Diesel & petrol alternatives? Your thoughts please

Posted on 23/02/2022 12:25 by

This yet more pre planning that I don't  have do now. Touring as I do in low season I book nothing for short stays and rarely ever for long stays either. Apart from a 15 pitch site in rural Spain (4 amp supply from solar) I dont even have to ring ahead.. When I am traveling a route I have done before such as the Croatia example  there is a  chance I know where we will halt for the night but its far from guaranteed and its not unknown for us to reach for the site guide for an alternative when running late/early for some reason. This sort of touring has a flexibility we love and we wont choose a towcar (because that's all it is  we have a petrol runabout at  home) that restricts us.

Posted on 23/02/2022 13:57 by Boff

Well not my problem if they chose the wrong EV.   They did however tackle the situation 2 buses and a train if I remember correctly was what you claimed.    It is bit strange whenever I have been on a diverted a flight transport has always been laid on to get me to the original destination. 

I am truly sorry if you thought I was insulting your daughter and her partner it really wasn’t my intention.    However you really don’t like people answering you back with your my way or the highway attitude, that you have frequently displayed now and in the past.  

Posted on 23/02/2022 14:50 by ChocolateTrees

A very valid position. I think I have said in the past, if I were looking for a dedicated tow car for continental long distance towing (300 or miles a day) then I might not pick an EV. (Actually I probably still would, but that just me). My angle on this discussion has always been to shed light on what is possible today, and how you can adapt to leverage an EV for our hobby. 

I have an EV as its an awesome car to drive solo, and a very very cheap way for me to have a very high performance, cutting edge car. It just also happens to be a capable tow car, that I can use easily for my style of towing. 

When I advertise the fact that I use my EV for towing, lots of folks are interested (not just here but on other fora), have questions, and often identify situations which - for them - would mean an EV is not viable. And - of course - thats fine. I like solving problems, and when people present a challenge to me, that's exactly how I approach it, as a problem to be solved. 

The solution may not be to everyones taste, or be viable for everyone, but the solution (if it exists) fits in my framework. 

So please don't feel like I am preaching to you (or anyone else) about EV being the only way. I recognise there are a bunch of reasons why for any given individual, it might not be. But for me, it is a very interesting world to be experimenting in, and I am happy to share my findings as I go. 

Posted on 23/02/2022 14:59 by JVB66

 it seems that the up to date EV data is a bit wary of towing because of the extra stress on the drive trains,a, nd a reason manufacturer's are not giving approval for towing

Posted on 23/02/2022 15:03 by

I have nothing against EV cars in practice. I have ridden in  B200 as a passenger and found its acceleration awesome   and the ride a delight, if our petrol runabout a 15 years old Yaris needed replacement I would have no hesitation looking at all alternatives however as I have described I keep one car for towing and nothing else and unless battery technology changed enormously and quickly we will be finished towing before the next ICE I own is.

However although I can see the technology can be made to work I am totally unconvinced about its "green " credentials and am appalled at the scapage of perfectly viable vehicles .

Posted on 23/02/2022 14:59 by JVB66

 it seems that the up to date EV data is a bit wary of towing because of the extra stress on the drive trains,a, nd a reason manufacturer's are not giving approval for towing

Posted on 23/02/2022 16:39 by ChocolateTrees

However although I can see the technology can be made to work I am totally unconvinced about its "green " credentials and am appalled at the scapage of perfectly viable vehicles .

Scrapage of an ICE has nothing to do with EVs at all. A car (of whatever fuel type) will be driven until it's no longer economical to do so. When the time comes that it's MOT fails, or the cylinder head gasket goes, or the gearbox fails, or the oil pump files and the engine seizes, or the timing belt snaps and renders all the valves bent, someone will make a decision to repair it - or not. If not, then the next car they buy to replace it may be an EV or may be an ICE. Most likely (if the car died of old age) it will be something used. That probably means it will be another ICE. 

Right now - there are no government incentives to scrap old cars in favour of EV. AFAIK there are no manufacture led incentives to scrap cars in favour of EV or ICE. 

In short, there is no force at all to move to replace the existing viable fleet of private vehicles with EV. There are incentives to encourage anyone buying a brand new car to choose EV over ICE (0 VED, no ULEZ charge, low company car tax, small grant for low cost EVs), but they are all unrelated to scrapping an ICE car. 

And if we are talking about CO2 emissions, then it's undeniable that for similar sized vehicles, EV has a lower carbon footprint than ICE over its total life cycle. (Even if its charged by coal fired power stations, which - in Europe or the UK - its not).

 

Posted on 23/02/2022 16:39 by ChocolateTrees

However although I can see the technology can be made to work I am totally unconvinced about its "green " credentials and am appalled at the scapage of perfectly viable vehicles .

Scrapage of an ICE has nothing to do with EVs at all. A car (of whatever fuel type) will be driven until it's no longer economical to do so. When the time comes that it's MOT fails, or the cylinder head gasket goes, or the gearbox fails, or the oil pump files and the engine seizes, or the timing belt snaps and renders all the valves bent, someone will make a decision to repair it - or not. If not, then the next car they buy to replace it may be an EV or may be an ICE. Most likely (if the car died of old age) it will be something used. That probably means it will be another ICE. 

Right now - there are no government incentives to scrap old cars in favour of EV. AFAIK there are no manufacture led incentives to scrap cars in favour of EV or ICE. 

In short, there is no force at all to move to replace the existing viable fleet of private vehicles with EV. There are incentives to encourage anyone buying a brand new car to choose EV over ICE (0 VED, no ULEZ charge, low company car tax, small grant for low cost EVs), but they are all unrelated to scrapping an ICE car. 

And if we are talking about CO2 emissions, then it's undeniable that for similar sized vehicles, EV has a lower carbon footprint than ICE over its total life cycle. (Even if its charged by coal fired power stations, which - in Europe or the UK - its not).