Graham Butcher

The UK Government have already given the power suppliers targets for by when we are all supposed to have smart meters installed.

With all of these things, smart meters, digital money, cars that keeping calling base all the time, over the air software updates etc, there is as always a hidden agenda. They are harvesting our data, we are then a commodity and our data is being sold and used. All of these things are sold to us as benefits of one kind or another in order to get more of us signing up for them, and they get more data on us.

Nice try but I think it is more likely to save them paying for gas then encouraging EV owners to use more green power, especially if they have to buy that renewable energy. Remember, we have had off peak tarrifs years before there was renewable sources. If they can get more power used over night and other less demanding times, they make more profit. If the demand is 20MW and there generators kick out 50MW then they are missing out on 30MW of sales. Follow the money, it usually pays off.

Sorry, but I'm not seeing any logic here, surely it's more a case of more power consumed than the grid can cope with so at peak times they are asking people to delay plugging the EV in, make that cup of tea later or earlier, do the weekly washing later in the evening or overnight to save them having to fire up more gas fired generators to cover the excess loading. This saves them considerable gas costs and thus uses more power at a time when the excess energy produced would normally just be wasted? Sometimes it really is the simple things that are true.

Politics is in its current form, a dirty business, and it generates corruption.

@Rooted and @Stonekeeper This is precisely why I'm sceptical of anything to do with being green as much of it just that greenwash. Surely those that cannot see why so many are doubters cannot deny all raw sewage being dumped, there are all kinds of bent things going on that if you or I were attempting it, would be thrown into prison for, but those big boys get away with it all the time. I remember there were, at one time, simply loads of builders claiming that they were members of the "Federation of Master Builders" and even had the logo sign written on their vans, printed on their stationary and business cards. Similar thing happened IIRC with upholsterers etc, some were falsely claiming membership of "The Guild of Master Craftsmen". As Rooted rightly said, follow the money.

A few years ago I was part of a team charged with the introduction of a Quality Assurance scheme, BS9001, which for the large part is not worth the paper it is written on as many companies let standards slip. There are rules and regulations for water companies about the treatment of effluent, and yet we have loads of illegal discharges into our rivers and sea.

No, I can accept that view point, but I can't be bothered to do the digging, how would it benefit me? I have far better things to do with my time. Maybe I'm just a tad too cynical for doubting, but my confidence in businesses and politicians to do the right and honourable thing has taken a few hard knocks over the last few years to the point that they would need to prove to me anything that they said was true before I would trust them

Last night I tweaked my headlights up a smidgen so they are little better now. My N/S headlight was replaced with brand new one in June along with a bulb, and it has a different colour temp to the O/S one, but I'm not sure if I can really justify the cost at the moment, currently it is not causing me any problems other than I know it looks odd. However, I don't have to look at, others do that ☺️ and by the time they have noticed the colour difference, they've gone past me. If I could get under the wheel arch and access them, I'd probably swap them out, but not being as agile as I once was and at 75 I really don't want to attempt it in case anything went wrong, I'd struggle to escape in time, so I'd have to pay the dealers labour on top.

@wyx087 While the ones you checked might not have used that precise word or phrase, they seem to be proudly stating they only use green electricity, and I for am rather sceptical that they actually live up to their promise about replacing the power you use, with the same amount of power from green producers. OK there may well be some that do keep their promises, or at least purchase enough from the greener sources so that they can show that have indeed purchased some. There is as always the temptation not to do so in order to maximise their profits for their own bonuses at the year-end and also to pay shareholders their dividends.

I just have the standard xenon lights with the LED DRL's and indicators.

I think VW is going to be the first to pull out of home production, it has been going on in many other industries here in the UK for years a company I used to work for opened up factories in the fer east many years.

You are correct, there is this video on YT about it. Interestingly, this is a story that may have originated from Škoda themselves as the owners manual show how to replace halogen bulbs only and indicator bulbs, it makes no mention of the Xenon or the DRL's/indicators as these are LEDs. (179) Skoda Superb MK3 III xenon bulb change / replacement - YouTube And for the Mk2

This post covers two things, diesel gate and ULEZ, because diesel could well have an impact on ULEZ. We all know about the scandel called diesel gate which hit the VW group and how all the other main stream manufacturers and in particular the owners and drivers of these other makes of cars all sneered and were smug about VW owners and their drivers, well this video is claiming loads of other makes were cheating on their emissions and the owner and presenter of this video, known as BlackbeltBarrister is actually suing one of these makes personally. Might worth a watch, even if for entertainment purposes only. If the claims are successfully upheld, it spells trouble for the LEZ and also ULEZ zones as well maybe?

Haha, I just did a quick check on the Halford website for Xenon headlamps bulbs to fit my car and they only list 2 types, 1 is priced at £38 but says it might not be suitable for my car, the other is priced at £49.50 and carries no such warning, also they only charge £9 per bulb for fitting so it comes out at £108 for 2, fitted but then there is a 10% discount that can be applied currently, bringing the total down to £97.20 fitted. They are rated as being 4100K colour temperature. I wonder if they would honour that £9 a bulb fitting charge if they find that they need to remove the bumper to fit them?

@Stonekeeper, I'm not sure if it has or not, but I've seen it before and personally I'd rather have something posted many times than not at all in case it has been posted before. 👍

Unlike some, I don't profess to know everything and I have never been involved with power generation/transmission. If a cable runs hot then its a power loss and is something I would not have expected in the national grid as they need to generate more power to negate the losses.

Yep, to be fair, they did say that was a cheaper route, but factor in the costs of them removing the bumper etc still makes it expensive. They just replaced the parking sensor brackets at the cost of £92.80 for the 4 brackets and £100 labour. They also fitted the correct Skoda engine undertray with the sound absorbing material as well for £125.78 (labour was just £25) and I must say that having that tray now fitted it sounds much quieter and less tractor ish😄

Hmm, well I wouldn't go that far, I can go for anything from 580 to 950 miles on a single tank so would be need to be refuelled on route, so in the event of a power outage, I can keep going or if trapped in bad weather, I could keep my heater on for longer, so swings and roundabouts. Plus of course, the Superb is a bigger car and has way more interior space so makes it a better car for long trips, and as mentioned before, I need that space, being 6ft 4" and so are my 3 sons, and I have exceedingly large feet, size 15, so need lots of feet room in the pedal well area.

The planned route is within 1 mile of my house, and I can report that there is quite a bit of local resistance to the pylons. Question, why can't they dig a trench and bury the cable, surely the cables could be protected against corrosion etc?

@lol-lol On the same trip, I would expect to get something in the order of around 60mpg so would be pretty similar to his costs for the Tesla, wafting is what the Superb does best, but it would more polluting though.

Yes, but some were claiming that is good enough still as it meant that someone would be using green energy, so it had the same end result, except that first person paid extra for it? But according to the Sky program, that is not happening all the time as green suppliers are not being used in some cases and instead the grid is firing up gas powered plants etc.

Still a lot of the Toyota Prius on the road, especially around this area of England, close to London it makes an ideal commuting car I understand. At one time it seemed to be the company car of choice for to reduce their tax burden as it lower tax penalty for them. The dash on that Vauxhall Ampera is just horrible and is like so many modern cars, incorporating so many controls into its touch screen is just a recipe for disaster as you cannot operate it without looking at it. Its just as dangerous as using a mobile phone hand held while driving, give me conventional switches and knobs any day please. TBH, some of the controls on the MK3 Superb are now integrated into the screen and I find them so hard to use, as you said, left-handed, go over a stone in the road and your finger misses the touch sensitive button and operates something else instead.👎

This was my point a while ago, while we all discussing the point that many companies were claiming that you would be supplied with green renewable energy. Some so-called green tariffs were actually more expensive per KWH. I had my doubts, knowing how large businesses operate, ducking and diving to make the maximum profit for their shareholders. I wonder just how many EV owners and drivers are driving around, especially here in England with a smug feeling, in the belief that they are doing their bit towards the planet when in reality they are currently making it worse?

@Rooted I really don't know the answer to that question, but it would be my guess that it was just FWD, as I would imagine it sport some sort of badging if it was AWD? It was also a hire car that the insurance company provided me with, so I would think that they would have with the cheapest option. Considering that it was supposed, in their eyes, a comparable size to my crashed car, then I doubt that they had zero idea of the size of a Superb, it was more like a 2+2 seater with just about 100mm knee space between the front seat and the rears and had no power outlets in the rear at all.