Not bad figures for an electric

[Monty]

I'm well up for an electric bike and car when the technology matures.

Instant torque every where and just imagine how good traction control is going to get when we stop doing it with fuel and ignition coils.

Yup.

The point at which an electric vehicle will seem viable for me is when the carbon foot print of the manufacture, use and disposal of them including the batteries, is smaller than a fossil fuelled vehicle.

Totally agree, but we also need to factor in city air pollution. The Prius is a a very bad example from a manufacturing carbon foot print point of view, but it and cars like it could have a big impact on city air pollution right now.

[kiwikrasher]

Electricity production methods need to become less polluting to win that battle. Here in Aussie far too much is coal fired. Once storage tech moves along solar will be so much more usable and manageable.

I've got 6 kW of solar running micro inverters and with affordable battery tech I'd be able to go off grid from production vs usage data I've collected over the last 2 yrs.

Then the house would be totally self stainable. Already on rain water tanks as sole water supply and running a biocycle for sewerage that waters the back section.

If I didn't work away I'd have a vege patch going too!!

[Kwacky]

Given the vast areas of scrub you've got I'm surprised there aren't more wind and solar farms.

[kiwikrasher]

Given the vast areas of scrub you've got I'm surprised there aren't more wind and solar farms.

They gave good rebates and buy back tarrifs a few years back (before I bought unfortnately) so there is already a lot of solar on the grid. The problem is peak production and peak usage are mis-matched in timing. So all this solar power and the producing companies have to wind back their traditional producing during the day and ramp it up at night. That adds to operational costs and economically goes against solar.

Before it becomes a replacement method rather than a supplement we need cheap environmentally sound storage.

[Cav]

Diesel engines in cars will be gone within 10 years and I reckon petrol at best has 20 years.

Government company car tax is already making petrol and hybrids especially the better option. The tax on a £45k Mereceds. E class hybrid is about £100 per month. On the diesel equivalent it's about 3 times that.

Interestingly the other day at the 5 series launch I asked to drive the 535d and they said its not been released yet. The current top diesel is the 530d and BMW are watching what happens with government policy before they commit to making another high powered diesel model in the line up.

I'm surprised..

Don't they already make a 340d which is the 335d replacement? Same as the 640d etc...???

[Blade]

There is no 2017 model 535D Cav, I m not making comment on the 3 series or 6 series mate.

Straight from the Manufacturers mouth, they are not currently releasing a 535D for sale as a 2017 model.

Yes the engine exists in other models and yes the outgoing 5 series had a 535d in the line up but the current 2017 model 5 series range will not offer a 535d.

BMW are waiting to see if there is a market for a 530d and a 535d in the UK in 2017 and onwards.

[C00kiemonster]

I wont buy another diesel when the family wagon decides to die. Diesel is now evil in political circles and give it a few years no one will want them imo.

Plus they are getting more and more complex to cover the crap they shove out the back.

I'll stick to large supercharged petrol engines

[Kwacky]

I dread to think how much crap my lungs take in each day from riding 70 miles in rush hour with so many diesel vehicles on the road.

[StMarks]

.... Diesel is now evil in political circles and give it a few years no one will want them..

Thing is, aren't road vehicles are just a small portion of the diesel engine applications ?
Most ocean going transport, trains, hell even some electrical generation is diesel powered (which would make having an electrical vehicle instead of a diesel something of a farce)..

I'm with you all the way on the supercharged Jag though.

[Blade]

What is the issue with diesel ?

Just looked at the BMW brochure I picked up by chance at the weekend and the emission values for diesel engines are lower than the equivalent power output petrol engine's.

[Kwacky]

For a start, never believe car makers brochures. Most of them have been found to be telling porkies

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... orld-tests" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gove ... -programme" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Diesel cars throw out a lot more NOx (mono-nitrogen oxide) and particulates than petrol cars. Petrol cars barely emit particulates. Particulates are what cause lung problems and MOx makes it worse. NOx reacts with quite a few things to make nasty compounds which are harmful to our health.

[D41]

Too 'staid' is the public eye??



"Hey babe....you wanna check out my new convertible??".....vs...."Hey babe....you wanna check out my new DIESEL convertible??"

A 'diesel' badge on a car might as well just say 'Volvo'.

[Monty]

The Government where very badly advised by the "Experts" and choose to only focus on CO2 reduction. Hence why every company car in the UK including my own is a diesel. In fact every company car I've had in the last 15 years has been a diesel, because that's the way the company car tax was/is incentified

They went the wrong way and the car industry supplied the demand.

[D41]

I want a napalm-powered car!!!! I bet one of those would leave some nice emissions behind.

It'd be like me right after a vindaloo.

[Blade]

Hey what's wrong with Diesel convertibles

0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds and it's embrassed plenty of Hot Hatches both off the mark and in gear acceleration

[C00kiemonster]

.... Diesel is now evil in political circles and give it a few years no one will want them..

Thing is, aren't road vehicles are just a small portion of the diesel engine applications ?
Most ocean going transport, trains, hell even some electrical generation is diesel powered (which would make having an electrical vehicle instead of a diesel something of a farce)..

I'm with you all the way on the supercharged Jag though.

I think your right, however when does a politician deal in actual facts?

I seem to remember the highest pollution in London is Oxford St where there are only buses and taxis......

Diesel electrical generation is at least static and they can trap all the crap that comes out of it if they wanted to, however the world couldn't cope without diesel (especially at present). The key is to keep it away from people as from what i read the particles are horrendous and also the NOx. I suppose ships etc don't pump it straight into classrooms and homes either.

We are stuck with fossil fuels for a long time yet...

[Kwacky]

I think those Tesla cars do 0-60 in about 3 seconds.

[C00kiemonster]

I think those Tesla cars do 0-60 in about 3 seconds.

I'd love a tesla. I'd even sit for an hour every 300 miles to charge the damn thing. They are bringing out a new cheaper version soon, but still so damn expensive.

Problem is if everyone had them the grid couldn't cope. But that would involve forward thinking by the government....

It will be interesting as many more electric cars come out this year and the next few what happens about capacity - especially on the road network. Fights at service areas on motorways

[Blade]

Imagine if everyone had one the que at the charging station would be horrendous if we had to wait an hour per car and there was 10 people in front of you.

[Blade]

One of the few bonuses of being old.

They won't run out of petrol before I run out of years