Good Here Init!!!!

[Mouldy]

2 hours ago, floydraser said:

My favourite waste of power is cameras in place of mirrors. Lifesavers on a lorry but pure bling on a car.

I wouldn’t call them lifesavers on a lorry.  Just before I retired, the company I worked for started to take delivery of a fleet of new trucks, equipped with cameras and screens instead of mirrors.  They were almost universally despised by the drivers, giving inferior views to the mirrors they replaced.  If there’s one thing that is vitally important to a truck driver, that’s excellent rearward visibility.

I believe they’re now being fitted to some car makes.  My opinion is that it’s tech for the sake of it.

[floydraser]

2 hours ago, Mouldy said:

I wouldn’t call them lifesavers on a lorry.  Just before I retired, the company I worked for started to take delivery of a fleet of new trucks, equipped with cameras and screens instead of mirrors.  They were almost universally despised by the drivers, giving inferior views to the mirrors they replaced.  If there’s one thing that is vitally important to a truck driver, that’s excellent rearward visibility.

I believe they’re now being fitted to some car makes.  My opinion is that it’s tech for the sake of it.

They came in after I packed up driving artics but euro regs had stipulated more and more mirrors for seeing kerbs etc restricting views at junctions. I guess there's a trade off. Then there's always a percentage of natural resistance to change. Future generations of artic drivers will know nothing else.

[Meantime]

2 hours ago, Mouldy said:

Just before I retired, the company I worked for started to take delivery of a fleet of new trucks, equipped with cameras and screens instead of mirrors.

 

2 hours ago, Mouldy said:

I believe they’re now being fitted to some car makes.  My opinion is that it’s tech for the sake of it.

Not just trucks and cars. I believe you can now get them on some hire boats! At least they can see how hard they reverse into you. 

[BrundallNavy]

20 hours ago, oldgregg said:

I think for the moment the best option is a good hybrid (and I don't mean 'mild' hybrids) such as the Toyota system.

People moan about the whole 'self-charging' strapline but it's just highlighting the fact that you're recovering the energy that would otherwise be lost as heat and brake dust under braking.

Some silly MPG figures have been quoted in the past, but the reality is that they're a good 20-30% more efficient and thankfully they've also now fixed the issue of all the cars looking dull and driving with the flair of a shopping trolley.

As for electric cars, the biggest problem at the moment is weight and charging infrastructure. I've driven a fair few different electric cars and I've yet to try one that's a proper driver's car and under £50K. Everything under that price either handles like a hippo or has a tiny range.

If we do go hydrogen, it has to be fuel cell electric and not combustion engine otherwise you have the same problem of chucking away 70% of the energy from the fuel as current vehicles do. Toyota Mirai tech, basically. They've been remarkably on the money where other manufacturers have been totally asleep.

Like mine. 

[Troyboy]

On 29/07/2022 at 17:05, marshman said:

Who is surprised at this whole EV issue being one large con? Not me!!! It seems just one more blessed opportunity for car manufacturers to ramp up the price of cars - make them more simple  but hey, lets ramp up the price!!!!

Bit similar to Sadiq Khans ULEZ zone! I read the other day, in a not well publicised report, that many of the so called particulates in  inner city areas did indeed come from cars and other vehicles but not from the engines, but tyres!

You heard from me first, folks - remember that!!! Altogether more plausible given that modern diesel cars are now as clean as petrol cars!

Interesting read. Additional to tyres and probably more dangerous to us is brake dust. I've wondered for a long time about how much brake dust is in the air.

[floydraser]

1 hour ago, Troyboy said:

Interesting read. Additional to tyres and probably more dangerous to us is brake dust. I've wondered for a long time about how much brake dust is in the air.

What's in brake dust? I know they took asbestos out of them a few years ago and ever since, we've been replacing discs with the pads. 

[unclemike]

5 minutes ago, floydraser said:

What's in brake dust?

FROM WIKI

metal shavings of copper, steel, graphite, and brass bonded with resin.

[oldgregg]

On 30/07/2022 at 14:27, BrundallNavy said:

Like mine. 

Is that a PHEV?

[BrundallNavy]

9 minutes ago, oldgregg said:

Is that a PHEV?

Yes plug in golf.