11 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

I know; I have had my tank checked at roadside checkpoints on many occasions before.

The look on the farmer or other Red diesel cheat that one is seizing their vehicle is priceless....

Done this myself for Bootleggers ie booze and backy smugglers.

In reality usually restore they vehicle for a relatively smallish fee but there would be the Level 4 penalty for using Red etc.

I do miss some aspects of the job. There is a new Netflix series about customs Officers back in the 90s and the brave work done

https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81708404

@lol-lol Yes, that stars Steve Coogan; I heard him talking about this programme on the radio the other day.

Have electric cars increased their numbers by 133% in 3 years? According to QBE Insurance, the number of electric cars catching fire has increased 133% in the last 3 years. Can that be true?

Number of electric car blazes attended by fire brigades up 133% in three years | This is Money

Is it an excuse for increasing the insurance premiums? Or is it that as the cars mature, the problems begin to develop, and the fires are as a result of this ageing? Which would kind of make sense, the same as it is more likely that ICE cars will also become more prone to problems and possible fires as they age.

Sorry before i can read that link it crashes. So now the Fire Brigades in the UK & the insurers for England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland actually have the figures of EV fires. ???? Do we know how many of these incidents involved fatalities? So just over 2 million registered BEV,s in the UK.

Read it now in other places. 279 compared to 120 in 2022. Elsewhere i read they attend a Lithium Battery fire every 5 hours. But then not 1 BEV Passenger car or any BEV fire every day. So 1 million registered BEV,s in the UK in 2023 & 2 million in 2026. To me that is double in 2 years.

Still 100% increase though? BEV, increased by similar amount?

Of course, it all depends on the accuracy of those figures.

Edited 12 May12 May by Graham Butcher

No increase in the RISK is there? Since 2020 133% increase while there was that increase in Registered BEVs. . But last year Fire Brigades could not give the figures strangely. The were counting, scooters, bikes, and Cars / Vans regularly. Any way, no increased fire risks.

2020? The figures are supposed to be from 2023 to 2026 that QBE are quoting aren't they?

So, that does suggest an increased risk. I'd like to see their figures.

Edited 12 May12 May by Graham Butcher

So how many BEV,s first registered in the 3 years. is it 1.3 million? is it just BEV,s and not including PHEV,s in the numbers registered or identified as having been on fire. Anyway, if insurance costs are going to increase so be it. Insurance is about risk and how much they pay out to insured or 3th parties.

Edited 12 May12 May by Evolution13

@Evolution13 I just revisited that article and it does seem that their figures don't quite add up, the fires have increased, but not by the figures they printed.

Anyway Registration are rising, and likely mostly for business users. Still nobody has to buy or lease or drive an EV. Life Insurance costs will have to be increased. But still waiting on how many BEV crashes and vehicle fires involve fatalities or life changing injuries. Insurers must know that figure, or NHS England, Wales Scotland or Northern Ireland.

8 hours ago, Evolution13 said:

Anyway Registration are rising, and likely mostly for business users.

Funnily enough, I have a colleague who is trying to get out of his Taycan, but it is serious negative equity. I suggested that as it's a PCP he might be at the voluntary termination point. It turns out that unlike a personal PCP, the VT point of a business PCP is 85%! Who knew? He still had a good deal at the beginning as he offset his annual Corporation tax for that year, but it isn't going so well for him now. Mind you, it is a stunningly well-made car, even if it has been on the back of a low loader 5 times because of breakdowns. He would buy another he reckons. Obviously, this is utter madness, but there again, his brother buys Range Rovers and has had a similar success story with breakdowns and yet he too keeps buying Range Rovers

5 hours ago, Lady Elanore said:

Funnily enough, I have a colleague who is trying to get out of his Taycan, but it is serious negative equity. I suggested that as it's a PCP he might be at the voluntary termination point. It turns out that unlike a personal PCP, the VT point of a business PCP is 85%! Who knew? He still had a good deal at the beginning as he offset his annual Corporation tax for that year, but it isn't going so well for him now. Mind you, it is a stunningly well-made car, even if it has been on the back of a low loader 5 times because of breakdowns. He would buy another he reckons. Obviously, this is utter madness, but there again, his brother buys Range Rovers and has had a similar success story with breakdowns and yet he too keeps buying Range Rovers

Mk 2 Taycan EV quantum better than Mk 1 version, even the wally McMaster says so though I don't like the zero buffer if one approaches zero miles State of Charge, prefer the Renault and TESLA substantial buffer. If one can get one on the EV salary sacrifice scheme (SS), and like the Audi e-tron too, an absolute bargain with a 4 or 5 hundred a month quid less than non SS deals. Audi, Porsche, VW Group seem to be finally getting their EV products competing with other EV makers, about time but possibly too late.

Edited 13 May13 May by lol-lol

5E to be at Goodwood as taster before deliveries, only 1980 being made.

With 540bhp and 4,800Nm of torque, the Turbo 3E will go from 0-60mph in under 3.5 seconds. Despite having two rear-mounted in-wheel motors, the 3E weighs just 1,450kg. Renault has also equipped the 3E with rapid 330kW charging, meaning that a 10 to 80 per cent charge can be completed in just over 15 minutes. A range of over 249 miles is claimed, too. July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed event will mark the first time that the £140,000 5 Turbo 3E will have been driven in front of crowds, having only been displayed in static form up until this point.

4 minutes ago, lol-lol said:

I don't like the zero buffer if one approaches zero miles State of Charge, prefer the Renault and TESLA substantial buffer.

I prefer gauges to be accurate, relying on going below Zero may catch you out in different temperatures. or if you where to park up and come back to it for instance.

17 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

@lol-lol Yes, that stars Steve Coogan; I heard him talking about this programme on the radio the other day.

Will start watching at some point.

Customs did so many roles for other government departments because they were there at the frontier.

A role dating back to Prince John's time

35 minutes ago, Stonekeeper said:

I prefer gauges to be accurate, relying on going below Zero may catch you out in different temperatures. or if you where to park up and come back to it for instance.

The gauges, BMS, and range guessometer are looking at average lithium battery voltage i would presume but probably more sophisticated than that.

I am glad Renault do as TESLA does, Nissan, Renault and TESLA have the most experience in producing EVs over the last 15 years or so. It's what you get use to I suppose. Just odd swapping from the Mini which zero is zero and Renaults where you have 15 to 30 miles left.

As I mentioned the Scenic did not even give a dash warning that performance would become limited after 11 miles below 0% SoC being shown. The Mini starts ratcheting back from its 184 hp from about 20% SoC.

Consistency would be nice if they could get sone agreement or EU laws dictates a standard maybe.

Edited 13 May13 May by lol-lol

1 hour ago, Stonekeeper said:

I prefer gauges to be accurate, relying on going below Zero may catch you out in different temperatures. or if you where to park up and come back to it for instance.

Isn't the real problem here the fact that being able to charge at home is actually turning some people into Scrooge McDuck? This is brought about by the huge disparity between home and public charges per kW, and that alone encourages some people to try and push on way past the point when they should have stopped to top up for safety.

Nobody in their right mind would attempt to get back to a particular filling station once the low fuel light came on, as any incline or diversion due to RTAs, etc., could mean that you risk running dry before reaching the safety of the station.

The factor that I guess could also encourage some to push on is the added time on a public charger adds further delay to the journey?

The sane

3 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

Isn't the real problem here the fact that being able to charge at home is actually turning some people into Scrooge McDuck?

I expect A&E will have many attendees who got home with KWs left over from an 89p a kw charger😉

Edited 13 May13 May by Stonekeeper

6 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

Isn't the real problem here the fact that being able to charge at home is actually turning some people into Scrooge McDuck? This is brought about by the huge disparity between home and public charges per kW, and that alone encourages some people to try and push on way past the point when they should have stopped to top up for safety.

Nobody in their right mind would attempt to get back to a particular filling station once the low fuel light came on, as any incline or diversion due to RTAs, etc., could mean that you risk running dry before reaching the safety of the station.

The factor that I guess could also encourage some to push on is the added time on a public charger adds further delay to the journey?

The sane

Rather than Scrooge I would suggest it becomes an obsessive " hobbie" that does have addictive qualities.

The constant drive to use less electricity and there is so much digital information that one get immersed in this detail and on can lose some what the sight of objectives like carbon reduction.

No matter how much I play with electricity I still have a gas boiler which is chucking out carbon autumn, winter and spring.

I have adopted these solar, battery and grid usage managements systems as one of my retirement projects and I do enjoy pottering with it.

Biggy is to get the EV charged from battery and solar when the grid price is not great.

4 Kw solar generators are not cheap. Just bought another 2 Kw ish one but it is not going to make a big adding to 40 or 60 Kw EV batteries.

Man had to have a hobby and if it does save, or be cost neutral, it does keep me amused.

Edited 13 May13 May by lol-lol

I can believe its a hobby, a bit like me when I try and get more MPG using eco mode, but I'd never risk getting stuck, when running low, I'd always shove a few litres in as a buffer, just to be safe and not sorry. Besides, its not a good idea to run too low and start sucking all the crap up from the bottom of the tank and risk blocking the fuel filter or worse.

15 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

I can believe its a hobby, a bit like me when I try and get more MPG using eco mode, but I'd never risk getting stuck, when running low, I'd always shove a few litres in as a buffer, just to be safe and not sorry. Besides, its not a good idea to run too low and start sucking all the crap up from the bottom of the tank and risk blocking the fuel filter or worse.

Indeed as modern cars have a fuel loop there is that quite a big of fuel in that loop. I think the pickup for the fuel in the tank is not quite at the bottom so should not pick up the very dregs. Cavitation ie air in the system can damage fuel pump gubbins and the motor driving it.

As long as lithium batteries don't drop below about 3v pet cell I think there are ok and with EVs they start throttling power and giving dash warning this is happening but the Stare of Charge indication seems to vary hugely between marques.

17 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

ts not a good idea to run too low and start sucking all the crap up from the bottom of the tank and risk blocking the fuel filter or worse.

If only you could understand that the fuel pump sucks fuel from the bottom of the tank ALL THE TIME, because that's where it takes the fuel from. Where else would it be? Fuel level makes no difference.

It's sprung downwards against the bottom.

I'm sure I've explained this to you before.

Re using ev battery

4 hours ago, Breezy_Pete said:

If only you could understand that the fuel pump sucks fuel from the bottom of the tank ALL THE TIME, because that's where it takes the fuel from. Where else would it be? Fuel level makes no difference.

It's sprung downwards against the bottom.

I'm sure I've explained this to you before.

I was always under the impression that there was a small well at the very bottom and the suction tube that feeds the pump actually sat about 50mm above the very bottom of that well so any water, debris, rust, etc. would find its way into that well and thereby be less likely to get sucked into the pump.

Gen 4 Formula e cars to be quicker than F1 at some tracks ?

To be seen later this year.

Spec:-

Permanent 4 wheel drive, 600 kw ie 815 hp in Attack and Qualy mode, with 700 Kw regen, record-shattering 1.8-second 0-60 mph launch.