Monthly Archives: September 2015

New membership scheme announced by Chargemaster

September 21, 2015BP Chargemaster, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

Chargemaster, the largest operator of electric vehicle charging points in the UK, has confirmed a new subscription scheme called POLAR Plus, which will also offer members the chance to borrow the latest luxury electric cars.

The expanding POLAR London and POLAR national network of over 4,000 charging points will be available to any electric motorist for a monthly subscription of just £7.85 – similar to popular streaming services Netflix or Amazon Instant – and the first six months’ subscription is free.

Over 80% of the POLAR Plus charging points are free to use, with remaining points charged at the equivalent of 9p per unit of electricity* – typically less than the cost of charging at home. A pay-as-you-go instant access rate will also be available for non-members. These new tariffs make a significant difference for EV drivers especially on rapid chargers where members can charge an electric car to 80% capacity in around 20 minutes in all POLAR rapid locations at a cost of about £2 when previously it would cost around £6. A key feature of the membership scheme is the opportunity to borrow, for one week, a selection of the latest electric cars, with members accruing usage points.

The POLAR Experience fleet includes the BMW i8 and Tesla Model S, as well as Nissan Leaf, Renault Zoe and the fun Renault Twizy. Users receive 10 POLAR points each time they charge in a particular town or city across the country each month. 10 points enable you to use a Renault Twizy and 100 points results in driving a BMW i8. As new models are launched, including the Tesla Model X SUV and vehicles from Audi and Mercedes, they will be available for members to sample shortly after their introduction in the UK.

David Martell, Chief Executive of Chargemaster, commented:

“POLAR Plus is a hugely attractive position to the growing population of electric motorists across the country and in particular the heavy user. Electric vehicle usage has more than trebled over the last year and now is the time for there to be an expanding robust nationwide charging network. Not only will EV motorists gain access to a national network of serviceable, state of the art charging points but they will be able to sample all the latest in electric car technology.

“We find that once converted to ultra-low emission motoring, people tend not to return to high-emission pure internal combustion engine cars.”

Membership scheme follows recent expansion announcement The announcement follows a multi-million pound investment commitment from the firm to install an additional 2000 plus new charging points across the country alongside its existing 4000 POLAR points, including 1000 new charging points in London. Charging points will be located at convenient destinations for EV drivers such as hotels, supermarkets, restaurants and sports facilities. In addition, Chargemaster has offered to replace any faulty public charging points from other manufacturers at no cost to local authority hosts. This aims to resolve significant issues across the UK where old third-party charging points installed under the government-funded Plugged in Places scheme have been unserviceable for some time.

Chargemaster has also recently completed an agreement to take over the Plugged in Midlands (PiM) network of 870 charging points. All publicly available PiM points will be added to the POLAR Plus network over the next few weeks. The firm has also committed to adding over 100 new charging points in the Midlands. POLAR Plus membership will be available from August 17th and EV drivers can join on line at www.polar-network.com.

Source: Chargemaster

The Earth’s Battery Is Running Low

September 20, 2015Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

An interesting analogy: the earth’s resources as a battery running down

In the quiet of summer, a couple of U.S. scientists argued in the pages of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that modern civilization has drained the Earth — an ancient battery of stored chemical energy — to a dangerous low.

Although the battery metaphor made headlines in leading newspapers in China, India and Russia, the paper didn’t garner “much immediate attention in North America,” admits lead author John Schramski, a mechanical engineer and an ecologist.
And that’s a shame, because the paper gives ordinary people an elegant metaphor to understand the globe’s stagnating economic and political systems and their close relatives: collapsing ecosystems. It also offers a blunt course of action: “drastic” energy conservation.

It, too, comes with a provocative title:

“Human domination of the biosphere: Rapid discharge of the Earth-space battery foretells the future of humankind.”

Electric vehicles offer big savings on servicing

September 19, 2015e-Up, Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Renault, Volkswagen, ZOETrevor Larkum

At last some data to confirm what most EV owners already suspected

When fleets compare electric vehicle (EV) costs with diesel, most of the emphasis is put on the P11d price and fuel. However, there are also significant differences in service and maintenance costs. Put simply, servicing and maintenance of a fully-electric vehicle is estimated to cost between 25% and 40% less than that of a petrol or diesel car.

“There are fewer parts that will require maintenance in an EV,” explains Chris Chandler, principal consultant, fleet consultancy, at leasing giant Lex Autolease.

Unlike petrol or diesel vehicles, which have dozens of moving components in their engine and transmission, EVs have a simple drivetrain, typically consisting of just three parts: an on-board charger, inverter and motor.

When Ford unveiled its Focus electric car in America in 2012, it listed more than 20 items used in petrol and diesel cars but not in EVs that require inspection, maintenance or replacement over a vehicle’s 10-year/150,000-mile life.

These included the alternator, power steering fluid (it uses electrical assistance), radiator and assorted pipework, spark plugs, starter motor, thermostat, timing belt and a water pump.

This makes an EV cheaper and means there are fewer moving parts to go wrong, resulting in improved reliability and on-road times.

On top of this, EVs require no oil changes, spark plugs, air filter, transmission fluid, exhaust pipe or radiator hoses, all of which can add to the service, maintenance and repair (SMR) costs of a petrol or diesel vehicle.

The relative simplicity of an EV’s drivetrain is reflected in its SMR costs, according to Nissan. It says that both the Leaf and Nissan e-NV200 cost “considerably less to service and maintain than diesel or petrol alternatives”.

Feeding people on our stressed planet will require a revolution

September 18, 2015Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

Two renowned scientists—Stanford’s Paul Ehrlich and UC-Berkeley’s John Harte — argue that feeding the planet goes way beyond food. Revolutionary political, economic and social shifts are necessary to avoid unprecedented chaos.

How do you make sure billions of people around the world have access to food?

You start a revolution.

At least that’s what two leading U.S. scientists argue in a new report. Feeding people will require cleaner energy, smarter farming and women’s rights, but also a “fundamental cultural change,” according to Paul Ehrlich, president of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University, and University of California, Berkeley, professor and researcher John Harte.
John Harte (Berkeley.edu)

“What is obvious to us is … that if humanity is to avoid a calamitous loss of food security, a fast, society-pervading sea-change as dramatic as the first agricultural revolution will be required,” they wrote in their report published last week in the International Journal of Environmental Studies.

The amount of humans on Earth is growing—projections point to an extra 2.5 billion people by 2050.

But tangled within the problem of more hungry mouths is environmental degradation, social injustice and humans pushing toward the very boundaries of the planet when it comes to resources such as food, water and energy, according to Ehrlich and Harte.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (2015) review

September 17, 2015Electric Cars, Mitsubishi, News, Reviews and Comment, Outlander PHEVTrevor Larkum

Car Magazine reviews the Outlander PHEV

► Petrol-electric plug-in hybrid SUV
► Averages 148mpg – on paper…
► Tall car, low CO2 emissions, and low tax

Mitsubishi success stories have been a bit thin on the ground since the WRC glory days and Evo/Impreza wars heyday. But the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is actually doing rather well for itself, in the world of fleet sales at least.

That’s because PHEV, of course, stands for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, and the Outlander’s partial electrification means it’s allowed to declare improbably low CO2 emissions of 44g/km, which in turn mean a lower-than-low company car tax band.

Officially, it’s the best-selling plug-in car in the UK – and by an enormous margin. That alone makes it worthy of investigation. Is the PHEV’s appeal more than just BIK-band deep?

How much does the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV cost?

Were you to buy one outright, prices start at £28,249 for the entry-level GX3 trim, rising to around £40k for the most kit-laden examples at the time of writing (and with the current £5k government grant for plug-in cars factored in). Post-grant, the PHEV is priced to compete directly against the conventional diesel-engined Outlander. So there’s no hefty premium for plugging in here.

But the majority of Outlander buyers are likely to be spending their company’s money, not their own, because it’s in the fleet world that the PHEV makes the most sense. That 44g/km CO2 rating places the car in the lowest possible BIK banding of 5% (for 2015/16 – it’ll rise a little each year), which represents a temptingly huge potential saving over a similarly sized conventionally powered SUV. Plus the handy bonus of ducking under the London congestion charge.

10 Most Fuel-Efficient Luxury Cars Of 2015

September 16, 2015B-Class, BMW, i3, i8, Mercedes, Model S, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaTrevor Larkum

Kelley Blue Book released its list of the “10 Most Fuel-Efficient Luxury Cars of 2015.”

Ranking is opened by BMW i3 (second year in a row in the # 1 spot), followed by Tesla Model S, Mercedes-Benz B-Class ED, Cadillac ELR and BMW i8. Plug-ins capture the entire Top 5.

Best hybrid is at 6th and with more plug-in models coming, next year plug-ins could take the entire Top 10.

2015 BMW i3
2015 Tesla Model S
2015 Mercedes-Benz B-Class
2014 Cadillac ELR
2015 BMW i8
2015 Lexus CT 200h
2016 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
2015 Lexus ES 300h
2015 BMW 328d
2016 Audi A3 TDI

About the winner:

“BMW’s i3 tops this list for the second year in a row. This electric 4-door’s design is modern and fresh, and truly stands out on the road. Not only is the i3 the most fuel-efficient luxury car, it’s the most fuel-efficient car, period. Adding a cure for anxiety is an available range-extending gas engine.

City/highway/combined mpge: 137/111/124
Range: 81 miles”

Source: Inside EVs

Doomsday Preppers Vindicated By Hurricane Sandy

September 16, 2015Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Peak OilTrevor Larkum

A look back at November 2012

Brian Shebairo, the owner of hipster hot dog haven Crif Dogs in Manhattan’s East Village, just made it through Hurricane Sandy’s devastating power outage without closing down. Now he’s sitting on 210 gallons of gas — during a quasi-apocalyptic fuel shortage — in anticipation of another looming crisis: the nor’easter expected Wednesday.

Businesses from Crif Dogs to Goldman Sachs can be considered true business preppers in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy (Image: dsgray16/Flickr)

“People looked at me like I’m crazy, but the reality is you never know,” Shebairo told The Huffington Post.

“It sucks to need something and not have it, and it’s pretty awesome to need something and have it. And I’ve had it.”

Shebairo is prepping for the nor’easter just as he did for Sandy, not only with full gas cans, but with heavy duty extension cords, power strips, batteries, chainsaws, bolt cutters, pallets of water and about 10 generators.

“I don’t have a ‘go bag’,” he said. “I have a ‘go truck’.”

Shebairo is what’s known, in certain circles, as a doomsday prepper. And these folks are having something of a moment. Often mocked for fearing a nuclear war or zombie apocalypse, they’ve gotten a bad rap since Chicken Little, but the consequences of not being prepared for Hurricane Sandy has given preppers a credibility boost. Many believe it may draw the prepper movement from the fringe to the mainstream.

We’re now halfway to UN global warming limit

September 16, 2015Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

It’s the outcome the world wants to avoid, but we are already halfway there. All but one of the main trackers of global surface temperature are now passing more than 1 °C of warming relative to the second half of the 19th century, according to an exclusive analysis done for New Scientist.

2015 is shaping up to be a scorcher (Image: M. Salem/Reuters)

We could also be seeing the end of the much-discussed slowdown in surface warming since 1998, meaning this is just the start of a period of rapid warming.

“There’s a good chance the hiatus is over,”

says Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.

Last year was the hottest since records began, but only just. With an El Niño now under way – meaning warm surface waters in the Pacific are releasing heat into the atmosphere – and predicted to intensify, it looks as if the global average surface temperature could jump by around 0.1 °C in just one year.

“2015 is shaping up to smash the old record,” says Trenberth.

Doomsday Prepping for a Sustainable Future

September 16, 2015Energy and Climate Change, Opinion, Prepping and CollapseTrevor Larkum

An article from back in 2012 with an interesting take on Transition versus Prepping

Is the “end” near? If the pop-culture version of the Mayan calendar’s “apocalyptic” predictions turns out to be correct and the world ends on 12/21/12, then you will probably not be reading this blog. The fiscal “cliff” sounds dire, but luckily it is only an annoying metaphor. This latest round of end-of-the-world hysteria is part of an ongoing theme in American culture that includes the 20th century fears of Cold War nuclear Armageddon, the “Y2K” mania leading up to December 31, 1999, Dick Cheney’s obsession in the early 2000s of terrorists with suitcase nukes, and the constant stream of movies and television shows portraying the sudden dramatic end of civilization.

Americans consciously or subconsciously understand that the world as we know it could alter in an instant, and such TV shows provide cathartic relief to that tension. Notable among cable television’s recent boom in “end times” programming is National Geographic Channel’s “Doomsday Preppers.” The show profiles individuals and families as they build bunkers and compounds, can dry goods, and purchase paramilitary vehicles that can serve as mobile homes in which to survive amidst the teeming post-apocalyptic masses. Each “prepper” has their threat of choice, ranging from earthquakes, tidal waves, droughts, and food shortages, to super-volcanoes, nuclear holocaust, viruses, terrorists, and more. The show takes all apocalyptic scenarios seriously and provides an expert to evaluate the prepper’s actions and suggest improvements and additional preparations they can make in the basic categories of water, food, shelter, and security.

Food Storage And Prepping Are So Important (Image: SurvivalistPrepper.net)

To audiences concerned with sustainability and climate change, the show sends mixed messages. On the one hand, most preppers demonstrate an admirable understanding of where their food and water come from, the motivation to design resilient systems, and display actions consistent with basic emergency preparedness. On the other hand, the show tends to highlight the “lifeboat strategy” of saving one’s self, family, and perhaps a few friends, while allowing the rest of society to crash and burn, with an emphasis on guns instead of, say, community gardens.

Australia going over to battery-powered homes

September 16, 2015Energy and Climate Change, Energy Storage, News, Reviews and Comment, Solar PowerTrevor Larkum

Where Australia leads – with its large amounts of sunshine – the UK should eventually follow

When Jane Whiltsher used to open her power bill it grated.

“I always felt that I was being ripped off,” she says.

“It’s just the way they operate. It keeps going up and up.”

Two months after having a rooftop solar and battery system installed, it’s a different story.

Lithium-ion batteries have been on offer to Australian homes and businesses for the last year or so

Whiltsher’s bill has more than halved. She enjoys the novelty of watching her “new toy” transforming the flow of energy around her house, leaving her largely independent of the wires outside.

At approaching $40,000, it hasn’t been a cheap investment. But that’s not the point.

“As far as I am concerned if it takes me off the grid then it’s paid for itself already,” she says.

Whiltsher’s enthusiasm to invest hard-earned cash for a home power system that may take as long as 12 years to pay for itself is being echoed around the country as Australians race to install batteries.