Electric powered MH 2021
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A number of concerns are put forward, range anxiety, time taken to charge the batteries, number of charging points available, impact on the electricity infrastructure to name a few.
But, things are developing quickly. A bunch of students at Cambridge University have developed an electric car which can reach speeds of 80kph (50mph) with four occupants, using just the power of a kettle. It has a single charge battery range of more than 900km, even without using the five square metres of solar cells on its roof. This is the equivalent of a trip from London to Edinburgh.
So soon we may have electric motorhomes.
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It’s not April 1st, is it?😄
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I’d like to see how that concept vehicle copes with real world motoring e.g. hills, keeping up with the traffic, darkness, rain, cold weather and all those other energy sapping situations. I’m sure it’s all good science and takes us forward, but practicality can’t be ignored.
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Love it! I remember the originals! Might just about make a camper?
David
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What a lovely vehicle. I would love one. Perfect for tootling around in.😁
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All the problems and worries about battery electric vehicles just disappear as soon as one doesn't really want to go anywhere in them. Much the same can be said about fossil fuel vehicles also. So really, if people stopped wanting to go somewhere so much we would get this idylic world with little effort.
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Cant wait to go on site and pay 20 quid for hook up cos the greenies are charging vehicles
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Still can't beat Merve's lithium solar setup being pulled along on a few gallons of "chip fat".
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It’s up to the CMC to decide what it’s strategy is to deal with that. Hopefully they’ll be proactive rather than surprised by it. If you operate a system that’s open to abuse, you shouldn’t be too surprised when it gets abused.
The ‘greenies’ as you describe them are not the problem here. They don’t buy EVs for fun, instead they pay a hefty purchase premium because they’re concerned about climate change and want to do their bit - good on them I say.
Using ‘greenies’ as a pejorative term isn’t very helpful. There still some dinosaurs out the that deny climate change, but many folks have moved beyond that now having witnessed regular extreme climate events far beyond what we experienced as kids. I suspect people in South Yorkshire mopping out their homes, Australians/ Californians surveying the charred remains of their homes, Africans wondering what happened to the rainy season, pacific ocean islanders in danger of inundation and polar bears wondering where all the ice went wouldn’t be overly concerned about a few ‘greenies’ or caravaners paying a few extra quid to indulge their hobby.
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Hi S B,
The one thing that puzzles me, with regard to climate warming, is that Ice ages come and go - as they have done - but none of the previous ones have been caused by us lot (humans.)
Now, in between ice ages you have 'warming', so what is different to that natural phenomena this time round?
To me it seems that it is just that we (the human race) are caught up in it, rather than causing it.
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Well, that’s one point of view. I suspect the flat earth society might agree with you!
However, I think it’s important to study the assessment of climate scientists rather than the Daily Express.
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Its not the 'natural' rhythms in question, its the very sudden and irrefutable 'additional contributions' to climate change and planet poisoning that are of great concern. These are accelerating the fluctuations and killing eco systems and the fora and fauna within. I'm afraid those additional pressures on climate change and plastic pollution we now witness is pretty much down to us lot! Its now happening in the blink of an eye, a human eye! In 'earth terms' we really haven't been around that long but we are having a massive impact.
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Oh, but back on topic, what a lovely looking van. It would make a brilliant camper van.
I'm also sure that the whole touring industry has to change and I think we are witnessing this club moving with a greener vision albeit slowly. Thing is change is not always appreciated but alway happens in my opinion.
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As the owner of an EV as our main vehicle I am very much in favour of them but I have to say that we are some way off of having a battery operated motorhome. It will need at least a doubling of current battery energy densities.
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Hard to believe but back in 1967 it was reported that Britain had more electric/battery vehicles on the roads than the rest of the world put together. Most of these would have been milk floats which had been in profitable and practical service for several decades. Like many things, the wheel goes full circle and is later 'reinvented' as something quite new.
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It is interesting that the electric motor predates the internal combustion engine (ICE). It is almost maintenance free, quiet, extremely efficient and delivers tremendous torque. The snag is the battery to power it which is why billions of dollars have been spent on battery technology.
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This household would love one. Empty shell to slide in custom built touring gear when required, out when using vehicle for other purposes. Proper touring as well, on non motorway routes, true exploration, hopping from stop off to stop off. Nice little two berth. 😁
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looks terrific and id love one too...
the 'modular' concept of converting van to MH and back again is alive in some VW vans currently.
main issue with a small finite size is getting a shower aboard for true go anywhere camping....that, to us, means away from sites and facilities.
having said that, i got two large radiators, heading for the tip (incl one at 2.2m) in our shopper Fiat 500.....with the tailgate closed!
however, a truly lovely vehicle.
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I think this would be a great project for a University, take a simple EV like the Morris J and create a touring vehicle. Forget all the previous ideas, and create an enjoyable touring vehicle, using new ideas.
Youngsters with no camping knowledge, please line up!
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Yes, Vdubs were always used in this way originally, camping bits came in modular form. A niece of ours, (who is into wild swimming and is a freelance journalist, does a lot of travelling) has just bought herself a Citroen Berlingo which she uses both conventionally, and for camping stays away. A rather clever friend of hers has built her some camping units that slide in and out, so she now has a warm, comfy cheap accommodation to use and save money on hotels etc... only seen pictures so far, but looks great. I sadly rather doubt this Club would welcome her outfit with open arms though.
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C&CC December magazine has an intersting article about the future of caravanning and motorhoming.
I rather liked the attached, not electric but........
peedee
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My previous point about greenies was obviously meant for reaction . Seriously , ithe race for electric is a joke ..Where do all the materials come from ? a lot dug out of the ground . precious metals from third world countries . End of life of batteries ? recycled ? My energy supplier now renamed Shell .100 percent green for electric , great ,from an oil company . Making electricity using wood burning power stations ,is now proved to emit almost as much emmissions as coal ,as proved by many councils now banning wood burners in domestic applications . Anyway i think hydrogen vehicles is the way forward , i hope Sat in my shed with my wood burner on ! Derek
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Over 50% of electricity in this country is provided by renewables such as wind and solar power and this is increasing all the time. If you actually owned an EV you would wonder why people drive cars with combustion engines. It’s a complete revelation. You would discover that an electric motor is a far better propulsion system than a noisy, smelly, inefficient and polluting combustion engine complete with its gearbox, oil lubrication, cooling water, exhaust system etc.
Do some research and you will realise that Hydrogen is not necessarily the future - it takes a lot of electricity to produce and you still have to distribute to garages via road transport.
Car batteries have a very long life cycle as they can be used as general power storage long after they are discarded from EVs.
Yes, it’s necessary to mine Lithium, Cobalt etc. but think about what is needed to deliver petrol or diesel to your local garage. Production, refining, distribution and storage. After all that you simply burn it and create pollution.
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Yes, it’s necessary to mine Lithium, Cobalt etc
And what damage to the environment is that going to do? It will take huge amounts of energy to produce the necessary metals for the production of the batteries, so no saving in the overall energy usage. They are now trialing the harvesting of Cobalt from the sea floor which will damage the wildlife that lives there, and are at the base of the food chain. We're wrecking the planet for our own short term enjoyment.
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We have seen a few nice examples PD. You often such vans done out as coffee bars at cycling events, and there used to be one regularly on station at Paddington. Or was it Kings Cross? Lovely iconic vehicles though, just built for tootling around....😎
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... and that’s worse than digging for coal, drilling for oil and refining it etc.? Unfortunately, the alternative is that we all stay at home with a small wind generator or solar panel on the roof. Ah, but then we need transport to get food, clothing ... there is no simple solution for sustainable transport; it’s a question of the lesser of several evils.
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