Would you have an electric car if you had the money for a new car and were in the market for one?

[Rockburner]

Pfft, UK doesn't even appear on the spectrum. We have neither the fastest roads (Germany, natch) nor the most hilly, bumpiest, coldest, hotest etc. Just like the rest of the UK Environment our roads (and drivers!) are distinctly average

Around here we don't need signs telling us we're now entering a different county. When leaving LA County & going to San Bernadino, Orange, Kern, Ventura or Riverside counties you can tell by the immediate improvement in road surface. There are obvious lines across the road going from decrepit asphalt to new stuff. Coming back into LA County you can tell by the thump from the suspension. I don't recall that in the UK?
Entering Orange county is like someone turned the lights on. All the roads are better & the sides of the Freeway have more/better greenery, buildings are newer/cleaner, everything is visibly brighter. Coming back into LA County from Orange County is like entering the Dark Ages. The difference is quite startling.
LA county apparently has enough asphalt to built speed bumps all over the place, but not enough to fill the potholes.
No salt though.

You can quite easily tell when you're going from county to county these days.

[Mr. Dazzle]

You can quite easily tell when you're going from county to county these days.

It's easy in Oxfordshire, it's when the speed limit drops to 50

[ZRX61]

You can quite easily tell when you're going from county to county these days.

It's easy in Oxfordshire, it's when the speed limit drops to 50

Easy when leaving Cornwall & entering England too, there's a river... so either a bridge or a big splash.

[ZRX61]

Hacked Tesla:

https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/03/resea ... -upgrades/

[Kneerly Down]

Well the only new bit is the battery and motor...both of which are notionally fit and forget.

The issues I've seen mostly that are specific to EVs haven't been the battery (except on the Leaf where the battery temperature management seems non-existent) and motor, but rather the inverter, BMS, battery cooling system and charge ports.

That and manufacturers still seem to rely on the scuttle panel drains to always work, and when the drains get blocked with leaf mulch seem surprised that water overflows and works its way into just about every circuit board on the car...other than the ones under the seats that get waterlogged when the sunroof drains are blocked.

[Mussels]

I don't think we have many EV drivers on here and only one that has owned one for a few years, I think it was a leaf and the big complaint is that it's lost so much range that it can't manage a 60 mile round trip.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Well the only new bit is the battery and motor...both of which are notionally fit and forget.

The issues I've seen mostly that are specific to EVs haven't been the battery (except on the Leaf where the battery temperature management seems non-existent) and motor, but rather the inverter, BMS, battery cooling system and charge ports.

That and manufacturers still seem to rely on the scuttle panel drains to always work, and when the drains get blocked with leaf mulch seem surprised that water overflows and works its way into just about every circuit board on the car...other than the ones under the seats that get waterlogged when the sunroof drains are blocked.

Which is doubly stupid because of course no-one has ever made a car which people leave out in the rain before

My Boss just got rid of his 100,000 mile leaf, he never complained about the battery but also founded an EV drive company, sooooo....he only got rid because he's got a fancy luxury German EV from the mothership now.

[ZRX61]

That and manufacturers still seem to rely on the scuttle panel drains to always work, and when the drains get blocked with leaf mulch seem surprised that water overflows and works its way into just about every circuit board on the car...other than the ones under the seats that get waterlogged when the sunroof drains are blocked.

Every Ford with a sunroof made in the last (at least) 15 years...Not unusual to see them with 3in of water in the footwells

[Kneerly Down]

My Boss just got rid of his 100,000 mile leaf, he never complained about the battery but also founded an EV drive company, sooooo....he only got rid because he's got a fancy luxury German EV from the mothership now.

I've been looking at Leafs to use the battery for home power storage, where it'd have a much easier life than on the car.
Under 50 mile remaining battery life on early Leafs isn't uncommon.
Robert Llewellyn's Leaf, with 65k on the clock had dropped to 55mile summer range and 45 in the winter.
That might be fine for Milton Keynes but it'd struggle to get me to the supermarket and back!

[Taipan]

Saw this on FB. Any truth in those claims?

[Mr. Dazzle]

It'd be a very long way from the first!

It does emit water, but a tricke/mist like a normal car, not fountains.

The purification claims are just straight up weird.

[Horse]

Saw this on FB. Any truth in those claims?

When it says 'first', when was that? This was last year:

20230905_065046.jpg (1.19 MiB) Viewed 396 times

There is a massive 'eco' challenge with hydrogen, of how it is generated.

[Horse]

The hydrogen comes from high-pressure tanks located beneath the car, while oxygen is drawn from outside the vehicle, passing through an air purification system that cleans it of particulates and other unwanted matter, before using and discharging it.

https://www.racq.com.au/articles/evs/20 ... rging%20it.

[Mr. Dazzle]

The hydrogen comes from high-pressure tanks located beneath the car, while oxygen is drawn from outside the vehicle, passing through an air purification system that cleans it of particulates and other unwanted matter, before using and discharging it.

https://www.racq.com.au/articles/evs/20 ... rging%20it.

So it's got an air filter. Like a petrol car

[Mr. Dazzle]

BMW have been playing about with hydrogen (combustion) car for god knows how long. Decades. Toyota already sell hydrogen fuel cell cars, James May had/has one.

Back on the battery cars though, I love the look of Merc's new concept/nearly production car. They're claiming big range improvements via efficiency instead of bigger batteries...better mpg essentially. The real car probably won't be very different to this (on the outside at least) . >450 miles range.



https://www.pistonheads.com/news/electr ... oons/47605

BMWs slightly more concepty one is like a 90s Maserati a very cool too IMO.

[ChrisW]

That’s the first BMW I’ve liked the look of for ages. I’ll hold off until I’ve seen the front, though. Just in case.

[Count Steer]

The BMW reminds me of an Alfa. Not sure what the model was.

[Mr. Dazzle]

That’s the first BMW I’ve liked the look of for ages. I’ll hold off until I’ve seen the front, though. Just in case.

Front is definitely a bit more out there....



The rear on the other hand...nothing I'd change.



Both this and the merc are "look which way we're going" concepts rather than actual cars. Great to see they're not SUVs though! If you're gonna go for efficiency and range there's deffo alot to be said for a low sleek saloon.

[KungFooBob]

The front has the essence of the BMW kidneys, but other than that, if I saw that with no knowledge of what it was, I d assume it was an Alfa.

[Mr. Dazzle]

It's a deep cut reference way back to their (relatively!) early albums innit?