Citroen XM Forum

russ92xmsed wrote: I agree electric cars do work, but they are best at just commuting in urban areas..or from one plug to the other within range.
What I don't like, is this crazy idea everyone must have one. In time yes that might happen, but it just come across as preventing movement and controlling society. They just seem to restrictive,.

Somewhat less restrictive than a fossil fueled car with no oil to make fuel from.

The Tesla-S has an optional 300 mile battery pack, so hardly from one plug to another.

Well yes I see what you mean, but having to plan a long journey around a recharge is more inconvenient than taking 5 mins to fill up. Anyway, apparently the worlds oil reserves are quite healthy. Urban your fine. Drive to work or about in the day and get home, charge overnight. Works well.

But that is today's technology...there are wireless charging possibilities already being tested, and who knows what quick charging options might be developed. I suppose we are in the very early stages of the electric car. Hopefully we end up with electric cars without having to worry about range and charging.

The tesla I feel is the most realistic and useable electric car at the moment...although Renaults Zoe is quite good so say Autocar.

The second film (Revenge of...) almost brings things right up-to-date, and does include some coverage of the GM/Chevy Volt (also to be sold under the Vauxhall label, it seems!). The zeal with which Renault-Nissan are pursuing development is really heartening. Renault already have (IIRC) five all-electric vehicles in their current range: just go to their corporate website.

For something of an eye-opener, worth Googling 'electric cars China' to discover dozens (hundreds?) of companies involved in electric vehicle manufacture. Mind you, with their urban pollution problems and burgeoning population, it's an obvious route to go down.

Right, electric vehicles (with sub-300 mile range) are not for everyone, and for all journeys, but for second cars, doing the commute, the shop, the school-run, etc etc they are already more than capable.

Our daughter has just been faced with the need to replace her sporty petrol number with something more realistic for a short commute to work (and other local runabouts), and to avail herself of free-of-charge workplace parking. She looked at and very much liked the very affordable Renault Zoe, but rejected it because of (a) the totally unknown secondhand value of the car a few years down the line, and (b) uncertainty about battery life (£6k replacement cost?) and whether the battery warranty and/or lease arrangement is able to be passed on to a second owner. [Renault have been keen to remove this uncertainty by coming up with a "buy the car but lease the battery" option, with battery rental at c£70 per month. When it fails, you get a new one, and carry on paying. With the very low 'fuel' costs, something around £70pcm is, I would have thought, pretty good, and budgetable.]

As already stated, it's early days for all-electrics, but the best are already rather good. In Tesla's case, amazingly so, but also very expensive, and with a long waiting list. I guess many of Tesla's customers are not too bothered about depreciation or obsolescence, and probably have some other somewhat exotic hobbies besides. Like everything else, the price (particularly of the batteries) will tumble.

Many of the current hybrids seem to actually leave a lot to be desired so far as economy goes. Prius fuel consumption is knocked into a hat by many decent medium-sized diesels, at far less cost. Petrol hybrid????? Why not diesel hybrid, if you must? Why? Because it's got more to do with selling the idea of 'electric' to the public; of gentling them into something different; of getting the Americans not to dismiss it out-of-hand; and, of keeping the oil companies sweet. I recently looked at a GM hybrid offering (for the UK), and was staggered to find it had a claimed electric-only range of just a handful of miles! Words fail.

Chris

Wow.. What a nice presenter.. I could happily watch him all day long.. None of the usual American over the top ooutrageous attitude..

I actually liked that tesla car.. But for me.. It has to be a Ds.

He had done some good ds research and was quite correct with his facts too..

Yes I'd quite like 310 lbs-ft of torque from stationary in the DS! Even if I did have to charge it up for hours on end. What Tesla ought to do is just sell motors and battery banks, so they can be retrofitted into older (lighter) cars .

Marc

Yes ....nice idea Marc. Then we can run older cas cleaner and cheaply...well until the electric companies cotton on and charge the eqivelant of petrol for electricity.

. . . No, it'll be the Exchequer that taxes it instead, probably via some clever smart-meters that can detect what they're connected to. Maybe.
Always a way round it, of course.

ha ha, but how about smart meters for air.....doable as well of course

http://www.upworthy.com/must-watch-the- ... its?c=upw1

Your probably very right Chris. Some how they WILL get us.