In Depth: Could these be the cars that turn you off petrol?

http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of- ... nge-930523

Just for those with more knowledge about such things

The Chevy volt seems to change specs every time I read about it. Originally, the idea was that the petrol engine would act as a generator to keep the batteries topped up. I have no idea how this will work:

So that sounds like a load of #fail (I believe that hybrids are made of #fail anyway for previously documented reasons).



Corrected for truth. No matter what the greens like to have you believe, that electricity has to come from somewhere, and until we can capture it from the ether, it’s going to come from big smoky power stations or from leaky nuclear generators. You are still belching out CO2 (if that’s your concern), but not out of an exhaust pipe.

161 km doesn’t sound far, and an 8 hour charging cycle from the mains may be OK, but unless there are “fast chargers” everywhere, this will be a problem.

To be honest, the only one in the list that sounds like it will be of practical use is the Tesla - 400km range sounds much better. No doubt the Mercedes is similar.

The big problem with all of these is charging. There are very few, and they can significantly add a lot of time to a journey. If I’m doing a long haul drive, I’ll stop every to hours or so for a rest and a drink. I’d be quite happy charging the car in that break - but I understand that fast chargers do not give the range a slow charge would give.

So, no. Electric cars, for now, are pointless. No proper supporting infrastructure. Nasty chemicals moved unbelievable distances to make the batteries. There has to be another way.

Watch this if you think I’m being unduly cranky: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12149256

In answer to your question - I’m not giving up the Crossfire

I shan't be getting out of the Camaro any time soon either.
Electric vehicles are great for popping down the shops and back, I guess, and without the associated air pollution you find in large cities and towns.
However... I wonder whether the whole issue of the batteries - their manufacture, disposal, and charging them - is being properly taken into account.

Battery powered electric cars = Fail
Hydrogen fuel cell powered = the future.

eg The Honda Clarity. It takes seconds to fill up at a pump, just like a petrol car. The range is hundreds of miles, just like a petrol car. It's quiet, just like a battery car.
This type of car is just win win win.

What is it with electric cars? Fueled, primarily from fossil fuel power stations and all of the components needed to make the cars are more harmful than a regular car.


I certainly have a lot more faith in that than electric.

Because Hydrogen is extremely safe.

It also take more energy to put produce the Hydrogen than you get out of it. Furthermore it's reckoned it'll be as much as 40 years before Hydrogen is readily available in any broadly useful form.

I reckon our way of handling it will have progressed since "oh the humanity".

Plus, just because hydrogen isn't ready to be used en mass yet, doesn't mean battery powered cars are suitable. The short range and hugh recharge times makes them completely unsuitable for anyone except people who ONLY commute locally and never go anywhere else.
And that's before you even start on the environmental impact of building them in the first place (which is much large than normal cars).

Hydrogen is very very much safer than petrol, especially in a fire. The main advantage is that it doesn't drip on you - it just disappears directly up into the air. It also burns with a lot less energy. I absolutely guarantee that if I throw petrol on you and set you alight, you'd wish I'd been trying it with hydrogen. You'd also come off a lot worse if you were sitting on a battery storing hundreds of megajoules which decided to short circuit and go up - burning liquid metals, now that truly is hell.

All energy sources contain energy. They are all dangerous if they release that energy uncontrolled. Hydrogen is probably one of the safest in use.

A car is not an airship. It will not fall out of the sky if the hydrogen escapes.

It's also possible to produce it industrially through totally renewable methods. The fact that most H2 comes from fossil fuels today is irrelevant to the future.

I'm quite a fan of the "Hydrogen Economy" for many reasons. I just wish it would stop being a concept and become a reality.

I like the Leaf, and Ford's hands-free Sync system makes the Focus very interesting. The Ampera looks worse and worse with every outing...


Over 60% of our electricity comes from renewable sources here. If I change provider, I can get an "Eco" power supplier, who guarantees that "100% of what I use will be from renewable sources." I guess they mean that for every kilowatt hour I use, they will pump a kilowatt hour into the grid...


That is enough to get to work and back for about 4 days. If you buy electrix, you'll probably get a high power socket installed in the garage. To be honest, unless I'm doing a long business trip, I wouldn't use the cars range in one day. For the average person, a range of 160km is going to be more than enough for daily use. For many, it will be enough for a week or more.


True, but very impracticle. I'd rather go with a Leaf or Focus and then use a pool car from the office, when they send me on a longer journey.


RWE are installing a network of chargers across Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) and they are, currently free. I guess they will cost money, once electric cars become popular.

With petrol and diesel prices on the increase, again, I am seriously looking at electric or hybrid. Diesel is up to nearly 1.40€ and petrol is over 1.50€.

Even with the lights and heating on in the depths of winter?

That is assuming the battery works efficiently at lower temperatures. Most batteries have an optimal temperature working range.

And aircon in the summer?


IIRC, the Tesla uses a heater system to maintain the batteries operating temperature.

If I had to have an electric car, I'd have one of these http://www.lightningcarcompany.co.uk/.
Saw it at the motor show in '08, and it's gorgeous. Not a hint of false piety.

+1

I just wish they'd make a start on the infrastructure.


Very pretty - looks like the offspring of an Aston and a Ferrari to me.

Lol, reminds me of the BBC electric car ride from London to Edinburgh clicky.