Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

Solarchaser

I'm sure @michaels is a part of the ovo trial of v2g with the leaf.

JKenH

2nd_time_buyer said:

Thanks. I'll have a look round and see what the score is. Much appreciated. 

There is a V2G and V2H thread which you might want to have a look at. 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6070581/v2h-and-v2g

2nd_time_buyer

Thanks. I had missed that thread.

JKenH

After all I have said about CleanTechnica I find myself linking an article from them (well, no one else is going to publish it.) It covers a couple of things, one of which I referred to in an earlier post but the reason for posting is the part about charging. Now when CleanTechnica start moaning about problems with public charging maybe there is a problem. The answer of course is to buy a Tesla (as CleanTechnica point out).

What can you say? This is a truly awful story about a truly awful experience. After a day like that, why would anyone want to drive an EV? Joe Biden is all for having more chargers, but if the damn things don’t work, what’s the point? Stories of non-functioning chargers are legion. Even Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen, took to social media earlier this year to excoriate Ionity for a horrible experience he had at the Swiss/Italy border. It doesn’t matter how much range you have if you can’t find a charger that works.

Thank heaven I’m getting a Tesla. There may be issues that I discover as the miles and months go by, but at least I know my charging experience when away from home will be seamless and convenient. There are millions of words written about the horsepower, torque, range, and acceleration of electric cars. None of them matter if there’s no juice in the battery.

https://cleantechnica.com/2021/11/28/concerns-stream-in-hours-before-receiving-our-tesla-model-y/

Martyn1981

Great news - even the US population now supports an all EV policy by 2030. Of course supporting something in principle, and accepting any issues/limitations in reality, are different. But then again, what does it matter, by 2030 it'll be silly for the vast majority of americans to buy a new ICE anyway.

This also fits in with some of the legacy automakers already 'accelerating', 'doubling', 'ramping up' their BEV and PEV targets and investment. Expect those ramps, accelerations and doublings to keep happening throughout this decade.


US voters support all-EV sales by 2030, but governments and automakers are way behind

55% of US registered voters support a requirement that all new cars sold after 2030 be all-electric, while just 35% oppose, according to a new poll.

55% either “strongly” or “somewhat” support the idea, while 35% “strongly” or “somewhat” oppose it. 10% responded “not sure.”

Beyond these national results, several states were polled individually, and all that were polled showed majority support for a 2030 all-electric requirement except Texas, where a plurality still supported it (47% in favor, 34% oppose).

Support was particularly strong among young people and black and Hispanic voters, recognizing the generational urgency of climate action and the concept of environmental justice – that environmental problems disproportionately affect people of color. Among states, New York and Hawaii had the strongest support at 66%, followed by Massachusetts and California at 62%.

JKenH

Please forgive me being a little cynical. The poll is carried out for 3 organisations that are vocally anti fossil fuel, not perhaps for the purpose of truly gauging public opinion but rather promoting an earlier ban on ICE production than planned.

Electrek are being a little disingenuous with their claim

“55% of US registered voters support a requirement that all new cars sold after 2030 be all-electric”

when the survey comprised just 2678 respondents. 

I did notice that in the National sample 15% of those questioned didn’t own/lease a vehicle but of the 85% who did 3% own a battery electric vehicle and 1% a plug in vehicle. I have struggled to find exact numbers for how many BEVs are actually on the road but by September 2021 2.13 million plug in cars had been sold in the US. Assuming these are still on the road that accounts for about 0.7% of the total US car fleet. As at the end of 2020 42% of the electric cars in the US were in California. So if this was a representative sample across the country how come there were so many electric vehicle owners in the survey?

National survey results here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5888d6bad2b857a30238e864/t/618ee395e92b2f2db7daf219/1636754326823/National+Poll+Toplines+1111.pdf

shinytop

JKenH said:

After all I have said about CleanTechnica I find myself linking an article from them (well, no one else is going to publish it.) It covers a couple of things, one of which I referred to in an earlier post but the reason for posting is the part about charging. Now when CleanTechnica start moaning about problems with public charging maybe there is a problem. The answer of course is to buy a Tesla (as CleanTechnica point out).

What can you say? This is a truly awful story about a truly awful experience. After a day like that, why would anyone want to drive an EV? Joe Biden is all for having more chargers, but if the damn things don’t work, what’s the point? Stories of non-functioning chargers are legion. Even Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen, took to social media earlier this year to excoriate Ionity for a horrible experience he had at the Swiss/Italy border. It doesn’t matter how much range you have if you can’t find a charger that works.

Thank heaven I’m getting a Tesla. There may be issues that I discover as the miles and months go by, but at least I know my charging experience when away from home will be seamless and convenient. There are millions of words written about the horsepower, torque, range, and acceleration of electric cars. None of them matter if there’s no juice in the battery.

https://cleantechnica.com/2021/11/28/concerns-stream-in-hours-before-receiving-our-tesla-model-y/

Just what is it that makes it so hard to have a publically available electricity supply that charges for energy supplied?  What is it that constantly seems to stop working?  I suspect it's some not-properly-tested software that's trying to be a bit too clever rather than sticking to the basics of measuring what's being supplied and charging the right price.   

JKenH

Came across this on a YouTube video and took a screenshot. You will see folks across the pond are prepared to pay £11-13k over the odds just to get their hands on a Tesla. Have any of you Tesla owners been curious to see what the mark up is like in the UK? 

I think the two Toyotas at 3rd and 4th on the list are 4x4 pick ups. So are they up there ahead of home brand trucks because they are in high demand or just in short supply?

https://youtu.be/t22RAUY3yUw

Martyn1981

I mentioned BEV trains recently and some folk suggested combining them with electrified stretches of routes so that they can cover some stretches on their own batteries. Well this article and the trains in question can do exactly that. So yet another tool in the electric transport toolbox.

More Battery-Electric Trains Coming To Germany

Swiss train manufacturer Stadler has received an order from 3 German regional railway operators for 44 electric trains. The purchase is being coordinated by DB Regio, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, which operates regional and commuter train services in Germany. The local rail authorities that will operate the trains are located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, and Baden-Württemberg.

The new trains can draw power from overhead wires or from the onboard battery pack. Maximum range on batteries is at least 80 kilometers, although in testing, prototypes have been able to cover 180 kilometers without running out of battery power. The longest section of track with no overhead wires in the areas where the trains will operate is only 48 kilometers long. When electricity is supplied by overhead wires, it can power the train and recharge the batteries at the same time.

EricMears

Martyn1981 said:

 Maximum range on batteries is at least 80 kilometers, although in testing, prototypes have been able to cover 180 kilometers without running out of battery power. 

No doubt the 80 km allows for setting off from standing whereas once train is up to speed very little power would be required until it goes up a hill or stops & restarts.  I wonder if battery is also regenerated when slowing ?