My point was not about range but about the internal space taken up by the hydrogen tank - and was responding to an earlier comment that fuel volume didn’t matter only the mass, however, for a private car where you want to carry people and stuff internal space is important.
However, that is only one of the drawbacks of hydrogen for personal transport:
- efficiency, cracking hydrogen in the first place and then turning hydrogen back in to motive power are relatively energy inefficient;
- transporting the stuff, extremely difficult due to the small molecule size, corrosive nature and low natural density; and the lack of an existing infrastructure to piggy back off for distribution;
- storing the stuff; same reasons as above plus the cost and potentially limited lifespan of high pressure containers
- the natural volatility of it as a fuel, and the potentially serious consequences of an accident or fire; see the unwillingness to allow hydrogen vehicles in the Channel Tunnel
- the complexity of the resultant vehicle - hydrogen tank; fuel cell; electric motor when compared with a BEV
Given the effort that is devoted to vehicle packaging and space efficiency I would be quite surprised if that was really the case.
In any event the required shape of high pressure hydrogen tanks makes them extremely challenging to package and locate in a reasonably sized passenger car, much more difficult than a petrol tank.
See for example this factsheet from the US Dept of energy, which states: For a 300 mile driving range, an FCEV will need about 5 kg of hydrogen. At 700 bar (~10,000 psi) a storage system would have a volume of about 200 liters or 3-4 times the volume of gasoline tanks typically found in cars today. A key challenge, therefore, is how to store sufficient quantities of hydrogen onboard without sacrificing passenger and cargo space.
Still loving my Tesla 18 months on. If I had a time machine I definitely wouldn't use it to get something else.
So glad I moved to Octopus Intelligent.
Prices have recently reduced to 7.5p/kW between 23:30 to 5:30 and around 39p/kW outside of those times.
It is only costing me around £5 to fully charge my Tesla Y giving me 325 miles (to be fair in real life driving I get about 260 miles)
Saving a lot more than a comparable petrol car. Of course, public charges are still much more.
Last edited by paw3001; 2nd May 2023 at 13:05.
This is my running costs for last month. Next month will be less as Octopus have just reduced my electric prices.
I was paying about £320 in fuel for the same period in my last car.
Similar here but we charge at night due to economy seven.
Just put in an order for an EQC, so hoping that Ev’s are indeed a viable option now! Anxiety starting to creep in now about whether I’ve ordered the right car, given the number of miles / kWh (rather than range) but there we go.
Any advice on wallbox? I’ve got quotes for a zappi. Thinking about future proofing with the solar panel integration, but wondering if there are any other options/ experiences?
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We went with Simpson as it’s on the front of the house. Looks good, works well, would buy again. If it was out of sight we might have gone with something cheaper. The electrician who we got to fit it commented a few times that it was great quality. It was the first he’d fitted.
Thanks for the replies. It seems that they are all pretty good and do as expected. I guess the styling and installation are the differentiators.
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Anybody tried to sell EV recently?
I’m in process of changing cars atm. And was told valuation of mine had gone down 10k in two weeks apparently. Dealers are still selling for similar to January prices , but offering much much less for some reason.
What’s causing this you reckon? Cheaper petrol and millions Teslas around perhaps?
Cazoo offered 28k on 17th of April. Just under 20 today!
Last edited by Toshk; 4th May 2023 at 20:28.
I think that Tesla dropping their new prices recently, has spooked the dealers. They are worried that others will follow suit and they’ll be left with stock that’s valued below the dealer’s buying price.
Offering really low valuations now is insurance against being left out of pocket.
Yes, cheaper petrol, Tesla dropping new prices and plenty being released in to the used market as the early, cheap lease deals come to an end.
Will market improve though? Once those ex lease Teslas go?
This will be good for the market. EVs over priced and need to come down.
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Well dealers are still selling at the usual prices, so no actual savings for buyers.
This has had me looking at Ioniq 5s again. Residuals are not great for them are they.
Last edited by Middo; 9th May 2023 at 21:15.
Currently spending some time in Cannes where the film festival is just starting
I see BMW is a major Sponsor, making 200 all electric vehicles available .
Went for a long walk last evening along the coast and in one of the marina car parks, found their base for the event.
Along with 8 large MAN (Volkswagen) turbo diesel generating sets parked up connected to the biggest bank of charging points you’ve ever seen
I’ve worked in and around that type of kit all my life and I’d reckon on about 4mw of diesel power generation there.
The irony was not lost…
https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/globa...al?language=en
Last edited by GOAT; 14th May 2023 at 08:19.
The great electric car that won't do one jot to save the planet. Cars from new are worthless three years down the line. Dealers cannot sell them. What do we do make a new batch and destroy the planet some more. The world has gone mad. Does anyone take into account the destruction of the planet even non EV related, building all the current junk EGR valves DPF filters and even more junk we don't need, lane assist, the list is endless making all this junk then the fact of all the repairs to people going backwards and forwards to mend the junk. The whole thing is a joke. The world is building endless crap and there is only one outcome.
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It’s been said before in this very thread, but the only environmentally sound car is no car at all.
Damming EVs because they use resources to build, like any motor vehicle, seems a flawed argument though. EVs definitely have a role to play in making private car ownership a little more sustainable and there are unarguable benefits over the life of one compared to a fossil fuelled vehicle, even charged from the UK electricity grid.
Worthless after three years? What is that kind of statement even based on, as it’s clearly not accurate?
Some used car dealers have had their fingers burnt after buying high at the peak of the used EV bubble, but that’s their problem, and used EV prices are heading where they need to be. Lots of people were saying they were too expensive and not for the ‘ordinary man’, but that’s changed and is changing.
I don’t know why the topic of a car powered by electricity rather than petrol or diesel seems to cause so much angst, but I’m with you on the use of resources to build crap that arguably we don’t need, including the device I’m writing this on.
We need about 3 planet earths to sustain our ‘lifestyles’ the rate we’re getting through this one, and building and using more cars of any type won’t help.
The man who keeps his car 10 to 20 years is the man who thinks about the planet. Not this EV junk that needs replacing all the time.
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Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Is that true though? The man who buys a car and keeps it for 3 years sells it to someone else who keeps it for 3 years who sells it to someone else who keeps it for 3 years and so on. The car will be scrapped at the end of its useful life regardless how many owners it has had and the result is the same number of cars are manufactured whether owners keep a car for 10 years or 1 year.
Assuming you mean that in the sense of 'truth', the first sentence, yes. The second is bollocks, EV batteries are projected to last between 100,000 and 200,000 miles, or about 15 to 20 years. Plus there are far fewer moving parts than in ICE vehicles and many of those wear at a far slower rate so there are fewer bits that need replacing at service.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Just watch the saga unfold, don't really need to comment any more.
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