Guranteed to reduce the range and treble the fuel consumption of your electric car!
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- posted
8 years ago
OT: Harrys folly?
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- posted
8 years ago
Except harrys EV doesn't have type approval to tow anything.
Cheers, T i m
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- posted
8 years ago
True. Seems a bit pointless to me. Apart from that, when it's on charge my car can't be driven, there are various interlocks. So a lot of modifications would be needed. Maybe if it had extra batteries in the trailer? My car covers 99% of my needs for zero fuel cost in Summer.
I have my hobby car for the other 1%
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- posted
8 years ago
And there we have it. Battery cars are only for the rich.
(I've thought of suggesting one to my wife - but her car resolutely keeps going)
Andy
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- posted
8 years ago
From what I can tell this might not be such a bad idea..... It's a bit like the sidewinder was in the days of "up to 250cc on L-Plates" A bolt on device that circumvents certain laws. In the tow-along genny I'm sure you could get away with running it on red/green diesel, heating fuel or any other non-duty fuel. Easier to explain away than the BMW jobbie with a "range extender" which according the the gadget show works out at 30mpg when running to make electricity. The other conclusion drawn up on said show was that the cost of an electric car makes them completely pointless on all counts.
:)
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- posted
8 years ago
The hobby car is a hobby car. I could go on the train/bus or stop to recharge the electric car. But I use the hobby car which has a restricted mileage, heritage, investmen t vehicle hence cheap to tax/insure.
S/H electric cars are quite cheap. I got mine with 300 odd miles on it and a £7000 price cut.
If you have solar panels most fuel is free in Summer. And far cheaper than petrol at other times.
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- posted
8 years ago
Perfect as a second car for shorter journeys.
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8 years ago
Except that the registraton of the car marks it out as electric and therefore allowed to go and park where carbon-powered cars cannot go, or go without financial charge. However if you have the trailer attached, generating power the ANPR cameras cannot know this.
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- posted
8 years ago
So its not about saving the planet, just about gaming the system?
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8 years ago
Hybrids took off because they were exempt from the congestion charge for some odd reason. I suspect bribery.
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8 years ago
Low emissions shit-fer-brains.
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8 years ago
And 'cheap' is relative of course. 7 grand off a (say) 30k whip is still 21k more that I have paid for any vehicle ever.
Cheers, T i m
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- posted
8 years ago
;-)
The thing is, they (currently) only really suit a very tiny percentage of the population, starting with those who actually have the opportunity to get the things on their own property for charging (or have an arrangement for charging elsewhere, like at work). So, very few who live in the most congested citys then ... ironically. ;-(
They also really only suit someone who only does short journeys AND who couldn't do them using public transport (also free for many) or by cycling or walking (we walk to do our weekly shop for example).
For many others it would then be a matter of being able to afford / justify the unknown. Most car engines are good for 150-200,000 miles these days and a second hand engine can often be found and fitted reasonably cheaply should it be required. If you don't consider the potential cost of getting an EV re-batteried or even repaired (how many std (cheaper) garages could fix the batteries / electronics for example?) the 'cost' (compared with a 'known commodity' IC engined car) might not be an issue, ignoring any financial perks like low road tax or free parking of course as they aren't 'free' to the rest of us).
Nearly any IC engined car will do what most people may need a car to do. eg, get them and their family / goods from A to B and possibly onto C, D and E (sand back to A) at any time and with few limitations. Few EV's (if any) will do the same (for most peoples understanding of the requirement)..
My (financial) test for such worst-case risks is 'can I afford to take that amount of money and poke it down the drain ...'?
I have even considered converting my own EV to IC because it would be more useful to me and seen as 'desirable' to many more than it would be in E form. Even if I don't do that many miles in it a year, I mostly want to do more than 10 miles (out, 10 back) on many trips.
So, if you have more money than sense and especially if you are happy to get others to subsidise much of it for you (as there is no such thing as a 'free lunch') and only ever do short trips, an EV could be viable (and obviously is for said tiny minority, often who also own 'real cars').
It's like the Linux advocates that just have to also run Windows for that 'dealbreaker' app or hardware. They aren't really 'just running Linux' then are they ... or the fanatic motorcyclist or cyclist 'we hate tintops' that still takes a ride in your car to the shops / pub. ;-)
Cheers, T i m