[savoche]

I thought there was a conspiracy - I never found a car that could be reliably driven from Adelaide to Melbourne on one tank- always needed to fill at Tailem Bend or Ballarat. And the sellers knew it, and price gouged.

The rental we had in Namibia (2.4L petrol) had an effective range of about 1,150 km. It had an additional 80 litre petrol tank, 140 litres in total. The "double tanks" are quite common there. The guys at the petrol stations know and will gently rock the vehicle while filling to speed up the flow from the primary to the secondary tank.

[lesmore49]

Yes, the use cases for EVs still is far from as general as for DVs (dino fueled vehicles). Long distances on easy-to-drive roads ain't one of them. Here, otoh, if I should go on an 1100 km round trip I would need several good stops along the way anyway so charging wouldn't really add much waiting. There is no way I'd be able to cover that distance (legally) in 13 hours unless I went up and down the few 100 kms of road we have with a 100-110 kph speed limit - which wouldn't really bring me anywhere at all Most country roads have speed limits of 60-90 kph and tend to be narrow and winding.



Yep, the cold does reduce range, but I believe most EVs have a heating loop for the batteries to battle that. Of course, snowy roads will further reduce the range, so winter time range will be far shorter than the claims of the manufacturers (which are based on far more favourable conditions, of course).

But for driving in or around the city I'd take an EV over anything else. Every time. Quick, nimble, silent - and they have a simpler construction with fewer parts that can fail. I suspect that even the electronics is simpler on an EV than on a modern DV.

Last year more than 40% of all new cars sold in Norway were fully electric.

The trip we took through the prairies is about 2200 kms or 1400 miles round trip...there and back.

In the prairies the speed limit on the Trans Canada highway is generally 110 KPH, but many go 115 KPH or some, a bit faster. As mentioned there aren't many towns and as a result you can maintain constant speed for quite long periods and the Trans Canada is long, straight and dual lanes in both directions.

Just south over the border , Montana on the interstate speed limit is 75 mph, Wyoming is 80 mph on the interstates. Like the Canadian prairies these states are similarly less populated with great expanses to travel.

Conditions are different in these North American areas, compared to the Eastern provinces, Eastern States, Europe, etc.

I think EV's which are driven only in large, congested cities, where winters are quite moderate would be workable. I recall a buddy who is a Civil Engineer telling me that one EV owner's manual he has read warns owners to not leave their EV out in temps that are -25 or colder for over 24 hours. If this is the case, that vehicle would definitely not survive here.

[savoche]

I think EV's which are driven only in large, congested cities, where winters are quite moderate would be workable. I recall a buddy who is a Civil Engineer telling me that one EV owner's manual he has read warns owners to not leave their EV out in temps that are -25 or colder for over 24 hours. If this is the case, that vehicle would definitely not survive here.

I haven't heard anyone having problems with that here, but I guess EV owners in areas where temperatures regularly drop that low for longer periods will have their cars parked in heated garages, or at least plugged in so that the batteries are kept warm. A lot of the EV owners here will also have a DV as well, or rent one when needed for longer trips. For now EVs are perfect for the daily commute and shorter trips up to a few hundred km.

I'm still waiting for a real break-though in battery tech, something to give us far greater energy density and faster charging. Not just for cars, but for every blasted thingamajig that needs recharging all the time.

[Racer X 69]

I was working in Death Valley NP the winter of 2006/7. At the time I lived in SoCal. I stayed in the park in my RV through the week and drove my jeep home Friday, came back Sunday PM. Whenever I could I stopped at Ballarat to get a cold drink and swap stories with Rocky (George) Novak, the only resident. Quite a character.

Did you get to see the nude dancing burros in action?

[CharLac]

The only racing game I ever played was Mille Bornes.
Back in the 70's, with Mrs Bob v 1.0 and a couple of friends. No recollection now of how it is played.

Love that game...played it many many many times! STOP! Out of GAS! Creve!

[CharLac]

More Boxer stories for the fans:-

An insurance salesman noticing a customer’s Boxer dog remarked “You won’t have much trouble with burglars" and told of his other customers with a Boxer who came home to a broken into, trashed home, except for the kitchen where the dog was. Having expressed themselves freely and at length on how rubbish a guard dog they had, they started to clean up the mess. The wife was a little surprised when she swept a finger from under a radiator beside the kitchen door...

Another couple came home to find their house broken into and the Boxer pleased to see them. Nothing was missing, in fact apart from the entry, nothing seemed to be touched. They went from room to room, checking, but still nothing seemed missing. Then, in an upstairs store room, perched on a tall piece of furniture, they found the burglar, holding his torn wrist and well on his way to complete exsanguination. (bleeding to death)

Finally there was the Hogmanay party which wound up around 2am as the guests went off to party with other friends. The son of the house had nodded off in an armchair but woke sometime after 3 to see the Boxer fully alert and tensed to spring, staring at the curtains. As the son watched, the fingers of two hands parted the full-length curtains and the dog sprang with a bark. Dog and fingers disappeared so son ran outside to see what was happening, only to see a frantic figure jumping garden wall after garden wall with dog in hot pursuit.

Many years ago, I could hear one of my dogs growling outside in the middle of the night. She was not to be trifled with; she was the Alpha amongst two other male dogs I had. Anyway, I went out to see a very ragged and dangerous looking individual walking up my long country lane-way. Brandy's hackle was up and from the sounds coming from her throat, she DID NOT like this guy. Anyway, I asked the guy what he wanted and he, obviously intoxicated, had a difficult time answering me. All he would say mainly was, "Nice Dog". Anyway, I asked him politely a few times to leave but he kept edging closer until I threatened to let my part Coyote dog off her leash. This clicked in his foggy brain and back down my driveway he went. I went inside and loaded up the shotgun, just in case.

In the picture, Brandy is the dog on the right.

[CharLac]

Another senior moment, forgot the bacon this morning!
I'll double up tomorrow.

That looks delicious!

[CharLac]

I should clarify something.
I know the first thought that came to the minds of some was "But what about bacon?????"
Bacon is a sub-group of cheeseburger as it's simply implied that a proper one includes bacon.

Sorry sir, but a cheeseburger is a sub-group of Bacon, as is a BLT, or bacon and eggs, or ....

[CharLac]

Jim,, I agree about the bars, although my hands are pretty satisfied so I’m not quite sure I’d go as far as “abomination” <grin>... Given the uncertainty of the economic outlook, and our incomes, I was trying for a solution that involved as little spending as possible. So far it is just two tires and some adjustments. Those swept back bars would be the next step, but only if I need ‘em, eh?

Used bike shops usually have a vast collection of handlebars for dirt cheap...

[robtcorl]

I'm still waiting for a real break-though in battery tech

Speaking of such...
I had an in office pacemaker checkup yesterday, all good and there should be a year left on it's battery.
This is my second one, it's 10 years old, the first one lasted 8.

[CharLac]

Speaking of such...
I had an in office pacemaker checkup yesterday, all good and there should be a year left on it's battery.
This is my second one, it's 10 years old, the first one lasted 8.

I guess we can call you the energizer bunny

[Racer X 69]

Sorry sir, but a cheeseburger is a sub-group of Bacon, as is a BLT, or bacon and eggs, or ....

. . . . or bacon, bacon cheeseburger.

[Racer X 69]

Lunchtime on the flightline. A gentle breeze, sunny and 70 degrees.

Oh, look!

A brand new 777 just took off, on the way to another happy customer.

[mkgd1]

Did you get to see the nude dancing burros in action?

No and it looks like they spruced his place up since I was there. Interesting place though.

[FantasticMrFox]

Speaking of such...
I had an in office pacemaker checkup yesterday, all good and there should be a year left on it's battery.
This is my second one, it's 10 years old, the first one lasted 8.

Great, now can you give me a quick summary on how they work? Because my cardiology exam is on Tuesday and I've spent more time googling telescopes and enjoying the summer with friends the last weeks than studying for exams