Having just watched the Top Gear Bolivia special, the cars they used were purchased unseen from a Bolivia online auction site, second-hand and were the cheapest clapped out  ones, a Range Rover, Suzuki Jimmy and Toyota Land Cruiser, literally falling apart and constantly breaking down. When they got to the Andes, they managed to reach 5,250 metres when the engines could not keep running due to the thin air. They had to push start the RR and get the other going with that and headed back down again.

3 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

they claimed that their cars, especially R. Hs. car was not able to go any further because it lacked air (oxygen) to provide enough power to climb higher. Which I thought might explain why no car has ever done a  pole to pole expedition before and hence why the EV was able to do it, not needing oxygen for the motive power unlike a ICE vehicle does.

 

The program is entertainment, anything that is said or done that is truthful or factual is simply coincidence.

 

Why do you believe a pole to pole overland route has to to go offroad up mountains at altitudes requiring air/fuel mixture correction?

3 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

Having just watched the Top Gear Bolivia special, the cars they used were purchased unseen from a Bolivia online auction site, second-hand and were the cheapest clapped out  ones, a Range Rover, Suzuki Jimmy and Toyota Land Cruiser, literally falling apart and constantly breaking down. When they got to the Andes, they managed to reach 5,250 metres when the engines could not keep running due to the thin air. They had to push start the RR and get the other going with that and headed back down again.

 

All naturally aspirated cars. Most road have been turbo for the last ten years or so and they would have coped much better.

 

Clarkson does like being dramatic.

 

Aero piston engines in ww2 would typically operate at 20k feet up, in minus 20C. I think some may have had superchargers.

 

Edited 4 January, 20242 yr by lol-lol

31 minutes ago, J.R. said:

 

The program is entertainment, anything that is said or done that is truthful or factual is simply coincidence.

 

Why do you believe a pole to pole overland route has to to go offroad up mountains at altitudes requiring air/fuel mixture correction?

I never said I believed that they had to, at all, I said that it might explain why.

 

Perhaps it was more likely that nobody ever felt the need to try, but now we have electric cars it could be that it was felt that there was a need to prove just how reliable electric cars could be, maybe?

The couple from Scotland might have chosen any EV from those prepared to give them support.

Building their own car would have been very impressive.

 

These guys did what the writers, producer and director wanted. Maybe they are in the credits as being in on any of that.

 

 

5 hours ago, Rooted said:

This must be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Or kind of true.

 

 

This is not new news, I watched almost the identical video from this YouChuber on Dec 14th, its just pure clickbait despite the date on the one you posted suggested that its just 2 days old, the one I watched is stating that it was 3 weeks old when I watched it. I have decided that this particular channel is just out to cash in on EV's and as such I don't believe you can put any trust on what he/they are claiming. A quick check on the videos listed on the channels video list reveals that they have similar things to say about the following brands in many videos, all basically saying the same thing, VW, Subaru, Tesla, GM, Toyota, Ford, BMW, Jeep, Stellantis, Porsche, Honda and even Hyundai. 

 

(2791) ChargeDrive - YouTube

 

I try to do some quick checks on these presenters, for instance, you already know that John Cadogan does actually know what he is talking about and holds a degree in mechanical engineering, but also that MGUY that I posted his videos regarding the New Zealand fire, he is also a qualified engineer and a lawyer having been trained over here in the UK before moving to Australia.

 

Edited 4 January, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher

@Graham Butcheri knew exactly what i posted and what it was, and it is just as much click bait as all the other click bait and potentially truthful or untruthful or just pure nonsense.  I watched the story the last time it was posted, was it not me that posted it?

 

It is onward and upwards and full steam ahead for EV production for some and for others just steam coming off of a poo.  Or is it smoke without a fire? 

Or rubbing salt water into a slightly damaged under tray protecting or not a drive battery. 

............

He is using a bit of an old picture ...

 

O' my god!

 

 

Edited 5 January, 20242 yr by Rooted

So which bus is quicker in a drag race? Asking important question here Surprised Carwow hasn't done it yet.

A 5mm deep scrape on the battery undertray and the vehicle is written off as seen in the video

 

Not much point having an EV 4x4 is there!

That vehicle wont even get as far as Copart, they will have it sold before collection and the happy new owner will be driving it as soon as he recieves it.

 

The next thing will be the MOT having to measure dents in the undertray with a straight edge like on the video and no repairs or repainting allowed.

 

A bit like the WOF in New Zealand that I fell foul of through ignorance, any welded repairs to structural members have to be submitted for inspection before any underseal, filler, paint etc is applied, I am speaking of a repair I did following a WOF failure.

2 hours ago, wyx087 said:

So which bus is quicker in a drag race? Asking important question here Surprised Carwow hasn't done it yet.

Oh come on, you already know which was the fastest, it goes without saying that it was the electric one, surely, it has the least amount of internal losses to make up for so that translates into more grunt transferred to the road. However, being quicker is also not a good thing as it means there is also a far higher chance of an accident as a result of that power on tap.

 

I don't think Matt Watson has driven a bus yet has he? I know he likes to drive trucks from his friends company, Ashville.

Edited 5 January, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher

3 hours ago, wyx087 said:

Surprised Carwow hasn't done it yet.

 

Probably 'coz of the risk of '3...... 2...... 1...... 🔥🔥🔥'

 

😜

2 hours ago, J.R. said:

A 5mm deep scrape on the battery undertray and the vehicle is written off as seen in the video

 

Not much point having an EV 4x4 is there!

If your roads are as rough and ready as some ours are than theyre is always the danger of bottoming on some of the pot holes, or debris being thrown up from a pot hole etc which could strike the underneath and the vehicle and may then be deemed a write off.

Very very true. 

  Hands up who has seen the underneath of an EV other than in pictures / videos or other than a Tesla, Hyundai / Kia? 

Lots have plastic and lots of exposed bits and some very protected bits.

 

There are EV offroaders now, designed and built for that purpose, not just some car, mpv, SUV / Softroader. 

 

Corsa & MINI, both were ICE cars and also come as EV,s and the battery protection is pretty good.

Corsa suspension not so. 

 

Under battery protection good enough for a Farm Track or a Rally Stage with the Corsa electric.

Edited 5 January, 20242 yr by Rooted

24 minutes ago, Gaz said:

 

Probably 'coz of the risk of '3...... 2...... 1...... 🔥🔥🔥'

 

😜

Nah, I doubt that, he has drag raced many electric cars recently.

45 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

Oh come on, you already know which was the fastest, it goes without saying that it was the electric one, surely, it has the least amount of internal losses to make up for so that translates into more grunt transferred to the road. However, being quicker is also not a good thing as it means there is also a far higher chance of an accident as a result of that power on tap.

 

I don't think Matt Watson has driven a bus yet has he? I know he likes to drive trucks from his friends company, Ashville.

Hay, was joking. Also genuinely interested to watch the video.

I thought under-battery shielding is a solved thing/learnt lesson from back in early days of modern EV:

https://www.theverge.com/2014/3/28/5557092/tesla-adds-titanium-shield-to-model-s-to-prevent-battery-fires

2 hours ago, J.R. said:

That vehicle wont even get as far as Copart, they will have it sold before collection and the happy new owner will be driving it as soon as he recieves it.

Are you sure of that?

I'm just wondering if the car has been written off because of the dent in the battery protection tray, then it surely has to be recorded in some fashion as to why it was written off. I mean, if the "new owner" is just allowed to drive it as soon as they receive it, without doing something to it, it makes a complete mockery of it being written off in the first place.  How is the new owner going to be able to get any tax or insurance on the car if it is recorded as scrapped. I know that a Cat S can be repaired and put back into use, but that car should be regarded as a ticking bomb by any insurance company until the battery has been properly repaired and can be proven to be safe again??

 

 

8 minutes ago, wyx087 said:

I thought under-battery shielding is a solved thing/learnt lesson from back in early days of modern EV:

https://www.theverge.com/2014/3/28/5557092/tesla-adds-titanium-shield-to-model-s-to-prevent-battery-fires

Good old Elon, trying to help customers out, but watching that video, you can see just how much impact that had on the protective shield as the whole shield twisted and flexed when the concrete hit it, could that have passed any impact directly onto the battery itself above and behind that shield?

I would expect to see in testing an EV underside hitting the likes of a boulder sticking out of the ground, as in an immovable object.

Or a metal object like a man hole cover that had lifted. 

 

 

 

 

Edited 5 January, 20242 yr by Rooted

1 hour ago, Graham Butcher said:

Good old Elon, trying to help customers out, but watching that video, you can see just how much impact that had on the protective shield as the whole shield twisted and flexed when the concrete hit it, could that have passed any impact directly onto the battery itself above and behind that shield?

The flexing seen is the plastic motor undertray. The battery are between the axels, but the flexing part is in front of the wheel. It is sort of cheating because the undertray breaks up most of the rock. An immovable object would indeed be the real test.

 

Remember that tiny umbrella water stopper we previously talked about? Turns out it's tasty for rodents.

https://www.speakev.com/threads/rodent-damage-to-battery-umbrella-valves.182343/

"Part cost £20 - damage incurred £13k…"

 

I think the batteries are very well protected, far better than the sumps of ICE vehicles, I also think there is a decent gap between what should be a sacrificial undertray and the battery case, also there will be some insulation between the cells and the casing, finally if a cell does get damaged it would show up because each cell or battery of cells (the correct term) is monitored.

 

So I dont think there is any chance that the battery pack beneath the undershield in the photo with the 5mm reference shim and straight edge was damaged nor either of the two Hyundai batteries that they wanted $60k to replace, that is the scandal, that manufacturers are taking the easy, safe and above all remunerative choice and saying they have to be replaced.

 

I bet most of our cars if they had aluminium flat floors would have a 5mm dent or scrape in them, Qwikfit will give you a pair of them whilst they are doing a supposed inspection to tell you that you need new brake discs and calipers, shock absorbers and 4 new tyres 😃.

 

7 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

Are you sure of that?

 

Yes, the vehicle is repairable salvage with no structural damage, no different to flood damage or door lock and steering lock broken from theft or cambelt failure.

11 minutes ago, J.R. said:

I think the batteries are very well protected, far better than the sumps of ICE vehicles, I also think there is a decent gap between what should be a sacrificial undertray and the battery case, also there will be some insulation between the cells and the casing, finally if a cell does get damaged it would show up because each cell or battery of cells (the correct term) is monitored.

 

So I dont think there is any chance that the battery pack beneath the undershield in the photo with the 5mm reference shim and straight edge was damaged nor either of the two Hyundai batteries that they wanted $60k to replace, that is the scandal, that manufacturers are taking the easy, safe and above all remunerative choice and saying they have to be replaced.

 

I bet most of our cars if they had aluminium flat floors would have a 5mm dent or scrape in them, Qwikfit will give you a pair of them whilst they are doing a supposed inspection to tell you that you need new brake discs and calipers, shock absorbers and 4 new tyres 😃.

 

 

Yes, the vehicle is repairable salvage with no structural damage, no different to flood damage or door lock and steering lock broken from theft or cambelt failure.

Well, I'd like to think and hope that these things are in place just as you say, but, that still begs the question that if they are, then why was the car written off by the insurance company, if the new owner can just go and get new insurance with not even a visual inspection to see if the 5mm scrape and dent had been fixed? If insurance company A deemed it to be a write-off because in their opinion the risk was too high, then insurance B should be doing the same?

2 hours ago, Stonekeeper said:

 

They are not giving the true facts about this car, the price he gave is for the entry level ELX, of £31k, is actually £34k and the car they are testing is the top of the range Ultimate @ £40,000.

 

I have been in this car as a passenger when my Superb goes in for service, I get a lift home and picked up again in one of these, and it suffers from road noise, and my knees are very close to the dashboard, unlike the Superb and is not that big. Also I'm told the spares and servicing are costly.

 

SsangYong Korando e-Motion pricing and full price list at SsangYong GB, UK

Edited 5 January, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher