Sainsbury's nicking petrol off customers?

almillar

I hope people get really really wound up by this and start some sort of campaign. I've got nothing against these little bumps that 'create' some electricity when we drive over them.
But I can't wait until all these wound up people drive out of the petrol station and over a SPEED BUMP which is FAR BIGGER and produces NOTHING! What a WASTE! BAN THEM NOW!

nobblyned

Can't see what all the fuss is about?

As long as they are in a braking zone they are only taking energy that would have otherwise been wasted as heat through your brakepads anyway.

In that case, it is indeed green.

MRab2

almillar wrote: »

I hope people get really really wound up by this and start some sort of campaign. I've got nothing against these little bumps that 'create' some electricity when we drive over them.
But I can't wait until all these wound up people drive out of the petrol station and over a SPEED BUMP which is FAR BIGGER and produces NOTHING! What a WASTE! BAN THEM NOW!

No one is claiming that speed bumps are green. However, I completely support banning speed bumps, what a great idea!

MRab2

nobblyned wrote: »

Can't see what all the fuss is about?

As long as they are in a braking zone they are only taking energy that would have otherwise been wasted as heat through your brakepads anyway.

In that case, it is indeed green.

There are "braking zones" now? Zones where people ONLY brake and never stop and accelerate. I must admit to never encountering one of these zones. I generally find where I brake (when it comes to filling up) is entirely dependent on how busy the garage is.

mikey72

almillar wrote: »

I hope people get really really wound up by this and start some sort of campaign. I've got nothing against these little bumps that 'create' some electricity when we drive over them.
But I can't wait until all these wound up people drive out of the petrol station and over a SPEED BUMP which is FAR BIGGER and produces NOTHING! What a WASTE! BAN THEM NOW!

Maybe it's where I live, but I can honestly say no supermarket round here has any speedbumps. Urban roads, towncentres, yes, but I can't think of any carpark, or garage with them. If yours do, fair enough. If you support them, as you appear to do, I bet they spring up everywhere as traffic calming suddenly becomes important though. Especially if you can save £36000 off your electric bill every year. (30kw/h at about 14p, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, - quote from the original link - "The kinetic road plates are expected to produce 30 kWh of green energy every hour" )
And while I'm am quoting the original article,
"Scientists pointed out that the energy generated by the devices is not
totally "free". Rather, they capture a tiny amount from each car that
passes over them, increasing each vehicle's fuel consumption by a tiny
amount."
So guess who's paying the £36000?
Write to your local council and ask for them now.

Money_Grabber13579

mikey72 wrote: »

That's been my point all along - it's a very inefficient way to make electricity from fossil fuel, then dressed up as a green solution by their pr to make it an even worse concept.

But you DO have to slow down at petrol pumps so it is efficient, when they are put next to them. But somewhere where you didn't have to slow down wouldn't be efficient at all. Also means you have to brake less heavily, thus saving your brake pads.

mikey72

I was talking about where Sainsburys have put them

"Energy will be captured every time a vehicle drives over kinetic road plates" in the car park and then channelled back into the store."

not where they could have put them.

I know the car park has a petrol station in it, if you look at the actual picture you can see it in the background, but I wouldn't fancy walking to it if I stopped after the plate.

MRab2

mikey72 wrote: »

quote from the original link - "The kinetic road plates are expected to produce 30 kWh of green energy every hour" )

Whilst I accept this is from the original article (and not a mistake on the part of the poster) I SERIOUSLY doubt they'll get close to generating 30kW, that's actually quite a lot of power. Once you take mechanical efficiency into account it's the equivalent of something like a Ford Focus at full revs dumping its energy into it.

mikey72

MRab2 wrote: »

Whilst I accept this is from the original article (and not a mistake on the part of the poster) I SERIOUSLY doubt they'll get close to generating 30kW, that's actually quite a lot of power. Once you take mechanical efficiency into account it's the equivalent of something like a Ford Focus at full revs dumping its energy into it.

If each plate can produce 5-10kw of power (manufacturers website) and Sainsburys state they have plates, not a plate, distibuted around the car park, why do you think they have got their figures wrong? It's widely publicised, and that figure is always quoted. They won't be spending money without having worked out the payback first.

nobblyned

MRab2 wrote: »

There are "braking zones" now? Zones where people ONLY brake and never stop and accelerate. I must admit to never encountering one of these zones. I generally find where I brake (when it comes to filling up) is entirely dependent on how busy the garage is.

I usually brake as i enter the filling station. Saves killing anyone.