What excites you about electric cars?

TimFZ

Club Member
I watch that 'Vintage Voltage' series and it's very interesting....

On the programme most of the cars converted retain the gearbox for ease of fitment but that is a big compromise and unnecessary weight.

Keeping the gearbox allows the user to have a lesser and lighter motor for cruising and lower gearing for hills or fast starts. I think this is a good idea for a conversion. Makes it flexible.
 

chojna

Club Member
LPG is still a fossil fuel and like other fossil fuels, burning it releases lots of carbon dioxide. Which is causing climate change.

Not that much co2 and anyway to produce electric for charging the car we using coal or gas. Its seems to be dead end.
I can understand solar power.

I had 5 lpg cars.
Now 70ish litters for my v8 explorer cost me £50.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20211216_224837_com.android.chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20211216_224837_com.android.chrome.jpg
    118.2 KB · Views: 4

chojna

Club Member
If you're importing gas, isn't it simply because it's cheaper to do so than use that which we have from the North Sea ?

Jonbills - we're still at the stage of looking at the best of the bad solutions.......I still can't believe that Germany switched from nuclear to burning coal again....!
Sean I think in UK they will open coal mine again. Or its already open.
 

chojna

Club Member
Personally I think whole Europe. UK ex part of Europe.

Try to be eco friendly. Chinese don't give a sh... T and we are supporting electric cars as only Chinese have most components for batteries (I believe its cobalt) but might be wrong. Sorry if mistaken.
I'm still wondering what will happened with old electric cars.

Hydrogen would be much better cheep fuel.
 

Geoff-R

Club Member
I freely admit its about BiK. I had a hybrid Volvo(which was ok- only charged about 3 times over 3 years!), this is a model 3 long range. I can't stand faff, so having a Tesla with the charging network was sensible option for myself.

They're all too expensive though.

Yep, BiK was easily the biggest draw for me. I had a hybrid X5 (previous gen to current one) before which I never charged and that was all about the BiK but at 20mpg it seemed farcical, a car designed for a tax swerve. The Teslas do make a lot of sense though, they went early and you can see why they are so popular. You are right though the expense of these cars is just too high, I specced up a new BMW iX as a company car and it came out at £110k, by the time it's delivered at 2% BiK it's a steal but you work out what people will pay for that on a PCP, because around 90% will buy on PCP and it's another mortgage!

As others have said, environmental issues surrounding the power used to charge and the actual power used to produce the batteries is something that concerns me.
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Keeping the gearbox allows the user to have a lesser and lighter motor for cruising and lower gearing for hills or fast starts. I think this is a good idea for a conversion. Makes it flexible.

So the Tesla just has a reduction gear so it seems. Most others don't have gearboxes apart from the Taycan.

My point is that with an electric motor you can eliminate so many things like petrol tank, exhaust, radiator (some Tesla are water cooled though), clutch, starter, alternator etc but these guys leave a big heavy gearbox which is mainly kept to provide ease of retro-fitting the motor. Also they have to be careful with high torque motor not to wreck it.
 

Bazzateer

Club Member
So the Tesla just has a reduction gear so it seems. Most others don't have gearboxes apart from the Taycan.

My point is that with an electric motor you can eliminate so many things like petrol tank, exhaust, radiator (some Tesla are water cooled though), clutch, starter, alternator etc but these guys leave a big heavy gearbox which is mainly kept to provide ease of retro-fitting the motor. Also they have to be careful with high torque motor not to wreck it.
You can have some clever electronics in the control system which limits the torque at lower revs to help protect the gearbox.
 

Mr.G

Club Member
In the context of a Tesla eg,Model 3.

The effortless speed, the technology - great display incorporating satnav, spotify etc.. and an awesome sound system.

Easy to just jump in and go, fully charged every night.

At first i didnt like it but i think that was my mindset not wanting to like it being a petrol head.

Long range version can do about 250 miles on one charge, good enough for most roundtrip journeys. It makes sense even for short journeys to shops, pick kids to etc.. ICE car wouldn't event get up to operating temp.

I guess simplicity excites me these days and the fact it just works and liberating that i dont have to be concerned with maintenance for a change.
 
In the context of a Tesla eg,Model 3.

The effortless speed, the technology - great display incorporating satnav, spotify etc.. and an awesome sound system.

Easy to just jump in and go, fully charged every night.

At first i didnt like it but i think that was my mindset not wanting to like it being a petrol head.

Long range version can do about 250 miles on one charge, good enough for most roundtrip journeys. It makes sense even for short journeys to shops, pick kids to etc.. ICE car wouldn't event get up to operating temp.

I guess simplicity excites me these days and the fact it just works and liberating that i dont have to be concerned with maintenance for a change.

Have you got one George? mine arrived this week so I've only done 100 miles. The build quality on the Chinese built ones is much better than the American ones(no surprise).

How far are you getting to a charge on the motorway?
 

Mr.G

Club Member
Yes Franky, we have had it for about a year now and done 10,000miles.

Its the long range version and we went to the Lake District in her for our summer hols. Finding super chargers is effortless as the navigation plans that all for you. When
we do have to stop a 30 minute or more break is welcomed as nearly always at a service station where you cam grab a coffee or at a hotel where you can do the same.

Probably about 200 to 220miles for just motorway driving, depends how spirited you drive!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ped

Faster Behr

Club Member
Lol, that's one of the reasons i don't want one! kinda soulless. Maybe for a van, but not a car I'm supposed to be enjoying driving :(

For sure! All my cars are noisy. I like it that way. But at work I just want to whizz around and get the job done. It’s a tool. I can listen to the Archers in peace and talk on the hands free without a constant droning.

I had a Model S four or so years ago. An early 65 plate 85kW in 2wd. It was amazing but ultimately a bit “not me”. I replaced it with a 5 litre Bullitt Mustang. Much more betterer.
 

jasmiaz

Forum User
Beinng a born petrol head and being fascinated by cars before I could speak, I always found that tingle of excitement when I saw the latest car magazines! I didn’t even glance at the top shelf as the passion for cars was all consuming for me!

Fast forward a few decades and I’m finding myself a little numb / ambivalent when it comes to electric cars.

I AM excited by the technological advances and breathing fresher air in busy areas but somehow, except for the cool shapes and lights, I don’t get excited by them in the same way!!

Sure 0-60 and 1/4 miles figures are impressive but extra 50 miles range or popping the bonnet to look at a motor and some wiring + the milk float quiet acceleration is just so .... to put it in modern vocabulary - “meh”!!

So, help me out! What is it you find exciting about them that makes you want to rush out and buy the next car magazine detailing electric cars? Does Formula E excite you?

Fuel efficiency, tax incentives and when the majority of the population is using an electric car, being able to breathe fresh air in big cities........... well.... at least not contaminated by burning fossil fuel... other contaminants well... one step at a time
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
Fuel efficiency, tax incentives and when the majority of the population is using an electric car, being able to breathe fresh air in big cities........... well.... at least not contaminated by burning fossil fuel... other contaminants well... one step at a time

Moderated by RG.

It's taxis, public transport and delivery vehicles that ought to be running on 'clean' fuels first.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think we’re currently at the limits of Tyres and batteries. 0-60 in 2ish seconds will be about it I think.

the key will be getting weight down, battery density and performance up.

imagine a 300bhp ev that came in at about 1200kg. It’d be epically fast cross country
 

toopy

Club Member
0-100KPH 2.3 seconds

Who cares how fast it is if it sounds like a Scalextric car!

No vroom vroom no likey Im afraid, an engine gives a vehicle a beating heart... a soul as it were, especially a tuned version :D

I'm not against electric cars in some form (my moneys on ICE + Hydrogen long term though) but as a 'Car Guy' one of those battery things could be the fastest, best handling, amazing looking cars on the planet, but I'll still prefer to pootle around with my ICE thanks.

God i sound like a grumpy old man, or is it just the petrol fumes emanating from the garaged Datsun affecting my thought process!
 

TimFZ

Club Member
I'm not against electric cars in some form (my moneys on ICE + Hydrogen long term though) but...
Hydrogen has issues with ICE engines. You get half the power out so needing twice the displacement, closer burning to cylinder walls, more leakage by rings and potential build up in crankcase. Backfiring on modern Atkinson cycle engines or those with aggresive inlet and exhaust valve timing is also likely to be quite an issue.

However, a dry sumped and ventilated crankcase and using a rotary Wankel style engine could potentially work. Possibly why Mazda is putting a lot of R&D funding in to Hydrogen...
 
Top