Off Topic The Environmental & Pollution Thread

Indeed. The Robotaxi. Just five minutes before you want to go anywhere you call one, and it turns up at the door. With no driver. You can drive it if you want to, but if you leave the driving to the car itself, it will be safer.
I know a fair bit about Tesla's rate of improvement of their driving autonomy. Their system is already feature complete. The hardware is already perfectly capable. The software can already do it, but it still needs occasional oversight. Regulators haven't issued any go ahead yet, and it may be 2-3 years before they do. They want to see mountains of data which shows that autonomous cars are safer than humans - everywhere. Then they'll ok it. Then that's the time when we can stop buying a car and hire one for a fraction of the price. I almost can't wait.

 

You and me both. My ambition is to use my free bus pass more often and hire an EV whenever I need to transport more stuff or people than I can carry myself. At the moment I drive short distances far more than I actually need to, so doing without my own car will encourage more walking, as well as saving me hundreds of pounds a year.

 

Just found this interesting company-by-company breakdown of the timeline towards full automation, i.e. self-driving capability:

https://emerj.com/ai-adoption-timelines/self-driving-car-timeline-themselves-top-11-automakers/

 

Funnily enough. I did have a very small FFV [a cute little Fiat Seicento] that I was going to ready for the road. But I did the calculation to see what I'd save riding a bicycle, and it allowed me to afford an EV 2 years earlier than I'd planned. So stuff it. I bought a nearly new bicycle off ebay. Getting fit and saving tonnes of money. I might BEV the Seicento as a fun project, as Fiat made an electric version, in the naughties.

 

Have you got a bike? We've two each folding and street folding free on the trains ideal for our away days.

 

I do have a bike which needs a major service but would help with the fitness levels, yes!

 

Enjoyed that. It kind of concurs with my thoughts from my researches. Elon Musk has, during interview questions on whether any other company could beat Tesla to full self driving, answered, "I don't think so. These are just my thoughts, but I think it is already game, set and match."

The thing is, Tesla has the data from machine learning. It's been calculated that all the other car companies put together have less than 1% of the "edge/corner case" driving data that Tesla has. And the difference is getting bigger every day, as every Tesla on the road reports back to the mothership [company driving computer section]. Musk asserts that other car companies just aren't good at software. They also don't have the dedicated computer hardware that every, 2016 and on, Tesla car has built in. He also suggests that Lidar won't get a project to full self driving. And more and more Lidar experts are agreeing with him.

 

I think I’ll wait another 3/4 years before I’ll venture into electric vehicles. When they can get family cars going over 400 miles on a full charge I might consider it. So 10 or so minutes charging after around 200 miles would then be well worth it. Also though it would have to depend on cost. I am using my car less and less these days because my legs are not so good. So I have to use a disabled buggy more and more. I can go up to 10 miles round trip so we’re are generally ok to go to Sainsbury’s or Tesco or local village no problem.

 

The MG we’re buying is £21k brand new with a 7 year warranty, so (IMO) not totally out of sight and, as prices drop, so more people are going to be looking at them. We have a driveway, so it’s a no-brainer. I’ve looked at my mileage over the last 12 months and I’ve done ONE journey over the advertised range of the MGZS (170 miles) so I’m hoping we don’t have to charge away from home very often. However, apart from the absolutely crap chargers at motorway services (I believe Ecotricity have a monopoly) which are often broken, not working or “ICEd” (which is becoming an increasingly annoying problem) there are more and more fast chargers being installed in many locations (non motorway obviously). Shell are doing a good job and many garden centres and hotels are also following suit. A couple of issues - there’s no single way of paying yet, you often have to download various apps and have various payment cards (Shell, bless them, are doing it with any contactless debit card) and we need a standard soon, plus Ecotricity to be kicked out (though I think they’re too entrenched with the powers that be for that to happen soon). However, for those with no driveway, all is not lost. There is a movement afoot to allow people to effectively ‘rent out’ their home chargers for use by EV drivers. This could be a great idea and one I’ll be following with interest.
The most important app I have at the moment is “Zap-Map” which is a fabulous way to plot your journey showing chargers all the way. We’re supposedly picking up our car in Burnley on Feb 1st (wonder if I can get her indoors to go via Anfield ) and driving it back down to Romsey later that day (or next depending on what time we pick it up). I’ll keep you posted about how it goes - should be interesting!

 

I went for a meal at the Pelican in Chew Magna in December, and we noticed there was a fast charger in the car park. In the light of the current discussion, this would be a great move for forward-thinking publicans and the self-drive aspect of future EV’s might just save the public house as well as the planet. Win-win indeed!

 

My next car is 100% going to be electric. Not sure what yet, but leaning towards a Tesla Model 3.

Working from home for the last 3 years, my mileage has dropped to about 2000 miles a year (my car is 2 ½ years old and done 7,000 miles!) and I tend to walk if I can places - even the supermarkets.

I also think (battery dependant) I will keep this next car for longer than my standard 3-4 years. I suppose getting older priorities change and as long as I can go from A to B safely, comfortably, cheaply and environmentally friendly, that is all that matters.

 

I’m planning for a model 3 this summer. It is a stretch financially but it is such a nice car. Those of us that can make the stretch are going to have to push carbon reduction for now.

 

This isn’t aimed in any way at you personally, MI, but in a way it’s more than fair that the better off among us do more to save the planet. Just as the 100 worst-polluting companies create 70% of the world’s pollution, generally speaking the higher living standards you enjoy the more carbon you excrete into the atmosphere.

 

Exactly. I live very frugal and have been an eco person for years but if I’m not willing to do it I really can’t expect some else to do it.

 

I bought my model 3 in September- already had 3 software updates from Tesla.
The car is truly remarkable - incredibly fast but amazingly safe- the safest car I’ve owned.
The self driving capacity on motorways is something else- just plug in the destination and it does everything for you.
The car does warn you however if you take your hands off the wheel but light pressure with one hand is sufficient.
I can’t recommend it enough. Had a Tesla charge point installed at home - charges to 280 miles from 50 miles in about 5 hours - roughly costing £8

 

There you go. You can read all the reports you like, but this is a personal recommendation. I've only had a drive of one, and it was all of the above.

Welcome to the forum AndySaint.

 

For those who wish to expand their knowledge of clean energy and clean technologies [for some, this could be your place to start], let me recommend Clean Technica: https://cleantechnica.com/

And that earlier recommendation again, Electrek: https://electrek.co/

 

What a great first post! Welcome to the forum Andy, and please can I borrow your car?

 

Thanks mate

 

Hooray! Well done Beemer. BMW is closing a FFV Munich plant to introduce a new, good looking all-electric car coming in 2021: https://electrek.co/2020/01/17/bmw-...-get-ready-for-all-electric-i4-sedan-in-2021/

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