Ewan
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Have a crash in a Mk1, then a similar crash in a mk8 and you’ll appreciate the progress! Though better still, of course, is not to crash at all.
15years and then it’s leccy only!
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rockits
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Agreed but we should have a MK8 Golf that is the same weight or lighter with the same or more strength.
The materials exist but we are just building cheaper disposable short life vehicles. If we built a more expensive lighter/stronger vehicle it would last much longer. Many cars we built in the 70's still exist and they were rubbish. Why can't we build a car that lasts 50 years now?
rockits
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My Chimaera is 1060kg built in a fancy shed by tiny car company with fairly low tech build process. Granted I wouldn't want to have a crash in one.....oh.....
You get my point. Make some simple light cars that weigh max 1000kg.
A new Alpine A110 is only circa 1100kg so we can do it. I'm not sure a near 3 tonne Model X with over half a tonne of batteries is a smart answer. Is that really the best we can do?
You get my point. Make some simple light cars that weigh max 1000kg.
A new Alpine A110 is only circa 1100kg so we can do it. I'm not sure a near 3 tonne Model X with over half a tonne of batteries is a smart answer. Is that really the best we can do?
Silvercat
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I've been following the developments on Hydrogen technology very closely over the last year or so and evidently a group of Australian scientists have now found a way of generating hydrogen very cheaply using iron (the most abundant element on earth) as the catalyst rather than the significantly more expensive Platinum. So the costs to produce Hydrogen are now becoming much more comparable with those costs associated with petrol production, which could become the major game changer and massively accelerate the adoption of hydrogen as the primary replacement fuel for petrol and diesel vehicles over the next 5-8 years. This could certainly be the case for long distance trucks, buses and coaches. In fact China is now reducing subsidies on its Lithium battery technology development and channeling most of their energy generation resources towards Hydrogen in a big way. Stocks in Hydrogen technology companies are now increasing rapidly so if you have some spare cash, take a look at this sector.
In reality the future will probably be a mix of both BEV's and FCEV's....but cutting all dependency on petrol and diesel. So interesting and exciting times ahead!.
Silvercat
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UK Govt are already in discussions with Rolls Royce about building s series of mini nuclear generation plants around the UK which are much smaller, cheaper and quicker to build than the more complex nuclear power stations, as part of our future power generation reqmts. The technology is already there to do this so expect to see nuclear power generation at the heart of any future power generation strategy.
Silvercat
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Nuclear...it's coming to your neighbourhood soon!. The good news is they wouldnt be any bigger than a typical waste incinerator plant. I've seen the pictures from Rolls Royce and they look like big shiny armadillos.
Wanderer
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Pebble reactors, it's the future....
Zep
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I’ve had a look, that is very interesting! The prospect of a container ship that makes its own fuel from the ocean it’s sailing in is quite a thought.
Wack61
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That's a heavy lump in a high speed crash
Wattie
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Yes, Teslas are well known for this and apparently fire crews are required to wear special suiting/follow set procedures for their protection. They're very difficult to extinguish and have a tendency to re-ignite if not left to burn out
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alfatwo
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allandwf
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Still working on heat and steam generation? That's the bit we need to change.
Wanderer
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When I was working at a 'nuclear power station' - secret, made stuff for MoD, me and my mate, the Chief Reactor Physicist talked about this, and the reactor in Nuclear sub is about as big as an old dustbin ie not wheelie bin, though that does work, just didn't exist then, pretty small, but a sub is pretty big, so we worked out a car one would only need be the size of a teacup, or a man-sized mug for a Maser, but the issue was you can't miniaturise fission (or is it fusion?) it doesn't scale down much like you couldn't make a 1/72nd scale internal combustion engine work.
This was years ago though - who knows what's happened since....
rockits
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Interesting article but there must be massive multiple variables.
www.greencarreports.com
A massive exec vehicle such as a QP must take much more to build and the MPG is much lower so the variables are lower. Why they worked on 15k miles per year I don't know as that isn't the average.
There are also so many hidden variables that have likely not been calculated. Less or no new cars would need so much advertising, marketing and all sorts. How many adverts, brochures and lots of things you wouldn't think of or calculate would no longer be needed. All have an impact.
An accurate study is difficult but not sure they have this one fully completed correctly.
Mileage completed obviously makes a massive difference.
Buying A New Car Is Greener Than Driving An Old One...Really
You've probably heard it at some point: A friend claims his older vehicle is far greener than the new car with much higher fuel economy you just bought That's because, he says, the old car didn't require all the energy and natural resources your car consumed as it was built. But is that older...
A massive exec vehicle such as a QP must take much more to build and the MPG is much lower so the variables are lower. Why they worked on 15k miles per year I don't know as that isn't the average.
There are also so many hidden variables that have likely not been calculated. Less or no new cars would need so much advertising, marketing and all sorts. How many adverts, brochures and lots of things you wouldn't think of or calculate would no longer be needed. All have an impact.
An accurate study is difficult but not sure they have this one fully completed correctly.
Mileage completed obviously makes a massive difference.
Needamaser
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Apparently all the services are trained as to what they can and cant do in event of attending an accident involving an EV. They carry a plastic shepherds crook in case a colleague is electrocuted and they can pull them away from the car. Mechanics servicing an EV need to wear protective gear. (Masks, suits and rubber boots) I am told there were several fatalities last year in the UK with mechanics not waiting long enough after disconnecting the battery before they touched the car. I think Jaguar say they must wait 11 minutes from disconnecting the battery. Some garages are now refusing to work on an EV.
