Is The Penny Dropping......?

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98dzyy850jo

are people finally realising that electric cars are not viable for most? They are great if you live near work and never go very far but the infrastructure is still a joke if you are proper road user.

Have we reached the point where those that were ever going to buy in have now done so?

[bookbinder]

If I drive my petrol-powered car to a part of the country that I am not familiar with, and I need some refuelling, I just look for the signs of familiar petrol companies: Esso; Shell; etc. They are all there, high up and easy to find. If I drive an EV to an unfamiliar place, I cannot find a refuelling place so easily. I am looking for a change of (petrol) car, but it won't be an electric one.

[Tilly2]

I can see that, T3. Horses for courses.

[New Judge]

"...because I think we will end up with car versions of the deisel electric trains."

Not quite the same, Tora. Diesel-electric locomotives require the diesel engine to be running in order for it to move. The engine drives a generator which powers the traction motors. Effectively all the electric motors are doing is providing a method of transmission.

A closer comparison is probably the class 93 "tri-mode" locomotives:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_93_(Stadler)

They are still undergoing testing but they can run on either 25kV ac overhead power, an inbuilt diesel engine, or a battery pack. Their power output "under the wires" is a very impressive  6,200hp. But the diesel engine provides only 1,200hp and the battery pack a puny 540hp.

One of London’s longer bus routes has recently started operating electric buses which are charged by a pantograph system at each end of the route. Hybrid and fully electric buses have been around in London for a while but the electric models had to return to a depot for recharging and saw only limited use on short routes. This idea sees an overhead rapid charging facility at each end of the route and the bus simply pulls up under it and raises its pantograph for a quick top up:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckglpvg2ln2o

[ToraToraTora]

judge, ok it's not an exact parallel, you know what I meant.

[Togo]

They could call the new and exciting buses trams, Judge, and do away with the expensive overhead charging facilities. 👍🚋 

[New Judge]

How would they move?

[Togo]

Is Greenwich power station still there Judge? I believe that was the original source. The overhead supply is cheap as chips and doesn't need half of London digging up. Far to simple of course. Like everything else that they do it has to be overthought. 

[nicebloke1]

You need to drop a lot of pennies to buy one.  You dont think that may be a lot to do with poor sales. And I guess the second hand market will be just as poor, when theres every chance you may have to fork out for new batteries.

[jourdain2]

German car makers are cutting production too - and arguing with the EU.

[ToraToraTora]

17:46 not really, most new cars these days are leased anyway. Battery tech is improving and prices are coming down, there is a pretty strong second hand market in lecky too mostly those that would actually buy rather than lease.

 

[nicebloke1]

Battery tec is improving? So who's going to gamble the money on hearsay? Leased cars get sold on, only if theres somd mug ready to gamble thousands of pounds, especially first generation E cars.

[Tilly2]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8n3n62wq4o

 

[ToraToraTora]

17:56 because as tech improves it gets cheaper thus people are more likely to take a chance on a second hand lecky jam jar. Gawd why are you always so cantankerous?

[tomus42]

They're too expensive, the technology isn't good enough, and the infrastructure isn't there.

Until all that changes, they're still impractical for the majority of people.

[ToraToraTora]

17:57 ...no doubt an early victim of the budget.

[Old_Geezer]

Charging on the road won't help, not while batteries have limited life and the cost of replacing them is a major part of the vehicle cost. Ignoring the human cost of mining the materials they use.  The 2nd hand market will be near non-existent. Then there's the weight issues too. They are just an impractical option.

[nicebloke1]

Be careful OG and tomus 42 you will be seen as cantankerous for having a different view than TTT. you going to buy one then TTT ?

[nicebloke1]

18.07 NO, its because they cant sell them. GEDDIT?

[nicebloke1]

Oh TTT your own OP states they not viable for most. Not viable in many way, so why are you now trying to make them look viable? 

[ToraToraTora]

I'm not, I'm having a discussion not a tantrum.