EV general discussion

Solar panels don't last forever but pretty much everything you post in this thread is FUD with zero evidence to back it up.

https://www.engineering.com/Designe...75/What-Is-the-Lifespan-of-a-Solar-Panel.aspx

TLDR: degradation rate is less then 0.5%/year and will still be generating at 92% of their original capacity after 20 years. Panels installed in desert environments degrade more as do those which receive heavy snow loads but still under 1% per year.

Last time I checked neither of those applied in the uk.

Let’s get back to cars?
 
Nasher said:
You think sitting in a heated house is a harsher life for electronics? lol

And no solar panels don't last forever.
Click to expand...

The cooler the climate generally the better for lithium ion battery longevity (up to a point, they shouldn’t be charged when freezing). So storing the battery outside (in a car) is preferable. The car battery also has access to the air conditioning compressor to chill it when it’s discharging/charging.

There are vibration and other factors but it isn’t as cut and dry as house good vs car bad for batteries.
 
Nasher said:
You think sitting in a heated house is a harsher life for electronics? lol

And no solar panels don't last forever.
Click to expand...
The equipment I was talking about often doesn't sit in a heated house and if it did yes it would be harsher as longevity is improved by not being within the heated parts of a house. Are you going to acknowledge your 10 year comment on batteries is wrong?
 
It’s nasher. He will make stuff up like fact and when you call him out he will argue about something else. Best avoided tbh

How solar panel performance was brought into the discussion regarding batteries is a prime example.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
You realise fossil fuels get more subsidies then renewables and electric cars, quite a lot more in fact. The UK is the biggest subsidiser in Europe.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...sil-fuel-subsidies-in-the-eu-finds-commission

With freezing fuel duty we have effectively lowered it in real terms over the last few years because it’s a fixed amount per litre.



what’s stopping you just plugging it into an unmeasured outlet? Most can get away with doing almost all their charging from a 3 pin plug.
Click to expand...


Cough...

A significant part of the UK fossil fuel subsidies identified by the commission is the 5% rate of VAT on domestic gas and electricity, cut from the standard 20%.
Click to expand...

Much of the subsidy is wrapped up in a subsidy that benefits both fossil fuels and renewable energy.

Most developed nations don't subsidise fossil fuels in the way most people think of subsidies, it's more technical and accounting adjustments (such as reduced royalty rates on oil and gas - which no other industry pays, which is probably in the UK sums too).

The one that really gets me is the subsidy the US government give US companies who lease oil exploration rights for lower prices than the highest priced areas (the cost being lower because it's less prospective and less people bid on it in the public auction), something that is literally only available as a revenue stream because of oil and gas. If there was no oil and gas they just wouldn't get that money, and wouldn't be able to sell those right to anyone anyway.

That's not to say there aren't direct subsidies - most of them are in developing nations however, where governments directly subsidise the price of petrol so people can afford to transport goods to market and take the bus. Many of these subsidies will go away when renewables and electrified transport becomes cheap enough to be used in these situations.

The government will make running a BEV more expensive when critical mass is reached. If it isn't a tax on electrical usage it'll be a per mile charge.
 
Last edited:
Nasher said:
Doesnt matter how integrated they make it, it can still be hacked\disabled. Or you could simply wrap the gps receiver in tin foil.
Click to expand...

You can hack your home electricity meter too. How many people actually do it, and what happens when you're caught?

The BEV XC40 is supposed to be unveiled on the 16th. I'm hoping Volvo manage to get something out with a decent range at a reasonable price. They have commented that it won't be much more than the ICE version, so if it has a decentish range I may be very tempted by it.
 
Last edited:
Most of the cars which share the same chassis as their ICE version haven’t excelled in the spec department compared to the dedicated platforms.

The XC40 ICE doesn’t look particularly aerodynamic, has big wheels and is fairly short so I can’t stat them achieving and big numbers on a EV version.

Given there has been so little hype built up I’m not expecting anything more than a 150-180 mile range and 50-100kw charging. That said it would likely suit a few people given how constrained the market is currently.
 
Government ev grant should be subject to a minimum car re-charge rate, to avoid public charger saturation, (is there a possibility infrastructure won't keep up ?),
but, they can limit charge time like tesla CA apparently do @peak times .... the new id3 golf being a case in point.

Do you need to be weary of contract liability for potential duty increases for car deliveries post brexit - where are ioniqs made ? or is that all put to bed.
 
Not sure I agree on the recharge rate point, most charging will be done on AC at 7.4kw regardless. Where I would say adjustment is needed is at the high end, I don't see the need to be issuing grants to cars costing 'silly' money (e.g. Tesla Model S/X, Merc EQC, AUDI etron etc.), people that are buying those will buy them regardless of the grant these days. The money is much better used against cheaper cars with a more mass market appeal.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Most of the cars which share the same chassis as their ICE version haven’t excelled in the spec department compared to the dedicated platforms.

The XC40 ICE doesn’t look particularly aerodynamic, has big wheels and is fairly short so I can’t stat them achieving and big numbers on a EV version.

Given there has been so little hype built up I’m not expecting anything more than a 150-180 mile range and 50-100kw charging. That said it would likely suit a few people given how constrained the market is currently.
Click to expand...

The XC40 is based on a modular platform, designed specifically for both. Design wise, realistically this is also what most EVs will be like for a while yet, because that’s the style people like. There are apparently some design differences to the ICE version however as is essentially being built from the ground up.

I share your pessimism on the range, but I’ll going to guess it’ll be in the 200s still, probably comparing in range with the base Model Y or even better the Kia and Hyundai, which it’s more comparable size wise.

Here in lies the problem with current BEV technology, either you design only for aerodynamics and make impractical, ugly (IMO) cars (the Y is in effect a lifted saloon like the X6, not a hatchback styled CUV like the XC40), or you compromise on range and design something that looks nice, and has some practicality.

Btw, Volvo have been teasing the XC40 for about two years, so here’s hoping they have something reasonable.
 
No Ioniq for me. I "ordered" the car via the Nationwide website, but missed a call this morning from them. They followed up with an email saying they just need to check over a couple of things before submitting my details for a credit check. When I called back at lunch, the offer was over.

Probably for the best. A two year lease starting early next year wasn't exactly great timing for me. I need a three year really.
 
satchef1 said:
No Ioniq for me. I "ordered" the car via the Nationwide website, but missed a call this morning from them. They followed up with an email saying they just need to check over a couple of things before submitting my details for a credit check. When I called back at lunch, the offer was over.

Probably for the best. A two year lease starting early next year wasn't exactly great timing for me. I need a three year really.
Click to expand...

That is a shame, but I'd say 2 years is more than enough in this fast changing market, especially since you aren't paying a huge sum upfront. To be honest I doubt the total cost over 2-years even covers the depreciation. Not sure how much you'd get off list, probably nothing presently with it being a brand new model in high demand.
 
Got a phone call from Leasing Options offering me a car this morning. So I do have one coming after all :D

Won't be sad to see the Leaf go really. I don't hate the car, but it is butt ugly & I always saw it as something of a backward step from the Zoe. It'll be great to finally have something with decent range after 4 years.
 
satchef1 said:
Got a phone call from Leasing Options offering me a car this morning. So I do have one coming after all :D

Won't be sad to see the Leaf go really. I don't hate the car, but it is butt ugly & I always saw it as something of a backward step from the Zoe. It'll be great to finally have something with decent range after 4 years.
Click to expand...

Awesome news. :D

Looking forward to see just how much range you can get out of these, given that the Gen 1 had to be the most efficient BEV on the market for a good long while. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom