Red Hot

[Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO]

38 minutes ago, jeff oakley said:

 

I for one do not have any hatred for EV or hybrid cars but we cannot get away from the facts that insurance companies have a lot more information and technical knowledge than we do.

EV fires are no more common than ICE ones but they are factually more difficult to extinguish. Recovery companies are having to store EV cars seperate from others as after accidents there is a greater possibility of combustion due to damage.

There is a link here to a website which shows shippers have concerns and some have banned EV, but I suspect more of fear than fact

https://www.thefpa.co.uk/news/ev-ferry-risk-criticism-aimed-at-car-manufacturers

 

EV's are now aging and I have a friend with a bodyshop who is telling me that the write off levels for EV vehicles is much higher as any suspicion of possible battery damage and the insurers do not want any comeback at all.

Lack of knowledge in the repair industry is a huge issue which leads to delays in repairs, as is parts availability, they add all this in when looking at a hire car as well to determine what to do.

Insurance claims overall are up due to varied reasons but it does seem true certain insurers are hedging their bets and not offering insurance or if they do jacking prices up much higher for EV.

The Luton fire will be a watershed moment when the facts come out. It appears it was started by an ICE engined vehicle but if it is proven the spread was so bad due to EV batteries parked there they will be forced to re evaluate if it was not related they can breath a sigh of relief.

 

The examples you correctly site add to my hatred for EV's. 😃

 

There's not enough rare metals on this planet to keep us in laptop/phone/tablet batteries never mind EV's! Equally our 'wonderful' government have already demonstrated by rolling back the unachievable switch over date 5 years, the cost of messing about the whole vehicle industry and their supply chains is so wasteful.

 

More effort into man made fuels or alternatives such as hydrogen and Ammonia would be far more sensible!

[Blatman]

I firmly believe hydrogen is the future...

I also know, through a very good friend who happens to be a patrol for a well know roadside breakdown firm, even properly working EV's can be the antithesis of "green", over and above the green benefits once the rare earth minerals and production polution debt has been cleared.

It is now a common occurrece to be called to EV's that have gone flat. Fair enough, we all make mistakes, BUT... to get enough charge (10% I think is the accepted minimum) to the EV from the patrol van usually requires more than 30 mins at the roadside, with the diesel van pegged to 2000rpm for the duration. And towing them is out. Not enough "tow capable" patrols, not by a long chalk, and SUV's generally need a "wheels off the floor" tow, so that means a full recovery. There's even fewer chances of that. This website has a somewhat mixed mesage but the bottom line is towing an EV should probably be avoided https://blog.atseuromaster.co.uk/ev-hybrid/can-you-tow-an-electric-car

Now, back to the plot...

Twice recently, to get enough charge into a big SUV took TWO vans 40 mins. The patrol then must follow the EV to the nearest charging point. Not too bad here in the (fresh cloud of recently generated diesel) smoke, but the record for finding a working charger was currently stands at the 7th time of asking.

I have no problem with trying to find solutions to the climate issues we are clearly facing. I struggle to get on-board with EV's being the answer.

[Stuart]

If we are talking life cycle analysis, you can also add this. Cobalt is needed for batteries. 70% of the world's cobalt comes from Congo at massive human & environmental cost. There are thousands of unregulated mines around Kolwezi with no regard given to health & safety whatsoever. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-24/cobalt-mining-in-the-congo-green-energy/100802588

[jeff oakley]

There is a lot of research being done now at a faster rate on alternatives to EV being the only solution. As well as hydrogen there is also ammonia fueled cars and trucks being developed. Some are then using fuel cells to generate the electric others direct injection.

 

JCB have developed hydrogen engines that are running plant equipment and now have a couple of sprinters using the same tech. 

 

We need a broad approach not just one route that some evangelical EV groups claim is the only way. Technology is fascinating and will get a solution however a bigger issue for me is the determination of some groups to eradicate private car ownership and use by making driving so expensive and difficult that we give up, but that is a whole differrent story

[LoneWolf]

Last year the wife needed a new car to go back and forth from work (20km daily for 5 days/week), plus bringing the kids around. She wanted something small. Since 2 years ago we installed a photovoltaic system on our sunroof, I thought why not? Here in south Italy the energy production from the sun is very good. So after looking around we bought a Dacia Spring, very cheap and small city car, but very functional (5 doors, enough internal space to carry 4 adults, and a reasonably sized boot). 45 electric hp, 27kwh battery, 200km range. So far, we are very happy with the car.

That said, I do believe electric motors are the future for mobility, but not batteries, at least not how they are right now. I do see hydrogen as future, but current technology is still far from mass usage. Surely, we need some technology breakthroughs in terms of energy storage and transportation.