Nightmare or what?

 

Kidnapped by my runaway electric car

I would have stamped on the brake. Brake pedal is always connected mechanically to the brake pads, up to now at least. Stamp on it with full force to stop regardless of what the car is trying to do.

 

Aside from trying to change gear to neutral. I'd also try to use MG's emergency brake function, this is from the ZS EV manual:

https://www.mg.co.uk/sites/default/files/2021-11/New MG ZS EV Owner Manual.pdf

 

So what would I have done? Read the manual of a heavy machinery would be wise before getting behind the wheels.

Is that a ZigZag no stopping at a crossing he is being photographed at outside a dealership?

Is that 'The Car' or an example of what his car is like that needed a Police Van to bring it to a halt.

 

If it is a Motability Lease car i hope the RAC made less of a song and dance about being unable to recover it and the Responder knowing nothing about the e-Brake and getting a Recovery Company who hours later sent a Driver / Recovery Operative with little gear and smart ideas but that required me to stop and direct traffic and assist with cones as a live recovery was done without proper sliders or wheel trolleys.

(Then Arnold Clark,s Service Centre left it untouched for 10 days since it was not booked in.)

8 minutes ago, wyx087 said:

Aside from trying to change gear to neutral.

I'm pretty sure there are no gears on an EV drivetrain, well there will be reduction gears but none that are changeable or selectable gears.

 

Selecting forward, reverse or neutral using the control you will probably call the gear lever or selector simply powers the motor windings in the forward or reverse rotation, simplified but you will understand my point.

 

Unless there is an electromagnetic clutch in the drivetrain, one that fails safe (no power transmission) and can be isolated by removing a master key like the battery master key on a competition car every single EV will have the potential to have a runaway situation like this.

 

The brakes will be servo assisted, that will be another electrical system, the brakes are probably nominally more powerfull than the engine torque and standing on them would I'm sure work at lower speeds but at higher speeds unless you understood exactly what to do and how imperitave it would be to do it with maximum force the friction material would glaze very quickly and boil the hydraulic fluid, most EV brakes are pre-glazed through lack of use anyway.

 

I'm not convinced that even with servo assistance you could bring an EV to a safe halt from high speed against the torque of a runaway situation which could be far more than the software limited rated power intended to protect the battery.

 

Hopefully the MG will have data logging, the guy might be a Walt seeking attention, this bit I loved:

 

Mr Morrison initially called his wife in a panic to ask her to warn vehicles ahead of him that he could not stop his car.

 

Maybe she has a helicopter!

 

I'm sure there is more to this than is being reported especially the bit about the Flics leaning and and doing something.

7 minutes ago, toot said:

s that a ZigZag no stopping at a crossing he is being photographed at outside a dealership?

Is that 'The Car' or an example of what his car is like that needed a Police Van to bring it to a halt.

 

I thought that as well but writing it would have detracted from my posting.

 

To answer the question "What would you have done" :

 

I would not have phoned my wife.

 

I would refuse to be photographed with a Daily Mail sad scowl.

 

I would not be photographed parked on double yellow lines in front of a pedestrian crossing even if it was where the Police had left my vehicle.

 

I would not say the Police leaned in and did "something" to stop the vehicle because of the obvious conclusions people would draw.

Yes, most EV's drive "gear" are actually modes. Neutral would just be zero active torque from the motor.

 

Let's assume it to be electrical fault with the car. With ICE, one can pop auto gear selector to N or press clutch pedal.

With EV, let's assume gear/mode selector inoperable, the emergency brake function also doesn't work. Brake assistance not working. But at 30mph, physical brakes should be able to slowly bring down speed of the car. There was even mention of the car slowing down to 15mph after a roundabout. The brake should be able to eventually stop the car, may be with some more zigzagging.

 

The police leaning is part is very strange. My guess is that car continued forward in lift-off creep mode. Police turned it off or put it into P or N. He should have asked or may be too ashamed to say it for the press.

Hopefully this story will be followed up on.

 

Making an assumption it's a std car and hasn't been adapted in anyway for mobility, I'm not sure what I'd have done. Must admit tho, calling the wife so she could warn the traffic ahead wouldn't have entered my mind.

 

According to the story it's not just the driver who experienced this, the police were also unable to stop the car - they only did so by blocking it's path. And when the AA say they were frightened to start it... 

 

1 hour ago, toot said:

Is that a ZigZag no stopping at a crossing he is being photographed at outside a dealership?

 

Always looking for fault in everything Toot.   

 

Looks very familiar. It's the layby outside the Renault dealer in Bishopbriggs ( where I bought a Clio from some years ago ).  There may be a double yellow line along that section of the road. You'll know better than anyone about rules surrounding disability - I was under the impression disability badge holders could park on double yellows in Scotland so if he has a badge then it's all legal. No need to call the police, no need to call the fraud squad, no need to call HMRC 

 

Mind you if his car is  £ecked, what other option is there?  I certainly wouldn't drive it after that experience.

^^^^ Man you are a muppet lots of the time.

Just looking at the picture no frontal damage and where it is in daylight.

Is it the day after the night before.    The story will come fully out. 

 

Double Yellows with a Blue Badge you can park on when no further restrictions, Crossing ZigZags etc.

 

There might be a Blue Badge displayed someplace seen when close up and that might well be the car that was being driven, or just an example of a similar car.

 

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

No tow eye came with the car.

RAC person plugged in the EV with locked front wheels and e-brake rear, read faults, cleared faults and said fixed.

I said put it in D then and move it.   He tried with the door open, i had to tell him close the door or you can not select drive.

I had called the  Service Center to say the car was coming in, the RAC man called the same person, we know him and said it was coming in.

Many hours later after i went home and tried to find out who was recovering it and did they know it was an EV i got a time to meet them.

Stuck at Breakfast time, home by lunch time, back at the car by tea time and home by supper time and the car going to the Recovery car in Montrose to be taken to the Garage in Dundee the next day & left in the carpark untouched.

 

That is how a broken down EV can be with a simple breakdown and lots of people who are professionals but a bit clueless really.

 

 

Edited 5 October, 20232 yr by toot

20 minutes ago, kodiaqsportline said:

According to the story it's not just the driver who experienced this, the police were also unable to stop the car - they only did so by blocking it's path. And when the AA say they were frightened to start it... 

TBH the article is a mess of recollection, difficult to piece together what exactly happened. I agree we owed a follow up in the future. I'm genuinely interested in what happened.

 

My guess is overloaded CAN bus caused by faulty brake pedal sensor module. Not normal brake feel, no cruise control cancel and loads of faults when scanned.

 

 

This bit is also very contradictory, 2 lines one after another, in this order in the article:

Quote

''After that, a police officer jumped into my car and did something which seemed to keep the car still."

The police could not move their car as the electric vehicle would keep moving, so they had to wait for the RAC to arrive.

Did police keep the car still or not?

 

There is a video of him telling it in his own words.

MAILonline.

 

http://dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12592047/Driver-kidnapped-electric-car_Glasgow.html

 

It must be fixed now i take it having had the fault found,   Or is it actually where it was stopped, or left to be recovered? 

 

 

Edited 5 October, 20232 yr by toot

Maybe I'm cyncial but there have been many stories of the years about runaway cars and most have either ended up as something stupid like accelerator stuck in the carpet, it's just gone quiet or the driver ends up in court.
So for me, balance of probability is that the driver is at it for attention or a numpty.

From his Linkedin he is very Media Savvy from the Organisation he runs, public speaking etc.

A Courtesy / Hire car from the insurers should not be an issue. Or from MG if a New Car and not just New to him and under manufacturers warranty. 

 

One of life's survivors.   Live life!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 5 October, 20232 yr by toot

From a random flick through the video of a few seconds each time I hit paydirt.

 

"best piece of advice that I ever recieved was that I had to go out and tell the world my story......................"

 

And if no-one is listening then make up something to get their attention 😄

All at a slow speed.   Exclusive video with The Mail.   National even international news coverage.     Good that the insurers will be having Independent Experts investing the cars every action.  

I can't comment on how an EV might have behaved in the described circumstances but I did note a brief mention on the Beeb coverage that the driver had some mobility issues (not the exact words) but no mention of what and whether these had any impact on the problems of control.

 

So, was this a case of a rogue EV having a brain fart or a complication arising out of the mobility issues/maybe mobility adaptations?

 

http://www.facebook.com/Bizsocialnetwork

 

 

I thought that by this time there might be some more on this.

From MG or the driver or even Police Scotland.    Even just advice as in 'what should you do if your car becomes possessed by demons or whatever'.

 

 

 

Edited 20 November, 20232 yr by Rooted

Thanks for the link, a very interesting read.

 

I had a strong gut feeling about this one listening to him talk.