Nissan Leaf

[mark_w]

I actually quite like the look of it and its range would get me to work and back.

[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Leaf"]Nissan Leaf - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/URL]

Still expensive to buy tho, cant wait untill we get cheaper electric cars :cheers2:

I wonder what the expected life of the cells are?

[Mart61]

I'm sure the day will come when we have to find alternative means of powering our cars. However, until that day, I'll stick to fossil fuels.

:D

[EtheAv8r]

Set to be built in UK - announced on radio this morning. I would very much like my next car to be electric... this could well be it!

Currently (no pun intended) have an Espace and 2 Yaris, and my petrol bill is enormous even with the Yaris's giving 50 MPG.

[stevieb337]

the trouble is a few expert are saying that the enviromental cost of producing electrickery cars is far more the fossil burning cars !

think i will stick to my oil burning diesel till technology can produce some thing that goes like modern petrol/diesel cars but with out the enviromental cost of todays electrickery ones

for those that are going to point out the elecs just putting out water of their exhaust ! well its in the manufacturing that all the carbon emmissions are made
at the moment electric cars are a bit of a double edged sword !

[Gate88]

I dont give two hooks about the environment, but I've just got me a Lexus 450h for running the helis about in and I quite like it, it changes how you drive when you're in it, I'm always trying to run on the batteries and not have the engine cut in, its great in traffic cause you just feel like you're stealing cash straight out of Browns pocket!

[EtheAv8r]

[quote=stevieb337;441398]the trouble is a few expert are saying that the enviromental cost of producing electrickery cars is far more the fossil burning cars !

think i will stick to my oil burning diesel till technology can produce some thing that goes like modern petrol/diesel cars but with out the enviromental cost of todays electrickery ones

for those that are going to point out the elecs just putting out water of their exhaust ! well its in the manufacturing that all the carbon emmissions are made
at the moment electric cars are a bit of a double edged sword ![/quote]

I would like to know just how the environmental cost of building an electric car is greater than than of building a normal fuel car? I will happily accept that they are similar - there is a bit lesst for the motors and gearbox and a bit more for the batteries.

Then there is the operational envirmental impact aspect of this equasion, and that will get better with every mile driven in an electric car versus a petrol/diesel car.

[Hangar-7]

[quote=Mart61;441386]I'm sure the day will come when we have to find alternative means of powering our cars. However, until that day, I'll stick to fossil fuels.

:D[/quote]

Just remember Martin every litre of petrol you burn in your car, you produce 2.53Kg of carbon-die-oxide.

There are approximately 30 million cars in the UK. Even if they burn only a litre of fuel, then we get 2.35 x 30,000,0000 Kg = an awful amount of carbon-die oxide every day!!

And most these carbons were locked up in crude oil/ petrol/diesel and buried under sea and crust of the earth for millions of years - we dug 'em up and now helping to cut our own throats!

BTW, this is not a poke at you Martin but a few bitter facts to all petrol/ diesel car drivers (and that includes me as well).

@M_W - Hope you go for the electric cars... Hydrogen fuel cell is the way forward and our Govt is doing bu**** all to put any money in this area. LiPo will soon be out of date technology but at least it is a start.

Cheers :)

[Gate88]

I've said it before but....

If I invented an elecric car that ran for 100 miles on a 6 cell lipo do you think I'd ever get to produce it? Imagine the trillions OPEC would lose and the billions in tax that the Government would miss out on, are they just going to sit back and watch everyone drive about for peanuts or stick a bullet in my head, call it suicide, and carry on milking the motorists?

When they've pumped every last drop of oil out of the earth and every last drop of blood out of us then they'll allow the proper development of alternative fuels!

[Mart61]

[quote=EtheAv8r;441411]Then there is the operational envirmental impact aspect of this equasion, and that will get better with every mile driven in an electric car versus a petrol/diesel car.[/quote]

I suspect this may be what Steve was driving at.

Whilst electric cars may not burn fossil fuels, they do consume electricity. And how is the electricity produced? By burning fossil fuels, by nuclear means or by hydro-electric and other water/wind methods.

I can't find it at the mo but I've seen several pieces of research that showed that from cradle to grave, an electric vehicle is more harmful to the environment that it's equivalent petrol/diesel vehicle.

And even if this is not true, I still won't be buying electric unless they were free.

:D

[Gate88]

[quote=Mart61;441429]

And even if this is not true, I still won't be buying electric unless they were free.

:D[/quote]


My Lexus was free!

[billydude]

So, the simple conclusion is for me to stick with my Fireblade for the moment and be the most economic of all then?? Two wheels rule OK??

Bill.

[bolders]

[quote=Hangar-7;441426]Just remember Martin every litre of petrol you burn in your car, you produce 2.53Kg of carbon-die-oxide.

There are approximately 30 million cars in the UK. Even if they burn only a litre of fuel, then we get 2.35 x 30,000,0000 Kg = an awful amount of carbon-die oxide every day!!

And most these carbons were locked up in crude oil/ petrol/diesel and buried under sea and crust of the earth for millions of years - we dug 'em up and now helping to cut our own throats!

BTW, this is not a poke at you Martin but a few bitter facts to all petrol/ diesel car drivers (and that includes me as well).

@M_W - Hope you go for the electric cars... Hydrogen fuel cell is the way forward and our Govt is doing bu**** all to put any money in this area. LiPo will soon be out of date technology but at least it is a start.

Cheers :)[/quote]

The trouble with hydrogen fuel cells is that it takes a lot of electricity to produce it. We cant all just switch to this as an alternative as the grid simply would not take it. Hydrogen really makes sense when you start switching to nuclear to produce energy and even then it will take years for the infrastructure to be devloped enough to sustain the entire population.

[quote=Mart61;441429]I suspect this may be what Steve was driving at.

Whilst electric cars may not burn fossil fuels, they do consume electricity. And how is the electricity produced? By burning fossil fuels, by nuclear means or by hydro-electric and other water/wind methods.

I can't find it at the mo but I've seen several pieces of research that showed that from cradle to grave, an electric vehicle is more harmful to the environment that it's equivalent petrol/diesel vehicle.

And even if this is not true, I still won't be buying electric unless they were free.

:D[/quote]

Difference being that a car is only about 30% efficient. Modern coal power stations are more efficient than this and furthermore its easier to sequest any emisions because it all comes from one source as aposed to millions of cars. Again nuclear power and investing in the grid is the answer but of course that doesnt deal with charging times. We are a long way from moving away from oil entirely its gonna have to be a bit by bit approach until all the pieces of the puzzle are in place.

Although look on the bright side - all this research into battery technology cant do any harm in progressing electric heli technology :D

[Mart61]

[quote=bolders;441472]Although look on the bright side - all this research into battery technology cant do any harm in progressing electric heli technology :D[/quote]

Yeah - that works for me.

Mind you, I'll still keep my nitro!

:D

[scallybert]

[quote=billydude;441457]So, the simple conclusion is for me to stick with my Fireblade for the moment and be the most economic of all then?? Two wheels rule OK??[/quote]
Somehow I struggle with the idea of a Honda being fuel economical... ;)

[quote=bolders;441472]The trouble with hydrogen fuel cells is that it takes a lot of electricity to produce it. We cant all just switch to this as an alternative as the grid simply would not take it. Hydrogen really makes sense when you start switching to nuclear to produce energy and even then it will take years for the infrastructure to be devloped enough to sustain the entire population.[/quote]
Hydrogen is also a pain to store, transport, and basically everything.

It strikes me (perhaps insanely) that if you have the energy to produce hydrogen, you could so something more creative - like:

Energy + CO2 +H2O -> hydrocarbon + O2
ie much like plants do, and potentially producing conventional fuels and oxygen that you release.

However we don't have the energy; and the focus on 'carbon issues' probably isn't helping.

[bolders]

:iagree: