or Primetime EV. An Electric car videoblog
Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity, a very successful wind energy electrical power company here in the UK, is building an electric car in 7 months flat. You can follow it’s progress on Dales blog over at Zero Carbonista. I filmed this interview with him last month. The first part (above) is a discussion around the ‘wind car’ and electric cars in general. Click on the image to view video.
Links:electric car vlogging video podcast Dale Vince ecotricity Wind Car
“Motorists will have to drive electric cars for UK to meet climate change targets.” So runs the Telegraph headline today.
The reality of driving an electric vehicle here is getting harder as time goes on. There are more than 1000 vehicles on London’s roads now. Charging facilities are extremely limited, and most people do not have the luxury of a garage or off street parking. Since my local car park closed, I can never guarantee a charging space in the west end as the bays are permanently full. This makes life difficult in a limited range car such as the GWiz. The City of London has started to charge for EV’s to park in their garages and they haven’t added any further charging points. Camden Council who promised to bring in free parking for electric vehicles more than 2 years ago have still done nothing… and so the list goes on.
I’ve had to resort to charging at home. Not ideal as I have to run a cable across my pavement. If the Government is serious about getting Electric Vehicles on the roads here then lets start with a proper infrastructure now.
Click on the image to view my charging routine.
Links:electric car vlogging video podcast GWiz Lord Turner Charging EV
I went to the Sexy Green Car Show at The Eden Project in Cornwall recently. The Eden Project was brilliant, but I’m not sure about their car show. They had very little of interest - just the usual major manufacturers rolling out their low emission models. But they did have the Morgan Life Car there on it’s UK debut. This is a Hydrogen fuel cell prototype that has four individual electric motors linked to each wheel. Top speed of 85mph and a 0-60 of 7.5 seconds. I’m hoping there might be something in these hydrogen fuel cell cars powering electric motors… could be a long wait though. Click on the image to view video.
Links:electric car vlogging video podcast morgan life car hydrogen
Good News. Tesla are coming to The UK Motor Show this year. It’ll be on show in the ‘EV Village’ where there will be around twenty battery electric vehicles. Joining it will be the new Super Light from Nice (pictured) aswell as GWiz, Elektromotive (those great charging posts) and a new manufacturer known as Quiet Cars….
I cant help noticing that the Smart ED (EV) is getting a slating in the mainstream press. Top Gear has given it a 1/20 rating (not seen it that low before) in this month’s magazine . I’ve been on at Smart for over a year to try and get a test drive with no luck. They tell me they are reserving drives for journalists. Perhaps it’s a lesson to the big manufacturers in getting the guys who are enthusiasts with an enthusiastic audience to try your cars sooner. Or perhaps it’s just rubbish…
Meanwhile back at the group test… Here’s an extended test drive of the Kewet Buddy EV. Click on the image to view video (22 meg QT)
Here’s a look and a drive with the new Reva GWiz i with Steve, Goingreens new MD. 50mph top speed. 50 mile range. New safety features. Click on the image to view video. (28meg QT)
Ken’s made his decision on the Congestion Charge today and it’s not good for EV’s. As follows;
"A 100 per cent low CO2 discount for cars that:
Produce less than 120g/km CO2 and meet the Euro 4 standard for air pollution emissions OR Produce no more than 120g/km of CO2, and appear on the PowerShift register"
So many people have been working so hard on getting electric vehicles on the road. I really hope this isn’t another nail in the coffin….
Click on the image to view video. (4.4 meg QT)
Links:electric car vlogging video podcast porsche vw ev mercedes lotus bmw goingreen
Great news. Camden Council are planning on a series of charging points and free parking for electric vehicles on pay and display. I’m going to be spending some time filming them over the next few months as they implement the changes. Let’s hope Camden and Westminster serve as a catalyst for change both here and abroad.
Links:electric car vlogging video podcast vlog Camden Council ev Westminster Council
Predicting how far you can travel on a charge can be a tricky business. Click on the image to view video..(3.8meg QT).
Links:electric car vlogging
Thing about these Reva’s is that they feel as though they are going alot faster than they actually are. No humans were hurt during the making of this film - but there is some mild profanity…. Click on the image to view video (4.4 meg QT)
I was dreaming. Surely, that’s a ticket. Click on the image to view video (2.7 meg)
You drive. You find a parking meter. You park. You walk away. No scurrying about for 10 £1 coins. No rushing back at breakneck speed because you only had change for 3 mins….I must be dreaming. Click on the image to view video. (1.3 meg)
I’m in the congestion zone now, and the traffic is moving quite freely (no surprise at £8 per day). The car is fairly nippy so long as it’s in F (fast) mode. Need to keep an eye on that charge level though. Mind you, it’s been handy this week, what with an impending fuel crisis here in the UK. Click on the image to view video (2.3 meg)
I’m struggling to come to terms with the idea that you can park for free in central London with this car. You’ll understand what I mean if you’ve ever had an altercation with a traffic warden here. Due to the terrorist attacks, there were 50,000 extra cyclists on the roads last Thursday, some of whom looked decidedly wobbly. I ‘ve also heard that the second hand value on these cars is appreciating…perhaps there is an ev future after all. Click on the image to view video.
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