Re: Hybrid cars

I think it is true to say that diesel cars were never popular here, people liked their V6 or V8 petrol engined family cars.

It is only really the cars like mine ie four door utes that have replaced the "family car" with their 3 litre turbo charged diesels and their 3.5 tonne towing capacity that have awoken people to diesel engines.

That is speaking very generally, for example the Ford Ranger has a choice of a 2.2 or 3.2 turbo charged diesel but you get the idea.

Re: Hybrid cars

Foxy, you don’t have to change batteries every five, six years, most manufacturers warrant their batteries for up to ten years, but after that it doesn’t mean the batteries are done, yes the range may shorten but hopefully by then the charging infrastructure will be better and you can top up when required

Re: Hybrid cars

They claim that these cars use a newer type of battery (NOT the traditional lead acid type)

Doesn't matter, they are still going to fail at some point, and that's one hell of a replacement cost considering an equivalent lead acid battery on a petrol or diesel car would be about £60

Re: Hybrid cars

So you buy an all electric car now on the 'hope' that in 5 or 6 years there will be charging stations wherever there's currently a petrol station.

Sorry but I've been 'conned' by these types of 'promises' before. There will never be enough charging stations around during my lifetime so I ain't going to even think about getting an all electric car.

Re: Hybrid cars

I think you may be getting confused over the batteries, electric cars use lithium batteries to power the vehicle , they still have a separate battery to power the cars electrics as a conventional ice car, the batteries shouldn’t fail but just lose their capacity to fully charge thus reducing their range, I think for the moment a hybrid car is the way to go that can use electric only mode for a few miles, then a conventional petrol/ diesel motor for extended journeys

Re: Hybrid cars

Never?
EVS were around a hundred years before IC engines.

Re: Hybrid cars

A few months ago there was a big media splurge about this English inventor guy who had developed an alternative to the lithium batteries now used in cars. His battery was neither expensive (cheap enough to sell in the supermarkets) nor toxic (being made out of every day non-toxic materials) making it easily recyclable. Since then I've heard nada, ziltch, niente about it. I wonder if the big battery manufacturers or vehicle manufacturers had bought his patent from him and closed the technology down?

I've done a brief search on t'internet but can't find anything.

Re: Hybrid cars

Of course, he could have just been making unsubstantiated claims. A 'mad inventor'?

If, however, he really did invent something along those lines and big business has covered it up, it is possible that it can be invented again!

Re: Hybrid cars

Have you seen the BMW i models?
Pretty much what you describe.

Re: Hybrid cars

IF it's true and a big corporation bought the rights then they'll have spent £millions tying every single part of the invention up in patents and hidden it away.