Electric cars

AdrianC

Martyn1981 wrote: »

You said the idea of an EV range extender battery trailer wasn't new

And it isn't.

Take the two letters "EV" away, and you've exactly described what I posted photos of, going back more than three-quarters of a century. So we're down to whether an old, old concept of a range-extender trailer is somehow "startlingly original", simply because it's a different energy source within it. We've been here before...

As for "weeks of peace", I was travelling, coincidentally to a country where electric vehicles form a surprisingly large part of the vehicle fleet. Bet you won't guess where...

AdrianC

(oh, and even if those two little letters really are the make-or-break, then...)
2010 - https://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2010-11/pru-trailer-adds-storage-space-and-700-extra-miles-range-electric-cars
2014 - https://longtailpipe.com/2014/05/01/extended-range-electric-cars-wi/

NigeWick

Martyn1981 wrote: »

Sorry Ade, but as always, your posts make no sense.

Sometimes, we just have to have a laugh. :beer:

AdrianC

BTW, Martyn...

See you at this?
https://www.hayfestival.com/p-15339-jesse-norman-mike-hawes-and-special-guest.aspx

zeupater

AdrianC wrote: »

And it isn't.

Take the two letters "EV" away, and you've exactly described what I posted photos of, going back more than three-quarters of a century. So we're down to whether an old, old concept of a range-extender trailer is somehow "startlingly original", simply because it's a different energy source within it. We've been here before...

As for "weeks of peace", I was travelling, coincidentally to a country where electric vehicles form a surprisingly large part of the vehicle fleet. Bet you won't guess where...

Hi

Is that strictly so, or are smoke & mirrors being employed?

With a towed range extender the range of a vehicle is 'extended' over what would be classified as normal ... the vehicle itself having the ability to store it's own energy source and be a useful mode of transport to the 'owner' independently of the extender technology when the additional range isn't necessary (ie on short trips!), thus not burdening the vehicle itself with weight & mechanical inefficiencies which permanent connectivity would create.

Now, the example given of towing a coal-gas trailer doesn't comply with the above - it is simply a processing plant for direct consumption with the (gas converted) vehicle being unable to operate independently ... effectively it's similar to replacing the petrol tank with a towed oil refinery.

Maybe the solution would be to build a gasometer onto the roof of the vehicle for everyday use and to only tow the 'range extending' coal gas plant when necessary ... and yes, I have seen gas storage in the form of a 'balloon' strapped to the roof of wartime era vehicles, however, I doubt that the solution ever reached a level of market penetration approaching that of EVs, even at their lowest point over the past half century ... :whistle:

So it looks like the 'we've been here before' example stance doesn't actually apply .... so the next anti-EV argument we're looking forward to would be .... ???

Z

AdrianC

zeupater wrote: »

With a towed range extender the range of a vehicle is 'extended' over what would be classified as normal ... the vehicle itself having the ability to store it's own energy source and be a useful mode of transport to the 'owner' independently of the extender technology when the additional range isn't necessary (ie on short trips!), thus not burdening the vehicle itself with weight & mechanical inefficiencies which permanent connectivity would create.

Indeed.

Now, the example given of towing a coal-gas trailer doesn't comply with the above - it is simply a processing plant for direct consumption with the (gas converted) vehicle being unable to operate independently ... effectively it's similar to replacing the petrol tank with a towed oil refinery.

Which could be (and often were) stored within the vehicle itself, but for the "weight and mechanical inefficiencies".

Moving them to a trailer enabled additional capacity with less compromise on the vehicle's accommodation for passengers and their luggage. Sound familiar?

Maybe the solution would be to build a gasometer onto the roof of the vehicle for everyday use and to only tow the 'range extending' coal gas plant when necessary ... and yes, I have seen gas storage in the form of a 'balloon' strapped to the roof of wartime era vehicles,

Great, so we're all agreed that it is a direct parallel. Group hug.

zeupater

Hi

Don't know if anybody is actually interested in electric vehicles these days, but ....

The Tesla Model 3 outsold the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 across Europe last month, according to new data from JATO. Twitter, prepare yourself.

Link (Top Gear) -Tesla's Model 3 outsold the 3 Series, C-Class and A4

HTH
Z

AdrianC

3,630 cars across Europe in February. Impressive - but they're customers who've been waiting for a long time. Let's see what happens once the backlog clears.

"Outsold"? Well, there's no February figures as yet for the others on the usual public source, but...

http://carsalesbase.com/european-car-sales-data/bmw/bmw-3-series/
3-series has only had one <5k month in four years.

http://carsalesbase.com/european-car-sales-data/mercedes-benz/mercedes-benz-c-class/
C-class hasn't had a <10k month in four years.

http://carsalesbase.com/european-car-sales-data/audi/audi-a4/
A4 had a spate in the autumn of lower sales than that (WLTP production difficulties?), but they're very much the outlier. Excluding that, there's been only one <7.5k month in four years.

So, if it does turn out to be true, the question is surely what prompted such a massive collapse in the market generally?

zeupater

AdrianC wrote: »

Indeed.

Which could be (and often were) stored within the vehicle itself, but for the "weight and mechanical inefficiencies".

Moving them to a trailer enabled additional capacity with less compromise on the vehicle's accommodation for passengers and their luggage. Sound familiar?

Great, so we're all agreed that it is a direct parallel. Group hug.

Hi

Absolutely not the case ... the solution you raised as being a previous incarnation did not allow the vehicle to operate without the coal-gas plant being connected at all times .. the gas production isn't compressed beyond a basic positive pressure and is not stored in the vehicle or in the gasification plant ... it was not a range extender, it was the equivalent of an electric vehicle having no batteries, but towing a generation plant ...

Anyway, that aside, at what point will you be buying your first EV? ... when it becomes too expensive/inconvenient to operate C19th technology, or is the intent to ride an unextended range bicycle?

Z

Herzlos

AdrianC wrote: »

And it isn't.

Take the two letters "EV" away, and you've exactly described what I posted photos of, going back more than three-quarters of a century. So we're down to whether an old, old concept of a range-extender trailer is somehow "startlingly original", simply because it's a different energy source within it. We've been here before...

Yeah, I suggested this over a year ago and you claimed it was impossible, so I'm not sure what you're trying to argue here? That a thing we all know about is still a thing?