Graham Butcher

Hmm, that puts a slant on it. Just how much have we in our part of the world helped the warming by the exporting of our manufacturing to the Middle East, for instance, in the pursuit of greater profits, i.e., corporate greed? If we never did, then there would be less pollution being created in the Middle East and far fewer goods being shipped around the globe, and there would be more jobs created locally. Now I suggest that we should get back to the electric traction topic; good or bad, it's all about exchanging ideas and opinions.

Maybe we and our European neighbours should be spending much more on an international effort to actually get the heaviest pollution nations to remove the biggest polluters from their countries so that mankind everywhere can benefit and make it less about our own air quality, which has improved beyond all recognition of what it was in the 50s to 80s and our lifespans have all received a massive uplift as a result.

Why be sorry? If we can't use this platform and our shared love/appreciation of the motor car in all its formats to learn from each other, then what is the point? I think it is a great educational tool, and we should be celebrating that fact. Also, as @Stonekeeper points out, we should not be creating a huge social divide and building up resentment; we should be doing all within our power to make electric cars freely available and affordable to all regardless of if you're a business owner/user or a private buyer. It should be all about freedom of choice; all inducements should be removed, and let each type of motive power stand or fall based on its merits. Diesel-powered cars have always been more expensive than their petrol counterparts model for model, so why shouldn't the same apply to electric? People would then get the type of car that truly reflects their own requirements, and if, as everyone keeps saying, electric cars are far superior in almost every way, then surely the buyers will see that for themselves when their perceived concerns fail to materialise and the technology and support, in both terms of repair and charging support, also mature, then I bet the days for fossil-fuelled cars will become numbered naturally.

I did wonder if that might be the case, but the website seems to suggest the opposite, that by using HVO you will be producing up to 90% less CO₂ when driving. This is also why I asked @Evolution13 about his mpg figures because there was zero mention of increased mpg, which, if provable, would be a great asset to their sales potential. If anything this highlights that we all need to be asking probing questions and supporting each other; we are not enemies, although it does feel like we are at times

Nope, nice try but no cigar. I try to verify things first, and the claims that you're questioning as mine are taken directly from an HVO supplier's website. HVO Fuel FAQ – What is HVO & Who can use it? | Crown Oil This time I still have their website on my screen and also saved in my favourites, so I can revisit whenever I like; this has not always happened in the past. Below is a screenshot from part of their website, and if you actually do click on that link, you can actually verify for yourself that I'm claiming something that has excellent backup proof. I don't go in for all that TLDNR BS myself; like I've always claimed, I have an open mind, and I can be swayed to change my mind if there is sufficient proof and the provider of the proof has no vested interest in achieving a particular outcome. I admit that on THIS occasion that website does indeed have a vested interest in getting people to believe what they say. So on this occasion I'm only using it to illustrate beyond doubt that the words are not mine; I'm just quoting them in this instance. Now if it is true, then this opens up another whole new chapter that needs to be explored thoroughly, as it could possibly be more sustainable.

What sort of mpg improvement are you seeing? With HVO being able to reduce the CO₂ by upto 90%, I wonder if by declaring that your vehicle is running 100% on HVO, if you could get the VED reduced to reflect that of a comparable certified reduced CO₂. vehicle?

Sadly, I doubt that you'll be that lucky.

The problem with videos like this is that they are not giving the real truth, as often the reason for these discounts is that they might well be high on the insurers' risk lists and might well result in extremely high insurance costs. To avoid that statement being misconstrued as coming from a perceived EV hater (☹️) there are also loads of ICE cars that the insurers have also placed high on their risk list for a number of reasons, ranging from a Ford Fiesta up to Range Rovers. Some of these reasons are the cost of items like headlamps and replacement windscreens (£350 for a Fiesta windscreen as opposed to almost £2,000 for a Tesla) and of course there is the old postcode lottery, as certain cars are sometimes uninsurable depending on location. Many of the Chinese cars, regardless of their drivetrain, are extremely high on their lists because of their perceived support available. Lack of dealers, lack of parts and lack of knowledgeable and skilled people in the event of EVs repairs if and when they go wrong. I would advise anyone tempted by one of those apparently blinding offers to get a firm and binding insurance quote before agreeing to buy the car; they might well discover the real reason for their bargain-basement price, and this is applicable to ICE cars as well – just avoid any confusion. You really do need to pick up the stone and see what is lurking beneath it before making any purchase decision.

If those in charge did that, then the message would be so much more powerful in the eyes of others, but when they give a diktat that we should all be looking at and adopting the electric option, even if home charging is off the table for most drivers. But you don't see them in electric cars, armoured or not; then it's right back at the same level as BJ and his cabinet when they were having office parties and gatherings while others had the police knock their front doors down and were prosecuted for it. If you really want people to take the advice, then they themselves need to take the lead and set the examples. They would get a far better take-up rate if they had loads of charging hubs all over the place, loads more than there are currently, and these hubs need to be either government-funded and operated or part of the national grid or network operators. Have software installed in cars that identifies the car, its owner and who their current power supplier is, and then they get billed directly by that supplier at the special concessionary rate, so it enables all drivers to tap into the system and cars regardless of whether they can charge at home or not. Keep the PPM scheme to help replace the fuel duty so those who do a lot of miles pay pro rata as do ICE drivers. Take away all the refunds tax incentives, etc. If they had proper joined-up thinking like that in the beginning, then they might have witnessed many more EVs on the road right now.

Interesting video, I did notice that most of the examples shown seem to be arrays for the farmers' own use rather than what we currently see here in the UK where they are a commercial producer of electricity, as shown in the screenshots taken from Google Maps. Also the panels used for the agri use all appear to be mounted at some height above the ground. Quick observation also suggests many obstacles to the use of mechanised machines with the need to avoid all the panel structures and the electrical wiring and connections. But I can see how, subject to the right considerations and the mechanical construction of the system, to withstand high winds etc they could be used in the right conditions. When we had high winds recently, the 2-panel-wide solar farm I showed, panels mounted low to the ground, suffered considerable damage, with many panels being ripped away from the system. So does that mean that we have stronger winds than Australia, I wonder, or inadequate construction strength?

There are quite a few former airfields now being converted to solar farms here as well. However, farmers are complaining about not being allowed to grow food on their own land, leading to more imports, which seems counterproductive in reducing emissions.

Now that's an idea, although that would possibly also create additional issues of maintenance and damage through moisture-laden air playing havoc with the connections etc? Wouldn't the rainwater make its way back into the storage pond naturally?

Yes, we have sheep farms down here as well, still not seen sheep and solar together California is not the UK. There are over 25 complete fields near me that have become solar farms, with many more being constructed, and the lion's share of them are made up of rows of panels, 2 panels wide with a single panel gap between rows, which get more shade on the ground than would be ideal for growing, etc. That being said, there is one solar farm (covering many fields) where the rows are 4 panels wide, with some better spacing between them, but here again, there are fields laid out as 3 panels wide and a 1-panel gap. As you will see in the 3-panel photo, that one is still being built and so happens to be on the same farm, adjacent field to the 4-panel, but again with that very narrow gap between rows. The construction frames for the panels are clearly visible, awaiting the arrival of new panels. The aerial shots show these.

Absolutely right, people's experiences will vary widely according to the local terrain.

@lol-lol while there is some truth in what you say, the same is also true for all cars as regards to hypermiling. However I think you missed the point, if the grid struggles and they disable chargers at night time as reported by @Evolution13 then only those like you, able to charge at home would be OK. Fact is there are more unable to charge at home then those that can. Unless the grid can dramatically increase it's resilance then those concerns will not be dispelled. As EVs increase year on year should the grid struggle then power cuts, and restrictions will be coming to everyone regardless of what type of car they drive, including you with your home charge and storage would suffer. This is always going to a major concern/problem when relying on a single energy source. Incidentally I notice you have not given me any evidence of the farmers actually using space between solar arrays for food crops, or animals in the shelter of them. Is it because this is not what is actually happening on the ground? I certainly have not seen any examples to date anywhere on my travels.

This has been one of the concerns of many motorists; if this kind of event happened, they could be left stranded or unable to get to work, etc.

Yes, we've had some pretty large wildfires, fields, woods and building fires, had some fire engines destroyed and many fire fighters hospitalised, as has many other places across the UK. Almost an annual event these wildfires and so many are the result of people being careless when smoking, with barbecues etc. Hoping we get some rain soon, we need to fill the resivours again solve this national drought.

Here in Chelmsford, we had lovely sunshine right the way through it all, not a cloud in the sky.

Well, did you follow Octopus's instructions? I had sunlight right through the eclipse; admittedly, it was weaker for a few minutes, but there was still plenty of sunshine, and my solar panels and garden were bathed in it. I had to laugh at the guff some of the TV presenters were saying, like the temperature had suddenly dropped. Not here, it still felt as hot as ever.

I knew that most chargers located in car parks also make you pay the parking charge as well. I also recall reading a post on here before about being charged a minimum fee, and I was wondering if that charge still applied today now that there are improved facilities for electric cars.

Why a shame for PHEVs, it looks like the minimum £5 applies to your BEV as well. That £5 would buy a lot miles when home charging.

Just a thought, but are the drain tubes vibrating/rattling?

Thank you, I was asking because if I do a splash and dash to get home to my normal garage, there is normally displayed on the pumps the minimum quantity, usually 2 or 5 litres. I normally go with 5 litres for safety. So I did a search, and as Auto Shaningans found out, that relates to the accuracy of the pumps. https://youtu.be/_S2sGMH_u18

Not too sure about what makes sense when it comes to public chargers. The faster ones cost more to buy while 11kw ones risk cars occupying a physical bay for longer, and high power/speed could process far more cars in a given period.

I hear that there is supposed to be a minimum charge, is that not the case?