Electric Mini part 1

This is not the BMW electric mini. This is a one off project by the wonderful Steve Brooks

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Robert
• Llewellyn
• electric
• Mini
• Steve
• Brooks
• power
• generation
• cars

[BitCrushingCog]

When you argue from the stand point of science and money, electric cars seem cool. As soon as anyone mentions 'green' or 'carbon' bleh, heard it.

In the end people will follow their wallets, not the new eco-religion of the guilty middle classes and the hippies.

[GearlessUK]

@BitCrushingCog Totally agree with you regarding actual science and money being good reasons to consider this technology. I understand your point about guilty middle classes and hippies but also know that's a great, lazy, blame someone else get out clause to do nothing and carry on burning fossils To say it's just trendy shit for rich hippies is also a very tired, bleh argument.

[Sarge084]

OK, now I've heard some facts and figures I'm prepared to accept that battery powered cars can be more efficient. From my college days I recall calc's for loses at every stage when converting from carbon to steam, to electricity, step up, step down, convert to DC, charge battery, then convert to motion.

We still need standardisation in batteries and charging systems and plugs.

[GearlessUK]

@Sarge084 What I was never taught and don't know anyone who was, is this. Drill a very deep hole, pump water into it, force oil up, pipe it, store it, pump it, ship it, pump it, store it, pump it, burn loads to refine some into petrol, diesel, LPG etc, store it, pump it, truck it, pump it, store it, pump it burn it in an engine which is 25% efficient while you sit in static traffic and convince yourself that's better than an electric car.

[Sarge084]

@GearlessUK Can't argue with that, so now you've convinced me on the efficiency aspect, can we sort out the standardisation?

When the manufacturers can work together on batteries and charging I'll be convinced that they really are green, rather than vying for first place in the race for the best selling leccy car.

I'd certainly buy a leccy car, if the charge point infrastructure was even in the planning stage, let alone operational.

[GearlessUK]

@Sarge084 Totally agree with you. I know there is an enormous amount of planning, meetings, theories and discussion over this very point. Most manufacturers have agreed a standard charger socket, it's vital that this stuff is implemented, but we've got to start somewhere. It's also important to remember that they still are cars, the only green form of transport is walking, maybe cycling, so the whole green thing is a bit of a misnomer IMHO

[dismutased]

I LOVE this series! Fascinating! I'm learning so much about electric cars I never knew in a fun, easygoing format. Thanks Robert. :)

[ProGuitarTuition]

@eldictator1 All I can guess to your question is this guy is a genius. As one of the minds behind scrapheap he must be anyway ;) did it also strike you he was incredibly charasmatic, I would guess he has a team of very loyal employees to carry out his masterful bidding

[tvfilmglamdirector]

At last! Robert, Your bringing back something that has sadly been missing from television for many years, not since the demise of Tomorrows World, Connections and such like have we been treated to interesting, informative and yet easy to follow productions.

A hearty well done and please keep it going.

[geoffhughes1986]

When you plug it in to charge, the majority of power stations are oil or coal fired anyway! And by the time the electricity has worked its way across hundreds of miles of cables, the current flow has dropped a hell of a lot, and it probably uses more oil than it would in a little efficient engined car! The CO2 and energy caused by making the batteries for electric or hybrid cars is also horrific.

[jormot]

@jormot Here is a cut-and-paste if you don't have the time to google: "The first cathode ray tube scanning device was invented by the German scientist Karl Ferdinand Braun in 1897. Braun introduced a CRT with a fluorescent screen, known as the cathode ray oscilloscope." There is of course no guarantee that the information on Wikipedia is correct - everyone can post rubbish on Wikipedia, but then everyone can edit and make corections, too.

[jormot]

@richardday Not correct. I'm a certified TV technician.

[richardday]

If you look in the back of your telly (assuming it's not an LCD or a plasma) you'll find a thing called a Tesla coil; this is what make's TVs work. Also, what wasn't mentioned is Tesla's experiments with electric vehicles. Google 'tesla pierce arrow' for more info.

[nburmeister]

Thanks for this! Thoroughly enjoy the show. Would have loved to see a bit more of the layout, where the engine is, charger, batteries. How he managed to retain so much of the space for the back seats and boot. How much he spent on it... Cheers

[robinphillips]

This was the best of the series so far, for a moment there i thought i was watching top-gear, then i remembered it was you !!! Excellent Stuff....Great Show. Looking forward to Pt2.

[jormot]

Great, Robert, but please try to keep it factual. Did Tesla really invent the TV screen? Not according to wikipedia. Look up television.