Electric Cars II - Not Silly!

[OFSO]

Dacia Duster.

[llondel]

You can walk down any street in either of the two countries we live in, and count the latest models of Fiesta and Focus, two door, hatchback, estate, parked at the roadside. Obviously a success. The logic of ceasing to make them defies common sense.

I wonder how many long-term Ford customers such as myself are thinking we'll go elsewhere for the next car. In my case I already know what I'll buy when that day comes.

I had Fords for many years, and now have a Transit, which I guess is not a passenger vehicle (cargo version, no side windows or seats behind the front two). When my car expires, which will probably be next year when it fails its smog test, I would probably buy an electric car just because its main use would be driving small local trips, which is what EVs are good at, especially in traffic. We have the minivan and the big van for stuff that needs to go longer distance.

[OFSO]

Just filled Mondeo tank, November 24th, first time since October 10th. 823kms/510 miles cost €68/£59. Includes towing trailer full of bronze sculptures to Girona and back and one trip to collect firewood. Five seater car currently recording 5.2 litres per hundred kms or 57 mpg.

[PHXPhlyer]

Not heard of this company.
Battery subscription is interesting.

Vietnam's VinFast sends electric vehicles to first U.S. customers

https://vinfastauto.us/

https://www.abc15.com/news/national/vie ... -customers

The Vietnamese electric vehicle-maker has shipped its first batch of EVs to the United States, the company VinFast said on Friday.

The company's 999 cars were shipped marking the end of a 5-year-long effort to get the cars into the U.S. market from its production hub in Southeast Asia.

VinFast will send cars to the North American and European market.

The company is in the process of putting a car manufacturing plant for EV vehicles in North Carolina, and is awaiting regulatory approval.

The company hopes for manufacturing to begin by 2024 and say its vehicles should qualify under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. The legislation required at least %50 of critical materials used in EV batteries come from North America or allies of the U.S. by 2024.

By the end of 2026, those critical materials need to comprise at least 80%.

While U.S. manufacturers have pushed back on those goals, the VinFast says that it won't really impact the company's sales strategy, Reuters reported.

PP

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

While U.S. manufacturers have pushed back on those goals, the VinFast says that it won't really impact the company's sales strategy,

The most popular and long-lasting truck in the world, the Toyota HiLux, is effectively banned in the US.
For that matter, almost any foreign motor company with a market winner gets banned in quite a lot of countries.
Japan, France, Italy, China,...they all do it.

It's just about the biggest racket in the world.

[talmacapt]

09E0BCC2-15BA-43B7-9D4D-852C7E479B09.jpeg (30.17 KiB) Viewed 611 times

I give you Finland's answer to the high cost of electricity.

835CD5EF-F0C0-4F75-8486-F62C7D7C1EC7.jpeg (24.92 KiB) Viewed 611 times

The Esla T7 (the lighter coloured one is the T6, my wife is a bit shorter than me).

[TheGreenAnger]

Tether your Esla's to a pack of huskies and "Mush" giving you a tethered Esla which is in fact a... TEsla..

[talmacapt]

I like it!!

[OFSO]

£1.35 a litre for diesel this morning, which would take the Mondeo 20kms. Meanwhile electricity here continues at unprecedented high prices for private consumers. And now winter temperatures have arrived, very few electric cars to be seen.

[G-CPTN]

now winter temperatures have arrived, very few electric cars to be seen.

I have wondered about that - whether cold ambients affect their performance.

[OFSO]

Promoters of electric cars don't mention it much but yes, they do. And the 12v car battery suffers the same problems of mortality that they do in petrol and diesel cars.

Our friends who run the Old Rectory up at Molló are two hours drive away, a climb of over 4200' and minus 8° at night this week. Two communal charging points for the whole town. We usually stay several nights, car parked further up the hillside where it gets frost-soaked. I wouldn't be happy doing it in an electric car.

[CharlieOneSix]

Promoters of electric cars don't mention it much but yes, they do.

....... And now winter temperatures have arrived, very few electric cars to be seen.

Yes, of course electric cars don't go as far when it's cold, no promoter of the marque would tell you otherwise. Why on earth would winter weather mean very few electric cars on the road? What utter rubbish! For C-CPTN, cold ambients don't affect performance, just the distance available and then not enough to be of a concern. I recently had a software update to my car which, when a charger in the map database is selected as destination, preheats the main battery for the last 25 miles to give optimum charging. Works well and cuts down charging time, just magic when using a 300kW charger like the Fastned ones at Hamilton, just spitting distance off the M74.

I had my first experience in the snow with the car yesterday - about 10cm depth. It was -2C so I preheated the car for 10 minutes using the app whilst I was still in the house, so the front screen was clear, also selected wing mirrors and rear window to preheat so they were cleared of frost and also had a warm steering wheel to greet me. Initially drove 10 miles on an uncleared minor road with ice rutting from previous traffic. Selected Snow drive mode which puts the car into AWD and, logically, Snow mode restricts regenerative braking to the lowest setting. Just brilliant. Later I came across a poor ICE driver with front wheel drive who was stuck on an icy hill. I still had my newly fitted removable tow bar in place so was able to tow him until he could manage on his own.

.... We usually stay several nights, car parked further up the hillside where it gets frost-soaked. I wouldn't be happy doing it in an electric car.

Have you tried? It's always negativity with you.

[Woody]

First case of charger rage today at local garage, both charging points in use, a third car appears and DYKWIA says I need to use one immediately, just have to wait came the reply

[OFSO]

I can't try an electric car, can't afford to buy one or charge it. Possibly few around right now as no tourists here.

[TheGreenAnger]

....... And now winter temperatures have arrived, very few electric cars to be seen.

Have you tried? It's always negativity with you.

As long as he grounds his negative battery terminal he should be alright!

[talmacapt]

Woody.

Do tell me, he was a personal friend of Lord King, Colin Marshall or the Archbishop of Canterbury!!

[talmacapt]

G-C

There are, on the net, several articles about performance of electric cars and range at low temperatures.

It was mentioned above that range does not reduce by much as temperature decreases.

That maybe true if you are talking about the temperatures in a country like England (or Scotland) where the lowest temperature is generally a few degrees less than zero and for not many days in a row.

Here, where it is generally below -20 (lower in the north) for up to 3months of the year, the range reduction (40% or more is often mentioned) with temperature can be quite a significant consideration.

I have not found any figures for range in -40 or below.

Couple that with considerable distances (200 km is not uncommon), in possibly difficult driving conditions, between places where there maybe a fast(ish) charging point, means lack of electric car use, in the winter, is noticeable.

I am pro electric cars, not for the green reasons, but because, I think, the technology is better.

When/if an electric car is produced with a range that fits my needs (often visit relations in the north where -40, or lower, for several days is the norm most winters), I will consider purchasing one.

[Woody]

Woody.

Do tell me, he was a personal friend of Lord King, Colin Marshall or the Archbishop of Canterbury!!

Retired BA Captain

[talmacapt]

Didn't see that one coming!!

[OFSO]

I wouldn't categorise 200kms as a 'considerable' distance, although return trips to Perpignan and Barcelona, about that, are all I do these days in my dotage. However round trips of a thousand kms were quite usual (Darmstadt to Evian les Bain, Milano, Oberpffenhoffen, and singles to Rome or Noordwijk, or the South Coast of England) in my 35 years living in Germany. Being able to drive at a steady 100mph with the occasional ten minutes to refuel was the norm. And yes, -15° in Bavaria isn't unusual.