Daily Archives: October 9, 2015

Ultracharger launched by Chargemaster

October 9, 2015BP Chargemaster, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

Chargemaster launched its new Ultracharger at the CENEX Low Carbon Vehicle 2015 event (Wednesday 9th September), with a host of new innovations for the rapid charger.

Ultracharger Launched (Image: Chargemaster)

The Ultracharger can use Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras to automatically authorise and start charging a car that has been logged into the system. The unit can also be used with an RFID card or even by using a contactless debit or credit card.

Featuring a lightweight and compact design, the unit will not need planning permission in many cases, and a large touchscreen will help make the user interface accessible. The system can also be set up to send a text message to drivers, letting them know when their charge is complete.

The Ultracharger’s three cable design has been designed to be compatible with all EVs on the market in the UK that charge up to 50kW and is also able to retract the cables to keep the unit tidy.

Chargemaster CEO David Martell said:

“We’ve always been at the forefront of electric vehicle charging, and we’re proud to unveil the Ultracharger, which takes the industry a massive step forward in terms of modernisation.

“We are proud to be able to manufacture these in the UK, supporting the local economy, while offering high-quality good-value rapid chargers to the electric vehicle market. With a host of innovations, such as automatic number plate recognition and contactless payments, the Ultracharger will make life even easier for EV owners.”

Business Minister Anna Soubry, who unveiled the new Ultracharger, said:

“Research and development is vital to the long-term productivity and growth of our successful automotive industry, and will help companies secure a big share of growing international markets like low carbon and electric vehicles. Ultracharger is a good example of this and I am delighted to unveil it at LCV 2015.”

Source: Zap-map

2015 Audi A3 e-tron Video Review

Here is a swell review of the Audi A3 e-tron from the UK.

The first plug-in hybrid Audi will be available in the US soon, and priced from $37,900, or $34 657 after deducting tax credit.

You’ll find a more detailed description of the A3 e-tron here.

All-electric range under EPA testing is expected to be just over 20 miles.

https://youtu.be/bRpm96XtX80

Source: Inside EVs

Diesel pumps could run dry, says RAC Foundation

October 9, 2015Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, OilTrevor Larkum

Britain’s diesel pumps could “run dry” because of a growing dependence on foreign fuel, according to the RAC Foundation.

The motoring research group said diesel demand had been rising for decades, but UK refineries were struggling to cope.

There were 11 million diesel cars on the road last year, compared with just 1.6 million in 1994.

The RACF said that, at this rate, diesel would be four times more popular than petrol by 2030.

Yet we consume twice as much diesel as we produce, and that growing reliance on countries including Russia and India to supply the fuel could leave motorists “at the mercy of the global market” in future, the foundation said.

“Even if we are not in conflict with those countries that control the taps, they might simply decide they need more of what they produce for their own markets,” RACF director Steve Gooding told the BBC.

“If supply is interrupted, then at best we’ll see sharp rises in forecourt prices and, at worst, there is the unlikely but real possibility of pumps running dry.”

Should you join the electric car revolution?

October 9, 2015Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

You’ve probably noticed more electric cars on the road and toyed with switching. We give you the lowdown on the costs involved.

Ultra-low emission registrations up 386% on first quarter of 2014 (Image: OLEV)

It’s becoming clear to anyone monitoring the UK’s roads that electric cars are here to stay. The numbers are increasing to the point that they now represent over 1% of new UK car sales – not a lot but enough to make them visible and get people thinking: “Should I be joining them?” That’s what we’ll attempt to answer here.

Sales are increasing – to the end of July this year, they rose an impressive 211% over the year to 16,170 registered. That’s split between roughly a third pure electric cars and two-thirds plug-in hybrids, which keep a regular engine to extend the range when battery power is exhausted.

The government so far remains pro EVs (electric vehicles) and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles). It has extended a generous purchase grant to “at least” February 2016 after it looked like the previous allocation was about to run out and has said that it wants every new vehicle sold in the UK from 2040 onward to be an ULEV (ultra-low emission vehicle – you’d better get used to the acronyms if you want to join the ranks of buyers).

The list of cars that qualify for this grant of upwards of £5,000 off the list price are growing all the time (see box for the current list). Whereas two or three years ago your choice was limited to a handful of geeky machines in strange sizes, now you can zap about in electric-powered cars to suit all tastes, including versions of ordinary, practical models such as the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. You can wow neighbours in a PHEV supercar (the BMW i8) or lord it in the outside lane in the pure electric Tesla Model S, a phenomenally quick (and pricey) limo, which is surprisingly long-legged for an electric car. There are superminis, PHEV SUVs, people-carriers and even a minibus.

Renault will supply Daimler’s Smart with electric motors

October 9, 2015Electric Cars, ForTwo Electric, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, SmartTrevor Larkum

FRANKFURT (Reuters) — Renault will supply motors for electric versions of Daimler’s Smart city cars under their deepening 5-year-old alliance, the carmakers said today.

Smart unveiled its latest ForTwo Cabrio at the Frankfurt show

The motors will be the same as those used in the Renault Zoe EV. The units are manufactured at the French automaker’s plant in Cleon, France.

They will equip battery-powered versions of the Smart ForTwo minicar made at Daimler’s Hambach facility in France as well as its larger ForFour model, assembled by the French carmaker in Slovenia alongside the Renault Twingo subcompact.

All three cars share a Daimler-developed platform.

The Renault-powered electric Smart models will go on sale in 2016, the companies said in a statement at the Frankfurt auto show.

Batteries for the Smart EVs electric drive will be produced by the Daimler’s subsidiary, Deutsche ACCUmotive, in Kamenz, Germany.

The alliance between Daimler and Renault-Nissan, launched in April 2010, now covers 13 projects including engines, compact cars and a pickup for Mercedes-Benz.

Source: Auto News

What Does A ‘Pre-Apocalyptic’ Future Look Like?

October 9, 2015Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

Three years ago, author Claire Vaye Watkins burst onto the literary scene with her acclaimed short story collection, Battleborn. On September 29th, readers can finally get a copy of her much-anticipated first novel: Gold Fame Citrus, a blistering tour de force set in the drought-blighted California of a near future.

In Watkins’ future, the conditions of today have given way to a desertification so vast and powerful it’s almost sentient. The Sierra snowpack is depleted, the scant remaining water is protected by the National Guard and rationed by the Red Cross. A worst-case drought scenario has resulted in an unstoppable salt-sand dune sea, called the Amargosa after the first mountain range it subsumed. Despite the best efforts of technology, FEMA, and human stubbornness, the Amargosa is grinding away the inhabited Southwest in its wake.

In this near-future world, we meet Ray and Luz, two “mojavs” squatting in “Laurelless” Canyon. They are trapped inside withered California by closed borders, armed thugs, and above all, bureaucracy. After adopting a mysterious child named Ig, they attempt escape across the Amargosa. Their journey puts them directly in the path of the indifferent desert and its inhabitants: a colony led by a charismatic “dowser” with a miraculous ability to find water where none exists.

Getting Older After the Apocalypse

October 9, 2015Energy and Climate Change, Opinion, Peak Oil, Prepping and CollapseTrevor Larkum

Every now and then the Internet serves up something perfectly pitched to what you assumed were your own very individual fears.

On Thursday, for me, that was Romie Stott’s “futurist vision of retirement planning” at The Billfold. Planning for the eventual end of paid work isn’t just difficult because life is expensive and saving money is hard, she points out — it’s also difficult because the world is ending.

Okay, that might be my fears talking. But Ms. Stott does note that climate change over the next several decades will, at the very least, affect certain popular retiree destinations: “If your retirement dream includes a beach house, lake house, Florida, or New Mexico, add four to 11 degrees to the daily forecast; that’s the EPA’s best prediction for 2100 AD.”

That may sound relatively tame, but she also mentions booming populations of disease-bearing insects, and increasingly catastrophic storms. It’s predictions like this that, for years, have made me think of retirement planning not just in terms of 401(k)s but in terms of learning to build a fire.

New battery for Nissan Leaf to deliver 155-mile range

October 9, 2015Electric Cars, Leaf, Leaf 30kWh, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanTrevor Larkum

A new 30kWh battery in the Nissan Leaf will go on sale in December, delivering a claimed range of 155 miles.

It will go on sale alongside the 24kWh unit but will only be available in Acenta and Tekna trim, priced from £24,490 to £27,940 including the UK government’s £5000 Plug-in grant, which was recently extended until February 2016.

Nissan is also increasing its warranty for the 30kWh unit to an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty.

The new battery brings an increase in range of around 25% over the alternative 24kWh unit, according to Nissan. It has the same dimensions as the lesser-powered unit but is 21kg heavier. The manufacturer says this longer range is the result of the introduction of carbon, nitrogen and magnesium to the electrodes in the new unit.

Nissan expects the real-world range of the new battery to be around 12-15% less than the claimed 155 miles, representing a similar loss to the 24kWh unit. This would put the new battery’s real-world range at around the 135-mile mark.

In Acenta and Tekna trims, the 30kWh Leaf comes with a 7.0in touchscreen and the smartphone-compatible Nissan Connect EV infotainment system, which allows users to check the charge status of the car and remotely control features such as the air-con. The system the previous Car Wings set-up.

The new infotainment package includes a charging map that can show which charging points are available and which are being used. It also delivers maintainance alerts and a car-finder facility.

Exterior alterations are minimal and include a new roof-mounted aerial as well as the choice of a new bronze colour.

“It’s a game changer for Nissan,” said EV director for Europe Jean-Pierre Diernaz. “This increased range will have an impact on the perception of our electric vehicles and will open it up to a wider market.”

Diernaz also added that the Leaf range could expand in the future to new electric models.

“It’s possible,” he said. “We will take this technology, improve it, and we are looking at putting it wherever it is relevant for us as a line-up expansion, and where it is releveant for a consumer.

“This new battery is just the beginning of something bigger,” he added. “The next milestone is a range of over 180 miles.”

Earlier this year Nissan expanded the Leaf trim range with a new Acenta+ version, sitting between Acenta and range-topping Tekna priced at £24,740 including the plug-in grant.

Source: Autocar

A fresh and futuristic electric car

October 9, 2015Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOETrevor Larkum

…
Then comes along the Renault Zoe (Zero Emissions).

I’d be lying if I said my heart doesn’t sink whenever an electric car turns up at Motors HQ for a test. It just seems like hard work – working out how far you need to travel, checking the battery level available and then faffing around with charging cables.

But then I open the Zoe’s door and it looks … stunning.

There’s no drab, grey interior here – lots of white plastic and some nice digital displays.

The Star Wars geek in my thought it screamed Stormtrooper…

It’s comfortable and there’s an air of quality and technology all around.

Foot on the brake, press the Start button and the car comes alive. Not that you’d know it though because, being electric, it’s as quiet when fired up as it is turned off.

And this is where it gets good again.

There’s something magical about the way an electric car moves – it glides away, silently.

Except the Zoe has ZE Voice – an artificial noise that sounds like some kind of SFX you’d hear on Star Trek’s Enterprise. It’s all a bit spacey-sounding, and designed to work at low speeds to warn pedestrians that you’re there. It’s noticeable from inside, but not annoyingly loud, and can be turned off on each trip if you choose.

While driving the Zoe, there’s a flurry of excitement at the low-speed power available underfoot that’s mixed with concern over the damage that acceleration does to your battery life.

I never even got close to worrying about running low on juice, but that’s because I’ve learned from my past experiences and didn’t get too ambitious with my destinations.

After each full charge the Zoe told me I had roughly 70 miles of range.

So I stuck to routes that were no further than about 20 miles away, meaning I’d always have a bit extra for diversions, getting lost or just being able to put my foot down.

But the range meter stayed rather true to its estimates on all my trips, and on some regular commutes between Truro and Falmouth I ended up using even less “miles” than those I’d actually travelled.

Despite feeling like it’s carrying a bit of extra weight with all those batteries, the Zoe was totally comfortable and fun to drive.

If you’re brave enough to keep your foot down (on a closed track, obviously) then the Zoe will get to a top speed of 84mph.

Nought to sixty might be 13.5 seconds but bear in mind that nought to thirty is only four seconds. It’s wonderfully nippy for around town and while not intended for long journeys over dual carriageways or motorways, it’ll certainly hold its own, but you’d be a tad foolish to hammer down the right-hand lane, overtaking like glory-days Michael Schumacher.

An installed wall charger will allow you to keep it topped up at home, but you can also get a three-pin plug that can connect to the household mains – with the front Renault logo flipping open to take the connector.

There’s plenty of tech, too – from touchscreens to TFT displays and sat nav to air con, Bluetooth and downloadable apps.

The car we tested is currently £7,995 plus battery hire (which starts from, £43 per month – which is less than the cost of a tank of petrol).

The Renault Zoe feels fresh and futuristic, but shouldn’t be too alien for most drivers.

Much like politics, don’t let yourself be put off by the boring bits you don’t understand or worry might be too complicated.

My love/hate relationship with electrics continues – but this time the Zoe has put me back on a positive.

Source: Cornish Guardian

Atlantic Ocean Excited To Move Into Beautiful Beachfront Mansion Soon

October 9, 2015Energy and Climate Change, OpinionTrevor Larkum

WEST PALM BEACH, FL—Admitting it has had its eye on the property for quite some time, the Atlantic Ocean confirmed Monday that it was looking forward to moving into a beautiful beachfront mansion in the near future.

“For the longest time it seemed like this place was completely out of reach for me, but I’ve come a long way in the past few years, and now it’s looking more and more like a real possibility,”

said the body of water, which confided that, after having admired the building’s impressive exterior and grounds for so long, it was thrilled at the prospect of finally going inside and exploring all eight bedrooms and 7,500 square feet of living area.

“I’m not quite ready yet, but in a couple years or so, I can definitely see myself in there, making the place completely my own. And the little beachside community that the house is located in is just so cute, too—I can’t wait to go through and visit all the shops and restaurants.”

The ocean noted, however, that it might make a few cosmetic changes to the mansion once it moves in, including gutting the lower floor and taking out a few walls.

Source: The Onion