swt cheers.
In ten years time I could be driving a used Tesla, towing my electric dirtbike.
Petrol engines will have been recycled into razor blades by then.
harm_less,
Sep 20, 11:51am
It is possible to put a towbar on a Leaf. An owner from down Levin way has done so and reckons that battery range towing a small trailer wasn't too badly impacted so an E-dirt bike on your Leaf might be a go.
sr2,
Sep 20, 8:48pm
Have to say at first look the electrification of much of NZ’s fleet makes sense, particularly smaller cars used for short urban trips. I can easily see an EV in our household (along with the project cars) in the not too distant future; my only concern is that no one has yet to answer where all this additional electricity is going to come from.
In my work I’ve run a number of projects that have involved the costing and implementation of energy saving initiatives for large companies with multiple sites. Much of this involved the operation of battery powered material handling equipment, an area of technology that has contributed much towards the development of EV’s. There’s nothing like a CFO behind a desk grilling you over every number to make sure your projected power consumption figures are accurate and the cost benefit analysis makes sense! (They still scare the shyte out of me!).
When comparing projected EV energy requirements (known volumes of fossil fuels can easily be converted into Kw/H) with our current energy consumption (i.e. fossil fuel) and our capacity to generate electricity the elephant in the room is the disparity between these figures – I’ve yet to see any politician or engineer address this?
All I’ve ever heard mentioned are ‘pie in the sky’ solutions (solar roads, windmills, etc.) that are yet to be proven as plausible and viable long term solutions.
Considering how we currently have to turn off hot water heating in the evening to have enough power available for us to cook dinner imagine the impact of every 2nd household plugging in their EV?
solarboy,
Sep 20, 10:58pm
Nissan Leaf towing 2 more Leafs and a Jute(?) plus 3 trailers. Slowly yes, but it's in a fairly restricted area and autonomously driven with the system still under development. EV torque in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEm1K6gvbAI
stevo2,
Sep 21, 6:01am
You What ?
bill-robinson,
Sep 21, 7:40am
just wait for the electric trucks to load up the spuermarkets so you family can eat. they will be something to see
A fossil that loves fossil fuel being behind the 8 ball "No suprises".
sr2,
Sep 21, 9:18am
Since the 1950s, New Zealand has had a system of load management based on ripple control, allowing the electricity supply for domestic and commercial water storage heaters to be switched off and on. This is usually done manually by Vector in response to local outages or requests to reduce demand from the transmission.
harm_less,
Sep 21, 10:14am
This 20th century method of controlling peak electricity loading will be made redundant by using battery storage systems (including those in EVs) to 'level' energy demand. Charge while there is excess/cheap generation available and then draw down on this reserve at times of peak demand thereby reducing or negating the need to bring in 'peaker' power stations to fill this demand, keeping in mind that that generating capacity is largely done by thermal plants in NZ.
Ok, gotcha. I thought YOU had turn turn off YOUR hot water so you could cook your dinner
bill-robinson,
Sep 21, 1:29pm
another pointless comment that furthers the discussion.
sr2,
Sep 21, 3:04pm
Yes new storage technology's are slowly opening up some exciting possibilities, and not only for the national grid. Being able to use them locally on individual sites has the potential to reduce hardware costs (lighter cabling, etc.) and in some instances make backup generators and/or UPS's redundant.
My feeling is that the ace up NZ's sleeve has to be our vast potential for cheap, green, sustainable Hydroelectric power generation. Shame the RMA has become such a huge stumbling block.
apollo11,
Sep 25, 11:46am
So sooner or later the oil will run out Bill. What technology do you think we should adopt to meet our future power needs? Do you think it is smarter to transition to this power source while oil is still affordable, or do we wait until oil is really hard to find (and expensive)?
bill-robinson,
Sep 25, 1:30pm
not in my life time nor yours so why panic. are your school friends taking the mickey about your electric bike?
apollo11,
Sep 25, 2:04pm
Nice one bill, lets leave it for our kids to sort out. We have around 40 years worth of economically viable oil reserves left, lets just keep going until we hit the wall.
bill-robinson,
Sep 25, 2:18pm
yep, the same as has happened to you and me.
apollo11,
Sep 25, 2:35pm
The technology wasn't there for your generation, and barely there for mine. Some of the stuff that was done under your generation (taking a guess) such as the think big dam projects were given a hard time in their day, but they have proven to be an enormous benefit to NZ. It's going to take 20-30 years to make an orderly transition to a new energy format, we can't afford to sit on it for another 20 years. Cars are the least of our problems, there are hundreds of thousands of tractors, heavy trucks etc that will need to transition before oil becomes scarce, otherwise food prices are going to go through the roof.
bwg11,
Sep 25, 3:35pm
Take this as a comment rather than a pro or con argument. On a motoring forum I'm sure some will agree. EV's are soulless things, How exciting is Formula E?
IC's have soul, the rumble of a cross plane V8, The "thrum" of a Subbie, The scream of Formula 1, the magic of a Manx Norton etc, etc. Hell, even the hideous noise of a Harley has soul to some.
Whereas the EV's just whir away.
bill-robinson,
Sep 25, 3:46pm
see post #34. food prices will increase regardless of fuel type. grow your own is the answer to that as your parents did and you children did not even learn about.
remmers,
Sep 25, 3:56pm
I suppose people felt the same when horses where phased out, miss the clatter of hooves on cobbles, the crack of the whip, the smell of the excrement.
apollo11,
Sep 25, 3:57pm
I agree! I like my big V-twins. But I'm OK commuting to work in one thing, and going for rides on the weekend in something else.
apollo11,
Sep 25, 3:59pm
Agree, we have a home veggie garden that is going to be expanded, but for many people in the city, renting or living in apartments, it could be a real issue.
bill-robinson,
Sep 25, 6:58pm
should reflect in their pay, if not move to somewhere cheaper were you can grow your own food
apollo11,
Sep 25, 7:36pm
And the cities are where the jobs are. So you might suggest 'move the jobs out of the cities', but the jobs are in the cities for a reason. It is efficient to be close to a large customer base, all of your suppliers and a large pool of workers. What you'd be suggesting is a total remaking of our society, which would come with it's own costs.
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