Forum Topic

Environmental friendly motoring

Good to see use being made (in Carlton Drive) of one of the new street light charging points 🙂

Michael Ixer ● 2740d28 Comments

And three Zip flex cars (at least two electric) in a row in Telegraph Road - that seems sort of appropriate 

Michael Ixer ● 2740d

???????

Ivonne Holliday ● 2740d

Yay!  More pioneers needed.

Philippa Bond ● 2739d

Michael just a thought, if roads in Putney are really busy how do you get a connection. Also had a look at one today in our road if school children lifted the flap and poked something into the holes would they get electrocuted.

Barbara Stevens ● 2737d

Apart from the fact there must be safety regulations that hopefully provide protection against that and any problems with rainwater looking at the ubitricty instructions for these one needs a phone, app or special cable to initiate charging and therefore the sockets presumably aren't live before a valid request is made? As for finding a free charging point then I guess that's like finbding a free resident parking space ... easier to use a Zipcar flex eGolf and let them look after the charging?

Michael Ixer ● 2736d

Google can you get electrocuted, or get cancer from an electric car.

Barbara Stevens ● 2736d

People have odd and irrational attitude to risk: when they get up in the morning they may think "I'm unlikely to get killed in a road accident today but I might win the lottery". In practice one is much more likely to get killed in a road accident than have a significant lottery win (sorry, can't be bothered to look up the odds). So, perhaps one could get killed using Google - if you use your laptop in the bath while charging it and drop it! Never heard of electric cars causing cancer. Hydrocarbons can be carcinogenic, so petrol and diesel aren't good to inhale (hence the pump nozzles in California that clamp onto the filler holes), perhaps lithium is carcinogenic; don't lick your phone or car batteries? 😶 

Michael Ixer ● 2736d

The answer to both is no: another example of ill-founded scare stories: "There's a lot of misinformation floating around about the dangers presented by electric or hybrid cars. Several news articles have suggested that fire and rescue crews face a serious chance of being electrocuted if they cut into the wires of an electric car, or that they might be electrocuted just from touching such a car if it is partially or fully submerged in water. These articles are overinflating the danger at best. There isn't a single case on record of a rescuer being shocked while extricating someone from a crashed electric or hybrid vehicle -- submerged or not."
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/vehicles/electric-car-shock.htm
"Could electric cars cause cancer? Like all electric devices, and indeed like all motor vehicles, they do produce electromagnetic fields. However, these fields are far too weak to give cause for concern, say EU-funded scientists at the end of a comprehensive research project."
https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/news/clean-bill-health-electric-cars

Richard Carter ● 2735d

Sorry Michael, I worked at Peugeot for ten yrs ordering all their new vehicles, do not think I am irrational just curious what is so great about electric. Somebody has to ask these questions or in another 10yrs every everybody will go back to buying diesel like they were told a few years ago.

Barbara Stevens ● 2735d

What do they do if they break down on a motorway and no charging points. Are they all going to be sitting in the middle of the motorway. New batteries are going to cost a very large sum.

Barbara Stevens ● 2735d

Presumably AA or RAC etc will be able to recharge in the event of a breakdown?

Lucille Grant ● 2735d

Lucille, just rang the AA and asked them no they don't have any equipment to charge the car. They have to tow you, they can mend a problem depending on what it is. The young lady said better to get a hybrid.

Barbara Stevens ● 2735d

We dont see huge numbers of petrol cars abandoned because they have run out of fuel. Surely it's a simple matter of ensuring you have enough fuel / charge to avoid breaking down ? May not be as straightforward to recharge on route but until more fast charging points are placed in motorway services it's about planning your trip

Andy Pike ● 2735d

Range and recharging are currently an issue. Range has been increasing rapidly during the past couple of years so 200+ miles on a full battery charge is now feasible. Charging and battery technology is again advancing at a fast pace so a reasonable recharge can be done while one stops for lunch. The number of recharging points are increasing and companies are investing in this: BP recently acquired Chargemaster, the leading EV charging company. At a recent financial services presentation I attended it wasn't if but when EVs will take over from internal combustion engined vehicles - ok, they were promoting investment a in EV and renewable technologies! With regard to breakdowns, I don't see anything different for EVs: if the AA, RAC, etc can't fix it at the roadside they have recovery services. In practice electric power trains are simpler and have fewer working parts (no blown head gaskets, no need for anti knock additives, dirty spark plugs, etc) so should be less likely to fail, and for the same reason once in high volume production should be cheaper. It's interesting to see the strides made in the Formula e series during the past few years, no longer having to use two cars per race as in the two years it was at Battersea Park; looking forward to seeing it return to the ExCel centre in 2020 ☺

Michael Ixer ● 2735d

I find it fascinating and worrying the extent that people will go to argue their way out of changing their routines in life.  We always used to joke about friends who we  thought of as set in routine but the way that so many of us lead such pressurised lives now that they don't or won't take time out to reflect on life any more is problem.

Philippa Bond ● 2735d

There are some points to be considered with EVs. Is the National Grid infrastructure being upgraded fast enough to cater for the extra capacity needed for charging of EVs if we all plugged one in at home overnight? Can the country produce enough power from renewable sources to meet that demand, etc? From various seminars I've attended it does appear these issues are known and plans in place to attend to them - even if, I believe, it still relies on some nuclear power generation. There are some complexities; for example, I've been told the NG feeds need adjusting as with wind power Scotland will become a net producer rather than consumer of elecrricity so some reconfiguration of the grid is needed. Some of these things need to be challenged, discussed and, if nessary, resolved.

Michael Ixer ● 2735d

better insulation and good ventilation.  It is worrying the way that so many very small flats are being built where the only option is mechanical ventilation as it is impossible to take advantage of cross-ventilation...  Buildings need to be designed so that the immediate reaction to heat or cold is not to reach for an electric switch.We also need to learn to wear layers so that we can easily add or take off a layer when the weather changes rather than reaching for an electric switch. There are teenagers who don't seem to have learnt this.There are streets where they share their overproduction of electricity amongst each other.  We need more of them.  It would be good if the feed-in tariff was reintroduced.There are schools like these where photovoltaic cells have been funded by individual investors in a cooperative:https://schools-energy-coop.co.uk/These too should and could be encouraged.

Philippa Bond ● 2735d

Philippa most of the population of old people wear layers of jumpers because they are unable to pay for their electric as the bills are so high. This is beyond any sort of joke telling people not to use electric when the Government want to change all central heating from gas to electric. Old people are sorry they are living longer these days. Perhaps they should all freeze to death. When cooking you get fumes so open a window , when toasting bread you get particles in the air, damp in rooms can effect your lungs. So don't tell people to turn off their electric this is madness.

Barbara Stevens ● 2734d

Also Philippa start up your own thread instead of putting it on electric charging points.

Barbara Stevens ● 2734d

One of the last points made on electric charging points was about the increased availability of electricity needed.We can increase the availability of electricity by:Making sure all new buildings have been designed so as NOT to use massive amounts eg using photovoltaic cells on roofs and thought put into orientation and shading and insulation.Encouraging people to insulate their homes well.  There was a piece on Transition Town Tooting about a house that had been insulated to reduce the amount of fuel needed. I think this is now a bit out of date as wood chip burners are no longer considered as neutral for the environment as they once were but there are other points there. There may well be other solutions now.http://transitiontowntooting.blogspot.com/2018/10/local-stories-of-sustainability-success.htmlWe can also petition Government for the reintroduction of the feed in rate for electricity and to call for better building techniques.  www.10:10.org is a charity that does this.  There are others such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.  You can also write to your MP (and find out what they are saying in Parliament and how they vote): www.theyworkforyou.com Teaching our children to be more conscientious and use less electricity and to wear layers is something that we seem to have failed to have done or have done enough of. It took a foreign teenager to embarrass and bring some sense to Parliament recently.Barbara: Have you got solar panels on your boat?  Maplins sell things like this online now.  Solar lights are also good - for electricity cuts - if not instead of using electricity.  I bought a couple at Ecobuild (now Futurebuild) several years ago from a charity called Solar Aid where the deal was that for every one that I bought another would be sent to Africa.  These help children to do their homework without the risk of being badly scalded by paraffin lamps or having to breathe in the fumes.  Education is important.  You need to look at a bigger picture.

Philippa Bond ● 2734d

More info here.

Philippa Bond ● 2734d

We don't live on our boat Philippa We travel when it's light . I'm sure for many years children have been told to turn the light off it's not a new thing. Perhaps The House of Lords or Commons, might listen to you and turn their lights off. Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace.  But if you had babies in the 70's you would dread the blackouts, trying to climb stairs with babies in the dark. Tell massive companies turn their lights off, not private households.

Barbara Stevens ● 2734d

There are several chargers in the Commondale and they seem to be used quite a bit :)

Bunny Payne ● 2734d

We can change our lighting to LEDs.  They use far less electricity.  I think that you will find that many of the places you mention will have already changed their lightbulbs to LEDs.  Councils are changing their streetlights to LEDs.

Philippa Bond ● 2734d

https://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/home-energy-efficiency/lighting/energy-saving-light-bulbsThere is a lot of info online about lightbulbs and where to dispose of used ones.  They have been improving over the years.  We stayed in a house a several years ago where they turned on as you walked down the hall or into the bathroom and then off again when there was no movement.

Philippa Bond ● 2734d

There is more information here including the map showing where all the charging points are.http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/info/200083/roads_highways_and_pavements/598/electric_car_charging_pointsYou can also fill in a form to let the Council know if you would like a charging point near your home (although they don't at present have any more funding for this).

Philippa Bond ● 2734d

A survey from LA showing the benefits of reducing pollution...https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/21/725364857/when-las-air-got-better-kids-asthma-cases-dropped?

Michael Ixer ● 2731d

See www.hammersmithtoday.co.uk.  The more points there are the more comfortable people become to use electric cars.  Some petrol stations now have them too.  A friend who visited Norway recently commented on the high number they'd seen there.

Philippa Bond ● 2730d