Looking into the crystal ball

[goron59]

In actual fact this evening is a good example. Next door to us is a garden designer with 3 childers and the EV people live next door but one. Mrs EVs grey car is parked outside their house. Mrs Gardener isn't home yet. EV man has just got back and parked his vehicle outside gardeners house, even though there's nothing at all parked behind Mrs EV but which is further from his house. I presume this is so he's within cable range for this evening charge. Meanwhile when Mrs Gardener comes home with the sprogs she has to find whatever space is left then manhandle buggie, bags etc however far it is. And if she had an EV she'd be unable to recharge it!

Definitely a guide to cable etiquette required. Or bring on the cable wars!

I guess the future is wireless charging. Having to plug something in seems very quaint!

Though I'm not sure about Audi's plan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYVWVyRLD1o - people would probably drive on top of it

[Dandock]

In actual fact this evening is a good example. Next door to us is a garden designer with 3 childers and the EV people live next door but one. Mrs EVs grey car is parked outside their house. Mrs Gardener isn't home yet. EV man has just got back and parked his vehicle outside gardeners house, even though there's nothing at all parked behind Mrs EV but which is further from his house. I presume this is so he's within cable range for this evening charge. Meanwhile when Mrs Gardener comes home with the sprogs she has to find whatever space is left then manhandle buggie, bags etc however far it is. And if she had an EV she'd be unable to recharge it!

Definitely a guide to cable etiquette required. Or bring on the cable wars!

I guess the future is wireless charging. Having to plug something in seems very quaint!

Though I'm not sure about Audi's plan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYVWVyRLD1o - people would probably drive on top of it

Indeed. In that respect the answer would seem to be an open national grid with 'a charge' accessible through a key code. That said it would be a massive logistical and financial undertaking which I just don't see happening. And I have this feeling that in 20 years or so technology will have gone through another cycle and EV will be viewed as old or wrong.

[goron59]

We probably need this kind of innovation

[Dandock]

We probably need this kind of innovation

[Col Lamb]

We probably need this kind of innovation

.
What!!!

We all drive a Trolley Bus?
.

[Deleted User 1874]

Indeed. In that respect the answer would seem to be an open national grid with 'a charge' accessible through a key code. That said it would be a massive logistical and financial undertaking which I just don't see happening. And I have this feeling that in 20 years or so technology will have gone through another cycle and EV will be viewed as old or wrong.

Definitely not going to be wireless charging points in every public street parking space. The council can't even cope with filling in simple potholes at the moment! It might work in your driveway or garage, but I suspect the installation cost will put a lot of people off compared to a simple and probably much faster plug-in charger. "Tomorrow's World" fodder all this I think i.e. not really what will happen in reality. I think EV charging practicalities will become a serious challenge to the progress of this technology once the number of EVs reaches a critical mass. It's all very well having half a dozen token "Tesla" charging points in the shopping centre car park and even very early on Sunday morning I noticed they were all taken. But what happens when nearly everyone has an EV of some sort and probably no "standard" charger protocol? Then they will literally be fighting for charging spots and we'll be tripping over masses of wires strewn across pavements. Don't see it happening for decades, if at all. I may well still buy an EV for local commuting as we have a garage and I won't need to charge it anywhere else, but that's not practical for many motorists.

[goron59]

Yes, pure EVs are all but useless for people who can't have a garage of some kind with access to power.
Unless the range is so good you only need to charge , say, once a week.
Trickle charging in slow city roads, carparks, and wotnot could help a bit maybe.

No, I think, energy storage tech has to change completely before pure EVs will be ubiquitous. Maybe a 1000 mile range in a briefcase-sized pack you can bring into the home...

[Deleted User 1874]

If there was an EV Macan it would need a genuine 400 mile range along with the performance of the current SD to tempt me (oh and not £100K+). So for now I'll stick with diesel or petrol and the next one I expect will probably be hybrid.

[goron59]

I called Volvo to ask for an XC60 T8 test drive. Didn't have one, so I'm having a XC90 T8 (the dual engine hybrid) test drive and then a XC60 D4 (diesel). I think I need to get this out of my system so I can get on with life A good mild hybrid that I don't need to plug in, but can if I want to, is going to feature in my life soon, I think.

[Col Lamb]

I vested an interest in the new Mini Countryman hybrid a couple of months ago.

Local dealer rang me to advise that they now have a demonstrator in stock.

Therefore I have arranged a test drive on Monday morning.

Initial blurb indicates that the EV side is severely range limited but for most of my short trips around the City it would be OK.

Will write up a review next wek.