Car Prices

[#1]

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@Minivanman wrote:

There will still be cars in the same way but they will be few and far between needing a special permit to run on special days like that London to Brighton run which ironically runs right past Grandads old house still there on the A23.

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That's a bit much though. In reality the UK government always follows the grandfather rights way of doing things. You'll still be able to use your fossil fuel car (if your social standing doesn't become tainted by it) but there just won't be any new ones made.

Over time they'll just start to disappear through whats known as "Natural wastage". Eventually everything will be powered by non fossil fuels and those older cars that are will just become rare motors that people don't use much but keep in the garage for the sunny weather when they go to car shows etc. They'll never be outlawed, the UK government is too scared of upsetting the population but it will just become rarer and rarer.

[#2]

I cant see swoppable batteries ever happening - it's difficult enough already in the world of forklifts.

Getting every car manufacturer to come to an agreement to standardise on battery physical size, voltage & Ah capacity just isnt going to happen.

[#3]

Volvo designed the 3 point seatbelt and then made that design available to all car manufacturers at zero cost. It was then adopted all around the world by car makers.

Why can the same not happen for swappable batteries?

Yes forklift batteries are a pain (I have been trained on a pivot steer) however those are designed to lift loads in excess of a ton to heights of 5m and need a heavy counter weight to stop them falling over.

What you don't realise is that electric powered cars don't need a massive space for the engine, they don't need a massive space for the gearbox they don't need an air filter, coolant circuit etc.

I don't see why the batteries can't just slide out forwards on rails via a folding grille on the front of the car.

Also keep in mind that battery tech is advancing quite rapidly from charging times to capacity and even nuclear elements used inside crystals to absorb radiation and provide electricity.

[#4]

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@7up wrote:

Like i said we'll no doubt have swappable batteries - just like calor gas bottles. You'll pull up, swap the battery at the fuel station and drive off with the replacement leaving the exhausted one at the garage to be recharged.

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Sounds rather like the old wireless shop setup, bring your batteries to be recharged (presumably because you were on the gas rather than the electric), collect another you previously left to be recharged, poke through the Radio Times on the counter to see what's on, chat with others there about what you'd listened to, then go home and wire up the wireless with it's freshly charged batteries... 😁

Rather like this actually:

https://youtu.be/2roG4jIjvEk?t=1158

[#5]

The current EV design trend is to make the battery pack fit underneath the floor of the car to keep the centre of gravity low - this requires the battery pack to be shallow but also cover a large area.

There is also the issue of securing the battery pack so it cannot move in its dock while the car is being driven.

These are just 2 of the issues that require solving to get a exchange able battery pack system to work.

[#6]

Perhaps it's needs thinking along the lines of the balancing act they used to do with the engine, gearbox, and axle.

Split the battery in two. Halt at the front, half at the back. Then make one of the halves a standard removable interchangeable size. So a quick change would result in a 50% or so charge and would be enough for most to complete their journeys and get to where they can put their vehicles on a normal charging cycle.

[#7]

@PowerLee  "The current EV design trend is to make the battery pack fit underneath the floor"

What goes around comes around

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2014/01/09/the-fraud-that-killed-off-londons-first-electric-buses/

Battery swap in 3 minutes!

[#8]

Well this is going to rattle a few people as they are now talking about banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars in twelve years - which is three years earlier than suggested. 

All well and good, but drivers are going to need massive subsidies if they are going to be able afford one.

[#9]

It's a really energy efficient idea to have millions of cars charging around the country lugging heavy batteries to and fro [not].

Not to mention finding the copper to build a huge pile of electric motors...

Of course, we already have ample electric generation facilities (and associated distribution networks) to keep those batteries topped up...

It's just not a viable option.

[#10]

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@Minivanman wrote:

Well this is going to rattle a few people as they are now talking about banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars in twelve years - which is three years earlier than suggested. 

All well and good, but drivers are going to need massive subsidies if they are going to be able afford one.

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Not sure how that would work....cost dealerships a fortune if you were to include second hand cars as well.

Even if you are talking about a new car, if not purchased in the next 4 or 5 years who will want to purchase something that will be almost worthless when you come to sell it....

Personally I can see them backtracking on the date as problems with electric cars become more evident

[#11]

I can't help thinking we are looking at this the wrong way as what is being assumed is that the 30 million plus passenger cars (and rapidly rising) that currently clog our roads are somehow going to be replaced by the same number of electric vehicles and that by force of necessity car ownership will not be reduced.

Wails of anguish as we all say not only must we have a car but moreover, we must have at last two if not three, four or even five for the whole family. 

Life as we know it might demand it, but life as we know cannot support what we regard as absolute need so maybe our car owning society needs to be squeezed until the pips squeak and we are obliged by law to have one car per household and that sorry, but the rest of you will just have to go and catch that bus.

Anybody remember that car share wheeze. What happened to that idea which... well never happened.

[#12]

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@Minivanman wrote:

car share wheeze

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Thinking out of the box how about something like the latest pointless mobile phone innovation. You know the one. Where your mate lays his phone next to yours to wirelessly pass some power across.

Maybe they could come up with something similar with electric cars. If they did how long would it be before someone jury rigged their own update enabling them to help themselves to the power of cars either side of them in a car park.

Whatever I'm sure there are some great things to come in the world of electric cars. Though it's pity Tomorrows World isn't still around. If it was and showcased electric cars that would have been a sure nail in the coffin.

[#13]

What happens when you short-circuit a fully charged electric car?

I'm waiting for someone else to try it first. 

[#14]

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@Minivanman wrote:

Well this is going to rattle a few people as they are now talking about banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars in twelve years - which is three years earlier than suggested. 

All well and good, but drivers are going to need massive subsidies if they are going to be able afford one.

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The reality is most cars are either leased or on PCPs these days, so puting EVs well with reach of many....

[#15]

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@gleneagles wrote:

Personally I can see them backtracking on the date as problems with electric cars become more evident

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The single biggest problem for EV adoption is the Fossil Fuel industry lobbyists weapons grade FUD being perpetuated by the ignorant, it seems...