Electric car anyone?
75 watchers
Jul 2020
2:14pm, 1 Jul 2020
70,603 posts
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Gobi
I read all the blurb about it - wasn't it Honda who tried to get this moving in Californa last time ? Fozzy - what do you do for a job ? |
Jul 2020
2:16pm, 1 Jul 2020
3,607 posts
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K5 Gus
If you are buying a new car ( applies to anything really, but lets stick to cars on this thread ) please try and buy from locally made, not from US/Japan etc I remember seeing on TV something regarding these absolutely huge container ships used to transport cars around the world :- the amount of emissions generated by one of these ships in a single journey from Japan to Europe was greater than the lifetime emissions created by the hundreds of petrol/diesel cars that it was transporting. A quick google found this inews.co.uk which includes "It has been estimated that just one of these container ships, the length of around six football pitches, can produce the same amount of pollution as 50 million cars. The emissions from 15 of these mega-ships match those from all the cars in the world. And if the shipping industry were a country, it would be ranked between Germany and Japan as the sixth-largest contributor to global CO2 emissions." Something to consider before buying a car made on the other side of the world......... |
Jul 2020
2:19pm, 1 Jul 2020
10,481 posts
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rf_fozzy
Gobi - I'm a materials physicist! Don't work in this area at all, but just read stuff about it. It's entirely possible I'm talking rubbish, but I generally try to read independent or impartial sources that know what they're talking about from an analytical point of view. For example, I disregard when nuclear fanbois start saying that renewable energy cannot provide all our electricity/power needs (as it makes ridiculous assumptions). I also tend to disregard anyone who is falls into the cult of Elon Musk too. They think Tesla is the solution to all things full stop. |
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Jul 2020
2:21pm, 1 Jul 2020
10,482 posts
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rf_fozzy
K5 Gus - That's not an easy calculation - even "locally" built cars are part of the Just in time chains (which are about to be ripped up to due to Brext btw) and have parts shipped from all over the world. But I agree, it's something that needs considering. Hence why 2nd hand tends to be better than new. |
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Jul 2020
2:23pm, 1 Jul 2020
70,605 posts
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Gobi
K5 - I guess at this point the question is Why do I want an EV ? Simply I want one for running costs and am only thinking EV as the next one I buy I may well have for a long time and given where progress is going all "modern cars" will be EV which means living with it should become easier. Otherwise I would just buy another 50mpg diesel. Very shallow i know but my motivation is not Environmental so I care more about cost of the vehicle rather than where it was transported from - sorry |
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Jul 2020
2:24pm, 1 Jul 2020
70,606 posts
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Gobi
Thanks Fozzy - i do like Teslas but Musk is a bit of a muppet :¬)
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Jul 2020
2:29pm, 1 Jul 2020
4,211 posts
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run free
It is interesting in the argument for trains vs planes, that if you consider the infrastructure for trains compared to planes, then trains are far more carbon polluting than planes.  G in my head I think environmentally it is better to keep driving your old banger rather than purchasing a new model due to the carbon emissions generated in producing the new car and the carbon emissions in destroying / reclaiming parts of the old car. The electric car battery technology has changed and is becoming more efficient so at some point you might find you can purchase a carbon neutral car. VW have made a claim that their EVs will be produced carbon neutrally from supply to production to end of life - yah the entire lifecycle. However have noted they are looking at carbon offsetting for the manufacturing side. So VW's claim is their car compared to a trad car will save roughly the climate impact of a coal-fired power station supplying 300,000 households. energylivenews.com |
Jul 2020
2:34pm, 1 Jul 2020
697 posts
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MH
I'll consider myself disregarded I'll out myself - we have a model 3 and love it. I actually don't think I've fallen into the cult of Elon Musk (I have a brain and can use it), that said, he (and the company) has certainly pushed the large car makers into action, otherwise we would still have niche offerings that were just OK for short journeys and rather slow. That said, he should stay away from social media and interviews... Very impressed with your company Fizz, enjoy the car! |
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Jul 2020
3:06pm, 1 Jul 2020
10,485 posts
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rf_fozzy
MH - it's the Tesla nuts who disregard anything else electric or any other company that makes PV or batteries or anything else and for whom Elon Musk can do no wrong no matter what he says/does and we must all worship the ground he walks on. Those are the type that slightly annoy me
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Jul 2020
3:22pm, 1 Jul 2020
35,410 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
He seems to be a bit of a strange character and should def stay away from politics and even media, but he's contributed to a couple of fairly significant and beneficial (in my opinion) advances in Tesla and Space X. As MH said, even if the Tesla car brand doesn't persist, it's given the wider motor industry a jolt (pun intended) to bring them round to electric. G
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