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Electric Vehicles

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The electric Jag bit reminds me of a joke I think I originally read in some car magazine, talking about how different people view reliability (inaccurate recollection follows). The Honda owner proudly notes that he just cleared 200 thousand miles without a tuneup. The Jaguar owner boasts that he drove across the country and it only caught fire twice.

And of course, why the English drink warm beer : Lucas refrigerators.

And though I might have mentioned it before, back in the 80's a friend who had made friends with the then US distributor of Lotus in nearby Millerton, NY came home with a trunkload of recalled alternators from Esprits, which apparently weren't beefy enough. They were standard looking Delco alternators, made under contract in England (I think, but am not now sure, by Lucas). When the alternator in my old Pontiac had a bad bearing, I pulled one out, to use or rob for parts. Simple, right? Just pull the front end off, and bolt it on. I then found that to start with, the front bearing was half the size of the US Delco, and the essential connections were not made of brass, but plated steel, and in the couple of years sitting around had rusted and become useless. The prince of darkness strikes again!
 
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My grandfather loved the lines of classic English cars but hated the maintenance... most of his neighbours knew the phrase "Lucas prince of darkness" even though none of them had much English.
 
bruto said:
The electric Jag bit reminds me of a joke I think I originally read in some car magazine, talking about how different people view reliability (inaccurate recollection follows). The Honda owner proudly notes that he just cleared 200 thousand miles without a tuneup. The Jaguar owner boasts that he drove across the country and it only caught fire twice.
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America or the UK for the cross country drive?
 
Tessie the TM3 is celebrating her third birthday today. Still awesome. Still the most enjoyable car I’ve ever owned.
 
Our local power company posts to Facebook each time they install a new charging station in the area. Most are high-speed ones and several offer free charging. The ones that aren't free charge about the same as I pay for electricity at home. So, it's nice that they are installing them.

But, of course, the comments many people add to the post are full of anti-EV venom. They are always repeating the same misleading stuff that is easy to debunk. I don't bother replying since it is impossible to keep up with people who seem to have unlimited time and infinite misconceptions.

One comment in particular makes me smile. Someone says that they will wave as they pass you stranded in your EV on the side of the road with an empty battery.

If were to reply i would say that each morning when i get into my EV it is fully charged. So, I never worry about being stranded beside the road. And i never have to stop and refill my gas tank. I promise to be polite and wave as i pass by them as they pump gas into their car.

Seriously, the advantage of never having to refill a gas tank has turned out to be a major reason that i like driving an EV
 
jadebox said:
Our local power company posts to Facebook each time they install a new charging station in the area. Most are high-speed ones and several offer free charging. The ones that aren't free charge about the same as I pay for electricity at home. So, it's nice that they are installing them.

But, of course, the comments many people add to the post are full of anti-EV venom. They are always repeating the same misleading stuff that is easy to debunk. I don't bother replying since it is impossible to keep up with people who seem to have unlimited time and infinite misconceptions.

One comment in particular makes me smile. Someone says that they will wave as they pass you stranded in your EV on the side of the road with an empty battery.

If were to reply i would say that each morning when i get into my EV it is fully charged. So, I never worry about being stranded beside the road. And i never have to stop and refill my gas tank. I promise to be polite and wave as i pass by them as they pump gas into their car.

Seriously, the advantage of never having to refill a gas tank has turned out to be a major reason that i like driving an EV
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Last year there was panic buying of fuel in the UK for a couple of weeks.

I saw someone make the joke that they thought internal combustion engines might work but they weren't convinced that the infrastructure was there yet.
 
jadebox said:
Our local power company posts to Facebook each time they install a new charging station in the area. Most are high-speed ones and several offer free charging. The ones that aren't free charge about the same as I pay for electricity at home. So, it's nice that they are installing them.

But, of course, the comments many people add to the post are full of anti-EV venom. They are always repeating the same misleading stuff that is easy to debunk. I don't bother replying since it is impossible to keep up with people who seem to have unlimited time and infinite misconceptions.

One comment in particular makes me smile. Someone says that they will wave as they pass you stranded in your EV on the side of the road with an empty battery.

If were to reply i would say that each morning when i get into my EV it is fully charged. So, I never worry about being stranded beside the road. And i never have to stop and refill my gas tank. I promise to be polite and wave as i pass by them as they pump gas into their car.

Seriously, the advantage of never having to refill a gas tank has turned out to be a major reason that i like driving an EV
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Just from my own personal experience, I see way more Teslas and other EVs out in the Boston suburbs than I do in Boston proper. It seems an attractive option for people who live in places where commutes are reasonably short and it's common to have attached garages in the home.

It's more of a hurdle in the city where free-for-all street parking is far more common.

Being able to charge up overnight in your own garage or electrified dedicated parking spot does seem incredibly convenient. The lack of access to a dedicated charging spot outside my apartment is the only serious drawback I have when considering an EV.

Tesla's decision to focus on luxury cars strikes me as a savvy one, because these are the types of wealthier buyers who are more likely to already have the garage parking that makes owning one very convenient.
 
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I suspect the suburban prevalence of electrics is also dependent to some degree on where the non-home charging stations are found. In our area, they are in small towns and suburbs, and often conspicuously aimed at specific markets. For example, if you want a nice big no-wait Tesla station in the Burlington Vermont area, go to the Healthy Living Co-op market. There you'll find all the organic crunchies and craft beers, and surprise surprise, a big row of Tesla chargers. They know their target audience.

And that's not to disparage it. I like my organic crunchies too, and my daughter works there. I don't live anywhere near. It's hard to put a charging station on a city street with parking meters, and uneconomical to put it out in the woods, but a nice suburban parking lot makes sense for the existing market. But it also shapes the future market.
 
My suspicion is that the only mass market fix for the charging problem, if we really wanted to get rid of combustion engines, is autonomous self drive cars as a service. It's the plan of loads of people in the auto industry. Lots of the economics and practical challenges will become easier if that can be achieved. Until then, I don't see it.
 
shuttlt said:
My suspicion is that the only mass market fix for the charging problem, if we really wanted to get rid of combustion engines, is autonomous self drive cars as a service. It's the plan of loads of people in the auto industry. Lots of the economics and practical challenges will become easier if that can be achieved. Until then, I don't see it.
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I know many seem to feel that way but I think it's upside-down thinking. Autonomous self drive cars will work least well in rural areas, and are least needed in urban areas, where better mass transportation could solve many of the problems.

How long does it take to get one, if they're not roving around empty waiting for a call, and where do they go after you arrive at your destination? I think fewer cars would be a better solution than different cars.
 
bruto said:
I suspect the suburban prevalence of electrics is also dependent to some degree on where the non-home charging stations are found. In our area, they are in small towns and suburbs, and often conspicuously aimed at specific markets. For example, if you want a nice big no-wait Tesla station in the Burlington Vermont area, go to the Healthy Living Co-op market. There you'll find all the organic crunchies and craft beers, and surprise surprise, a big row of Tesla chargers. They know their target audience.

And that's not to disparage it. I like my organic crunchies too, and my daughter works there. I don't live anywhere near. It's hard to put a charging station on a city street with parking meters, and uneconomical to put it out in the woods, but a nice suburban parking lot makes sense for the existing market. But it also shapes the future market.
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I don't fault these EVs for targeting these markets first. Going after the lowest hanging fruit is the obvious place to start and a great way to prove the concept.

I do think it'll take a concerted effort to make EV's more viable for the broader market. There's probably a role for government to get involved and help make this happen, be it incentivizing/mandating EV infrastructure be built and standardizing equipment.

making these things practical for people who don't have access to garage parking is a big hurdle that needs to be addressed. Electrifying street parking, surface lots, and workplace parking lots seems like a big lift, but it's likely a necessary one if we want to see EVs replace ICE vehicles.

I also think standardization is a non-trivial part of this. Proprietary tech, like Tesla only charging stations, strike me as counterproductive unless there is no aspiration beyond being a niche, novelty vehicle.
 
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bruto said:
I suspect the suburban prevalence of electrics is also dependent to some degree on where the non-home charging stations are found. In our area, they are in small towns and suburbs, and often conspicuously aimed at specific markets. For example, if you want a nice big no-wait Tesla station in the Burlington Vermont area, go to the Healthy Living Co-op market. There you'll find all the organic crunchies and craft beers, and surprise surprise, a big row of Tesla chargers. They know their target audience.

And that's not to disparage it. I like my organic crunchies too, and my daughter works there. I don't live anywhere near. It's hard to put a charging station on a city street with parking meters, and uneconomical to put it out in the woods, but a nice suburban parking lot makes sense for the existing market. But it also shapes the future market.
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The Onion River Co-Op had charging stations when I lived in the area over 15 years ago (2005-2008).
 
Dr. Keith said:
If you can get something electric to work in a Jag you may be knighted.
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Why?

Are we still stuck on Top Gear style mythology?

A couple of years old now but ...

2019 Jaguar I-Pace Is the Most Important SUV of the Year


Latest models are up to 300 miles and charge from 10% to 90% in 20 minutes on the right charger.

As for the XJS. I had a V12 for years and never had a problem with it.
 
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