Electric cars

I can’t imagine electric not winning out, but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on developments.

I would have thought some sort of alternative fuel might be put forward… if only so that electric cars are not a monopoly…:thinking:

Where there’s a will…

Of course, without someone breaking through the ceiling we don’t progress. There is more energy available in a kilo of fat than a kilo of TNT, so we need to harvest the fat and find a way of releasing it :grinning:
Meanwhile i am off to watch the F1 qualifying for fossil guzzling engines. :rofl:

Don’t do it John, the future is Formula E😉

Hydrogen is the future, burn it, waddya get, watter :+1:

Yep the future, but not the present! :smiling_imp:

Isn’t having to produce the electricity and distribute it in the first place, to put in the vehicle, a (big) bit inefficient and polluting the losses in transmission lines alone must be colossal.

I have an amazing personal stockpile of energy then John, if only I can find a way to unleash it. A buttock should keep the car going for a couple of years.

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There is no question of electric cars becoming a “monopoly” no more than petrol or diesel cars ever became a monopoly, there were hundreds of manufactures. Fuel is fuel, how it is used makes the difference. Electric cars have been around for 120 years and Ferdinand Porsche even had a petrol/electric hybrid for sale in 1901. That’s 96 years ahead of Toyota :slight_smile: . If there’s to be a monopoly IMO it will be in battery technology. Cost and capacity is the battle ground.

Fair enough… will indeed be interesting to see what the future brings… :hugs:

Not that stying was a priority in the early hybrids but at least they were better looking than a Prius :slight_smile:

Note electric motors in each wheel.

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Personally, I think that hydrogen/fuel cell technology is the way forward. Just got to get to grips with some safety/security issues.

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Nice to see that Dave, be good to see some serious attention paid to H technology, Imagine, only water chuggin’ oot of t’ back :grinning:

I thought so to at least 2 years ago and have kept an eye on developments, H still has a place which is why Hyundai/KIA are still going to produce H & Elec hybrids later this year or early next. Yet again showing Toyota as being wrong with hybrid petrol & Elec.

The biggest threat to H tech is the cost of the platinum for the hydrogen stack and massive infrastructure investment. What will power the local H processors, electricity? The biggest issue is the amount of power required to produce the H is higher than the electricity to re charge batteries. The infrastructure would still depend at least partly to the oil producing/processing cartels. I therefore feel that for some specialist vehicles it will be the correct solution but for the majority of car owners home charging could take them off grid completely for at least their vehicles and possibly part of the time their homes. The ChAdeMO charging system is meant to be bi directional allowing your EV to power your home etc, quite handy in France where power cuts are the norm.

If battery prices continue to fall it really makes other forms hard to justify I believe.

What safety issues are you thinking of Mark?

R101, Hindenburg ring a bellJohn?

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Its the hydrogen system, rather than the fuel cell itself. Might be a bit iffy if there’s an accident

Happily mankind has moved forward to high pressurised tanks mounted inside the safety cage area of the car. of course I was only teasing. It’s safer than most LPG vehicles that have been converted compared to purpose built and what of the vehicles with plastic petrol tanks that are probably 75% of the vehicles on our roads at the present time?

Like fuel cars today, they have G sensors to shut off the fuel when triggered by an accident. So long as that is mounted at the cylinder the rest of the plumbing should be safe. Well as safe as a fractured petrol line.