Age of parents is interesting. From what Chris has said my Mother is probably about the same age as his parents, but my Father is significantly older by 17 years. And because he was the youngest in his family by some years, I have cousins who have kids older than me.
And because I didn't get married until mid 30's, my youngest went to school with one of my cousins Great Grand daughters.
What about all the people who haven't got off-road parking and the problems of charging overnight etc?
Well I would tentatively suggest that anyone that can afford a new model Volvo is likely to have their own off-road parking anyway. But these hybrids that are about that switch off at every traffic lights are a menace. What happens in heavy traffic when the starter motor fails or the battery goes flat? You take the wife and kids away for a camping weekend, will the campsite in the hills have a charging point?
The ideal of course is a zippy little front wheel drive for around town, and a decent rear wheel drive for longer journeys. Leave Chelsea tractors and SUV's to the yuppies, and hubby's 4wd to the mums on the school run. But not everyone has space for two cars and the insurance is twice as much as well, plus 2 x servicing and vehicle tax.
Quite apart from which I doubt that battery technology is sophisticated enough even now. But if Volvo's new owners think it is, good luck to them. Even if I won the lottery I wouldn't buy one, I'd buy a proper car :-)
But it has been reported that S7/8 Stockon the London Underground can return around 20% of its energy usage to the network with regenerative braking. Ok, we'll all buy a tube train then and save the planet :-))
Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)
Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now
Here in Holland we have charging points all around, on public parking spots.
So that does not have to be a problem. With other electric cars you lease the battery pack, and can simply swap it around for another one at a gas station. What charging time?
What about all the people who haven't got off-road parking and the problems of charging overnight etc?
Well I would tentatively suggest that anyone that can afford a new model Volvo is likely to have their own off-road parking anyway. But these hybrids that are about that switch off at every traffic lights are a menace. What happens in heavy traffic when the starter motor fails or the battery goes flat? You take the wife and kids away for a camping weekend, will the campsite in the hills have a charging point?
The ideal of course is a zippy little front wheel drive for around town, and a decent rear wheel drive for longer journeys. Leave Chelsea tractors and SUV's to the yuppies, and hubby's 4wd to the mums on the school run. But not everyone has space for two cars and the insurance is twice as much as well, plus 2 x servicing and vehicle tax.
Quite apart from which I doubt that battery technology is sophisticated enough even now. But if Volvo's new owners think it is, good luck to them. Even if I won the lottery I wouldn't buy one, I'd buy a proper car :-)
But it has been reported that S7/8 Stockon the London Underground can return around 20% of its energy usage to the network with regenerative braking. Ok, we'll all buy a tube train then and save the planet :-))
Trying to complicate things again, Volvo are talking all-electric not hybrid, so forget the issue of stop/start, and anyway that technology is also available in normal cars anyway.
You can get offers from dealers of about £12k for a new Citroen C-Zero, so within range of lots of people who don't have off road parking. Range is only just over a 100 miles, so yes mainly only good for local driving.
The Tesla Model 3 goes into production this Friday, with a range of over 200 miles, BBC- 3 July 2017 price $35,000 (£27,000) half the price of current models. And don't forget there is a government discount.
Well I would tentatively suggest that anyone that can afford a new model Volvo is likely to have their own off-road parking anyway. But these hybrids that are about that switch off at every traffic lights are a menace. What happens in heavy traffic when the starter motor fails or the battery goes flat? You take the wife and kids away for a camping weekend, will the campsite in the hills have a charging point?
Those hybrids that switch off at every traffic light are less a menace than the typical ICE vehicle that stalls out in the same location. The "starter motor" on a hybrid is NOT the same as the dinky little motor that starts up a gasoline or diesel engine, it is in fact a very powerful electric motor (or in some cases e.g. the Prius, a pair of electric motors) capable of propelling the car to highway speeds without the ICE turning on at all.
As for the all-electric cars, yes indeed they are primarily in-town/local vehicles. (The Tesla and similar being exceptions.) I own a Nissan LEAF. I bought it used in February 2014 when it had just over 22K miles on it. Today it is rapidly approaching 70K miles. I drive it to work where I can charge in the parking garage. It takes just about three hours to go from close to empty, to full charge. I can then head home, run a normal set of around-town errands, park overnight and make it back to work and recharge again. If I drive far enough that I don't have enough range to get back to work, I recharge at home. I typically drive 45-50 miles per day but have gone farther on occasion with additional charging. Studies have shown that 80% of drivers drive less than 40 miles on a normal day.
If I have to drive cross-country...I take my Prius.
The point is that there is no such thing as a one-size fits all vehicle. There's no real justification for driving a huge gas guzzler pick-up truck on your daily commute if you only use it to haul firewood two or three times in the fall. Use the right-size vehicle for the job that needs to be done. Rent the other for the few days you may need it.
Would I take my LEAF on a camping trip? Of course not. I COULD take the Prius, but I'd be more likely to rent an RV instead.
The Tesla Model 3 goes into production this Friday, with a range of over 200 miles, BBC- 3 July 2017 price $35,000 (£27,000) half the price of current models. And don't forget there is a government discount.
Yep. As originally predicted some years ago Tesla has 'amortised' alot of it's start up with the high end and lower volume sales, so now is moving to a broader and cheaper market. The $35K USD Model 3 base price ( today ) translates to ~$46K AUD and as such is pretty well smack bang in the centre of the middle class buyer's market for new cars. Reserve now to get delivery in about 12 months. Pay $1500 USD to reserve 'approximate priority within your region', being fully refundable ( without interest ) but not tradeable/transferable/assignable etc.
I indeed drive about 60km round total per day, quite sedately at that.
Cheers, Mike.
I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...
... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal
My dad was born in 1913 and mum in 1916, a not unusual age gap. Both have passed on now. Dad would have been 31 when I was born and mum 28, rather older that the average at the time, but there was a world war on. Most people expect to see their grand-kids, but if parents leave it until late 40's to start a family, and their kids do the same, they'll never see them. But that is an extreme scenario.
Many people these days are still living at home in their 30's as they can't afford to get on the property ownership ladder. That is also a factor in older parents starting a family.
is no parent better than a bad biological one ? Don't worry if you can't answer that. It is a minefield.
That is a very clever question, and I expect you are looking for a clever answer but I'm afraid I haven't got one for you. it must depend upon the individual circumstances. In the case of an alcoholic or otherwise abusive father, there are many cases where the mother and child are demonstrably better off on their own, than staying as they were. I would slightly re-word that question to read "is no role model better then a bad role model?".
Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)
Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now
Apologies if you thought I was complicating things :-))
We seem to have 4 groups of vehicles. 1. The standard petrol engine ones, 2. The stop/start ones, 3. The hybrids, and 4. The all electric ones.
I have 2 x group 1, a little Chevy 1L Matiz as a daily runabout, and a 1.9L Z3 in the garage for fun in the summer. The Z3 is in a rented garage as we only have space for one off road vehicle and the road is yellow lined.
A pal drives a Merc with the stop start technology. I find it disconcerting, you think oh god have I run out of petrol? has the electrics failed etc. Not for me but he likes it.
A cousin has an upmarket Porche, where if he drives it sedately it's on battery, only when he puts his foot down does the petrol engine cut in. He has it because he won't pay the emissions charge in central London.
The all electric cars are simply not taking off in the UK. There is no country wide network of charging points and never likely to be. It is interesting to hear about Holland with the exchange battery scheme. It would cost millions to set up in the UK and I don't see it happening. The trend is to go green with transport, but "Boris Bikes" weren't exactly a resounding success over here! And the "Mini Holland" cycle lane schemes have a mixed reception.
And don't forget there is a government discount.
Be careful! There was a good government discount for early adopters of solar panels and a pretty good feed back tariff. Come cheap Far East imports of panels, it has been greatly reduced.
p.s. ICE in the UK is generally meant to mean In Car Entertainment, e.g. radios DVD players etc. I didn't immediately twig it means Internal Combustion Engine elsewhere.
Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)
Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now
I have a start stop car as well, though actually think it should not be in this list as it does not have any real electric engine capable of driving the car to highway speeds.
The only thing it does is sometimes stop the car engine at a traffic light when the battery is full enough and the engine warm enough.
Then there is the hybrid that is mostly build for government discounts. In practice such cars are not or hardly any more fuel efficient then the normal combustion engine cars without additional hybrid engine and battery pack. Here in Holland they were really loved because you could drive such cars tax free (and buying discounts) opposed to having to pay around 200 euros a month for a car without the hybrid part with the same or smaller effective environmental impact. Many did not even charge the batteries at all for their hybrid cars.
And last but not least there is the real electric car, the one that actually does have a smaller environmental impact but is limited in use and range. The car that still can be driven almost tax free here in Holland.
Age of parents is
)
Age of parents is interesting. From what Chris has said my Mother is probably about the same age as his parents, but my Father is significantly older by 17 years. And because he was the youngest in his family by some years, I have cousins who have kids older than me.
And because I didn't get married until mid 30's, my youngest went to school with one of my cousins Great Grand daughters.
I have spotted a big problem,
)
I have spotted a big problem, that a quick inquiry with my local councilor says he hasn't got a clue to the answer about.
What about all the people who haven't got off-road parking and the problems of charging overnight etc?
What about all the people who
)
Well I would tentatively suggest that anyone that can afford a new model Volvo is likely to have their own off-road parking anyway. But these hybrids that are about that switch off at every traffic lights are a menace. What happens in heavy traffic when the starter motor fails or the battery goes flat? You take the wife and kids away for a camping weekend, will the campsite in the hills have a charging point?
The ideal of course is a zippy little front wheel drive for around town, and a decent rear wheel drive for longer journeys. Leave Chelsea tractors and SUV's to the yuppies, and hubby's 4wd to the mums on the school run. But not everyone has space for two cars and the insurance is twice as much as well, plus 2 x servicing and vehicle tax.
Quite apart from which I doubt that battery technology is sophisticated enough even now. But if Volvo's new owners think it is, good luck to them. Even if I won the lottery I wouldn't buy one, I'd buy a proper car :-)
But it has been reported that S7/8 Stock on the London Underground can return around 20% of its energy usage to the network with regenerative braking. Ok, we'll all buy a tube train then and save the planet :-))
Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)
Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now
Here in Holland we have
)
Here in Holland we have charging points all around, on public parking spots.
So that does not have to be a problem. With other electric cars you lease the battery pack, and can simply swap it around for another one at a gas station. What charging time?
Chris S_2 wrote:What about
)
Trying to complicate things again, Volvo are talking all-electric not hybrid, so forget the issue of stop/start, and anyway that technology is also available in normal cars anyway.
You can get offers from dealers of about £12k for a new Citroen C-Zero, so within range of lots of people who don't have off road parking. Range is only just over a 100 miles, so yes mainly only good for local driving.
The Tesla Model 3 goes into production this Friday, with a range of over 200 miles, BBC- 3 July 2017 price $35,000 (£27,000) half the price of current models. And don't forget there is a government discount.
Chris S_2 wrote: Well I
)
Those hybrids that switch off at every traffic light are less a menace than the typical ICE vehicle that stalls out in the same location. The "starter motor" on a hybrid is NOT the same as the dinky little motor that starts up a gasoline or diesel engine, it is in fact a very powerful electric motor (or in some cases e.g. the Prius, a pair of electric motors) capable of propelling the car to highway speeds without the ICE turning on at all.
As for the all-electric cars, yes indeed they are primarily in-town/local vehicles. (The Tesla and similar being exceptions.) I own a Nissan LEAF. I bought it used in February 2014 when it had just over 22K miles on it. Today it is rapidly approaching 70K miles. I drive it to work where I can charge in the parking garage. It takes just about three hours to go from close to empty, to full charge. I can then head home, run a normal set of around-town errands, park overnight and make it back to work and recharge again. If I drive far enough that I don't have enough range to get back to work, I recharge at home. I typically drive 45-50 miles per day but have gone farther on occasion with additional charging. Studies have shown that 80% of drivers drive less than 40 miles on a normal day.
If I have to drive cross-country...I take my Prius.
The point is that there is no such thing as a one-size fits all vehicle. There's no real justification for driving a huge gas guzzler pick-up truck on your daily commute if you only use it to haul firewood two or three times in the fall. Use the right-size vehicle for the job that needs to be done. Rent the other for the few days you may need it.
Would I take my LEAF on a camping trip? Of course not. I COULD take the Prius, but I'd be more likely to rent an RV instead.
Seti Classic Final Total: 11446 WU.
Winterknight wrote:The Tesla
)
Yep. As originally predicted some years ago Tesla has 'amortised' alot of it's start up with the high end and lower volume sales, so now is moving to a broader and cheaper market. The $35K USD Model 3 base price ( today ) translates to ~$46K AUD and as such is pretty well smack bang in the centre of the middle class buyer's market for new cars. Reserve now to get delivery in about 12 months. Pay $1500 USD to reserve 'approximate priority within your region', being fully refundable ( without interest ) but not tradeable/transferable/assignable etc.
I indeed drive about 60km round total per day, quite sedately at that.
Cheers, Mike.
I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...
... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal
My dad was born in 1913 and
)
My dad was born in 1913 and mum in 1916, a not unusual age gap. Both have passed on now. Dad would have been 31 when I was born and mum 28, rather older that the average at the time, but there was a world war on. Most people expect to see their grand-kids, but if parents leave it until late 40's to start a family, and their kids do the same, they'll never see them. But that is an extreme scenario.
Many people these days are still living at home in their 30's as they can't afford to get on the property ownership ladder. That is also a factor in older parents starting a family.
is no parent better than a bad biological one ? Don't worry if you can't answer that. It is a minefield.
That is a very clever question, and I expect you are looking for a clever answer but I'm afraid I haven't got one for you. it must depend upon the individual circumstances. In the case of an alcoholic or otherwise abusive father, there are many cases where the mother and child are demonstrably better off on their own, than staying as they were. I would slightly re-word that question to read "is no role model better then a bad role model?".
Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)
Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now
Apologies if you thought I
)
Apologies if you thought I was complicating things :-))
We seem to have 4 groups of vehicles. 1. The standard petrol engine ones, 2. The stop/start ones, 3. The hybrids, and 4. The all electric ones.
I have 2 x group 1, a little Chevy 1L Matiz as a daily runabout, and a 1.9L Z3 in the garage for fun in the summer. The Z3 is in a rented garage as we only have space for one off road vehicle and the road is yellow lined.
A pal drives a Merc with the stop start technology. I find it disconcerting, you think oh god have I run out of petrol? has the electrics failed etc. Not for me but he likes it.
A cousin has an upmarket Porche, where if he drives it sedately it's on battery, only when he puts his foot down does the petrol engine cut in. He has it because he won't pay the emissions charge in central London.
The all electric cars are simply not taking off in the UK. There is no country wide network of charging points and never likely to be. It is interesting to hear about Holland with the exchange battery scheme. It would cost millions to set up in the UK and I don't see it happening. The trend is to go green with transport, but "Boris Bikes" weren't exactly a resounding success over here! And the "Mini Holland" cycle lane schemes have a mixed reception.
Be careful! There was a good government discount for early adopters of solar panels and a pretty good feed back tariff. Come cheap Far East imports of panels, it has been greatly reduced.
p.s. ICE in the UK is generally meant to mean In Car Entertainment, e.g. radios DVD players etc. I didn't immediately twig it means Internal Combustion Engine elsewhere.
Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)
Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now
I have a start stop car as
)
I have a start stop car as well, though actually think it should not be in this list as it does not have any real electric engine capable of driving the car to highway speeds.
The only thing it does is sometimes stop the car engine at a traffic light when the battery is full enough and the engine warm enough.
Then there is the hybrid that is mostly build for government discounts. In practice such cars are not or hardly any more fuel efficient then the normal combustion engine cars without additional hybrid engine and battery pack. Here in Holland they were really loved because you could drive such cars tax free (and buying discounts) opposed to having to pay around 200 euros a month for a car without the hybrid part with the same or smaller effective environmental impact. Many did not even charge the batteries at all for their hybrid cars.
And last but not least there is the real electric car, the one that actually does have a smaller environmental impact but is limited in use and range. The car that still can be driven almost tax free here in Holland.