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Electric cars and voltage drops and hifi

yes still grates paying more for diesel than petrol when the actual fuel costs are so different, a classic example of how they give with one hand and take with the other.
if the government was serious about this it is 10 or 20 years too late tbh. A simple step like mandating all new builds houses, industrial units etc. any building have a roof constructed with solar panels and a means of storage rather than feed back into the grid this could have seriously reduced the electricity consumption to manageable levels.
Too little too late as per usual. Even the planned small factor nuclear power plants will not be operational before the ban on IC vehicles.
 
Still to be approved but small form reactors have been proposed by Rolls-Royce and others. the big advantage is there small footprint and can be located inland.

similar in principal to the small reactors used on subs and ships, but capable of decent output, nothing like a traditional power station but the concept is they are much smaller and have multiple sited all over the country.

As they are only a concept although the technology is well proven I doubt these can be up and running in time to compensate for the massive increase on electricity demand that full EV roll out will bring.

Don't get me wrong I would love an EV the concept is great but the range and charging times are just not there yet until the next big battery breakthrough comes I don't see how it can be improved. The weight of current battery cells is an issue. As is cost and longevity, a diesel car can go for many 100k

Hydrogen is a brilliant concept and the engineer in me sees the benefit, but the amount of energy required to generate hydrogen on a large scale is terrifying and just moves the problem from one place to another.

I still think intelligent IC has a part to play yet
 
say it as it is said:
Still to be approved but small form reactors have been proposed by Rolls-Royce and others. the big advantage is there small footprint and can be located inland.

similar in principal to the small reactors used on subs and ships, but capable of decent output, nothing like a traditional power station but the concept is they are much smaller and have multiple sited all over the country.

As they are only a concept although the technology is well proven I doubt these can be up and running in time to compensate for the massive increase on electricity demand that full EV roll out will bring.
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I'd like to see them installed to power the rail network. Would take a lot of daytime and evening demand off the grid. We'd also have nuclear-powered trains, which would be cool...
 
would make a lot of sense as they are able to generate a fairly stable output and the constant demand from rail could utilize that and supplement from the grid at peak times.
Only issue is public acceptance of nuclear power as still a dirty word
 
I worked in the Nuclear industry for nearly 20 years. Nuclear only ever made up around 19% total generation in the UK, but the problem is that will be halved by 2025 as the plants come to the end of life and some of the planned new stations, like Wylfa, have been cancelled. It seems to me that we are seriously lacking in our ability to generate power, especially with the plans to limit Carbon emissions. Wind and Solar generation are slowly taking over, but it is whether they can make up the gap before the fossil fuel stations go offline. Reducing demand is an easier thing to do, by us being more efficient with our use of power, but obviously EV’s are going to put a heavy demand on the grid.
 
The cost of buying and running an electric car is irrelevant. Eventually everyone will have one and all will be paying the same. I drive an EV simply because it’s better than driving an ICE.
 
well without a means of generating the required energy to charge EVs i am not convinced we will have one.

Or if we do they will be sitting about waiting to get charged, the only other option is shared use which am not convinced will work in this country have seen the frankly loopy idea that you simply get out your EV when out of charge and take another to complete your journey. That concept requires a totally different ideology that this country does not possess
 
say it as it is said:
That concept requires a totally different ideology that this country does not possess
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Yes, agreed there, but it doesn’t end with EV’s, because if mankind is to have a future on this planet, we need to change our ways in a lot of different areas and I see no sign of that at the moment.
 
agreed but until major infrastructure changes are made to allow change I don't think regulation alone can achieve a successful outcome, EVs point in case just banning ICs without having the full support and charging networks and making EVs truly affordable with decent range is destined to fail.
 
say it as it is said:
would make a lot of sense as they are able to generate a fairly stable output and the constant demand from rail could utilize that and supplement from the grid at peak times.
Only issue is public acceptance of nuclear power as still a dirty word
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Yes, agree about public acceptance, but if the small factor plants can be promoted as reliable and safe, based on 70 years of experience running existing designs, that'll help. The public is now primed to think of fossil-fuelled generation as bad, so this can be shown as the alternative.

I think there are other areas where constant or predictable demand for a specific application could make sense. Large factories; airports and ports; hospitals, and other large installations for starters.
 
yes I have worked with similar reactors on subs in my previous role and the scare mongering is foul and absurd the press in particular seem hell bent on smearing the name of nuclear safety.

the small form reactors are nothing like the current power stations.

I genuinely hope this gets the green light and soon
 
say it as it is said:
The small form reactors are nothing like the current power stations. I genuinely hope this gets the green light and soon
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You think? Well I can see a few issues myself.

To begin with you've got the same problems that killed them off for commercial shipping. Security, cost of the crew and the fact no bugger wants them around. Military vessels are entirely different. Inherently secure, operate from guarded bases and cost not much of a problem.

So you build loads of miniature nuclear power stations all over the country. Assuming the neighbors let you. How do you protect them? The same level of security as a full sized power station? They'll need it because, unlike the reactor on a sub, these ones will be easy to find. Who's going to guard them, Group 4? What if terrorists fly a light aircraft into one?

So you need the same highly qualified staff, the same security and the same hardness as a full sized power station. Yes?
 
say it as it is said:
Fair enough then when you put it like that I see your point but I still think nuclear is the only viable medium term option
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I think they've fecked up and have been really short sighted. I also think they've been too gullible in getting on board the tree hugger bullshit train. Where I live it's hard to find a spot where you can't see a wind turbine. There are several large wind farms near me. I drive and cycle past them all the time. Have you any idea how often they are stationary? Often a few are moving and the rest are still.

This is the fundamental problem with wind and solar power. It's not remotely reliable let alone able to respond to demand. Even nuclear and coal can't spool up as quickly as hydro. You want responsive, safe electricity? Build more hydro stations. You could make small ones of those. No security or boffins required to work them.

But I agree. We're looking at a medium term shortfall in generation and they're doing what? Pushing electric cars.
 
yes wind turbines are not the answer as you state they can be stationary or worse they have to disengage the generator section in high winds to prevent damage.
Solar can be very effective but needs a storage to be effective that currently is the main issue no way to store the energy produced to be used when required.
Homes for example if the roofs were made of solar panels and additional ground mounted movable panels like the solar farms employ this could be enough coupled with a storage facility to power an airsource heat pump. If systems like this were slowly retrofitted and made mandatory on all new builds this could relive some of the pressure.
regards small scale reactors they can ramp up from idle very quickly as they never really turn off, the small form with pressurised cooling are not like a traditional power station, that is one of the reasons they are being suggested. I accept the security issues but the skilled people are out there as there is a large nuclear industry.
I dont have all the answers but running headlong into all electric vehicles when the infrastructure is not up to it.
 
To put it in perspective (and I think the quote is correct, it may be worse): The entire carbon saving from all of the EV's sold in in Europe has been completely wiped out by the (fashion driven) move to SUV's over the same period.

I suspect part of the reason for the push is to end reliance on the oil producing countries, just like oil was used to end reliance on the miners (who remembers the strikes in the 1970's, oil fired power stations were built as payback). Trade it for reliance on Neodymium (magnet) producers. Whole generations of school kids taught that 'fossil fuel' is a dirty word. Mineral mining, battery production and disposal are hugely polluting.

Hydrogen may well be a longer term solution, the problem isn't so much the cost of generation (just build a few more turbines) but compressing it is difficult/expensive (you can't freeze it down) and storage is a bit of an issue. If I saw correctly there was a generator on the Royal Institute Christmas Lecture that used microencapsulated Hydrogen which looked a lot easier to handle.

All of this will get worked out, and we or our children will be the ones paying for it with the government maximising their tax take just like they do now. Goodness knows what will happen to our HiFi, and whether classic equipment (and cars, sorry other interest of mine) will still be able to be used. FM radio will go for sure as part of the drive to save money regardless of whether the alternative is any good or available to all. Better stop before I get depressed.
 
Do you remember time when EU banned 100w light bulbs? They are back. I bet same will be for nuclear plants and petrol cars.

And do you remember why they banned those light bulbs? Too much electricity spended. So, are somebody will be controling and limiting use of our electric cars?
 
Mr Pig said:
This is the fundamental problem with wind and solar power. It's not remotely reliable let alone able to respond to demand. Even nuclear and coal can't spool up as quickly as hydro. You want responsive, safe electricity? Build more hydro stations. You could make small ones of those. No security or boffins required to work them.
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Problem with hydro is topography. You need lakes, and hills, and shit.
 
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