EV (electric vehicle) News and Discussion

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#1978726 16-Mar-2018 15:17

Linuxluver:

MikeAqua:

In theory I would be willing to switch sides of the road in reality I think it would be logistically difficult and horrendously expensive.

And of course it would give us the immediate problem that most cars would then have the steering wheel on the wrong side.

Give it 10 years.....problem solved...and all our old RHD cars become 2nd-hand imports for Sri Lanka and whoever. :-)

Or the government subsidises conversions.....at scale it could be fairly economic. The automakers have the parts.....

They're go to Samoa I suspect but then they'd change back to driving on the right just because we did.. When Sweden changed from Left to right side driving back in 1967 for 10 years before the change all new cars sold had to be LHD. I suspect here it could be reduced to say 5 years . If we did change after a week it would seem like you been doing it all your life. Was easy when I went to work in the US in the mid 90s.

Regards,

Old3eyes

tripper1000

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#1979108 17-Mar-2018 18:13

afe66: .......

Asked how power companies could get access to individual ev car owners to manage this like do with ripple control but would be privacy implications.

Also how would deal with the EV companies wanting to capture usage data using propriatory systems and charging power companies for this information.

........

It has already been done in the UK back in 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaWruGLgLlE

I think it has matured into EV chargers that can be controlled by power retailers (via the internet) to save the EV driver money on their power bill however I can't re-find the link sorry.

GV27

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#1980808 21-Mar-2018 08:00

Having a hard time getting any info about the Hyundai Kona EV. Seems like there will be a lot of new EVs coming on the market over the next 18 months, but only the E-Golf is firm on pricing.

afe66

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#1980904 21-Mar-2018 10:22

I read/watched the Kona reviews as an ev replacement for our aging ford focus with its bigger battery but the boot seems to be small.

And yesterday I saw a petrol one on road and boot _did_ seem small. Much smaller than our Leaf.

GV27

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#1981303 22-Mar-2018 06:52

afe66: I read/watched the Kona reviews as an ev replacement for our aging ford focus with its bigger battery but the boot seems to be small.

And yesterday I saw a petrol one on road and boot _did_ seem small. Much smaller than our Leaf.

The new Leaf looks even bigger too, and the build quality is apparently miles ahead of the old models.

I was talking to a friend last night who seems to be in the same boat; looking for a new car in the next two years, somewhere around Mazda 3 price, wants a range of about 300km+.

It doesn't sound like electrics will have matured to that point yet but hopefully it comes soon.

MikeAqua

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#1981491 22-Mar-2018 14:11

What is with the cutesy or suppository-like aesthetics of many EV designs?

Leaf, i3 and Zoe being examples.

Something's wrong when an American car or a Golf are the best looking option ...

Mike

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happyfunball

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#1981533 22-Mar-2018 14:24

MikeAqua:

What is with the cutesy or suppository-like aesthetics of many EV designs?

Leaf, i3 and Zoe being examples.

Something's wrong when an American car or a Golf are the best looking option ...

I always thought Japanese cars are basically ugly, but I drove one anyway when I moved here since its just so much cheaper to have one. Now my eyes have changed and I appreciate the gaudy looks and unnecessary spoilers, but I still hate the noisy exhaust strapped on a 1.6L automatic. Your eyes will adjust too.

A good EV design should be different than an ICE car, the hood should be shorter, no grille etc. Probably no wing mirrors either if we are being serious about efficiency. I think for the next few years EV's will try to look like ICE cars (which is pleasing to the eye today) but in time they will morph into soap bubbles again.

MikeAqua

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#1981541 22-Mar-2018 14:31

happyfunball:

A good EV design should be different than an ICE car, the hood should be shorter, no grille etc. Probably no wing mirrors either if we are being serious about efficiency. I think for the next few years EV's will try to look like ICE cars (which is pleasing to the eye today) but in time they will morph into soap bubbles again.

I like a longish bonnet (crumple zone). Seems like an opportunity for a front boot and a rear boot.

Surely the efficiency issues are at least as relevant to ICE (less drive train efficiency).

I don't like the idea of cars without wing mirrors. Especially hatch backs with such limited rear visibility. Unless they are replaced by cameras.

Mike

happyfunball

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#1981545 22-Mar-2018 14:38

MikeAqua:

Surely the efficiency issues are at least as relevant to ICE (less drive train efficiency).

I don't like the idea of cars without wing mirrors. Especially hatch backs with such limited rear visibility. Unless they are replaced by cameras.

Yes cameras of course! Even more cameras, screens and views. Every blindspot could be eliminated, no need for ancient mirrors. My Leaf has a 360 view constructed from 4 wide angle lenses now and its awesome.

ICE cars could be much more efficient, but its not necessary. The looks, power and handling matter much more. Look at the expensive (and beautiful) cars. How efficient are they compared to a Suzuki swift or a Toyota hybrid?

It matters on an EV because you can't just pay extra to get more electricity at the pump, or higher octane, you're essentially stuck with a very small fuel tank and you need to squeeze out every last drop.

GV27

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#1981792 23-Mar-2018 06:55

happyfunball:

I always thought Japanese cars are basically ugly, but I drove one anyway when I moved here since its just so much cheaper to have one. Now my eyes have changed and I appreciate the gaudy looks and unnecessary spoilers, but I still hate the noisy exhaust strapped on a 1.6L automatic. Your eyes will adjust too.

A good EV design should be different than an ICE car, the hood should be shorter, no grille etc. Probably no wing mirrors either if we are being serious about efficiency. I think for the next few years EV's will try to look like ICE cars (which is pleasing to the eye today) but in time they will morph into soap bubbles again.

There's a reason cars look how they do; there are frontal impact rules, pedestrian impact rules etc. Then you get into design language (Etc. the "look" and "feel" of a Golf). I can't see automakers abandoning that kind of thing to build poo-shaped EVs; if anything hopefully we can some cars with some unique designs again like the early-mid 1990s.

tdgeek

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#1981809 23-Mar-2018 07:50

I like the idea of a very aerodynamic body. No wing mirrors. I imagine the power used for them would be offset by less drag. The roof can be solar panel, I assume you might fit 500W there? Parked outside shopping for two hours, that's maybe a free 1 kW topup. Parked at work all day, that's maybe up to 4kW per day, up to 20kW per week. It all helps.

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linw

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#1981854 23-Mar-2018 09:52

Can someone please tell me how un-garaged cars are going to be charged in the future? All around me the streets and drives are full of cars. It is like a slalom course driving around here.

happyfunball

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#1981864 23-Mar-2018 10:06

linw:

Can someone please tell me how un-garaged cars are going to be charged in the future? All around me the streets and drives are full of cars. It is like a slalom course driving around here.

Yeah I wonder about that too.

Fast charging at the local energy/petrol station? Supermarket? Anywhere there are wires you can pretty much install a charger. Wellington is putting them in at some poles beside the street.

jonathan18

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#1981877 23-Mar-2018 10:29

happyfunball:
Yeah I wonder about that too.

Fast charging at the local energy/petrol station? Supermarket? Anywhere there are wires you can pretty much install a charger. Wellington is putting them in at some poles beside the street.

How does this work in practice? Is the space next to the charger specially marked and/or restricted to EVs? How do users pay for the power, or are the chargers free to use?

They certainly will need to think of innovative ways to charge in locations like Wellington, given so many houses have no off-street parking let alone garaging. (That said, a friend mentioned he’s seen heaps more electric cars in Wgtn than in PN, despite this.)

Personally, I doubt we’d have bought a Leaf if it wasn’t for the ability to easily (and cheaply) charge the car at home. I know others are happy to rearrange their lives and travel around charging, but i know my wife wouldn’t do this - our lives are busy enough without this extra hassle.

afe66

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#1982016 23-Mar-2018 12:11

I wouldn't recommend a casual ev buyer from getting one if you don't have off street parking.

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