Still Smarter

Has anyone got one, or know anything about them?

I wouldn't touch one with a 9-foot barge pole...

Ice.

Used to have a scalextric when I was a kid, and have a spaz chariot now.
It literally changed my life

In the paper today about all the dead batteries that can not be repaired or recycled

Ice.

It is true that the disposal costs are high. The batteries - at least the first generation ones like in the Prius - were classed as toxic waste.
That said I will be getting one.

For me the only logical option is a self charging hybrid. The small motor runs a generator that charges the battery.
I also wont buy it. It will be one of the contract plans where you exchange it every three years.

All I can think of saying is.... "Range Anxiety" it was my major thought on driving a Tesla.
I don't get that feeling with the Bentley, until the petrol warning light glows, but this is
easy to cure. You can always get out by payin'.

I know what you mean.
I would not consider an all electric or a plug in hybrid.
The only option that makes sense in my opinion is the self charging version.

They should make more F Brum Brum noise.
Should one hit and damage one of pets or kids/grandchildren, car and occupants will be torched.

myles wrote: Fri Mar 24, 2023 9:54 pm I know what you mean.
I would not consider an all electric or a plug in hybrid.
The only option that makes sense in my opinion is the self charging version.

Can I ask why are you going hybrid? What makes it better than petrol?

We have just purchased a new car for HWMBO . She wanted a Mini ? WHY?
Can I have a 'lecci one? We tried and tested over the weekend.
The range was 100 miles or so with a/c and radio on in the winter. Her sister
lives 68 miles away so she would not get there and back without a 3 hour top-up.
She did not like the lack of noise and the performance was disappointing past 50.
So we bought a John Cooper Works S and all is rosy.
BTW I live 2 miles from the original Cooper Garage in Surbiton and owned a Cooper
S in the late 70's Yep a real one. Wish I still owned it, but this new one is the nuts.

Mash wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 8:21 am
Can I ask why are you going hybrid? What makes it better than petrol?

I have driven a few hybrids on test drives and as pool cars at work.
As a generalisation, the hybrid has half the fuel consumption of the petrol variant. The petrol motor is only running a generator to charge the battery.

I am not comparing it to the other hybrid options where the motor drives the wheels, or the battery switches in and out at various speeds, or even provides additional performance.

Just the basic all-electric version where the motor charges up the battery as required.

I think I will see a ban on fossil fuels for transport within my lifetime. We need fossil fuel for other more essential purposes.

How old are you???

61 at my next birthday.
Vegetable oil, ethanol and hydrogen are likely to be the most common transport fuels soon.
In some parts of the world ethanol is already the most common fuel.
Mr Porsche designed his engine to run on vegetable oil from day 1!!!

Anyone remember wood gas fueled vehicles?

myles wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 8:41 pm Anyone remember wood gas fueled vehicles?

I remember a steam-powered Foden going past our home when I was 16....then finished up becoming a driver at 20.

Ice.

I think my wife is steam powered.

Wood gas is definitely do-able, just not very practical.
However, when they take away the fossil fuel it is an option. Not as good as ethanol - but an option.

https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2010/01 ... -cars.html

I dabbled with alternative boi-diesel a few years back.

More recently been on a couple of hydrogen conferences. The takeaway for me, was that's a long long way out (for many reasons) and the petrochem industry were noticeable by their absence... Which I took as "they have a plan and it's not hydrogen"

As they are making all our roads into Cycle Lanes. I might buy an electric bike.
So many bike lanes and so few bikes! It will be a job to find a road to drive on,
at least around here.

Well I can't see them being easily adopted by industry because battery weight would remove IRO 2 tonnes of payload, and industry needs to be able to do "quick" refuelling.

Can you still get engines reconfigured to run on old chip fat? I seem to remember hearing about someone who bought the used fat from the local chippy, filtered the bits out and used that.

Jennysgin wrote: Wed Apr 05, 2023 9:22 am Can you still get engines reconfigured to run on old chip fat? I seem to remember hearing about someone who bought the used fat from the local chippy, filtered the bits out and used that.

Not sure where you live Jenny, but down here in ULEZ London a Diesel car would have to comply with Euro 6 emictions.
That is why we all hate this Khan git! My brothers 2011 V8 diesel Range Rover does not and My buddy Pat has a 2014 Jaguar
XF diesel that doesn't either. Both these vehicles were worth £10-£15 K now scrap!! What is more no scrappage scheme for
honest hard working peps, just migrants and the unemployables!!
As you can gather we are all a bit more than just annoyed ATM and all is being done to see it does not succeed. Watch this space....

For sale:

Vintage series 1 Tesla. Open to offers.

I can see industry driving toward hydrogen. Doesn't matter if it doesn't have the calorific density of diesel.

Emissions are negligible and even the need to fuel more often reduces the need to lose money via reduced payload.

Other schemes do exist, but reduced duration and extended battery charging just makes transport so much more expensive (and when margins are already in single figures, it's unlikely to happen)

I can see "industry" moving to hydrogen ish maybe. Buses and trucks.

Cars no. I have been quite close to hydrogen, and quite frankly its got more hangups that a chandalier shop

Mash wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 5:15 pm I can see "industry" moving to hydrogen ish maybe. Buses and trucks.

Cars no. I have been quite close to hydrogen, and quite frankly its got more hangups that a chandalier shop

If the infrastructure was developed for trucks and busses, it wouldn't take long for cars to follow (think diesel and cars, it was once engine tech was advanced enough).

Not sure how much more volatile it is than petrol vapour, plus as long as it's tainted with a specifically noticable smell like natural gas, is it really any different?

Peeps are aware of gas leaks and accidents/explosion are very rare.