Electric cars, and the national grid!

[AJSki2fly]

I think one point that has not been addressed is the fact that the percentage of co2 from petrol and diesel vehicles in relation to all the other co2 polluters is around 25% of total output. Not that this is not a significant amount but the other polluters need to be dealt with in tandem, ships, planes, incinerators, manufacturing industry, and industrial process that emits greenhouse gasses, and of course fossil fuel based power stations.

The problem is our society is built on the high use and reliance of quickly useable energy either in the form of electricity or fossil fuel to power engines. On top of that the worlds population has doubled to 7+billion in 60 years, and with globalisation and everyone wanting a better standard of life the power requirements have increased many times more as a result. Politically telling people you cannot have what people expect from and have grown up with in a modern society is not going to happen, so politicians do what they need to to placate the green movement, in the knowledge that it probably is not reversible, and even if it was it by the time people wake up to it then it will probably be too late. Sorry but this is the likely reality of the stupidity and greed of the human race. Just to remind you there were people shouting about the planet being poisoned back in the late 70’s and early 80’s and they were generally rubbished back then. I notice no one talks about the loss of the ozone layer anymore, is that because it’s gone too far or it’s political dynamite, we were all told it was disappearing due to green house gases, and that once gone far enough then our blue planet would be cooked with radiation, strange we do not hear about that anymore, just increased temperatures.

Ok that’s enough from me.

[Clive]

EVs shift pollution from cities...sounds great. But it’s not really the case. Yes they don’t produce NOx but until batteries become much lighter EVs pollute more nasty carcinogenic particulates from brake pads and tyres. This is due to significantly greater weight of EVs.

As for all the lithium we’ll need, there’s talk of mining (dredging) the sea bed. We’ll kill the oceans. Baby and bath water come to mind...

[NickB]

While very clever your idea for brake wear and weight of vehicle is completely wrong, I never use the brakes on normal drives as regen braking works for 99% of slowing down, also tyre wear is significantly less than my Mercedes C220


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Clive]

While very clever your idea for brake wear and weight of vehicle is completely wrong, I never use the brakes on normal drives as regen braking works for 99% of slowing down, also tyre wear is significantly less than my Mercedes C220


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's not my idea, there's been quite a lot of discussion about this topic. Whatever the full facts turn out to be it's clear EVs aren't pollution-free. Yes regen braking helps but check the rebuttal at the end of the doc linked below. If 99% of your braking is regen you'll never need new pads or discs. That's a useful saving.

https://eandt.theiet.org/content/art...m-diesel-ones/

[Audio Al]

Lets just abandon all vehicles and walk , Oh hold on ,

Do we not breath out used oxygen (carbon dioxide)

And what would we do with all the rubber from our used shoes

[Clive]

On serious note....

Particulates are a big health issue, both for ICE and EVs. Just look at what happened when the Euro 4 and other regs came in. I worked with several car makers at the time. They all said the same. The regs forced them to break up large lumps of soot into a fine mist. Less visible but medically a much greater threat. Once exhaust fumes are banished we’ll still have other particulates to worry about. All I’m saying is that these issues aren’t as simple as you might hope.

[Marco]

To save me from Googling, could someone tell me what "regen" braking is?

Is this something else that allows a car to control *you*, rather than you controlling it? If so, I'm totally against all these bollox 'driver aids' unless you're infirm and/or disabled, as all it does is encourages LAZINESS, erodes actual real-world driving skills and judgement, and creates incompetence!

I drive cars because I *love driving*, and testing my driving skills in different roads and conditions, and using my own judgement in the process, when braking, parking, reversing or whatever. I don't want a bloody computer doing it all for me!

And when I accelerate, I WANT to hear the noise/roar of a combustion engine, preferably a powerful one, and have FUN [remember that?] behind the wheel of a car that *I* am controlling. Not sat inside the silent, soulless cabin of an electric car, doing next to nothing (as, make no mistake, that's how things will become), like a brainwashed robot. Perish the thought!!

Getting behind the wheel of a good well-designed and well-engineered classic car, where there are hee-haw 'driver aids', and it's essentially you and the car versus the road, puts all this computer shite into perspective, and sorts the men out from the boys - and most importantly reminds you of what driving *should* be/used to be about! I want to feel connected with the experience, not the opposite!

Some of you who haven't been in such a car for years should try it. It's a real eye-opener, trust me, in terms of how far we've gone now to 'desensitise' and homogenise the whole driving experience, and taking all the FUN out of it. Somewhat like listening to a really good vinyl-based vintage hi-fi system, compared with a modern digital set up: both play music, but only one stirs the soul!

<Rant over>

Marco [will never, EVER own an electric car].

[Audio Al]

Regen braking is
When the drive moter is used for drive and when you take your foot off the throttle the drive moter turns into a alternator / generator putting power back in the battery pack

[Marco]

Ah I see, ta. The points I made, however, about 'driver aids' and electric cars still stand!

Marco.

[dave2010]

Regen braking is
When the drive moter is used for drive and when you take your foot off the throttle the drive moter turns into a alternator / generator putting power back in the battery pack

Depends on the car. Some do it when you take your foot off the accelerator pedal, some when you put your foot on the brake. It's still regenerative in either case, but the controls are slightly different. Some cars can now operate in both ways depending on settings.