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As of today (29/07/17 - 14:00) the total electricity demand in the UK is 28.5 Giga Watts. And this is a weekend, not a work day

The total number of wind turbines is 7163.

7163 turbines are producing 3.55 Giga Watts.

Any guesses how many more turbines we need to meet present demand never mind the  future?

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Pollution ? What pollution ? Nothing like the fog, smog & pea soupers of years ago where you couldn't see in front of your nose, bus conductors having to walk in front of buses, household chimneys

Reading in the paper today it seems there is a difference of opinion as to how much trouble the pollution really causes with one eminent doctor saying they over egging the pudding again.   H

Test driving a new Leaf? Hope you didn't turn it over, Den! 

Electric cars will NEVER replace conventional "fossil" fueled cars in our g/kids lifetimes. The battery technology we have at the moment is a problem, lead acid batteries pose an environmental hazard when dead. Rare earth to make lithium batteries is limited, read rare earths!!

 

Thomas Edison and Henry Ford made not only the first electric car, but also an electric tractor.

AND, what batteries did they use?? NiFe (Nickel Iron) batteries, which will last for many years, in fact there are still some batteries still working and producing the designed output!! They are a fraction of the weight of L/A batteries, have no environmental problems. Only problem with them is the electrolyte needs changing after a couple of years. Another good thing about NiFe batteries, they do not produce explosive gasses!!

 

So, why haven't we got them as auto batteries in every car, truck tractor to start the engine??? THINK MONEY!!!! L/A batteries have a limited life, then you have to buy a new one, NiFe batteries last virtually for ever, very little profit from them!!

 

Next, could the UK grid supply all the energy to charge several million electric cars twice every day??? I doubt it, then there is the problem of limited mileage and having to sit around for several hours while the dead battery is recharged, not a very good prospect, especially for those living in rural areas.

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The main problems with NiFe batteries is the sheer size of them plus cost. A typical 12v array would be 25" long, 4" wide, 13 inches tall and weigh around 75lbs  NiFe are usually individual cells costing anything from £100 to £300 per cell, ( you need 10 for 12v).

They were used, still are in some places, for protection back up systems in sub-stations and there is a growing market for those users who want to go 'off grid',

A 12v system would set you back about  £1000+ A system to power your house would be tens of ,000s

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Ahr per Ahr, they are much lighter than lead acid, sure they are expensive initially, but look at the life of them compared to L/A!!! They will take more abuse, like discharging completely without any problems, and will accept over charging, but that one is not recommended.

 

In the 30's through the 40's they were used on forklift trucks, a lot of those batteries are turning up on the used market.

 

I worked with them in the mining industry, they preferred them on shaft signalling back up power as they were far more reliable than L/A and required far less maintenance.

When I did my UG training the cap  lamp batteries at the training centre were NiFe, much lighter than the Oldham and Ceag L/A batteries which weighed in at 10lbs, try carrying that around all shift.

 

As for physical size, the one's on the market from Chinese and Russian manufacturers are designed for  solar power use, hence the size to power output. Nothing stopping someone wishing to market car batteries from having the manufacturer make them to standard car sizes. 

Yes I'm aware they have to be charged at a different rate, easily done with modern semi conductor designs. At 1.2 volts per cell would require 11 cells to give the standard 12 volts.

 

The actual costs of NiFe batteries have been dropping over the last few years.

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I think I'll stick to riding my trike locally,(pedal power)the only things that need charging are my lights and I don't need them in summer

 

Rog

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I used to like riding a bike Roger, but my knees wouldn't let me these days, I'll settle for driving a truck from A to B even that makes my knees and legs ache..

 

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#28 #30 #32 Is there anyone else who cannot read bold type? I really wanted to read it, but could not get passed the first four words? 

 

Caught a taxi last night which was electric told me it cost 57 thousand :Shock:  not my fare that was £10.40

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If  we had a decent transport system in this county there would be no need for electric car. I will not include HSRail in this. just transport that would take you from A 2 B with out any hassle.smile2

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My eyesight is not it's best, maybe yours is 20-20, but I find bold helps me read the text far better.

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11 hours ago, mary1947 said:

If  we had a decent transport system in this county there would be no need for electric car. I will not include HSRail in this. just transport that would take you from A 2 B with out any hassle.smile2

At the cheapest price. Have you seen rail prices lately ?

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On ‎30‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 6:10 PM, catfan said:

At the cheapest price. Have you seen rail prices lately ?

YES! not cheap this is what I mean, if we had a decent transport systerm that did not cost an arm and leg, and on time people would use it. This would stop a lot of air pollution,

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Pretty limited range,and speed  Rog. 

 

There was was a film came out a few years ago.  I think it was called 'Who killed the electric car?'

 

Apperently GM produced an electric vehicle a few years ago.  It's capabilities were comparable to a gas powered engine.  They would not sell them, only lease them.  At the end of the lease they collected them and demolished them.  People did not want to give them up they were so happy with them.

 

Interesting film.  It might be available on YouTube.  It was worth watching.

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Londoners think that everywhere is like London, so we all have to follow their policies. They are thinking 'electric' because it answers 'their' problem. 

In fact all that the electric car will do is move pollution to somewhere else. Selfish city dwellers! Production of the batteries causes toxins and uses minerals that are rarer than oil or coal. I am all for reducing any sort of pollution but this mania for electric cars is a con. The Gov't conned us into buying diesel, now we are being conned again about electric.

The main problem with cars, whether diesel or petrol, is that they last too long. Who needs a new car? It's more about fashion and ego rather than the existing car getting worn out. Manufacturers are struggling to come up with big improvements to sell more cars- the latest models don't really do much more than a ten year old car did. Styling and electronic gismo's is all that is on offer with new cars. Manufacturers are looking for new pastures. So the Gov't are being heavily lobbied and the greens have a great band wagon to ride on.....and we are being conned :rolleyes:

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Still driving my 19 year old Ford, PP.. I'm hoping it will last me 'til I have to stop driving or croak.  Never been one to trade every five years.

 

You are right about electronics.  The wife's new SUV needs a degree in computer science to drive it.  :biggrin:. Beeps and talks at yer all the time.  I just tell it to shurrup!  Seems to do the trick. 

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A neighbour has had a Tesla for a couple of years. Never gave it much thought, other than what a very nice car it looked. Been around various Scandinavian countries recently and there's loads there. In Helsinki, the parking bays have charging points, one bay must have had at least a dozen Teslas plugged in each with a cable across the pavement. Checked the prices when I came back as I'm after a new car. £50k upwards!!

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Electric cars are nothing new, Henry Ford teamed up with his  mate Edison and produced an electric car many many years back.  They used NiFe batteries as they were far lighter and old Edison had spent many years perfecting the NiFe battery. They even built an electric tractor too.

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I remember when I was a kid the Co-op had electric milk vans.  My uncle drove one and used to give me a ride to the top of the street when he came home for lunch.  I had to walk back.

 

Seemed  to accelerate quite well.  They used to charge them overnight.  Not sure what kind of range they had.  I suppose they may have had lead acid batteries.

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As a lad growing up in Beeston in the late 20s/early 30s, my father was fascinated by a steam powered car belonging to one of Beeston's wealthier residents. It was often parked outside Boots and dad would stand and watch while it drove off, with only a faint audible hiss. Apparently, it attained a reasonable speed for its day.

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My Dad used to deliver bread for the Co-op with a "Float". I know when he was younger he was a milk man, but had a horse and cart.

 

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