Electric cars

Deastons

125 pages and the OP has never returned.

Impressive.

Martyn1981

AdrianC wrote: »

No, posting the news is not a preconception. Posting the news according to a source with a heavy bias IS part of a preconception, as is then denying that bias when presented with other sources which show the fuller context.

By 'heavy bias' you mean being pro-EV, and quoting PSA and VW having concerns when you seem to disagree with them and believe they are doing just fine.


Yes, the Tesla production numbers are incredible, certainly put all the other western car company's to shame who aren't coming close to the production numbers that you seem intent on spinning negatively..


Regarding the huge waiting list for the TM3, I still fail to understand your constant negativity towards it. I'd have thought enormous interest and demand for a product was a good thing, but again, I guess my reality and yours is somewhat different.

Maybe you know something that everyone else has missed and demand for the TM3 will fall when they start selling the cheaper base version, start selling outside of N. America, and start selling on lease (not just to cash & loan customers) ...... I'm sure that makes sense in your reality!

almillar

TBF, VAG have had hybrids in their mainstream range for nine years now, and full electrics for five years.

They've got a lineup, but it ain't competitive and dealers/manufacturer really doesn't want to sell them.

Herzlos

buglawton wrote: »

When a Tesla battery caught fire it took 200 gallons of water/foam to put it out. Then it reignited 5 days later. I guess that would apply to any EV.

It seems the batteries can still get pretty hot and Tesla recommend a lot of water to cool them and a thermal image camera to monitor the temperature until it's cooled down. I think this is just something that'll change as we get better at handling it.
The article I found about the fire make this good point though:

As usual, it’s important to remind everyone that even though electric vehicle fires are heavily represented in the media, EVs don’t catch on fire more often than gasoline cars. According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 150,000 gasoline car fires occur in the U.S. every year.

Fuel of any form will burn or be dangerous when it's container is damaged.

zeupater

welfayre wrote: »

Probably worth doing your own research on the subject rather than relying on the very bias pieces put up by Martin (out of interest Martin do you write for them or something or only read confirmation sites?). VW are investing something like €20billion over the next decade in zero emission vehicles and are converting at least one of their plants to 100% ev production by 2020.

I had a quick look on Statista and it shows that vw's operating profit, sales revenue and unit production are up on last year so it appears it's got a handle on its customers demands.

Hi

Research done well before the post was made ... suggest you look into VW's position vs WLTP & how this impacts their ongoing build volumes, shutdowns & 2018 finished goods inventory of potentially unsaleable vehicles ... also noteworthy is a line in their 2017 annual accounts related to assets which could resolve to future profits or losses as there's a pretty significant value to consider - if it's a profit it'll be marginal, however on the other hand there's both ongoing depreciation & potential for considerable write-off ....

The issue being missed is that the head of VW is effectively complaining about EU/global policies which are related to emissions and his view that VW's strategy for change to high volume, competitively priced EV manufacturing isn't as advanced as that of many of their competitors ... if that's the case, then he's doing nothing other than pointing the finger at himself as he's held responsibility for setting both culture & strategy for some time ...

So, what's behind the statements being made? - could it possibly be the beginnings of a strategy to encourage both the EU & individual European national governments to consider protectionist MIP for a period to avoid the job-losses he raises ..... very much along the lines of what happened to protect the German solar panel industry jobs ...

HTH
Z

buglawton

Herzlos wrote: »

Quote:
As usual, it’s important to remind everyone that even though electric vehicle fires are heavily represented in the media, EVs don’t catch on fire more often than gasoline cars. According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 150,000 gasoline car fires occur in the U.S. every year.

Fuel of any form will burn or be dangerous when it's container is damaged.

So there are 149,999 or less EV fires/year?
I wish some sources gave more balanced/accurate stats.
Possibly the most fire retardant everyday fuel is... diesel.

Martyn1981

buglawton wrote: »

So there are 149,999 or less EV fires/year?
I wish some sources gave more balanced/accurate stats.
Possibly the most fire retardant everyday fuel is... diesel.

I'd suggest a bit of Googling as I've found lots of items, but many/most mention Tesla's, and that usually creates a backlash from the 'silly people' on here. But Tesla suggest ICE's are 11x more likely to catch fire.

But, is that impacted by Tesla's being newer, and therefore more crash safe than the average (older) car? Could also be affected by Tesla's having a lower rate of crash than the average, and a much lower rate (8x I think(?)) when autopilot is engaged.

So the figures may be true, and EV's are simply less prone to fires, or there may be a number of factors that reduce the situation occurring, in which a fire may happen in the first place.

Martyn1981

Flippin eck. Norway got within spitting distance of BEV's being a majority of car sales in September - 46%.

Plug-In Cars = 60% Of New Car Sales In Norway In September

Mellymoo52

I have a Nissan Leaf, I wasn't sure at first but my husband convinced me it would suit our needs and he wasn't wrong. I love it now and would never go back to a petrol. We still have a diesel family car for our longer journeys, but the leaf does me for driving in and around Yorkshire, commuting etc.

Costs us £97 per month. 'Filling up' with electric each week costs us less than £5. No road tax. All parking in Leeds city centre council owned parking is free. Had a free electric charger installed as part of the deal to buy one, so I have a cute little hose on side of house like a water hose reel, just plug in seconds and thats it. So easy.

Never breaks down. I heard there are only about 40 moving parts in an electric car compared to over 2000 on a petrol car. Only thing we've had to get done is fix punctured tyres. It's fast too. Switch off the eco mode and the acceleration is powerful - although it eats the battery doing that!

It suits my needs but electric not suitable for everyone.

AdrianC

If anybody of a DIY bent fancies a cheap EV, a friend of a friend currently has a Mitsu i-MIEV looking for a home. 11k miles from new, needs a new module within the battery pack and a little bit of light recommissioning. He's after £2k for it. It's in Scotland, I believe.