Fully Charged Carlos Ghosn. Episode 22

[batlin]

A very interesting and holistic contribution from Ghosn. Kudos for doing this!

[johnson1095]

i think it's totally awesome what your doing

[Alvord1430]

Ghosn imparted a lot of good info. He got more relaxed and forthcoming with information as the drive went on. $6B on EV R&D really surprised me. The oil company perspective on EVs was interesting too. Ghosn seems to have a passion for this stuff and the money to implement it.

[jacksawild]

I think if we spent even a fraction on the research of hydrogen production and nuclear fusion power generation than that which we spend on wars to control oil then all of the arguments going on now would be purely academic. The people with the money and power are frightened of this because they think that it will be too cheap and would be an insurmountable barrier to protecting their profit margins. Well.. screw them.

[R4t10n4L]

Ghosn is betting $5 Billion on EVs - if this pays off, he'll be remembered as the Henry

Ford of the 21st century.

[bored1980]

Mr Lellellelleleleeewwlelleewwlew­ewellen - surely this must have been one of those episodes where you step back and think, "Wow. I'm soaring with eagles career-wise".

Well done! Your show is a benefit to us all.

[electra4554]

OMG, this gy's going to die sooner or later, oil companies leaders will take care of him ....sad but truth ;)  really sad !

[munteruk]

Well done Robert for scoring such an impressive guest! What great validation of your efforts with this show. Keep it up.

[mjkobb]

This was a superb interview. Ghosn is a very impressive executive -- so many corporate "leaders" can't think their way out of a paper bag.

[Ultra4]

Have range anxiety, pls invest on magnectic induction road recharge... it's so simple, recharge cars... in the road, your speed though while you recharge... ilimited range (as long as you remain over the magnetic inductors, not a solution for all terrain nor 3rd world country for now)

[Vlakpage]

@Ultra4 No, that's just very inefficient and much more expensive. Imagine that you rebuild all railroads to Maglev AND make it so that it charges it's huge internal batteries as it is going (of course Maglev doesn't need to charge itself while running, but that's the comparison). It really isn't that simple.

[bokomoko]

To have two large corporation like Nissan an Renault think outside the box you need a Brazilian CEO :) Congratulations Mr Goshn

[eldictator1]

"OK, how far during -20*C with heating on?" So like I say many variables involved in this, but from what I've read from owners it knocks about 5-10% off range without the cold weather kit, the minimum range is around 60-70miles. The reason there is not definite figure is because everything affects the range in some small way, much the same as in a petrol car. The climate control system can be wirelessly switched on to warm the cabin before a journey and heated seats lower the use for heaters

[MrCalimam]

OK, how far during -20*C with heating on? While capacity of batterys is lowered by temperature? How far?

My diesel goes +1000km.

I see no progress here. MAKE better battery - nothing will stop electric cars - ppl will make them in garages and drive. Without battery u may talk hours but it won't mean a thing.

[eldictator1]

@MrCalimam Depends what chemistry you use. Toshiba have their new scib batteries for the 2012 Mitsu i-miev and mievcab and they can run at -30c, with no battery heating. They have a life of around 2000-6000 cycles depending on what size pack you use and how you charge which translates to 2000= 200,000 miles and 6000 cycles= 20 years. The Scib can use the level 3 chademo and be quick charged 80% in 15 mins, 25% in 5mins and if the power supply and system was large enough 90% in under 5 mins...

[MrCalimam]

@eldictator1

Yes, I get it. They made fastly rechargable batterys. But it's just hilarious how fast it runs out.

You didn't answear my question and seems that noone in car and media buisness asks it. Lets ask this one, lets test it. I smell an epic fail here.

Around 2000-6000 cycles - really. Thats interesting how it varies.

I ment the cabin heating, full thurst. We have very robust winters lately.

Again - how far in -20. Lets say i'm late and i'm rushing 130km/h. How far?

[eldictator1]

@MrCalimam Well my initial point was that despite people saying "It takes too long to charge, battery tech isn't improving" it clearly is.As I said the LEAF battery is a different chemistry to the scib, so -20 would probably reduce the battery to 60-70miles per charge, however there are cold weather packs for upgrades if you live in a cold area..the point is -20 is cold for the vast majority of metropolitan areas and many variables will reduce range, but the newer chemistries can work to -30c

[eldictator1]

@MrCalimam 2000-6000 cycles depends on the battery size, the lower 2000 based on the larger batery and how many quick charges you have done :)

[MaxxB1ade]

Its really at the point where manufacturers have to start thinking like PC component builders. The fittings have to be the same so that buy your replacement batteries or have them replaced at a "filling station" without worrying about which brand of replacement you are getting. If they all get together now and sort out bay sizes and connection types they would be able to convince more people and countries/counties/cities that EVs are a good idea. FullyCharged on Betamax anyone?

[eldictator1]

@MaxxB1ade Well I believe that for now the battery swappping is really only usefull for buses and fleet vehicles. The Toshiba Scib battery used in the forthcoming 2012 i miev has a 200,000 mile life, can be quick charged in 15mins 80% (leaf is 80% in 30 mins). We'll see over the next 5-10 years various manufacturers supplying their batteries with various pros and cons..We'll see small city cars with small ranges but lighter batteries with better energy recovery and life spans

[thepcmom]

I loved seeing a white model Leaf in this video.. since I am always seeing the blue one (which I own). Just today I saw a white one in person.. and I was so happy to see it! I am in the Dallas Fort Worth area of TX, USA.. and they have only been rolling in for about 2 months now. It is weird to see people exited and waving at you while you are driving.

Your show is always exciting to me.. Thanks! Fully Charged is AWESOME!

[omolivera]

OMG Robert! Great, great show, Please try to find an interview with Mr. Agassi. Greeting from Venezuela. Hugh fan.

[zikzakfr]

Nice CEO they have ! He knows quite well his subject.

[MystikerFilms]

Great episode!

[douchebarge]

In the video, Mr. Ghosn makes the rather bold claim that the Leaf is "completely independent of oil".

Is this true? Surely tires need to be replaced and have oil in their manufacture? Are there no reduction gear boxes in the car which need oil to be replaced over time?

[fullychargedshow]

@douchebarge A good point, and clearly much of the plastic and other composite materials in the car are part produced from oil, there is a certain amount of lubricating oil used in the transmission. However, let's just suppose for one moment that if every car on earth was like the Leaf, the current reserves of oil we have would last for, let's be conservative and say, 10,000 years. I think that's the central point, but harder to say in one sentence.

[sripatify]

@douchebarge Indeed, there were many things that I also wanted to correct. But we have to remember that CEO is not someone to talk about technical details etc. He is building the image of the company and planning how the company will develop in the future.

[mlauntube]

@douchebarge Fossil fuels supply about 70 %of the US's requirements for electricity generation. So let’s poison our planet with mass production of batteries for cars. Imagine if everything ran on electricity: no more international trade (cargo ships), forget about air travel, etc. Take a look at 3-mile island, Chernobyl, and Japan because we will be forced to go nuclear and the spent fuel rods may eventually get buried in your back yard. Carbon emissions vs toxic battery waste and radiation.

[fullychargedshow]

@mlauntube This again is an interesting twist of facts and supposition. It's true that at present the USA is very dependent on fossil fuel, it's also true that many people in the USA know this isn't a good state of affairs and are thankfully seriously looking at alternatives. And as for Nuclear, the fact that Germany has just made the leap to sustainable, renewable energy plan is very interesting.

[mlauntube]

@fullychargedshow Twist of facts? Do you deny that battery production and recycling produces toxic waste? We are talking about producing/buying AVs in our current state. We DO need to move toward renewable energy and follow Germany's example of phasing out of all their 17 nuclear reactors. Buying EVs only increases the demand; it doesn't change methods of generation. Atavists should push for sustainable/renewable energy and mass-transit instead of more false-cure gadgets for their egos.

[Vlakpage]

@mlauntube Guess what? There is already mass battery production for cars, you know the lead ones. They're relatively small but it's a lot of them. And they're very much recyclable like these new Lithium based ones. International trade will of course continue on electricity, all ships and planes will be electric once the batteries will get practically small enough. You should see interview with Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla and SpaceX). He said the only thing which will need burning fuel are rockets.

[mlauntube]

@Vlakpage Yes, there is mass battery production; and you want to increase it? It's true that most Li batteries are less toxic than lead or nickle (Li-SO2 batteries gift you with lithium cyanide and hydrogen cyanide). Why doesn't Nissan use lithium batteries in their gas vehicles? Do you think maybe Elon Musk has an agenda? How about "fullychargedshow"? It is hard to reject a lie when your livelihood depends on believing it. Ship w/150k tons of cargo or transatlantic flight on batteries? Do tell!

[Vlakpage]

@mlauntube You can't compare three different kind of reactors and different causes of radiation leaks. The two can be classified as old technology and security failure. The last one is lack of old fuel storage. All three have in common decay heat but that was secondary problem.

You can solve most of that with Thorium fuel cycle instead of Uranium: it's more abundant, produces less waste, most of which can be fully recycled and the decay heat can be cooled passively.

Further future is fusion.

[mlauntube]

@Vlakpage Less radiation? I don't want any; how much do you want? I'm just talking about storage. But I also don't want any leaks from the plants no matter what kind of reactor it has. They were all said to be safe by their proponents when they were built.

Let's reign this back to the main topic: As posted above, EVs are a red herring for an indulgent consumer market that wants to feel like a hero and show off their bitchen gadget at the same time. Want to save the world? bicycle, walk, subway.

[Vlakpage]

@mlauntube First, reactors are built very well to have no leaks under normal conditions. But you never know what nature plans. Heck, what if meteorite falls on the plant? You can never be totally safe from everything. That's the risk and you either take it or not.

You sound like you live in large city when you can use good public transport or have place for bicycles. But most people still live outside cities or have to travel between them. They can't just walk or take a bike.

[Vlakpage]

@mlauntube Also if you want to transport anything larger than notebook or shopping, you just can't do it with bicycle. So you see, EVs are just for those people who already need and use cars because they have no other option (in most cases). And then you have the choice: buy car which needs fuel with ever increasing price and makes pollution everywhere it goes or take EV and have the possibility to use renewable energy directly (as Robert has now) or indirectly from the plants. It's just start.

[mlauntube]

@Vlakpage "It's just a start." It's just a novelty. It's just mind-boggling to hear people worried about carbon emissions and support radioactive chain reactions that are far worse for the environment. The waste is still there when you hide it.

BATTERY powered cars are not a good total package for the environment. Subways, electric trollies and buses on a wire are much better. If you live away from the city, drive what ever you need (electric golf cart or massive diesel truck).

[girochin007]

@mlauntube You are just out of luck on the "no radiation" thing. It exists naturally in everything, so you are exposed to it whether you want to be or not. Even regular exhaust from standard gas vehicles contains radiation... You are probably getting quite a dose of radiation from your computer right now as Monitors and TVs put out quite a bit.

[R4t10n4L]

@mlauntube US electric generation is 45% coal / 25% nat gas, nearly all domestic. Modern nuclear plants are much safer than Fukushima and we need to stop using so little of the potential of uranium - way past time to start reprocessing and use designs that can burn what's now considered waste. Lithium batteries are of low-toxicity and can be useful for 10-15 years and recycled; sodium-sulfur or lithium-sulfur can be used for stationary or larger vehicles, incl ships.

[jacksawild]

@mlauntube There is a knee-jerk reaction to the word "radiation" which provokes fear due mainly to a lack of understanding. There is the same kind of feeling about the word "nuclear" which is probably fed from the cold war government terrorism and the danger posed to the population from intentional irradiation of populations in the form of neutron bombs et al. Try breathing some exhaust gas, much quicker and scarier IMnsHO. What's wrong with looking for a better way?

[stickysausage]

@douchebarge Maybe in the near future since electric cars produce less heat Organic and/or Synthetic oils could be developed for usage. I imagin a lot of oil these days get recycled anyway. Also more often then not gear oil lasts the life of the car anyway.

[stickysausage]

Top video.Mr. Ghosn is quite an inspiration to me. Many of the Japanese regard him as a hero(and so do i) however i believe he is yet to give his best . Just watch his couple of videos on leadership, Fantastic. Congratulations to Robert on getting such a great guest! Top work mate!

[truthseekers666]

That car is so quiet.... wow.

[jambi1483]

I thought your LEAF was blue?

[psionicdreams]

most interesting!

and the quickest 24minutes i've ever experienced!, this ep flew by!

:)

[eldictator1]

Great episode bobby, also just read the new icar mag...That interview with DR! Ricardo Martinez-botas was a joke, the guy clearly has little knowledge of upcoming technologies and advancements as well as the process of manufacture "digging up lithium, it's dirty energy intensive stuff" wtf? " the current u.k grid electricity mix is not great in terms of renewable sources and makes ev's borderline" " the pure Ev is an inner city solution with limited scope" B- must do better

[lakersph1]

Robert, you're amazing!

[CAESARbonds]

Great interview One of your best episodes!

Nice to see how Ghosn believes in his car.

I'd still like to know bout the future of chademo in eu.

In Germany the LEAF is unkown.

When I mention the 100mls range & 30min charge. ppl ask where can I sign?

but the German carmakers and Goverment want to use an inferior standard giving you 3 hours charge.

so all accross europe BUT germany I see chademo stations growing.

Oh and I envy you cuz I have never driven an ev by myselve. There are NONE here :(

[thubten2001]

One question I wish you would ask him and other EV designers. Yes we know batteries are going to get better, but why not also reduce weight. What is the point of moving around thick steel panels? Why not a super light vehicle with the same battery set. An aluminum frame with lite plastic panels might be a cost effective approach.

[miniUMM]

HO MYYY GOD !!!

[ipponken53]

Brilliant interview. Many thanks.

[mikebarneynissan]

Any City or Town in the USA (for example) can make a name for itself by fully implementing charging stations all over, creating a world model as a completely EV engaged city. In fact, I think I will start my own town and call it "Electric City".. I wish -> this video was great.

[bigtic28]

I love that Mr. Ghosn used the cell phone reference that you have been using!

[Jesus45U]

That was a REALLY interesting video !

It's good to see a CEO put himself in the spotlight like that, and not only have something intelligent to say, but also have passion for it. My hat is off to both you gents ... and the lady in the back. :)

[WOODSYMAN]

Very exciting stuff. Can't wait for the new technology. I love new technology.

[harveybirdman74]

Hi Bob, like you I am always astounded at the almost scary 'hate' that is directed at EV's and the people who simply want the choice of driving an Electric Car. I came across this article from an Australian Blog and going by some of the responses you would think that Electric Cars are the work of the devil. I think Carlos is going to have his work cut out.

blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/an­drewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/c­omments/hands_up_if_you_fell_f­or_the_green_spin_on_electric_­cars/

[rainbowsalads]

Get a test track and a Stig bobby : P

[rainbowsalads]

i do not mind how much these big cats tax me, just as long as they use our money for making our world a clean sustainable, war free, happy protected planet 'for all life' not just our own kind, with organic food for everyone ect... unfortunately that doesn't seem quite the goal of the fat cats.

[Galfonz]

Coal powered cars???

[CormacMacCormac]

Have you had a chance to check out the Tazzari? Apparently they went on sale last September in the UK.

[drdremd]

all win

[DanFrederiksen]

nice scoop. he's a funny fellow and he even looks like a mix of french and japanese :)

good thing we have him because I think the other car makers would be quite happy to forget EVs.

some things I would like to ask him though. he makes an interesting point that even with 10% EVs the ICE car number will still grow so what about peak oil?

another is weight and aero so you need less battery thus more viable EVs.

and can they make cheaper batteries because they are inhouse?

pick him up again : )

[XPCollectorChannel]

at 2:45 thumbs up if you fought you got a SMS

[TheHolySpirit]

Mr Ghosn talking about Nissan's battery research programme..

"This idea has potential"

He made an electrical pun!

[jason1973tl]

Excellent episode. Loved the interview.

Don't forget people, I know people like to bring up that coal makes electricity, but I am sure you are aware that GASOLINE DOESN'T MAGICALLY APPEAR AT THE GAS PUMP EITHER. It takes lots of your fossil fuel energy to pump oil, refine it into gasoline, and then transport it to a gas station where it to uses electricity to pump it into your car.

[feckingbillgates]

Cars could be easily powered by flatulence-traces collected from car seats. Why is nobody investigating this??

[adric22]

I never liked the "battery swap" idea. Too many problems with that. Who owns the battery? How do swap stations make money? they'd have to charge an arm and a leg to swap your battery just to stay in business. Much better is to develop charging infrastructure. Carlos Ghosn is a brilliant man. I wonder how many languages he speaks.

[Smidge204]

@adric22 "Better Place" (dot com) is the company partering with Renault for the swap systems. As I understand it, their business model is to sell kWh like cell phone companies sell minutes of talk time (You get X kWh per month and pay $Z for each additional). They own (maybe lease?) the batteries and own/operate the stations. The benefit is you don't have to pay for the whole battery with the car. They also own/operate public charging stations.

[McRocket]

Very impressive Robert.

[zlozlozlo]

Awesome ep. Like I said, you need to get Elon Musk and Shai Agassi on the show. For those who didn't know what Carlos was talking about when he mentioned battery switching: watch?v=7HlkfIYy344

[fullychargedshow]

@zlozlozlo Hopefully one day I will. I have asked Elon and he hasn't said no. Yet.

[jkand]

Very interesting. Thank you for this.

[omendark123]

You gave Carlos Ghosn a ride?!?!? How!!! And doesn't he have body guards following him ha? When and where was this? Carlos has seriously rescued Nissan, and made 2 of the best cars in the world, the GTR, and the Leaf!

Fantastic Episode. Carlos is the man!

[ProGuitarTuition]

my goodness, Robert you must get sick of people like madalex26 asking the same questions over and over. If you think about it all the answers are there, just think, lets stop asking silly defensive questions. How about asking why does this country have such little wind generation, 2% of our energy is renewable, power despite having 80% or Europe's wind, (smelly buggers aren't we) Germany has got 20 % renewables and a large portion of that is wind! WHY Bobby, tell me WHY ;)

[rodrivalle]

You got Carlos Ghosn in your show ?!?!???!?!!!!! You da man!!!

That was very, very interesting, it was great to hear all those comments about the industry as a whole, about the oil companies, about ongoing R&D, all from the CEO himself!

Thank you very much for this episode!

[Smidge204]

I disagree that batteries are the "only" way to store energy - there are lots of ways, some of them more efficient. But Most of them are only usable at industrial scales and are not portable (eg pumped hydro) prohibitively expensive (eg superconducting magnetic storage) or low density (eg flywheel). So maybe batteries are the "only cost-effective, practical" way to store energy "on small scales" would be a better way to put it.

[ProGuitarTuition]

@Smidge204 what about using the energy to separate water, and then using the immense power of hydrogen fuel cells, which from what I have heard are capable of outputting enough kw/h to run your house. That would be pretty efficient. We could have hydrogen fuel power stations with electric cars being integral to this system to soak up and maintain the load at night with us all charging them.

[Smidge204]

@ProGuitarTuition Well electrolysis is ~80% efficient, then you need to either compress (~90%) or liquify (~60%) for storage, then a fuel cell (~50%) then final usage (~80-90%). So is 20-32% efficient overall really efficient? Chemical batteries would be closer to 50% overall. Hydrogen has better density right now, so it is used for storage in some cases, but it's certainly not the most efficient. I actually consider the "Hydrogen Economy" to be snake oil and this is one of several reasons.

[ProGuitarTuition]

@Smidge204 @karuddell thanks both for the interesting info. I posted speculatively as you seemed to know what you were on about. I was unaware that fuel cells were so inefficient. Would it be easier to store more potential energy in hydrogen than batteries, without the fuss of getting ridiculous quantities of lithium or whatever else the batteries will require in the future? Given that it all should be from renewable sources a bit of wastage could overcome the problems of large energy storage?

[Smidge204]

@ProGuitarTuition It's not that fuel cells themselves are THAT inefficient, it's just that there are more steps in the process. Each step erodes available energy. In terms of storage, adding more H2 storage is as "easy" as adding bottles while adding batteries can be more complex. Fuel cells do require precious metal catalysts and need to be rebuild every few thousand hours too, so that's an additional high cost. In the end, use the right tool for the job... H2 has a role to play for sure. :)

[karuddell]

@ProGuitarTuition Splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen is not efficient! Honda makes a solar powered hydrogen fuelling station, which is 25% more efficient than the previous model, that uses a 6 kW solar array and gives you about 35 miles range. Robert has a 2.52 kW solar array and was getting 40 miles range on cloudy days. Storing electrical energy as hydrogen is extremely wasteful and it won't get much better. Honda got that 25% improvement by eliminating the compressor pump.

[fullychargedshow]

@ProGuitarTuition Maybe look at a previous episode where I drive the hydrogen fuel cell Honda Clarity, amazing car, but as Smidge204 points out, there are a huge amount of complexities and drawbacks with hydrogen which don't mean it's impossible or a bad idea, but has a lot further to go than many car journalists might be prepared to go into. Much easier to just say, 'hydrogen is the future' and then carry on driving the Jag.

[ProGuitarTuition]

@fullychargedshow been watching your vids for a long time now and yes I am aware of that, wasn't postulating for the near term, merely floating an idea of how the two systems could integrate, although using the word efficient was a bad idea lol. Whilst I have your attention Robert, let me just say thanks for this vid. I am only posting because it was genuinely exciting, I usually go by the ethos of Frank Zappa "shut up and play your guitar." but I thought I'd engage with the discussions. Will

[myozone]

He reminds me of David Suchet's Hercule Poirot !

[w0033944]

@myozone That was my impression as well.

[myozone]

How long can the oil companies go on without investing in electric cars - or are they already ?....

It's not going to be long before 'everyone' wants an electric car - I DO !!

[madalex26]

When you charge a electric car you are still using fossil fuels!!!

[fullychargedshow]

@madalex26 If you scroll back to the previous episode, you will see that you don't HAVE to use fossil fuels to charge an electric car, of course you do HAVE to use fossils to drive traditional car. That said, due to the greater efficiency of the drive system, you use a lot less energy per mile in an electric car. If you compare the energy in a gallon of petrol, an electric car gets around 350 miles to the gallon.

[madalex26]

@fullychargedshow Most people would charge there cars from home which is plugged into the mains and as you know mains electricity is using fossil fuels. New cars have great efficiency nowdays with petrol consumption and these great fuel comsumptions cars are alot cheaper than the nissan leaf.

[fullychargedshow]

@madalex26 It is a complicated topic, but put simply, an electric motor is 80-90% efficient, which means that 80% of the energy going into it is turned into motive force, moving the car along. At the very best, with the very latest high tech, low MPG internal combustion engine, it is 25% efficient, i.e. 75% of the energy (fossil fuel) you put into it is wasted as heat. Plus, it is easier to clean 1 chimney that 30 million exhaust pipes

[madalex26]

@fullychargedshow Most people would charge there cars from home which is plugged into the mains and as you know mains electricity is using fossil fuels. New cars have great efficiency nowdays with petrol consumption and these great fuel comsumptions cars are alot cheaper than the nissan leaf. In the previous episode where did the free charge stations get the electricity from - i didnt hear where they said they did.

[mlauntube]

@fullychargedshow What do you mean "HAVE to use fossil fuels"? We ARE using fossil fuels for electricity on every grid in every nation. If you charge a Leaf, you are adding to demand and more fuel will be burned. And where did you get your figures; how many watts can a gallon of gas produce? What's your source? How many watts does it take to drive a Leaf 350 miles (highway/city)?

[fullychargedshow]

@mlauntube Brilliant and skilful piece of misinterpretation or misunderstanding. I was saying that it is possible to get electricity without burning anything. It's not easy, it's not common but it is possible. More and more countries are trying, step by step to move away from fossil burning and I think that is a very good and necessary thing.

How many kWh does it take to drive the Leaf 350 miles, the answer is 84, roughly, give or take. It's well under 100. How many kWh to refine 1 gallon? 7-9

[madalex26]

Another thing is that when producing a electric car how far does the electric components have to make to make it into the car - Are all the componenets and the car made in the same area!

[fullychargedshow]

@madalex26 When the Nissan Leaf comes out of the factory, it is just as 'dirty' as any other car, from that point on, it gets cleaner, and as the generating infrastructure gets cleaner as is legislated for, the energy used to power it is cleaner. A fossil burner starts dirty, and gets dirtier the further it is driven

[klonecaid]

@fullychargedshow Also, using DEFRA figures going 100 miles in a LEAF emits 12kg of CO2 based on the 2008 grid average, a econobox diesel 24kg CO2.

[madalex26]

I have just seen the price of a Nissan Leaf is £25000 - thats alot of money for a electric car. You would have to drive it for many miles and many years to get your moneys worth. You can get a little car with a little engine for under £10000 and this is as cheap to run and use as a electric car!

[fullychargedshow]

@madalex26 The Nissan Leaf is not a cheap car, but over say 250,000 miles, the cost difference in fuelling and more importantly maintaining the car in comparison to a fossil burner is so much cheaper it is embarrassing. Some would say 'what about battery replacememnt' but Nissan will refurbish your battery after 150,000 miles at fraction of cost of replacement. No oil filters, oil, fan belts, gaskets, exhaust systems catalytic converters. An EV is much cheaper

[madalex26]

@fullychargedshow In your episode the guy said that only 20,000 people brought a electric car compared to i think he said 7 billion or 7 million i cant remember which one. I dont think electric cars will catch on 1) due to the cost of buying a new car companring it to a 1 litre car which would cost around £10,000 and these are no tax or low tax or no congestion charges in london

[klonecaid]

@madalex26 Ignoringthe things like free road tax, no congestion charge etc in the UK, some basic comparison between a £15,000 Ford Focus diesel and a £25,000 LEAF, assuming £1.35 for fuel and 10p overnight electricity, I made it ~70,000 miles to break even.

[jcsaintpo]

i guess Top Gear drove the car before you did! Normal then that you have longer range! (The car is the same color as the one they used in their "range-experiment"!)

[advandermeer]

Excellent 19.6 mi of interview. Carlos Ghosn isn't quite the hero Elon Musk is, who is risking his own money, but he's a great number 2. He could have gone safe and gone hybrid as well, but he didn't and that is a career determining decision. He will either be the Henry Ford of EV's in bringing EV's to the masses or he will be a footnote in car history if he fails. Respect!

[cartoonkeith1]

Here is a few questions i have over all. What is the life span of these cars? And are they going to add or a type of solar panels to these cars, that could ex-stend the life of the cars?

[exaturbo]

@cartoonkeith1

solar panels wont do anything.

the amount of power that can be generated by the panels that could be mounted on the roof, would not even add a single mile to the total range. the power they generate is insignificant when compared to the power consumption of the electric motor.

as for life span, in theory, the vehicle should out last an ICE powered equivalent.

as there is very few moving parts to wear out.

battery lifespan is another question however.

[TheChargingPoint]

@exaturbo If you read Robert's weekly Leaf diary or our '5 minutes with' interview with radio DJ Mark Goodier on TheChargingPoint website, you'll see they are generating plenty of electricity for the cars from their solar panels.

[TheChargingPoint]

Ah, panels on the roof of the car! Yes, you're right to say at the moment these are only used to help power the electrical systems rather than provide power to drive the car. Apologies.

[exaturbo]

@TheChargingPoint

yes, i meant solar panels on the car itself.

of course a solar system on your home roof is a really good idea for

those that own their own homes for renters like myself, it's not a possibility.

[OuttasightPV]

@exaturbo

"Solar panels won't do anything [on the roof of a car]."

The LEAF has a 24kWh battery that is good for ~100 miles. 200W of PV cells embedded in thin film plastic the roof & bonnet of the car would make 200W x 3 hours (the peak noon sun overhead of the car parked in a parking lot while you're at work). That's 600Wh of energy, or about enough for 2.5 miles of driving (24kWh / 100 miles = 240Wh per mile). Heck, the energy in 5 laptop battery packs could take you 1 mile...

[cartoonkeith1]

@exaturbo Ok but look at it this way. You are talking about moving down the road that a solar panel won't do anything. Well I have seen solar panel cars and they are not much different than the elec. cars. However, I ment if the car was sitting along the side of the street or in an open parking lot under the sun for long hours of the day. It could charge something. Not a lot mind you but better than nothing at all.

[jcsaintpo]

@cartoonkeith1 There is a Tesla that drove 100.000km (62.100mls) in 2 years with nearly no loss of batterycapacity (5%)

[greyareaRK1]

It's nice to hear an auto executive who really groks electric, and isn't hedging his bet with doublespeak or damning with faint praise. I did not know Israel implemented a battery swap capability at service stations. I wonder how that's working? It's not likely electric will be encouraged here (Canada) while our Prime Minister's home province benefits so greatly from oil exports, including lots of payola in his party's coffers. Sigh.

[craigslist04]

Robert, great show as usual. 5 stars!

[JRoque250]

Wow!! Talk about star power on your show, Robert! And yes, there's Mr Ghosn, too. Joking aside, I bet we won't see any of our fat arse Chevy Volt execs taking a ride on their "electric" car anytime soon. Good on Carlos Ghosn.

[arrondo927]

someone needs to turn off their bloody cell phone!

quite the interview coup, Mr. Llewellyn!

[Zcow29]

Your show inspires me. Keep it up and spread your knowledge!

[kyoko703]

"The creativity of states to imagine how they create income is endless." Priceless.

[kyoko703]

HOLY COW!!! What an honor!!!