MikeHig
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Posts posted by MikeHig
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wyx087: On those energy reports, not sure what you mean by " not really representative of what we are actually using ".
Anyway, if you dig into the BP document it states that electricity generation accounts for around 40% of the total energy consumption in 2017. Further down, wind power provided 4.4% of global electricity and solar was 1.7%. So by a bit of man-maths, that puts Wind + Solar at about 2.4%.
That is a bit lower than the 3 - 4% I have seen quoted. My guess is that the report picks up figures for generation which is monitored by national grids. Much solar and some wind is not monitored by grids (assuming other countries work like the UK) - the so-called "embedded" systems. These are typically estimated at a further 25 - 30% on top of reported outputs.
If that guess is valid, it would take the W + S total up to 3.5 - 4 % as is usually reported.
The BP report has been running for over 60 years and, despite its origins, the commentary seems quite pro-renewables (remember when BP = "Beyond Petroleum"?). It highlights their rapid growth and makes the point that they are the second-largest contributor to the growth in energy production (after natural gas). It also bemoans the fact that coal's share of primary energy is the same today as it was 20 years ago: 38%. The section on materials availability for batteries is quite positive and does not see the much-hyped "cobalt cliff" as a great concern.
With regard to the broader climate debate, I am on totally the opposite side of the fence to yourself. So I suggest we leave it lie rather than hijack Ryeman's thread.
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The SEAT Alhambra has been around for much longer than 7 years - try 23!
The first model was a clone of the original Galaxy/Sharan vehicle - it came out in the mid 90s.
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wyx087: wrt to Kandy's comment, I've seen similar based on the IEA (International Energy Agency) report, saying that wind & solar supply 3.4% of global primary energy. Unfortunately the report is behind a $120 paywall so is not accessible to check.
Another widely-quoted source is the BP energy report which puts the figure at 3% (probably rounded). It's accessible here:
https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy.html
On the broader issue of electricity costs from different sources, the acid test would be to remove the subsidies and see what gets built. Are there any "free market" wind or solar farms in the UK? Or anywhere else?
A week or so ago the Walney wind farm off Cumbria was formally opened by Claire Perry. It has a "strike price" of £166.59 per MWh which is index-linked and guaranteed for 15 years. That is close to four times the current average market price and will be paid by UK consumers in their bills.
Returning to the thread, there is one aspect of electric vehicles which I have not seen covered (apologies if it has been - it's a monster thread and I have not read back very far). The largest component in the cost of motoring is depreciation. How do EVs compare to IC vehicles? I have the impression that Teslas hold their value pretty well but what about the bread & butter end of the market?
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Found the What Car survey online.
Here's what it actually said:
<< Least reliable: Tesla Model S - 50.9%
What went wrong? Bodywork 30%; Non-engine electrics 19%; Interior trim 7%; Suspension 7%; Air-con 4%; Battery 4%; Brakes 4%; Exterior lights 4%; Sat-nav 4%; Steering 4%; Wheels/tyres 4%
Although the Tesla Model S's electric powertrain is proving reliable, the same can’t be said of its electrical systems or bodywork. Issues reported by owners included bent seat frames, broken door handles and parking sensor failures. Just over half of the cars were out of action for at least a week and some fixes cost more than £1500. >>
Sounds like the issues are mostly build quality.
The survey is based on 18,000 reponses. As it covers 31 brands, many with dozens of models, I suspect the sample size for some may be very small. It would be more professional to give the number of responses in each case. The string of items with a "4%" result above suggests there were only a few responses.
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Flicking through What Car in the newsagent, their reliability survey caught my eye. Initially I was just curious to see where Skoda came (well up the table). Then I noticed that Tesla came plumb last in the list of approx 30 manufacturers for cars up to 4 years old. The metric was - I think - the percentage of each manufacturer's cars which had not had a fault in the past 12 months.
Tesla scored 57%. The next worst was Land Rover with 76%. Skoda came 7th with 96%.
Given that a major USP of electric cars is their relative simplicity and few moving parts, this result surprised me - especially as Tesla is a premium brand. As they are not exactly common over here, this was probably a small sample size which could easily be distorted by a few "lemons".
How does this result compare with experience elsewhere?
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This month's EVO magazine carries a very positive review of a Sportline saloon they have been running for 6 months.
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Tesla's boss, Mr Musk, has a very nasty side to his character.
Apparently he offered a mini-sub to help rescue that Thai football group trapped deep underground. When one of the Brit divers said it was impractical and just a PR stunt, Musk called him a "pedo". It's all on Twitter.
Nice chap.
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IJWS15: In your list of helpful tips you included " There is no "margin for enforcement" on speed limits, if stopped at 51 in a 50 you will get a ticket and points on your shadow French licence, there are many non-eforcement monitors around here which show your speed as you approach with a smiley face - they also tell you how many points if you are over the limit. "
A few years back the head of traffic enforcement (can't recall the exact title) was asked about this on the main news programme. He said they allowed 10% over plus 1 km/h. That works out at 144 km/h on the autoroute or 90 mph.
Do you know if this has changed or is the policy different depending on the type of road?
The only time I was stopped in over 30 years of regular motoring in France, the police were totally professional and easy to deal with. I was caught doing nearly 90 in a tunnel with a 70 limit and a couple of bike police pulled me over. We ended up having a friendly chat, mainly about rugby, to the point where I thought I might be let off. Then they said they had better do the paperwork......cost me €80.
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It's worth carrying the universal insurance document - the "Constat Amicable" - which is used by both parties to record the details of an accident. Copies can be downloaded in both French and English. Also on insurance, check your cover for driving outside the UK: some policies which are comprehensive here only provide basic cover when abroad.
It's my understanding that a GB sticker is no longer required provided your number plates have the blue "GB" patch. If not, you can get stickers for a couple of quid on e-Bay.
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This seems to be a common malady across many brands.
Over the years I have had a number of "experiences" with Audi that have left me less than impressed. Last year, somewhat against my better judgement, I decided to have a look at their S3. Two dealerships later I had another tale of indifference/ arrogance/ incompetence. They seem to believe that they are doing us a huge favour by condescending to sell us one of their cars.
In contrast, I received a great deal and excellent customer support from a VW dealership in Sevenoaks which made the whole purchasing experience a pleasure - and it's a cracking car!
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If you are worried about 2 mm I guess you don't plan to use chains. I mention that because I was surprised to learn that, on my MkII, chains are not allowed by Skoda on the standard wheels (225/40/R18).
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This is probably a good time to be looking for smaller wheels for VAG cars since the scrappage schemes will have increased the scrappies' intake.
While it's trivial compared to the cost and durability issues, the smaller wheel/ larger tyre combination is probably lighter than the standard, especially if the tyre is slightly narrower too. The motoring journos often mention the benefit of lower unsprung weight for wheels.
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This post from Chimaera a few months ago gives all the tyre & wheel sizes which are Skoda-approved. It also shows which ones can be used with chains - worth bearing in mind if you ever go anywhere snowy!
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I have read comments somewhere - maybe not this forum - about a droning noise being due to vibration/resonance in the air intake. Putting "intake noise" into Search brought up quite a few comments on intake rattles and noise.
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PeteJ80: Thanks for that. I will keep that website to hand ready for any sign of problems.
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BoxerBoy: +1
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Personally, I'd have the paddles.
My Superb does not have them and, having had them on other cars, I was a bit surprised by how often I miss them.
That said, your car probably has a variety of driving modes which will reduce the inclination to use manual shifting (the Superb has a "Sport" mode but it's rubbish - just holds onto revs longer, irrespective of load).
I'm not familiar with Kodiaq prices so this may not apply: I assume you are aware of the big hit on VED if the list price, incl options, goes over k£40?
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PeteJ80: Your solution is what I will want to do, if my electric opening fails.
Please could you provide more detail on what was involved? Does it now work just like a coventional tailgate (I assume the switch on the centre console becomes redundant)?
Thanks
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On 10/04/2018 at 21:40, WiggosSideburns said:
What is everyone's obsession with overtaking?
Wiggo; Quite agree with you about trying to make journeys relaxed, etc, and not looking to gain a few minutes on journey times. There was an article a few weeks ago - in Autocar, I think - where they carried out an interesting test. Two cars drove across Wales from Chepstow to Holyhead so no motorways and very little dual carriageway. They drove non-stop, observing all limits, etc.. One car was a SmartforTwo, the other was a Porsche 911. The difference in journey times was.......NINE minutes!
However I prefer ample oomph because it makes overtaking safer: you need less space and spend less time on the "wrong" side of the road. It gives more opportunities and makes it easier to get past more than one vehicle. (O/T but I was taught to drive many years ago and there was much emphasis on not incoveniencing other road-users so, if not looking to overtake, I leave plenty of space for those who are. Nowadays folk seem to resent being passed and will even close up on the vehicle in front- muppets!).
Also there are those moments where you want to get away fast, such as pulling out onto busy roads, so as not to slow other drivers. Lastly there are those moments of misjudgement or when something unexpected happens and you just need to boot it as hard as you can.
As for economy, it used to be the case that a bigger engine driven on the torque was often more fuel-efficient than a small one revving hard. That's probably not so true any more with modern turbos although the extra DSG gear you mention suggests it may still occur.
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This is an interesting debate as I will be probably looking at one of these for my next car.
Personally I would go for the bigger engine every time. It has about 30% more torque across a slightly wider rev range. That will have obvious advantages for overtaking, lugging heavy loads, etc..
Also, the big engine may well have longer ratios which will give more relaxed cruising ( I haven't seen the respective mph/1000 rpm figures). Similarly the brakes may well be uprated over the smaller engine. These are points I will be checking when I get closer to a purchase.
For relatively low mileages, like the earlier post, the difference in fuel economy will not cost much and, in my view, would be worth paying. As more people buy these and get some mileage on them it will be interesting to see how the real-world figures compare.
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That was why I started my post "If you expect to drive in serious winter conditions"!
Not usually an issue in Surrey, I agree.
However there have been quite a few posts on several of these forums about winter tyres, etc from folk who drive to the Alps or similar - as I do. A couple of them had bought chains for the standard wheels only to find that they were not approved by Skoda, presumably because of clearance issues (surprising given the origin of these cars).
Is there anything more useless than a set of old chains?! I can track the growth in car wheel & tyre dimensions by the sets of rusting chains in my garage.
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If you expect to drive in serious winter conditions, it would be worth checking what tyre/wheel size would allow chains to be fitted. I have an SII 170 Elegance estate and was surprised to find that the handbook states that the standard wheels cannot be fitted with chains. Luckily my winter wheels & tyres are narrower than the standards so chains can be fitted.
The range of approved wheel & tyre combinations was posted on another thread a few months back - worth a search.
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PunyXpress; thanks, that was interesting as background but is mainly about 4WD issues.
AwaoffSki; naturally I started this on here but other VAG threads will be my next step.
I agree that the TCS cutting power may not be helpful but, since it knows the car is stationary, I would have expected it to apply a touch of brake to the spinning wheel which would tend to put some power to the other wheel via the differential. That's something I have done with some success, admittedly on older cars. The manual does say TCS will help when moving off but I now suspect it may be better to turn the TCS off and try to manage things on throttle and brake. It is something to play with next time I am on slippery going.
Quite agree about using the right tyres: I am on winters. My recent experiences were on very tricky roads in the Alps and an event car park where the ground was so soft the car had sunk almost to the rims when I got back to it - luckily the organisers had arranged a team of tractors!
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The Traction Control System on my Superb (MkII, 170 HP, DSG, Diesel, 2WD) does not seem to function when the car is stationary or at very low speeds and with light throttle inputs. When the car is struggling for grip I end up with one wheel spinning. If I apply a bit of throttle, the TCS light flashes but I don't feel any improvement. I think this is because it needs noticeable throttle to activate the TCS and that overwhelms grip when it is slippery.
After getting stuck in a muddy car park recently I even took a look at the manual. It states that TCS helps when moving off which has not been noticeable. It also suggests turning it off when trying to get free by "rocking" the car back and forth: I can't see why.
Secondly I suspect the car has an interlock which does not allow the application of throttle when the brake pedal is pressed. A couple of times, when trying to get moving, I have tried the old trick of light throttle - wheel starts to spin - with a soft touch on the brakes but that cuts the engine power.
It would be interesting to hear others' experiences, comments and advice. Thanks.
The battery as the new frontier
in Electric Vehicles
Posted
Wrt the UK wholesale power price, Ofgem show it as around £55/MWh here:
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/data-portal/electricity-prices-day-ahead-baseload-contracts-monthly-average-gb
So that brand-new windfarm I mentioned is priced at three times the going rate, not four as I said; apologies.
The previous comments were about wind & solar. The same source shows them as contributing 19.2 TWh in Q1 against a total of c. 93 => 21%.
The 30% figure includes hydro, biomass, etc.. That is just electricity of course.
" Climate change / global warming by burning fossil fuel is not a debate, it is a fact. " That's not how science works. If it was we would still be convinced that the sun orbits the earth. Climate change is a theory driven by computer models. Those models are running hot compared to hard data from satellites and weather radiosondes. The world has been hotter - and colder - in the recent past. We are still here. Climate changes: that's what it does.