Graham Butcher

@lol-lol Sure, but once again, you did not read what I wrote, I agreed about the regenerative braking but I also said not everybody liked it or one pedal driving, thus indicating that some turned it either down or off, and then drove as per conventional ICE car, which they were used to driving, and then, once again pads and discs could also be changed. Once again you demonstrated that you think everything is anti-EV, with out fully understanding what others are saying. Also you said "Been some EVs where the on regen part of the braking system has seized up thru lack of use so it needs a bit of TLC because it is used so little by many EV drivers who regen 99% of the time." Not a very safe situation to be in is it? I'm not so sure about the EV insurance being less expensive these days, insurers have got wise to the fact that many EVs have to be written off after some accidents for fear of the battery being damaged and leaving them with a ticking time bomb so many will not take that chance and simply write the car off and then premiums start to rise in order to ensure that they are are operating at a loss. This a situation that you personally may not be aware of as an existing EV owner with no such claims made, but I'm sure that there are plenty of other new owners discovering that when they look for quotes on a potential change from ICE to EV as result of the pressure being brought to bear on them, is a really nasty unexpected surprise that wipes away much of the smile from enjoying cheap home charging. To illustrate the above insurance hike in EVs over ICE I have done a test, using money supermarket on Auto Trader site, same driver details in both cases, therefore the same insurers quoted, only car has changed, 2020 Hyndai Kona Premium SE, both cars valued at £14,000 ICE version 6,000 miles £480 full Comp (petrol) BEV version 20,000 miles £730 full Comp. (full electric) So that is a 52% hike in the premium for the full electric car over the more likely to self combust according to some ICE car and the BEV also has an 233% increase in the mileage at the commencement of the proposed policy, not really looking that rosy is it?

Personally, I really couldn't give a flying f**k what my neighbours, family or friends etc are driving, I'm only interested what I want to drive and that for me always starts with "can I sit here comfortably for hours at a time on long trips", next comes, is it suitable for my own immediate family needs and what is it like to drive. Its external looks are for others to put up with, I can't see them from the drivers seat, neither do I spent much time actually looking at the car from outside it. Even when I had company cars and I where could have any car within a set budget, rather than from a particular model, I have always gone for the car that I would personally buy with my own money that ticked all the above boxes, hence why I for the last 5 company cars, I always went for the Skoda while all my colleagues went for Audis, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Honda and Alfa Romeo, all of which cost more and they gave the reasons for their choices as looking good on their drives. In other words they were being greedy with someone else's money and shallow. Don't you remember when VW used to say similar about their cars,"If only everything was as reliable as a Volkswagen", or "Jetta, tough as boots"

Ever thought that maybe it might also depend on the actual SOC at the time of parking the car up for that time. I'm purely going on what my SIL told me and I have not read the manual etc. So when she tells that it defaults to electric mode first, she is unable to select petrol mode, it selects itself when the SOC apparently is no longer sufficient so then recharges from the engine. So if that is correct, and the car has not driven enough to increase the SOC to last 2 weeks to allow the car to drive off in electric mode, then I would say it sounds to be perfectly feasible. I would need to read the manual to confirm.

Just as a by, my sister in law has recently swapped her 10 year old Toyota Yaris for 2 year old Yaris Cross (hybrid) and just to illustrate how the complexity plays a major part in modern cars, the car defaults to electric mode only switching to ICE when the battery can no longer support movement. She has friends who have similar cars and the dealer also told her that it is essential to make sure that the traction battery is kept topped up and the only way this can be can be done is to drive it until the petrol engine kicks in and then to drive it for at least 25 minutes, once a week. She and and my wife are going away on holiday to Madeira in September for 2 weeks and she has arranged for brother in law to drive it while they are away and I shall be driving them to Gatwick in my diesel and picking them up again as she is not willing to risk coming back to a car that is not usable and having to call out someone to charge the battery sufficient to enable the petrol engine to start. Traction battery getting too low in SOC prevents petrol engine from working. Her friends have also confirmed this to be true as they have faced the same issues after 2 weeks holiday.

Ed Miliband is one of the arm chair experts and he is pushing the net zero and EV agenda the most.

@classic you'll get no arguments from me on any of what you have said, apart from what you spent on regular maintenance of your Superb, could just as well also be spent on an EV, as not everyone likes all the regenerative braking that is available on EV's or indeed the one pedal system that some also offer, so in that case the pads and discs could well be replaced on an EV just the same. I to, have spent similar amount on my Superb, but no plugs, oil filters, pads or discs, but on replacing worn out shock absorber, worn front suspension bushes and track rod ends, broken coil spring and an alternator, all of which there are equivalent parts on an EV are there not, so those parts could also fail just as on an ICE, and I'm willing to bet some may well be even more expensive to replace.

@classic I do think the points mentioned about children mining the rare minerals etc is actually correct, but let's get one thing abundantly clear, I'm not anti EV but anti the forced switching towards EV adoption. I have zero issue with anyone freely electing to have whatever propulsion system they wish. It is or was a free country. What I oppose is the big push towards EVs with increasing pressure on makers and dealers to meet increased percentage sales year on year when it is still very much an unproven technology and we have masses yet to learn about so much to do with all aspects of them before we can confidentally say that they pose no more danger than current ICE vehicles do.

This is irrelevant very few electronic things break so early in their life, it is a complete red herring being chucked into the discussion because you all seem to be under the impression that I'm bashing EVs here when I'm not. I'm bashing all the tech that goes into all modern cars regardless of their propulsion system. But it is still a fact however that all EVs do is to swap mechanical complexity for more electronic and software complexity. For instance, there are not 7100+ parts of an ICE engine, but there that number of battery cells in a Telsa model S battery pack, plus all the other parts required to keep it at the right temperature, balance the cell voltages etc which is still only technically the same item in essance as a fuel tank, is it not?

@Ootohere correct, but more is being made from my statement then what should be. Do you not agree then that classic cars such as those making the London to Brighton runs annually 50 or 60 years from now will not be featuring many of the current ICE and more than likely no EVs,? The reason for that is more than likely to be down to electronic failures rather than mechanical drive trains.

Believe what you want to, but I hope that one day when it really sinks in just how such a small thing can ruin your plans and dreams that you'll have the manners to admit I was right, oh and for the record, it DOES not only apply to EVs but all modern cars that rely an gadgetry to make them run and drive. Including my new Kodiaq but I'm aware of this and not burying my head in the sand. Dish washers and TVs etc etc all fall foul of this, try getting control parts for out of production appliances. Hoses and such parts are for the large part replaceable as people can often make work around, including most of us here, think about it.

Quite right, and to add insult to injury, these parts are also hidden away in sealed cases and also in inaccessible locations and the sealed units are many and nondescript and are not even available to the ordinary person, only authorised dealers, who also do not have the skilled staff to even understand which parts do what and if they will even attempt to repair the car, they go through a trail and error of swapping parts, of which all parts are chargeable. Even if they don't cure the problem which can cost thousands of £ and the upshot of it all is, that the actual failed part, if you could pin point it and replace it, could be a simple SMD resistor or a capacitor costing just pence, and a modern car has thousands of such electronic parts.

Just couldn't help yourself then, I had already agreed about the mechanical components, but it is all the really complex control, electronics and software that makes EVs overall way more complicated then an ICE. That is one reason why there is a shortage of skilled people to work on them beyond doing the simple things like normal servicing. Most normal people can actually see a problem with something mechanical, and with the right tools could more than likely also fix it, can you see faults with electronics, software, etc? Yes there is a certain amount of those elements in modern ICE vehicles, but go back a few years there was none of those things was there? Look at the classic vehicles at rallies etc that are still to this day usable and could be everyday drivers and are are the most part, cared for by their owners. The same thing will not be happening with EVs in the future and if you want a even more clear illustration, take a mechanical calculator and an modern day electronic one.

Indeed, and that is exactly what that video is saying, it states that the battery has been redesigned and indeed it shows it is a blade, it is no longer a collection of cylindrical sealed together in a large metal can. Are you sure that as EV user yourself that you are not reacting to the video in a negative fashion and just automatically rubbishing it out of principle? I have said countless times, I'm not anti EV, I'm just concerned about the way that some countries have chucked all their weight behind the technology which is still in its infancy and there is still much to learn about it and we can effectively negate some of the batteries bad parts. Like I have said, diesel, CFL lights etc, we have as humans trod this path many times before and then discover that the once acclaimed magic bullet is like a scorpion with a really nasty and vicious sting in its tail. I have heard the argument so many times that an electric car is far more reliable than an ICE car, it has less to go wrong etc., really??? There are thousands of battery cells to make up a battery, to say nothing about the cooling and heating system for the battery, the numerous BMS systems required for each bank and the load/charge balancing systems for the cells for their own protection, the invertors and all the required control systems. In reality, the EV is far far more complicated than the ICE version, where an EV is less complicated than an ICE is is in the actual moving parts, but they are way more complicated overall.

Is the the myth finally becoming a liability , has the blade battery reached the end and the truth coming out?

Having just switched from a Superb to a Kodiaq, I like to drive in ECO mode and I find it a bit frustrating having to select it manually each time I start the engine, is there a way to select a default mode and have the car remember that setting?

Is EGR only applicable to diesels then?

Modern Heros is not having great time of it of late, here is his latest problem, brand new Citroen Ami, broke on day 1 and is now waiting on a fix.

I have sent you a message with my email address as I know that you said you couldn't send any yet due to not having enough posts, but you should be able to receive messages, have a look.

Hell yes, that is my old car but it is in fact petrol blue, not lava blue. Is the seller offering any form of warranty with the car? 2016 Blue SKODA Superb 2.0 TDI Laurin & Klement Hatchback 5dr Diesel DSG Auto 6Spd Euro 6 (s/s) (150 ps) for sale for £6,495 in AMERSHAM, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE I can tell you that the service history is extensive, I have spent a lot on it myself, it has had a new alternator, 4 new tyres, new pressure sensor on the number 3 glow plug, New N/S/F shock (DCC) new O/S/F coil spring, new front suspension bushes, new headlight leveler control unit.

Yes. I did sell my car and recently, where was the car that you were looking at and do you have the registration plate details?

Well that certainly looks like that is what it is, I never knew that it even had one. Thanks

While trying to iron out a few bugs in the setup of my new to me Kodiaq and give it a good thorough clean in preparation of taking some photos and posting them here, I came across some bits that have me puzzled. 1/ Not all of contacts have made their way into the phone settings, what going on? It reports reports 63 out of 63 contacts have been imported but some are not visible. 2/There does not seem to be a way of scrolling up and down the list of calls and or contacts other then through the touch screen, not safe in my view. 3/ Sometimes it is impossible to make a phone call from the car, and you can at other times? 4/ I have discovered this cable laying loose in the spare wheel bay, with 2 pads connected at the end, separated by a piece of foam, any ideas what this is for?

I think that you are getting a little confused here, the first Superb I had with cruise control would keep the set speed going up or down hill as well as on the level , what it would not do is react to slower vehicles in front, thus requiring me to either overtake them or to alter the set speed of the car. Later models came with adaptive cruise control that would slow the car to match the speed of slower ones in front unless I overtook them when once again my car would maintain the set speed regardless of it I was going up or down a hill. Hill descent control is something very different and is designed for use on very steep hills in particular if you are off roading in an off road vehicle like Kodiaq 4x4, Land Rover, Range Rover, Jeep etc and will get you safely to the bottom of the hill with each wheel being independently braked to maintain a safe slow speed and keep the car safe. There are loads of videos on YouTube that show and explain how descent hill control works and it is completely different to cruise control.

If that happens then you don't actually have a working cruise control. That is the entire point of it, to maintain a set speed.

Despite the Luton Airport fire being started by a Diesel Range Rover, diesel was not responsible for the subsequent destruction of the other cars and the structure itself, all of that was done to the presence of other far more dangerous fuels such as petrol and electric car batteries which ignite for easier and burn at far higher temperatures. As this video shows, diesel itself can even be used to put fires out.