Re: New BBC soap: Bert Coules?

In message <Eue%E.1960491$ snipped-for-privacy@fx15.am, Indy Jess John snipped-for-privacy@OMITblueyonder.co.uk> writes

I had hopes that the Ineos Grenadier would be something like that, rather than just a copy of a Defender.

I've also never understood why a small diesel electric hybrid - more electric than diesel - doesn't seem to exist.

I'd need convincing of that.

It depends a bit too on whether people with a hybrid actually do charge up the battery independently from the grid If they do it only when driving, ie from the engine, it makes more sense to use the energy that takes to drive the wheels directly and dump the heavy old battery and electric motor completely.

That does rather unravel the argument, doesn't it?

It is mostly automatic. When the electronics detect that the particulate filter is getting clogged, the computer injects extra fuel into the exhaust to increase the temperature, and burns the carbon dust to carbon dioxide, which exits via the tailpipe, talong the excess with it. Occasionally, it gets too bad, then it needs to have an extra purge cycle forced by an external computer. Eventually, even this doesn't work, so the catalyst and the filter get recycled. The catalytic converter and DPF units have enough scrap value to be worth stealing.

The automatic regeneration is what gives rise to the massive cloud of black smoke you often see as a car accelerates from town speed to motorway speed, or occasionally when the driver puts their foot down in town after being stuck in a traffic jam for a while.

These balck clouds were seen long before computers controlled engines. Usualy ascribled to oil leaking past the piston rings.

So instead of grabbing a nozzle at the petrol station and using it to fill up the tank, I'll be grabbing a similar looking cable with several kV on it and passing several kA, and made of solid copper. That should work well.

Trams use pantographs, not third rail.

No, it's actual energy, in chemical form, released eventually as heat. Batteries store energy in chemical form too, released eventually as electricity.

My Auris hybrid gets a few more MPG, is the way I look at it. Plus I'm reducing pollution (a bit) around town. A plug-in with a better range would do a better job of all that, I can go about 1.5 miles on the battery, but at no more than about 20mph.

Mine doesn't have a starter motor or alternator.

Because the traditional hybrid is running on the petrol engine most of the time. So it's coupled. Mine has a relatively small battery and its electric-only range is tiny. But mine always starts from rest in electric mode up to 15mph, then the petrol engine takes over. If I'm doing some miles of crawling, then things shift towards the manner you describe. I'll be on the battery until it runs low, then the petrol engine starts by itself, runs at optimum rate and charges the battery up a bit, then cuts out and I crawl along in battery mode again.

I thought I read somewhere that for some Prius plug-in taxi fleet somewhere, none of the drivers bothered charging them overnight.

As for people doing that in general, depends whether you have the space.

Neighbours used to have a hybrid prius, it would generally start the engine before they'd finished reversing off the drive, now they have a phev prius, I think it has a range about 30 miles before it starts the engine.

The hell it is, its due to engine wear or incorrect engine mapping like VW did.

There are also a lot of idiots that have swapped out their cats for fake ones.

They should fail the MOT but they probably fake that too.

Where do you turn it off then?

Bill

Why would it be live?

Even the fast chargers in houses aren't live when you plug them in.

The 13A ones might be, I haven't seen one to look at.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^? Oh dear

Oh dear oh dear

So long as you dint mind new ends every 50,000 miles and line boring the blck and re grinding the crank every 80,000

Unless it's charged from the grid, all the green credentials disappear.

Using the petrol engine to charge the battery to drive the wheels is hugely energy-inefficient. It would be much better to have the petrol engine drive the wheels directly. Then you could dispense with the heavy battery and electric motor entirely and not lug them around completely unnecessarily.

Not made of solid copper. And not with several KV on it until its plugged in safely, and checked for no earth leakage.

You want 150KW? thats really easy. 10kv 15A.

10KV is no big deal either.

Safety wise i'd have a cage that has to be closed before charging can take place

But realistically for pure BEVs you are going to need to bang in 150KWh in a lot less than a hour - say 5 minutes. So 1.8MW - 25Kv and 72A.

As an electrical engineer I'd say that is very very doable - need a special plug but the cable wouldnt be that special. Remember you arent bothered about a bit of volts drop, you are worried about cables burning out. 72A is way less than a starter motor draws So cable size is jump cable size. Need a bit more insulation - probably triple insulation with an earth shield to trip a fuse if there is any leakage to it. 25KV is what spark plugs run at so thats the class of insulation needed as well.

I'd be more worried about the plug / socket and arcing and oxidation and tracking. That to me is the biggest challenge.

Inside the car is a SMPS to reduce that to wahtever the battery needs + some careful cell balancing and some battery cooling.

Actually given the prevalence of 33KV as an intermediate grid voltage it might be easier to use 33KV AC and let the car sort it out

Of course a petrol station running 10 cars simultaneously - 18MW - is going to need better than a few windmills and solar panels can provide.

Which is why I wonder if in fact the snowflake generation wond end up being wafted around in driverless electric cabs.

They are pretty much too stupid to drive really.