Saw something the other day that suggested they had come up with a system that had charging capability in the road surface that charged cars as they drove over it. Obviously will need to be refined and made affordable but if it can significantly increase the range then removes most of the drawbacks.
A dynamo system like we used to have for bicycle lights (might still do) would surely work, and we could also surely use a solar energy system built into car windscreens/roofs . . . . with the technology that's already here, that sounds so simple to me Mind, I'm no engineer
Hybrids basically work like a dynamo, and there is already talk of solar panels on car roofs being part of the future..
I drive a Toyota Prius and get about 58 miles to the gallon out of it on a mix of town and motorway driving. It's the first hybrid I've owned and the bug has bitten me. I'll always have a hybrid from now on.
Got to be honest, it would never occur to me to consider buying a hybrid. Not yet anyway. My wife's replacing her car later this year so it maybe something she'll consider although considering the brand's she's looking at, this time round may be a little too early.
Elon Musk has just signed a contract with the Australian government to build them a super-battery to prevent power outages for the whole country. Battery technology is going to see some massive advancements in the next few years. The motor industry will be right up there in the developments.
If I was still driving I'd go for a big **** off Yank 60's muscle car with about a 7 litre engine that does about 13mpg. Dodge Charger or something like that.
all the rich and ministers have old timer cars, i have 4 they are my pride and joy,petrol wont die for the seeable future. and poor people wont be able to afford new car prices, do you exclude these people and stop them being mobile. big rethink needed by this lot before making plans
Aye but the choices are awful at the minute short of having top end money, I'll never spend more than 30k on a car.
Father in law has one of those Merc Estate Hybrids - charges the engine as he drives thingy. Says once he has to hand it back he'll never get another one - says it's awful.
At best, the power you get out of a dynamo is always going to be slightly less that the power you have to put into it. Friction see's to that. But in effect what you describe is how the current range of Hybrids work. They harness the energy that is already being wasted in a car and turn it into Electricity. Jeremy Clarkson though makes a good case when he points out the massive carbon footprint left by manufacturing the batteries. And since many of the rare metals involved have only been found in China it's possible to have supply concerns. There is no guarantee that Batteries will be improved enough to give the desired range. I used to drive up to The Highlands. Eight hours and 320 miles later I'd be there. I don't see any electric car that I could afford, in the near future at least, doing that. On the other side is supply. There are concerns that The UK might already be running low on generating capacity. There seems little scope for more Hydro schemes and the cheap alternative of coal fired generation is a political no-no. This leaves us with Re-usables, wind power etc., and Nuclear. Both are expensive and in the case of Nuclear it takes years to get a station up and running. Fortunately most Electric vehicles get re-charged overnight when ther is spare capacity, AT PRESENT. But if ALL cars were all-electric, could the supply cope? I'm hoping for the Hydrogen Cell Technology to be working by the time any change comes in. If it does, all of our problems are solved until Nuclear Fusion is perfected.
Please don't take anything that Clarkson says on this subject seriously..He is not only a climate change denier, but openly campaigns to use even more energy..
That's one thing I totally agree with you RAW. I used to like Top Gear for its entertainment value, but the guy's an adolescent idiot!
of terrorism, drunk drivers, councils putting up shoddy cladding, drugs, the list goes on, i have worked in the garage industry all my life and there is nowt wrang with me,blame the council the dopey speed bumps,and auld polluting busses. people are dying now, should be put in the same context as, Corbyn is a genius, which is unbelievable.
I just go by the scientific facts regarding deaths and illness directly linked to pollution from cars..
People in the UK and other developed nations have been dying from industrial diseases since the onset of the industrial revolution. It's just silly to say people are dying now mate. Before that, they were dying from lack of penicillin. Every generation has their killers.
