Seen at Prague Castle.

Edited 26 September, 201213 yr by Yorkshire

Spent 8 months (over 3 years) working in Prague and never saw a single car in side the Castle, was this a car show?.

Would be interested in some details of this version, range ect.

The car itself might have zero emission, but what about the electricity generation plant?

Has anyone done any cost comparisons between electric cars and petrol cars? i.e. cost per mile to run? With or without the purchase price difference?

What about the environmental damage caused by replacing the batteries after (probably, according to some industry experts) 5 years?

I'm all for seeking out more environmentally friendly options, but are electric cars actually the solution?

I'd still have one though...

I'll go back to a hugely uneconomical, hugely unethical, hugely un-environmentally friendly petrol Subaru before I drive an all electric car.

Aren't diesel fabias (or any other VAG) more economical and more efficient ? That said, I quite fancy a go in an Ampera.

Only electric car I would drive is by Scalextric

The Green 'e' Line has been around a while now...

Only electric car I would drive is by Scalextric

Oh I don't know, could quite fancy a Tesla :-)

Will it do 100 miles a day at 60-70mph up and down hills in -15C with the heater on and charge over night from a single phase domestic socket?

Plus be cheaper per mile than a diesel over 3yr.

If not I'll pass.

On the electric car debate.... I've driven a Nissan Leaf and Vauxhall Ampera on the open road, if they can get the battery range sorted I do feel electric is a long term solution - would be very interested in an electric Octavia if they brought that over here....

Cars contribute a tiny fraction in terms of pollution, its industry that is the big problem. Pointless trying to save small percentage of something that is in itself a tiny percentage of overall pollution producers. even if all cars were emmision free it wouldnt make a noticible impact on the environment.

Only advantage an electric car could offer the public is to reduce running costs. Not sure if it would though due to high purchase price.

I would happily use an electric car for getting around if range was usable and i had alternative for long journeys.

Ditto if an Ampera was £18k I'd get one tomorrow.

Cars contribute a tiny fraction in terms of pollution, its industry that is the big problem. Pointless trying to save small percentage of something that is in itself a tiny percentage of overall pollution producers. even if all cars were emmision free it wouldnt make a noticible impact on the environment.

Don't know where you get that idea from!

In the UK there are approx 40 million cars

Assuming a VERY conservative estimate of 120g of CO2 per km for each and an average of 10,000km per year then that equates to 48 million tonnes of CO2. Drax Power Station, the biggest single CO2 emitter in the UK emits around 15 million tonnes per year. So reducing the emissions of cars to zero equates to 3 Drax power stations.

To look at it another way, total UK CO2 emissions for 2011 were 520 million tonnes. So cars are over 9% of UK emissions - hardly a "tiny fraction".

And that is just CO2, other pollutants include NOx, HC,s and particulates.

Edit

This article here reckons it is much higher than my rough calculation above - they say 22% of UK CO2 is from road transport

http://www.environmental-protection.org.uk/transport/car-pollution/

Edited 27 September, 201213 yr by eccleshill

The trouble is that electric cars are well suited to the city environment where low speed and short journeys are the norm. All well and good. Hell, even I'd have one IF they were a reasonable price as most of my travel to and from work is about 5 miles each way.

The trouble most people would encounter is this - if you live in the majority of cities where there are Victorian/Edwardian terraced houses (Bristol, Bath, London, Newport to name but a few) and there is only on-street parking, then it is impossible to charge your car over night as you mostly won't be within reach of your house. It really is not a realistic proposition to run extension cables down the pavement and across the road! And it is these cities that would benefit most from this type of car. I really don't see a solution unless the council enforced a one house, one designated parking space regime. And that's not going to happen any time soon where I live. Charging a car at work is becoming a possibility as they have installed all of 3x spaces out of 2,297.

Don't know where you get that idea from!

In the UK there are approx 40 million cars

Assuming a VERY conservative estimate of 120g of CO2 per km for each and an average of 10,000km per year then that equates to 48 million tonnes of CO2. Drax Power Station, the biggest single CO2 emitter in the UK emits around 15 million tonnes per year. So reducing the emissions of cars to zero equates to 3 Drax power stations.

To look at it another way, total UK CO2 emissions for 2011 were 520 million tonnes. So cars are over 9% of UK emissions - hardly a "tiny fraction".

And that is just CO2, other pollutants include NOx, HC,s and particulates.

Edit

This article here reckons it is much higher than my rough calculation above - they say 22% of UK CO2 is from road transport

http://www.environme.../car-pollution/

Different sources quote between 10-27% contribution pollution from transportation but cars only contribute to about 5% on their own. 5% is not a lot. Industry is roughly 50% of total air pollution so it makes more sense to improve efficiency there. Things like lorries, trains, planes etc pollute far far more than cars and i doubt we will see electric planes and busses soon.

Edited 27 September, 201213 yr by Jockdooshbag

Different sources quote between 10-27% contribution pollution from transportation but cars only contribute to about 5% on their own. 5% is not a lot. Industry is roughly 50% of total air pollution so it makes more sense to improve efficiency there. Things like lorries, trains, planes etc pollute far far more than cars and i doubt we will see electric planes and busses soon.

Forgot to say that once you factor in the extra emmisions from powerststions to charge the cars then electric cars are pointless. It will be hydrogen fuel cells that powers our cars in the future.

IMHO ethanol is still the better option.

Hydrogen = we can make it with what we have but not store it

Ethanol = we can make it and store it.

We just need to learn to make it in a way that doesn't sent food prices through the roof. Something which should be easier than solving the hydrogen issue.

Plus Ethanol / petrol are just very good ways for us to store energy. The energy / volume is very good, convenient and they're relatively safe. Relatively safe meaning we've found ways to mitigate the big risks with using petrol / ethanol and the infrastructure is there to distribute and sell it.

Hydrogen is still out there with wind turbines. Ok on paper but a bit crap in reality.

The trouble is that electric cars are well suited to the city environment where low speed and short journeys are the norm. All well and good. Hell, even I'd have one IF they were a reasonable price as most of my travel to and from work is about 5 miles each way.

The trouble most people would encounter is this - if you live in the majority of cities where there are Victorian/Edwardian terraced houses (Bristol, Bath, London, Newport to name but a few) and there is only on-street parking, then it is impossible to charge your car over night as you mostly won't be within reach of your house. It really is not a realistic proposition to run extension cables down the pavement and across the road! And it is these cities that would benefit most from this type of car. I really don't see a solution unless the council enforced a one house, one designated parking space regime. And that's not going to happen any time soon where I live. Charging a car at work is becoming a possibility as they have installed all of 3x spaces out of 2,297.

But then, there's this...

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/electriccarsreview.pdf

If I was to drive an electric car, it has to be a bonkers one

http://www.topgear.com/uk/paris-motor-show-2012/photos/mercedes-announces-electric-sls-2012-09-27

Where will we get the hydrogen for these fuel cells?

Unfortunately for reality, hydrogen isn't a fuel source, it's just an intermediate used for energy storage much like a battery. But unlike a battery hydrogen is extremely hard to contain. It leaks through steel.

Electric cars make a lot of sense for short range commuting in temperate climates. The energy drains of heater and air-con are enough to make them impractical in more extreme climates.

My biggest beef is that for short-range commuting in temperate climates there are far better options. Like riding a bike.

Lower running costs.

No overnight charging.

Less road congestion.

Cheaper parking.

Health and wellbeing benefits.

Where will we get the hydrogen for these fuel cells?

Unfortunately for reality, hydrogen isn't a fuel source, it's just an intermediate used for energy storage much like a battery. But unlike a battery hydrogen is extremely hard to contain. It leaks through steel.

Electric cars make a lot of sense for short range commuting in temperate climates. The energy drains of heater and air-con are enough to make them impractical in more extreme climates.

My biggest beef is that for short-range commuting in temperate climates there are far better options. Like riding a bike.

Lower running costs.

No overnight charging.

Less road congestion.

Cheaper parking.

Health and wellbeing benefits.

LOL riding a bike, on a car forum.

Riding a bike is not a viable option for most folk i would imagine. Not me anyway. ****ing rain, howling gale, dark mornings. No thanks. Safety issues with bikes also i.e being hit by cars / lorries as they cant see you due to ****ing rain and dark mornings. Plus pure and simply i couldnt be arsed. Enough to do what with dog walking, working, dog walking again, looking after baby without the joyous thought of having to friggin utilise something that hasnt really evolved since the victorian age and required my own physical effort to propel it.

If you enjoy cycling then good for you but it is no way a rival for a car. Cant take passengers, or luggage, or golf clubs for game after work ( i wish ), it takes ages to get anywhere and when you arrive you are manky and sweaty and worse than that if you take it serioulsy tou will be wearing some right stupid clothes in the process.

Cycling is for children untill they pass their driving test then they realise how crap cycling was.

As someone else said ethanol may be an option. AT least we can utilise current infrastructure i.e petrol stations. Problem is though i doubt there is enough land for the crops.

Edited 28 September, 201213 yr by Jockdooshbag

LOL riding a bike, on a car forum.

Riding a bike is not a viable option for most folk i would imagine. Not me anyway. ****ing rain, howling gale, dark mornings. No thanks. Safety issues with bikes also i.e being hit by cars / lorries as they cant see you due to ****ing rain and dark mornings. Plus pure and simply i couldnt be arsed. Enough to do what with dog walking, working, dog walking again, looking after baby without the joyous thought of having to friggin utilise something that hasnt really evolved since the victorian age and required my own physical effort to propel it.

If you enjoy cycling then good for you but it is no way a rival for a car. Cant take passengers, or luggage, or golf clubs for game after work ( i wish ), it takes ages to get anywhere and when you arrive you are manky and sweaty and worse than that if you take it serioulsy tou will be wearing some right stupid clothes in the process.

Cycling is for children untill they pass their driving test then they realise how crap cycling was.

As someone else said ethanol may be an option. AT least we can utilise current infrastructure i.e petrol stations. Problem is though i doubt there is enough land for the crops.

Yes you can

LOL riding a bike, on a car forum.

Riding a bike is not a viable option for most folk i would imagine. Not me anyway. ****ing rain, howling gale, dark mornings. No thanks. Safety issues with bikes also i.e being hit by cars / lorries as they cant see you due to ****ing rain and dark mornings. Plus pure and simply i couldnt be arsed. Enough to do what with dog walking, working, dog walking again, looking after baby without the joyous thought of having to friggin utilise something that hasnt really evolved since the victorian age and required my own physical effort to propel it.

If you enjoy cycling then good for you but it is no way a rival for a car. Cant take passengers, or luggage, or golf clubs for game after work ( i wish ), it takes ages to get anywhere and when you arrive you are manky and sweaty and worse than that if you take it serioulsy tou will be wearing some right stupid clothes in the process.

Cycling is for children untill they pass their driving test then they realise how crap cycling was.

As someone else said ethanol may be an option. AT least we can utilise current infrastructure i.e petrol stations. Problem is though i doubt there is enough land for the crops.

How about one of these then!!!! :giggle:

Edited 28 September, 201213 yr by Yorkshire

Nice to see a serious topic decline again (big up the Trolls)

Lee

Nice to see a serious topic decline again (big up the Trolls)

Lee

LOL get a grip. A bit of fun never hurt anyone.