knight2 wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:05 pm
I will be the first to admit I know very little about the use, range and charging of EV's. I cannot forsee me ever owning one, but never say never. I believe the future has to be without ICE, my concern is the sourcing of the materials to make the batteries which I've mentioned on here in a previous post. My main concern being cobalt, the main source of which is the Republic of Congo which is very unstable and the mining of it is not under a deal of control and people are suffering because of it. It's annoying that when people are praising the wonders of EV's this is never mentioned. That comment is not aimed at you just everybody in general. By the way electric bicycles are a pet hate of mine, but that is another story.
As you point out the Uk is one of the better places for green energy, we are self supporting in energy which is a good thing( so why has the price gone up it doesn't cost any more to produce than it did before the Ukraine war so it has nothing to do with russia) sorry I had to put that in, I do know the answer but its too long and complicated to put here.
I have been careful about what I've written here as I don't like saying things I can't back up and I haven't got the time at the moment.
Hi Knight, yes I get where you are coming from. Energy pricing is strange isn't it and you probably know all this but because we do still need to import oil, gas and electricity we had to join the world club that sets prices. We had to do that because we also export oil, gas and electricity. This means we have to stick to the world pricing structure laid down by the big world club. We don't have a choice and it would be against international law to deviate from those prices if we were taken to court over it.
The point you make about Cobalt is an interesting one. And it's much the same as the story found for oil extraction in some countries. Whole villages and towns polluted with seas of oil poisoning people and nature. Yet we don't ever mention that either when we talk about how lovely ICE engine cars are! Oil is poisoning thousands and thousands of people in many parts of the world and it's killing the planet. As are ICE engined cars.
Cobalt has been mined for many many years before EV's were even thought of. It will always be needed as it's used in lots of things, not just batteries. But it likely won't be in many EV's, cars or motorcycles of the future. Cobalt is currently in just about all Lithium Ion batteries as you will know. So laptops, phones and just about every electrical device that uses a battery. It's also part of the make up of circuit boards in some tv's and computers too. However, that's all about to change. Lithium Ion won't be powering EV's for that long. Sodium batteries that don't require Cobalt or any rare earth minerals, with twice the energy density of Lithium Ion are about to take over. This will immediately double the range of EV's and also allow them to charge up in just a few minutes. In fact, as quickly as filling your car with petrol or diesel. One Uk Uni is ready to put their battery into production but it might be 2-3 years before we see it in cars and in some instances it will be a bit longer than that. But there are large numbers of new battery technologies coming out that will appear in the next 2-3 years or sooner. I have ex-engineering colleagues working on new electric engine and battery technology that will blow your socks off. They can't tell me any details but knowing the guys I can tell you they are very excited about it and are saying "everything is about to change regarding batteries"! The Uk is most likely to be a leader in this field as we are far advanced in this area.
This is a link to an old article from last year.
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/tech ... technology Since this article a Uk university has taken the lead here (as per the TV news a few weeks ago). I've moderated on a couple of University engineering sites until recently. I can confirm some great stuff is going on.
Anyhoo...the point here is there is nothing to fear about EV's. Some of my friends have been completely astonished at how well the Kia E-Niro goes and it's range. I've taken them for test rides and we used it to go on long trips which convinced them they have to get one. As for whether you will ever get one knight, I suspect you will as the prices of EV's is about to drop considerably. We'll all be driving them most likely. Prices have already dropped and it's possible to buy one for the same price as a petrol equivalent if you do it right. But full price parity won't be reached for another 2 years or so they reckon. The used EV market is thriving too, if you can get one. People tend to buy them and keep them. Although another one of my family bought a used E-Niro about 10 months ago and he is very happy with it. Saved a few bob but they don't devalue much because they don't wear out in the same way that ice cars do. No exhaust, clutches or traditional gearbox to go wrong. No ice engine components either of course. In reality he paid almost new car price for it but it was worth it. It had 16k on the clock in just 10 months. Battery showing 100% capacity, nothing lost.
The good thing is that motorcycles and scooters will benefit enormously from these new batteries. That must be a good thing.
The negative posts about EV's and batteries I see on various sites is usually because of ignorance of the subject. Not understanding enough about EV's, and folks just watching a Youtube video or just the BBC or whatever. It's a bit like the anti-vaxx brigade in some ways. So much misinformation which is usually easily debunked thank goodness. People just have to open their eyes. Sorry if this sounds a bit preachy but it p**ses me off when folks say stuff that isn't actually the case. Not having a go at you knight.
Currently, his new Hyundai Kona is giving him on average around 315 miles on a full charge and costs him £8.90 to charge from 20% to 100%. His last 1600cc ice Kona would cost him £55-£65 (dependant on type of journey) at todays petrol prices to do the same miles and it didn't have even a fraction of the performance of the EV. Even charging at a commercial fast charger where he has to pay will only cost him on average £22 according to the AA. But he can of course look for a free charge if he wants to. His EV Kona is his first EV and he has had it for just 5 months. He has no complaints so far and has already saved a considerable amount of money on fuel. Anyway, more food for thought eh!
