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Should I buy an EV - real world advice needed.

Richard Lines said:
I'm open minded enough to read whatever the validated source of your assertion was if you'd be so kind as to advise.

It remains a fact that the only organisations pushing for hydrogen are one with direct ties to the FF industry - one can't help wondering if there is a reason for that?

There's an awful lot of greenwashing going on about the proposal for this new hydrogen plant at Kintore.........

Regards

Richard
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Have a look here. The Germans are certainly in the lead but then they have a major auto industry and want to ensure that doesn’t lose competitiveness following a dead end track. I’m not suggesting for a moment that EV cars will go away by the way, but that there is no scenario where they dominate any national car fleet in the medium to long term, at least without very significant breakthroughs on battery capacity and motor efficiency.

When I was in Berlin in March I noticed that there was an increasing number of hydrogen fuelled taxis. This isn’t a theoretical shift.

www.bundesregierung.de

Hydrogen – energy source of the future | Federal Government

Why is hydrogen so important and considered the energy source of the future? Questions and answers on the National Hydrogen Strategy.
www.bundesregierung.de www.bundesregierung.de
 
And for clarity - the National Grid absolutely does NOT claim there is/will be sufficient generation capacity, nor frankly would it ever be in their interest to do so. What they do state is, based on their expectations of where future generation may be, they expect to have sufficient grid capacity to get that power to the right places (which is after all their role).
 
Good work on the solar PV by the way that’s fantastic. My neighbours have just put in a system. I should be clear I am a huge proponent of renewables and the elimination of the majority of fossil fuel usage. This is not at all inconsistent with my views on electric vehicles.
 
mattjevans said:
Have a look here. The Germans are certainly in the lead but then they have a major auto industry and want to ensure that doesn’t lose competitiveness following a dead end track. I’m not suggesting for a moment that EV cars will go away by the way, but that there is no scenario where they dominate any national car fleet in the medium to long term, at least without very significant breakthroughs on battery capacity and motor efficiency.

When I was in Berlin in March I noticed that there was an increasing number of hydrogen fuelled taxis. This isn’t a theoretical shift.

www.bundesregierung.de

Hydrogen – energy source of the future | Federal Government

Why is hydrogen so important and considered the energy source of the future? Questions and answers on the National Hydrogen Strategy.
www.bundesregierung.de www.bundesregierung.de
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There are only the two models of hydrogen fueled cars available at this time the Toyota Murai and the Hyundai Nexo?? I believe the Murai has, or is stopping production?

There were only 263 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles sold in Germany last year out of 2.84million vehicles i.e. 0.009%. In contrast 524,000 battery electric vehicles were sold or 18.42%.

Figures taken from Google sources and seem to paint a somewhat different picture across Germany as a whole.

Hydrogen has its place in such as steel production and, possibly, long range transport but elsewhere.......

Regards

Richard
 
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Richard Lines said:
There are only the two models of hydrogen fulled cars available at this time the Toyota Murai and the Hyundai Nexo?? I believe the Murai has, or is stopping production?

There were only 263 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles sold in Germany last year out of 2.84million vehicles i.e. 0.009%. In contrast 524,000 battery electric vehicles were sold or 18.42%.

Figures taken from Google sources and seem to paint a somewhat different picture across Germany as a whole.

Hydrogen has its place in such as steel production and, possibly, long range transport but elsewhere.......

Regards

Richard
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I think you have misunderstood. The current situation in Germany is not that different to the UK. The difference is the German government at ministerial level has concluded that a 100% electric car fleet cannot work. You are correct that initial usages are focussed on freight which will result in critical infrastructure being available for a shift in the passenger fleet in the medium term. Nowhere have I claimed this is happening next year, the point of my original post is that electric cars are a technological and supply side dead end, just as they were in 1900.
 
mattjevans said:
Also worth a read. Mine is not a fringe view.

www.forbes.com

EU May Water Down Harsh 2035 EV Mandate And Reprieve Hybrids

The EU and U.K. plan to ban new ICE vehicles in favor of EVs, but the move is stumbling and some experts believe the rules should be watered down in favor of hybrids.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
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Obviously history will be the true judge of the outcome - the FF industry would appear to be using every trick in the book to sow the seeds of doubt and confusion.

Governments in themselves don't have a clue - they rely on reports and I guess it depends on which reports you choose to follow. Given the way every oil company has found some weak-kneed excuse to dial down their previous 'green credentials' it hardly comes as a surprise that 'governments are following suit - some might see a connection?

It is all too expensive apparently. There is increasing evidence that not doing it could be very much more expensive.

Regards

Richard
 
Hydrogen distribution for transport locks in the need for a liquid distribution network with the equivalent of petrol stations, so can anyone thing of a reason why oil companies might like it? It is a land line solution for a 5G world.
 
Richard Lines said:
Obviously history will be the true judge of the outcome - the FF industry would appear to be using every trick in the book to sow the seeds of doubt and confusion.

Governments in themselves don't have a clue - they rely on reports and I guess it depends on which reports you choose to follow. Given the way every oil company has found some weak-kneed excuse to dial down their previous 'green credentials' it hardly comes as a surprise that 'governments are following suit - some might see a connection?

It is all too expensive apparently. There is increasing evidence that not doing it could be very much more expensive.

Regards

Richard
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Not so sure about that. I work in the direct investment industry and all major pension funds are making a huge push for portfolios to show very measurable moves away from FF.

It’s just the “where” in the economy that falls. The problem with EV’s is that it’s a dud technology, unlike the transition to solar/wind in the broader economy.
 
mattjevans said:
Mine is not a fringe view.
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It is good that you understand that what you post is only your opinion.

One of the articles that you linked to was about using excess renewable electricity to make hydrogen that can then be turned back into electricity when needed. This is a valuable technology that has nothing to do with electric cars.
 
Bananahead said:
It is good that you understand that what you post is only your opinion.

One of the articles that you linked to was about using excess renewable electricity to make hydrogen that can then be turned back into electricity when needed. This is a valuable technology that has nothing to do with electric cars.
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How do you think hydrogen vehicles work ?
 
Simon Dawson said:
We have a Kia EV6. Rear seat comfort is good if you are not too tall, the lower roof line does limit head room if you are over 6ft.
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My wife has an EV6 too. I don't often drive it (she uses it a lot) but I've just driven 300 miles in it & I think it's a brilliant car. It's done over 30K miles with no issues save a puncture, she gets free charging at work, and everyone who's been in it as passengers is impressed. So this is “Dud” technology, is it? Bring on more dudness then.
 
andrewd said:
Giving an EV some thought since new employer has a pre tax lease scheme.
Looked at Mercedes EQA and EQB. Test drove the EQA and it was nice to drive and comfortable up front. Main issue is that the rear seat feels like it is only a few inches from the floor, so it would be very uncomfortable for my son on any long drive (knees to chin position). The rear seat comfort in the larger EQB wasn’t any better. It seems the issue is caused by the placement of the battery under the rear seats, which raises the floor compared to the petrol models.

Can anyone recommend a mid size electric SUV with acceptable rear seat comfort?

Another concern is that many EV’s come with very low profile summer tyres that are better suited to the spanish climate than northern scotland. Lease company will only let you swap to all season tyres if you swap back to the original tyres at the end of the lease (therefore requiring storage and the expense of swapping them back). The ultra low profile summer tyres are presumably specified to get better range at the expense of safety and ride comfort. If anyone knows of any electric SUV’s that are factory fitted with all season tyres please let me know.
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Has your son tried the rear seats? I ask because I find low bum, raised knees seats very comfortable as a passenger and I've done many hundreds of miles with my feet propped on a bag of climbing gear in exactly this position.
 
stevec67 said:
Has your son tried the rear seats? I ask because I find low bum, raised knees seats very comfortable as a passenger and I've done many hundreds of miles with my feet propped on a bag of climbing gear in exactly this position.
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Yes we test drove the car. The rear seat comfort is a show stopper. Yesterday we looked at a Tesla model Y and the rear seat comfort was much better.
 
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