Electric Cars

Martin Holden

Member
Trade
Location
Cheltenham
I passed a Tesla ‘driver’ on an Italian motorway who obviously wasn’t driving, as both his feet were poking out of the drivers side window and resting in front of the wing mirror.
If Tesla’s are ‘the future’, then the future is populated by morons.
Morons are already here!! You can find them every time you venture out. I was in a long queue at least 20 cars I could see In the rear view mirror this Monday late afternoon on the north Devon link road heading East. We all followed a Fastrac towing a Bailey flatbed full of tattie or something similar for over 8 miles. We passed at least 3 easy pull in lay-bys but did the driver pull in? Nope, he went all the way to the roundabout at the Tiverton west junction. I bet he was shocked at how much traffic came past him on the dual carriageway up to the motorway. I was always taught to pull in if you can see at least 10 vehicles behind you!!
 

Robt

Member
Location
Suffolk
I was on a blues call out yesterday. Approx 10 cars behind tractor going through Forrest. We sat straddling the white line for 20 seconds before the tractor at fron realised a s saw us. He indicated left to pull over ( no lay-by so knew he saw us) as did every other car except 2. They simply pulled out and over took. No signal, no mirror check. Luckily we anticipate it as you can generally see when a car in front clocks you. They happily past tractor with us behind on blues. It took them another 10 seconds before they saw us. So not once did they check their mirrors... it really does make you expect the unexpected. I see 90% of farm vehicle driver expect the unexpected too.
We are a high 4x4 response so our headlights shine directly at wing mirrors. Rapid response Skoda etc doesn’t and those poor buggers go faster than us and risk their own lives
 
I was on a blues call out yesterday. Approx 10 cars behind tractor going through Forrest. We sat straddling the white line for 20 seconds before the tractor at fron realised a s saw us. He indicated left to pull over ( no lay-by so knew he saw us) as did every other car except 2. They simply pulled out and over took. No signal, no mirror check. Luckily we anticipate it as you can generally see when a car in front clocks you. They happily past tractor with us behind on blues. It took them another 10 seconds before they saw us. So not once did they check their mirrors... it really does make you expect the unexpected. I see 90% of farm vehicle driver expect the unexpected too.
We are a high 4x4 response so our headlights shine directly at wing mirrors. Rapid response Skoda etc doesn’t and those poor buggers go faster than us and risk their own lives

Why no sirens as well then?
 

Scrambler

Member
Location
Leicestershire
So just to clear things up a bit regarding my original post, do all all of you out there who have electric cars have an artificial engine noise, switchable or not?
No artificial engine noise on our BMW i3. New ones might have it though. We’ve had ours since 2014. It’s a wonderful car. BMW’s second fully electric car will be a version of the X3. It seems a pathetic attempt compared to the i3.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
In other words you want taxes to go up 100 times what it is now? they cant even fix a few potholes with the taxes they get from us now.

doesn’t have to involve tax - i don’t recall tax paying to build petrol stations ?

if it stacks up there will be commercial teason to invest in it

oil companies make LOTS of money and this is probably their future
 
doesn’t have to involve tax - i don’t recall tax paying to build petrol stations ?

if it stacks up there will be commercial teason to invest in it

oil companies make LOTS of money and this is probably their future

The cost of fudging around with roads is horrendous. I don't see any need for the technology if people are perfectly able to charge their vehicles at work or home.

Oil companies (well, some) are desperately trying to shift away from petrochemicals but the electricity market is pretty intense.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
The cost of fudging around with roads is horrendous. I don't see any need for the technology if people are perfectly able to charge their vehicles at work or home.

Oil companies (well, some) are desperately trying to shift away from petrochemicals but the electricity market is pretty intense.

i belive plans to do the m25 have already been discussed ? shell were involved i think ?

i guess commercial viability will decide - not more tax as suggested !
 
i belive plans to do the m25 have already been discussed ? shell were involved i think ?

i guess commercial viability will decide - not more tax as suggested !

Lots of talk, you see it a lot.

Given the average speed of a vehicle on the M25 at peak times (approx 0 miles per hour) I would suggest that no one is going to be draining their batteries on that road much.

Need to upgrade the train network and avoid so many people commuting to London really.
 

sjt01

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North Norfolk
I was on a blues call out yesterday. Approx 10 cars behind tractor going through Forrest. We sat straddling the white line for 20 seconds before the tractor at fron realised a s saw us. He indicated left to pull over ( no lay-by so knew he saw us) as did every other car except 2. They simply pulled out and over took. No signal, no mirror check. Luckily we anticipate it as you can generally see when a car in front clocks you. They happily past tractor with us behind on blues. It took them another 10 seconds before they saw us. So not once did they check their mirrors... it really does make you expect the unexpected. I see 90% of farm vehicle driver expect the unexpected too.
We are a high 4x4 response so our headlights shine directly at wing mirrors. Rapid response Skoda etc doesn’t and those poor buggers go faster than us and risk their own lives
I was really embarrassed when in a loaner Merc S class while the Tesla was in for service, going down the A140, did not see blue lights until very late. The Merc interior mirror was much closer to the driver than ususal, so was not in your direct line of vision and you needed to look sideways to check what was going on.
It was a black S class, so I felt like either a minor dictator or a drug dealer. Horrible car, glad to get mine back.
 
I was really embarrassed when in a loaner Merc S class while the Tesla was in for service, going down the A140, did not see blue lights until very late. The Merc interior mirror was much closer to the driver than ususal, so was not in your direct line of vision and you needed to look sideways to check what was going on.
It was a black S class, so I felt like either a minor dictator or a drug dealer. Horrible car, glad to get mine back.

Those Mercs tend to be whisper quiet inside mind as well. Lots of cars don't seem to have the 'mirrorage' you would expect these days. You can hide a motorcyclist in the A pillar of many of them too.
 

Lincsman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
doesn’t have to involve tax - i don’t recall tax paying to build petrol stations ?

if it stacks up there will be commercial teason to invest in it

oil companies make LOTS of money and this is probably their future
Petrol stations effectively send lots of money to the treasury... more than the place the petrol came from nearly.
 

sjt01

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North Norfolk
i belive plans to do the m25 have already been discussed ? shell were involved i think ?

i guess commercial viability will decide - not more tax as suggested !
Also, the greater the gap between transmitter and receiver, the greater the loss. So it would really only be economic if the road could be guaranteed to be smooth with no junk on it, and the collector plate could be lowered to a few mm above road surface.
 

Highland Mule

Member
Livestock Farmer
Also, the greater the gap between transmitter and receiver, the greater the loss. So it would really only be economic if the road could be guaranteed to be smooth with no junk on it, and the collector plate could be lowered to a few mm above road surface.

Sounds terribly inefficient, expensive to install and operate and open to abuse - I forsee a great industry to hack the system and get free top-ups. Also unnecessary, given the range and charge times we have now (and which are getting better all the time).
 

sjt01

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North Norfolk
Sounds terribly inefficient, expensive to install and operate and open to abuse - I forsee a great industry to hack the system and get free top-ups. Also unnecessary, given the range and charge times we have now (and which are getting better all the time).
Totally unnecessary. With Gridserve planning to roll out a new network (starting in Braintree) and charge times dropping, you will be charged up by the time you return from having a pee. My route planning is determined by pee and coffee stops rather than chargers these days!
 
wifeless would work if they embedded it in the road so you charge as you drive
scalextric-c4041a-ford-gt40-1969-gulf-twin-pack.jpg


There's been a working demonstration of concept for years.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,287
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top