For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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#1873109
Agreed, but if your car is parked outside your house midway between the lamp posts on your side of the road you would need a pretty long cable to reach it; it would have to trail along the kerb; it would be a hazard and vulnerable to vandalism. I am not sure that is the safest or best solution.

PW
kanga liked this
#1873111
The solution is fewer vehicles, not more dangerous charging points.

The RNIB are getting quite vocal about EVs both on street clutter and their silent but deadly nature.


@kanga many lamps which have been converted to LED will have capacity but newer ones will be appropriately cabled. The more difficult part is that they need to phone home so there's a comms element to deal with and not insignificant issues around our canine companions using them as lavatories. It is a very, very unsatisfactory and discriminatory solution though. I personally won't include them on our projects until the day a council is actually serious about not granting development consents.
kanga, Flyin'Dutch' liked this
#1873133
TravellerBob wrote:Perhaps folk who can't afford homes with garages [or off street parking at least] should use public transport rather than creating more issues for other people. :thumleft:


That's not as silly as it sounds. I'd go further. I'd abolish free on-street car storage (AKA parking) altogether and turn the space over to cycle lanes and green spaces with a single narrow lane in the middle for vehicles.
cjrpaterson liked this
#1873134
eltonioni wrote:That's not as silly as it sounds.


High praise indeed. :oops:

eltonioni wrote:I'd abolish free on-street car storage (AKA parking) altogether and turn the space over to cycle lanes and green spaces with a single narrow lane in the middle for vehicles.


Agree. Make it so.
#1873158
malcolmfrost wrote:My daughter has lived in SW London for about 5 years. She cycles everywhere, hasn't got a car and just rents a Zipcar if she needs one. Much cheaper and less hassle than owning her own.


Laudable, but it is a sad reflection of the unequal treatment of communities in UK that it is almost only in London that that would be true. London yields the greatest tax revenue for the Treasury and gets the most Treasury-granted funds to create and run an integrated public transport service, but which is cause and which effect ? Does the public transport significantly enable the creation of taxable wealth ?

In the '80s there was a concerted effort by the central government to destroy or frustrate LA-run integrated services, on the ideological grounds that they 'interfered with the free market' .. except that in London. Subsidies to cover cost overruns on Crossrail have been 'nodded through' while long-proposed enhancements elsewhere (South Wales railway, electrification, Northern end of HS2, ..) have been cancelled or indefinitely delayed.

Back to topic :oops: : Al Gore's company is investing in Octopus:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58713503
#1873168
malcolmfrost wrote:My daughter has lived in SW London for about 5 years. She cycles everywhere, hasn't got a car and just rents a Zipcar if she needs one. Much cheaper and less hassle than owning her own.

One of mine lives in a SE non-City-but-large-town and does the same. New car all the time she needs one. Train or bike when she doesn't. :thumleft:

Enterprise Club I think...
User avatar
By Melanie Moxon
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1873215
I posted this on Facebook but I thought you folks would be interested in my first EV driving experience, my test drive of the Lexus UX300e, its a long read but its up to you if you want to read it or not.

It is worth noting here that the CT200h is no longer sold in the UK and has been replaced by the UK model (petrol electric hybrid available) and the plan was that “a model” of the UX may replace my CT at some point in the future.

My CT200h (petrol electric hybrid) was due its annual MOT, for my non UK friends this is a check of the car to make sure it is roadworthy at the time of test, when I booked it in for its test I asked if I could have a UX300e as a courtesy car whilst mine was being checked over, they were happy to oblige, I booked the day off work so I could actually take the car out for a bit of a road test.

I arrived at the dealership on a rather wet and windy morning (what else is new in the UK) however, the staff were cheery and happy with the keys to my CT handed over I signed for the UX300e sat outside. The car I was given to test; The UX300e with the Takumi Pack, Terrane Khaki Paint, Cream Leather and a few styling bits, retailing at a not inconsiderable £52,120.

Starting (switching on...it being an EV?) was as per mine, foot on brake push the starter button, the car then springs into life, the steering wheel moving to its last setting, mirrors folding out and some fancy graphics on the instrument binnacle and infotainment screen. Finding a comfortable position was easy thanks to an 8way adjustable seat and the lumbar support was a nice touch.

In front of me was the Head Up Display (HUD) displaying the speed, power meter, compass and speed limit for the road (we'll get to that in a bit), it does into “gear” like any other automatic, foot on brake, select D at this point a quiet whirr somewhere in the car heralded the handbrake being taken off for me and releasing the pressure on the foot brake had the car creep off just as any other automatic would (aside from that bloody DCT Passat I once drove...that can gearbox can burn in the fires of blackest hell, then come back and go back to the fires of blackest hell to burn a bit more) and I was off and running accompanied at low speeds by a weird artificially generated noise. The noise wasn't conventional car noise, but I guess its meant to make people turn round with a “huh, what on earth is that” effect to prevent them being scrudged into the pavement by the near silent electric car.

My journey came to a quick end when I realised that I had left my USB stick containing my music collection in my CT, after retrieving that I set off again, but with Rammstein to accompany my short drive home. I went the long way around just to get an idea of how many miles that 165 to flat battery number on the dash really was. The just over 10 miles I drove home saw a dip of 6 miles on the figure...not a bad start. After putting the car in my garage I fished the 13 charger cable out of the boot and plugged it in...2 hours to full after 10 miles, I don't think charging off a 13 amp for anything other than popping to town is realistic in one of these.

I charged it up so that I would have a full tank as it where for my afternoons plans, drive it to Scarborough's North Beach. Why Scarborough, well I kinda like the place it but in reality the drive would give me a nice mix of town driving, slow and fast A roads, and going via the coast country roads to test it on, maybe even an overtaking opportunity or two to test that motors torque out.

The particulars of the road test:
The climate control will be set “just so”
I won't be making use of the heated seats, if I were to buy one I would be spending £3k on the Premium plus pack so wouldn't have them
I will be driving it sensibly, not as if I have a wedding cake in the boot or a boot full of unboxed china plates, no hypermiling, no driving at 60 on the inside lane of a dual carriage way...you get the idea.
The cruise control (radar guided) will be used as appropriate
Stereo on

Basically as I would my own car. My journey began not long after lunch, a Wensleydale and Haslett sandwich with Jalapenos and Aioli with a side salad, washed down with Yorkshire tea...what else. The car is comfortable and refined, no vibration, no 'orrid muffled noise associated with most middle of the road four bangers, or indeed diesely noise or associated fumes. The climate control was set at a comfortable 20 degrees and was rather pleasant in jeans and a long sleeved top...lovely, by the time I had reached Lairgate in Beverley some 7 ish miles from home the range to go was still showing 161 miles, good so far, this part of my Journey would be accompanied by an eclectic mix of rock music.

The HUD took a little bit of adjusting to but once you get your focus sorted its a brilliant thing to have, eyes on the road not the dash and with the speed limit sign for the road you are on displayed no excuse for speeding! Driving this EV is very similar to my own automatic hybrid, push the accelerator and you go faster, push the brake and you slow down, take your foot off the brake and the regenerative braking function uses the motor to slow the car at the same time as charging the battery (the brake pedal does the same but will also apply the hydraulic disk brakes on the wheels).

However, there is also a neat function in the paddles on the steering wheel, clicking the left paddle (downshift on a geared internal combustion car) increases the regenerative braking considerably, another click and its like dropping an anchor, it will bring the car comfortably to a stop and once you have your eye in its really easy to drive in light traffic without depressing the brake pedal.

Once through the delightful market town of Beverley I pick up the A1035 and click the button on the steering wheel to switch the cruise control on, the compass graphic on the HUD is replaced by the text “Radar Ready” I accelerate up to the limit (40) and hit the Set button, Radar Ready is replaced by a radar pulse graphic with a number reflecting the set speed. I waft effortlessly down the road, though my right foot is resting just above the brake pedal. The UX maintains a sensible distance with the van I have just caught up to and as the speed limit changes to 50 I press the “+” button until the speed displayed on the HUD for the cruise control speed says 50 the UX doesn't accelerate until the van in front does, the distance between expanding slightly over the distance in the 40 limit reflecting the need for a greater stopping distance.

As I enter the dual carriageway section of the A1035, the Leven bypass, I move into the outside lane and bury the accelerator in the carpet...other than when I have set off this is the only time I have heard the whine of the electric motor, the car accelerates with a smooth hearty shove, its no rocket ship but at 7.5 seconds to 60 its ample for all but the most acceleration obsessed, I reset the cruise control at 70 and carry on to the next roundabout. I am soon on the A165 heading towards Bridlington 17 miles down now trailing a car doing 55 in a 60...still the miles to go has just dipped to 155 so I must be doing something right.

North of Beeford another dawdler but oncoming traffic prevents me from using that smooth hearty shove to get past them, still it lends to a more intensive test of the cruise control, as we pass into the 40 zone just on the outskirts of Bridlington the car in front indicates to turn off to the right, with some trepidation and my foot poised on the brake I let the car stop its self...that was bloody weird, really freaky actually but it did it and smooth as silk, once it was sure the car in front was clear it accelerated away again.

The drive to Scarborough from there followed similar patterns and after a, if slightly slow in places, pleasant drive I parked up in North Bay, 48.2 miles covered, 126 miles of charge remaining. So that puts the charged range at 174.2 miles rather than the 165 I set off with. After snapping a few pictures of the car and a quick walk to take in the sea air I jumped back in the car, time to get out before the school run. I turn around at the Peasholm roundabout and retrace my route, but returning to the Lexus Dealership to drop off the UX and pick my CT back up. 104.3 miles covered, 67 miles left in the battery, 6.3 miles more than it had predicted.

Final thoughts; I can now see an EV in the future the biggest road block is the investment of the power infrastructure to put a charger in, sure I could live with a 13A plug charger most of the time but a quick turnaround isn't possible with one of those. I don't think the £350 grant for a charger would cover the cost of the jack-hammer and skip to break up and dispose of a load of concrete to then dig an 8m trench from the house to the garage, 600mm deep (half of that in heavy sticky clay) rings a bell, to lay the 32A cable to the garage. Its not insurmountable but its an expensive pain in the backside.

That's the infrastructure whinge over onto the car, first of all I feel the need to state that I am somewhat of a Lexus fangirl, I have been impressed by them as a brand and by their cars since the IS200 my dad had probably 15 years ago now and every visit to the dealership whether its to buy a car, or just hand over a few quid for an MOT you are treat the same, the staff seem to genuinely like the cars they sell and are interested in selling cars not finance packages that happen to give you a car.

What impressed me:
Typical Lexus, fantastic solid feel, nicely laid out instruments and the infotainment screen is large and clear which incorporates the sat nav, stereo, and HVAC. The leather clad steering wheel is chunky and comfortable in the hands. The seats are fantastic and I rather liked the black headliner too. It had great get up and go. I love the features like the doors that extend all the way down to the sill bottoms so that if you need to get out in a tight parking spot you don't get your lower leg dirty.

What doesn't impress me:
The obsession with trim packages (general automotive industry issue) why do I have to have a load of stuff I don't want if I just want the HUD, seems silly to have to spend 10k over base price to just get the HUD which is why I wouldn't do it. Which brings me onto the next issue, the price, why is the UX300e £11,000 more than the base UX, surely the difference between an EV and a petrol electric hybrid (the latter arguably more technologically complex).

The battery needs more capacity for the price point, the Kia Soul for example gets another 10kWh over the UX300e giving it another 80 miles of range.

Other than that there isn't anything to dislike as far as I am concerned.

Oddities
Why the fuel gauge...it has a moving needle which works the same as a regular petrol gauge, the entirety of the binnacle is an LCD screen as is the infotainment display, even on a petrol electric hybrid it doesn't make any sense when the rest is LCD.

Comments, the UX is essentially a lifted CT200, the space inside is about the same though the boot is slightly deeper, I did ask the dealership to run the numbers on a base model UX300e in Celestial blue (sits at £42,315 OTR), I doubt I will be able to afford the PCP repayments but if you don't ask you don't find out.

Sorry it was a bit long but hey there we go, a few pictures, the last one is of the HUD.
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User avatar
By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1873227
Thats a very good write-up, Ive only a couple of comments:

Wrt styling, if you hadnt told me it was a Lexus I wouldnt have known what it is. Why are new cars now all so similar looking?

Starts at 160mile range? Thats what, 230km? My GF gets panicky if her car says 150km range remaining, which it does when the fuel gauge it about 1/8th. I let mine go down to around 75km before fill-up which is also about 1/8th on the fuel gauge. This is why I think they have the "fuel pointer" because people are used to seeing "its under a 1/4 full" and think "I need to fill up" - you even used the expression "full tank" when charging it yourself.. :wink:

Does it not have a speedo dial? I kinda like analog style intruments, they give an overview with a glance, unlike displayed changing numbers.

Also interested you "have your foot over the brake". Is it the tech, or the car? I dont drive that way in an ICE, yet mine doesnt have fancy radar control stuff. I have driven a car with that stuff and quite frankly I dont even like the "lane vibration" thing let alone any of the other stuff (it all got turned off progressively as I saw what it all did) because I was taught that if you can do so, you use the whole road when driving, not 50% of it (eg approaching corners).
User avatar
By Flyin'Dutch'
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1873229
@Melanie Moxon - nice write up, thank you.

@skydriller Agree, I think that's ugly.

I have the ideal car for you! Mrs FD disliked the BMW i3s with passion, she said it was a typical blokes' ar. By nerds for nerds. All too modern, keyless go, no 'fuel gauge, no 'gear stick' etc.

We now have a VW e-UP. Needs a conventional key, normal gauges, gear selector stick on the floor. Feels like 'a normal car' I have been informed.

I prefer the much smoother ride and the fact that there is no discontent anymore.

Over here they have become sought after now production has stopped. They are excellent value for money in the lease as we have it.

Range anxiety is not an issue for me as I have explored the envelope and will regularly get back home with 5 miles left in the batteries.

Yup they are not 1:1 replacements for ICEs but entirely useable when you're clear what they are good for and what less so.

Having a Wallbox so you can charge at home at a decent rate is a prerequisite.
StratoTramp liked this
#1873230
Good write up of a typical EV trip. The tech is not exclusive to EVs: lane assist, adaptive cruise control, speed limit recognition, etc. However the response to the accelerator is what distinguishes EVs, smooth, powerful, quietly insistent. Regenerative braking also creates a different experience especially in traffic or country roads.

Won’t suit all petrol heads, no roar, no squeal, no rifle bolt gear change but as a transport my EV is calming, safe, clean, simple.
And this week especially, stress-free. :thumright:
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