, rather have the 16s I reckon. On journeys with little to no slowing, stopping and re-accelerating to speed I strong suspect the plain old TCE non Etech will be as frugal as the Etech version, depends were you drive. Recent software changes seem to have reduced the high revving and holding on to gears in the E-Tech, probably worse in the Arkana as a bigger car, but with only 4 gears for the Etech, with just a 1.2 kWh battery, and a natural aspirated engine it is a combination that cannot be good on long upward hills and times when regen low but power needed repeatedly I hear from the Arkana ETECH guys and gals.

We have had the 1.6 naturally aspirated engined, 90 hp linked to the 50 hp or so electric in the ETECH Arkana for at least a year and the Arkana forum generally like it in urban areas but I have heard quite a few complaints about it perceived over-revving from the petrol engine which, being non turbo has not got much torque and the little hybrid battery will only give it a few seconds of kick and then wants more charging. The gearbox for ICE is only 4 speeds and there have been complaints that the car hangs on to lower gears too long ie it sounds like it is thrashing the engine and just will not change up to the next gear. There is a fix which is changing up sooner but presumably it then just bogs down a bit. Why Renault have not link the ETECH to one of the 1 litre, or 1.3 litre TCE like in my Arkana, might be for keeping the cost low. Relatively we have very few issues in the 140 TCE engined very mild hybrid ie it does coasting and twin clutch opening simultaneously can get the fairly largish car well in the 50s mpg which is good enough for me. Only if i did 90% plus of my driving in cities would I consider the ETECH system when the excellent 1.3 TCE engine is available. 140 hp form usually in Renault, sometime 160 hp sometimes as supplied and used in small Mercs and chippable up to 200 hp. I like the Jogger, as I did the Lodgy which did get the 1.3 TCE engine, hopefully the Jogger will to at sometime soon.

Either that or carry a few of these in the boot....... (With some foldable solar panels). I having issue with getting a proper/good earth but potentially it could give EV drivers some option. Our EV super hero Byorn Nyland has had some fun, as has the guy from carwow, running the cars to absolutely zero battery, oft some 20 miles beyond shown zero, then he has 4 kw of ECOFLOW batteries plus panels and then thinking about calling out the AA/RAC etc. I think motoring organisation support/rescue vehicles should take up the mantle plus gas station get a move on ripping out fuel pumps and installing EV chargers as they are in a dying business if they do not, a few garages have but much more need to follow, sell lecky at 50p+VAT per kWh and coffee etc.

Indeed I would not describe the Zoe seats as a comfortable place to be and a disappointment for me compared to the Arkana and the Clio Nav S I have also. No height adjustment and poorish bolstering as you say make the Zoe more suited to tow, inter or adjacent country travelling rather than the across the country trip. That said I did take the Zoe down to Crawley from Worcester ie about 175 miles, charged up at my Heathrow office and great destination chargers at the client and did not feel to second hand but it is not is the same league as the mild hybrid Arkana which was nearly £10K cheaper despite being about 25% bigger rear seats and boot area and much better seats plus a range of 500 miles instead of 200 of course, 150 in the winter which excluded the Zoe being my only car. Capture is suppose to same as Arkana but Arkana seems nice to be comfy wise. Tall due to the 200 mm clearance beneath the car, designed to cope with Russian, Korean and Australian terrain. Seen petrol at 144p a litre, plus still got the fuel card so petrol effectively sub 60p a litre , still waiting for our Octopus EV salary sacrifice scheme, be interesting to see what a model Y LR comes out as per month. Will avoid trying to pop in for a charge at Tebay recharging at the wrong times, a 6 hour wait to charge sounds like hell on Earth.

Points to under testing of the electric version when it was launched which was always going to be an issue with the e-corsa being an adaption of the ICE corsa and just putting in say 20% stiffer coils is not enough. When I was Dept Transport I recall reading one report which said that the damage to both car and road rose by the power of 4 ie not squared or cubed by the fourth power. I oft wonder, and I know there were probably several reasons why you chose the e-corsa over say the Zoe that I got, but I have followed your frustration with both charging and dealership and wonder how different it might have been if you got the Zoe, which has probably the leader in the B segment electric vehicles back when you got your EV ? Many do not like the Zoe styling, even I think it is a bit Mehh, but that range and just plain sorted out over a decade of development of the Renault Zoe through the 22 kwh and 30 kwh to the 52 kwh Zoe has led to quite a sorted car, EURONCAP issue a part of course, IMO.

Well yes they are 45 Aspect ratio. To me 50 or less are low aspect ratio and on our terrible roads a high risk of rim and tyre damage compared to 55 and above. Happy with my 60 aspect ratio on the 17 inch tyres on the Arkana, handles quite firm even on the 17 inch rim and tyre combination and i have hit some monster potholes are touch wood seems to have survived unscathed. The UK road ways are not a race track and if drivers want to drive at ten tenths take it on the track and i can watch the action on Youtube, must be hundreds or thousands of hours of racing wanabees running out of talent particularly the Nürburgring, very good watch. Like Michelins but also think the Avons are very good value tyres with very decent grip. Just wish UK was much better setup to change to winter tyres for December to February or so.

Motorbikes are so much better today. All registered in the last few years have ABC. Tyres are massively better. Forty years ago we were putting 100 hp through 4 and half inch tyres. My 70 hp Tracer 700 now use a tyre over 6 inches at the rear and the compound is so much better. About three quarters of bike accidents are cars pulling out from the minor road in to the path of the bike on the main road. Always assume car, van, truck might pull out. Bikes are so much fun. I think the Tracer can be A2 restricted and then derestricted. My Yamaha R3 was also a gas. Thinking of adding an Enfield Hunter. Less than £4k, 100 mpg and the essential of motorcycling.

17, 18, or 19 inch, questions answered by Tyrereview..... Confirms all the usual aspect one would think, in the dry, surprise to some, even the commentator, has the 17 inch was faster in the wet. I suspect in cooler and wetter conditions the 17 inch ie wet winter conditions the 17 inch was quicker/faster by a percent or so ! Of course need to consider the car and this is a guide for C segment cars. My Clio Nav S run 17 inch but 40 aspect ratio. I wish I had 16 inch wheels like the Zoe has which is also a segment B car. Arkana runs 17s, rather than 18s,19s, or 20s. In 20 inch it is still 45 aspect ratio so not as at risk rom pothole damage as 40 aspect ratio and below that. Get bigger wheels, use more fuel and pay more tax and go slower in normal British conditions.

The new Model S arriving in Europe from the US have range of 400 miles, super aero efficient, super electrically efficient, what are the muppets in charge of some german brands, principally VW more so than BMW, that shape cannot be aero efficient, and even Merc struggling to be as technically good at anything like at a price those on middle strata wages can afford. Battery size is still quoted at 100 kWh but presumably is the much more useable LFP format which is actually giving more useable battery than the slightly bigger older batteries. More Model X Plaid on the supply boats from the US as well as the batches of Model S not shipped for about 2 years....... Run is 5 minutes in.

If you are talking about the UK then UK sales outlets always have to stuff in substantial margin as the car is going to be sold in that rather little used currency GB pounds and then the money has to be converted back in to Euros which is the base currency for car production at least in Europe. So published RRPs are high but dealers have big scope to offer discounts on the price and even on the finance if you keep pushing them. I would agree a car like my Renault Zoe has/had a massive RRP, think it was around £34.5k for my Riviera spec ZE50. But one pay nothing like that as the price. Government grant was about £2K I think, Renault were doing £5k off, got the finance at very low rate which count as heavily subsidized so the eventual cost was probably like £27k, £20k after I traded in my Old Octy with lots of miles on it. Residual are pretty high, way higher than diesels for same mileage and probably up with the best of efficient petrol cars. Fuel costs are about 2p a mile running on cheap night-time electricity, road tax is zero in 2021 and through to 2025 when my PC runs out, servicing cost are a fraction, I would say about a third, of internal combustion cars. Total monthly cost of ownership ie PCP, fuel, insurance in the region of £300 to £310 I reckon and I expect a good surplus of value in the car at the end of the PCP, despite a large drop in Tesla values as not really competing in that part of the EV market. Shame UK does not get the Dacia Spring yet, hopefully next year, as that would shake up the UK EV market. 20K Euros so about £18k when launched in the UK.

Incredible. Those bought at 2022 prices must be extra shocked but Tesla have previous for this. Serious consider a model "Y" at these prices and especially using salary sacrifice scheme. Richard Symonds, who has a few in his stock must have taken a denting. Our "RHD" imports are Chinese and hopefully lithium phosphate rather than just lithium as be nice to use 100% plus charging and use public charging. Merry Hill shopping centre just opened dozens of charging points across the shopping complex and nine more such super hugs to open across West Midlands that millions drive through each week.

Sure still, after a dozen years, the fast Skoda, now 700 hp, 227 mph......... Looks road legal. Noise might be an issue to some coppers.

A lot to be said for an isolated electrical backup that can be called in to help in an emergency. We carry spare tyres, a light lithium charging battery is worth carrying in winter I reckon, My brothers battery gave up at Collumpton service on NEw Years Eve eve. Called out service and got a new one fitted for less than £100. Sould wrong to me, a start stop battery should be EFB or AGM and a decent size and fitted, for less than a ton, I said he was a lucky man and send me the invoice as I suspect he has had a ordinary battery fitted rather than S/S tech.

I have a couple of largish lithium batteries which I use to down load lecky during my cheap 0030 to 0430 period, primarily charging the Zoe of course but also charge a Bluetti B180 and an Allpower S2000 Pro. The Bluetti only has a 1000 watt inverter with 1200 W surve but the Allpowers has 2500 W constant inverter with 4000 W surge. 4000 watts would be well over 300 amps and these devices are improving with big steps each year. Tried the Zoe's granny charge cable, which is 10 Amps 2.2 to 2.4 kW I gather but Zoe did not lack the lack of earthing. Bjorn Nyland has sold this with the ecoflow delta max he carries around when he runs EVs to absolute zero power sometimes 10, 20 and nearly 30 miles below zerom just like IC cars. Good to see those who get stuck in Rufford using their starter motor to get out of the flood water once their engine stop due to most electricals shorting out but starter motor still cranking from the battery. I especially enjoy the BMWs and Mercs failing.......

Think I have finally found an answer to the "why are Lithium batteries used for motorbikes but not cars" in this article...https://www.batteriesplus.com/blog/power/lithium-starting ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Will LiFePO4 Work as a Cranking Battery? The answer to this question largely depends on the application. If you are looking to use a lithium battery as a cranking battery in your car, truck, RV or boat then the answer is a resounding no. If you are looking for a battery for your motorcycle, jet ski or ATV, then yes, an X2Power LiFePO4 battery is a suitable choice for a starting battery ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I find the answer a bit weak as motorcycles can have quite large capacity and high compression/performance engines. I put a lithium battery in my little 350cc Yam R3 and it worked well and would like to do the same in my 700cc Yam Tracer. My Clio is only 898 cc, the Arkana is 1332 cc and the Zoe, ah that is pure electric 52 kWh. I think it is the Lithiums tend to have Battery Management systems and which limit the amps per second to about what the AH is ie to one C. 100 AH lithium battery, 100 Amp limit. Since one might need 600 or 700 Amps to start an engine when cold. There is our mis-match. Perhaps a Lithium battery would need a charge build up in an super capacitor before blasting the starter motor with several hundred amps. Think they might be using one here...

Think I meant very few cars have moved to lithium for their 12v batteries where bikes have much more. On a motorcycle on already has 4 gallons of petrol between you legs so a potential incendiary devices under ones bum is just a bit more of the same. The weight change in a bike is significant enough to show up in 0 to 60 a mbps and even in a car changing from lead to lithium can reduces kerb weight by about one percent so maybe a tenth quicker acceleration or a couple of miles more from a tankful. Finding lithium battery suppliers is hard. Irene to use Tayna for my battery supply.

What was the end of this tale ? I use Smart battery chargers which go through 8 stages of recharging starting with desulphur and try and nurse the battery back to life. They have digital display as to what they are doing Amps, Volts, temperature etc as well as guessing what percentage of full health the battery is. During early January one can get 20% off new batteries at some battery outlets and prices start at around £54 for a 70AH 650A CCA battery I recall. Some battery chargers and starting device will not even do anything when voltage below 4 volts or so therefore need to have some jump juice from a healthy 12 first to put a few volts in to the dead battery and then one can pop on the smart battery charging device. Recently bought a 10A smart charger for less than £20 from Amazon. If I am worried about my battery I will carry a small solar generator (basically just a lithium battery with a 240AC 200W inverter on it to give the car battery some charge. Some cars are not moving to lithium batteries as we are in motorcycles as lithium batteries seem to have less problems than even standard, EFB or AGM batteries and are so much lighter.

Pop band Aha's story is truly inspiring, maybe even trumps Greta's story. Happy 20th birthday Greta. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-63375504 UK still has a charging network not suitable for just taking my 150 to 240 mile range Zoe so sadly I use the Arkana or even the 898 cc Clio. Looks like my company is finally linking up to the Octopus salary sacrifice system. Also here Octopus are doing a special link up to Stellantis. Even with the salary sacrifice system in place cost per month still looks quite high. VAT needs to go down from 20% it to 5% or at least down to 10% IMO for private buyers and for EV PCP schemes.