All electric motorhomes.... Possible or not?

Fisherman said:
Final post on this.

Only a few months ago we were being told we have never managed to develop a vaccine against the SARS corona virus, and that we may never be able to. Well currently we have 7 vaccines being used worldwide.
Wars, politics, and anything that threatens our existence brings out the very best and the worst in us. Look at the advancements made during WW2, look what was done by the US in order to get men in the moon before 1970. To this day humanity is much further advanced than we would be without WW2 and the Cold War.
I am an avid reader of modern history and what amazes and perplexes me is where we are now, and how we got there so rapidly. If in 1950, you had told someone that a man would land on the moon in just 19 years, you would have been locked up in some asylum. Look at what we got from the space war, synthetic technologies, PCBs which revolutionised our world, improvements in healthcare, transistor radios, the list goes on. When we have to do something, we tend to do it.
Sorry if I am going in a bit here, but all of the obstacles preventing the use of EPVs will be overcome. And we may sooner than we think not even require batteries. But if we do they will be smaller, lighter, far more powerful, charge faster and will last the life time of the vehicle, and they will be recyclable. Please don’t apply current technology to what’s required, because as we have all witnessed in our lives, particularly in the past 20 years or so, technology is advancing exponentially at an ever increasing rate, and will continue to do so for many years to come.

For those concerned about how we will produce the power to facilitate this.
Currently we only harness less than one percent of the power provided by the sun and other natural events.
This technology is improving and will continue to do so.
Finally currently we produce nuclear power through splitting atoms, creating a risk of radiation, and spending vast sums decommissioning nuclear plants when they are finished. At some point this century most scientists believe that this will be replaced by nuclear fusion. A massive game changer. These power stations will cost one tenth the cost of a nuclear plant, produce 100 times more power. They will last for over a hundred years, and will cost buttons to demolish, and rebuild. Unless reincarnation is factual, we wont see most of this. But we will see it in its early stages.
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We all know this, you are not saying anything we don’t all know. Where here has anyone said technology won’t improve things?
It’s all a phoney argument.

The fact remains EV’s do meet the requirements of many today, and they certainly don’t meet the needs of MH’s and wild campers. People feel they are (and they are) being coerced into a mode of transport that doesn’t suite them, and fear is the tool that is being used. Hardly anyone gets an EV because they are better or more convenient.

Just because an electric van doesn’t suite my needs, doesn’t mean I’m against EV's. There is no reason for all, or most at least, of public transport in cities/towns to be electric, in fact getting rid of electric trolley buses was a massive con.
 
Martin P said:
We don't run the car much. More like £50 per month.
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Not worth having then,if doing under 12 thu miles a year its cheaper to use a taxi, my car i have had over two years and clocked up 40.000 miles which is low for me, i used to do that in a year.
 
mark61 said:
We all know this, you are not saying anything we don’t all know. Where here has anyone said technology won’t improve things?
It’s all a phoney argument.

The fact remains EV’s do meet the requirements of many today, and they certainly don’t meet the needs of MH’s and wild campers. People feel they are (and they are) being coerced into a mode of transport that doesn’t suite them, and fear is the tool that is being used. Hardly anyone gets an EV because they are better or more convenient.

Just because an electric van doesn’t suite my needs, doesn’t mean I’m against EV's. There is no reason for all, or most at least, of public transport in cities/towns to be electric, in fact getting rid of electric trolley buses was a massive con.
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Mark if I was to start a post with “we all know this “ then what’s the point of having a debate. I agree that most people know what I posted, and the very same can be said for your own posts. But I would never reply to you in such a manner. It’s how we interpret what you know that matters, not what we know and don’t know, or more to the point what we think we know.
You can present exactly the same facts to 20 different people and get 20 different results. Also I have read posts on here were I and others have learnt something, I am sure that someone may learn something from what you and I and others have posted. But I have no intention or belief that anything I say will alter yours or anyone’s opinions.
 
trevskoda said:
Not worth having then,if doing under 12 thu miles a year its cheaper to use a taxi, my car i have had over two years and clocked up 40.000 miles which is low for me, i used to do that in a year.
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Haven't got a clue how you work that one out Trev!

My wifes car costs about £50 a month to run including tax, insurance and fuel, I reckon you could multiply that by at least 4 if we went everywhere by taxi, probably more.
 
Fisherman said:
Mark if I was to start a post with “we all know this “ then what’s the point of having a debate. I agree that most people know what I posted, and the very same can be said for your own posts. But I would never reply to you in such a manner. It’s how we interpret what you know that matters, not what we know and don’t know, or more to the point what we think we know.
You can present exactly the same facts to 20 different people and get 20 different results. Also I have read posts on here were I and others have learnt something, I am sure that someone may learn something from what you and I and others have posted. But I have no intention or belief that anything I say will alter yours or anyone’s opinions.
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Fair enough.
 
Sorry I’m between MH sites just now,
keep thinking I’ve posted on here but seems I’ve posted on there.

All electric MH’s ain’t on the books just now, but Ford say they will release an all electric Transit next year with a 200 mile + range, so getting closer, but how much?

Reckon a few years or maybe decades before they are viable
 
Boris7 said:
Sorry I’m between MH sites just now,
keep thinking I’ve posted on here but seems I’ve posted on there.

All electric MH’s ain’t on the books just now, but Ford say they will release an all electric Transit next year with a 200 mile + range, so getting closer, but how much?

Reckon a few years or maybe decades before they are viable
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Yes Boris I to am very sceptical about the technology being up to scratch for all electric Motorhomers for 2030. Cars I reckon will be possible, even better than fossil fuel cars by then, but not commercial vans. I hope that the government will be prepared to change the date for these vehicles if what’s available is not fit for purpose. We have to note that in a commercial setting these vehicles do high mileage, and play a significant part in our economy. But eventually EP motorhomes will become the norm, but by 2030, I am sceptical to say the least.
 
TrickyDicky said:
The UK government is seemingly bringing forward to 2030 their ban of petrol or deisel engines in new vehicles.
As far as I'm aware there's been no reporting of how this new greener world will be achievable with the types of vehicles we drive and the distances we cover.
Or are only cars involved in this changeover with commercial vehicles continuing as now with, mainly, deisel engines.
Does anyone know?
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I’ve been driving electric for 5 years, admittedly not a cheap version but I can get 200 - 250 miles range. Given that most MH have a similar engine size and consumption to a large family car I imagine a range over 200+ miles should be possible. What is needed is a wider distribution of charge points. In my car there are sufficient around large towns and motorways to support business use. With charge times of 30 mins or less I usually find the car is ready to go before I’ve had a coffe, used the loo etc.After 200 miles I am ready for a break so no inconvenience. On holiday is different, we go to remote places, don’t seat on campsites and don’t need a service station for coffee. So at least campsites should provide EV charging and not just for those staying on them. Even better would be Norwegian style service points with EV charging as well as waste disposal.
TrickyDicky said:
The UK government is seemingly bringing forward to 2030 their ban of petrol or deisel engines in new vehicles.
As far as I'm aware there's been no reporting of how this new greener world will be achievable with the types of vehicles we drive and the distances we cover.
Or are only cars involved in this changeover with commercial vehicles continuing as now with, mainly, deisel engines.
Does anyone know?
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Robmac said:
Haven't got a clue how you work that one out Trev!

My wifes car costs about £50 a month to run including tax, insurance and fuel, I reckon you could multiply that by at least 4 if we went everywhere by taxi, probably more.
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I burn that in fuel and some times double in a week, then there is the tax ins wear and tear on parts tyres etc.
 
Besides being personally unaffordable, for me the biggest issue with BEV mohos is the charging requirement. Every pitch will need a minimum 30A supply (=7kW for charging and 1A for domestic) and campsites will need to be able to supply every pitch at that rate continuously. Currently, they typically run at no more than 16A and since usage is intermittent, the supply into the site can be much less than the number of pitches x 16A. Consider a large campsite like Hendra in Newquay, which has 14 touring fields with an average of 50 or so pitches per field. That's 700 pitches at 7kW per pitch, or about 5MW (>20,000A) needed. Even a 5-van site will need 150A (35kW), which is more than many farms have available. In short, I suspect that the infrastructure won't be able to cope and also suspect that the cost of upgrading not only the actual site but the transmission lines to that site will be more than most campsites can bear.
 
GeoffL said:
Besides being personally unaffordable, for me the biggest issue with BEV mohos is the charging requirement. Every pitch will need a minimum 30A supply (=7kW for charging and 1A for domestic) and campsites will need to be able to supply every pitch at that rate continuously. Currently, they typically run at no more than 16A and since usage is intermittent, the supply into the site can be much less than the number of pitches x 16A. Consider a large campsite like Hendra in Newquay, which has 14 touring fields with an average of 50 or so pitches per field. That's 700 pitches at 7kW per pitch, or about 5MW (>20,000A) needed. Even a 5-van site will need 150A (35kW), which is more than many farms have available. In short, I suspect that the infrastructure won't be able to cope and also suspect that the cost of upgrading not only the actual site but the transmission lines to that site will be more than most campsites can bear.
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Charge your van at a garage or charge point, campsite power will not require to change.
 
In 2030 we will still be able to buy a diesel-powered motorhome as long as it is a hybrid. If when running on diesel it charges the battery and returns more than 50% of the mpg we get now out of our diesel-only vans it' shouldn't be a problem?
 
trevskoda said:
I burn that in fuel and some times double in a week, then there is the tax ins wear and tear on parts tyres etc.
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I did say that included tax, insurance and fuel Trev.

If you burn that or even double that in a week, then you are clearly doing more than 12k miles a year. Your argument was that if you do less than 12k a year taxi's would be cheaper.

I'll give you an example. On a Friday (when not locked down) Julie gives me a lift to the pub - this costs less than a pound. At the end of the night I get a taxi home, this costs about £12. If we didn't have a car that would be £12 each way. I usually do the same on Saturday and Sunday, so just those 3 days could potentially cost £72 if we didn't have a car - or potentially £6 if we did!

That is without considering all of the trips to the shops, visiting friend and family, the odd school run for the grandkids etc. etc. Not considering the inconvenience of forever ringing taxis and they not being available.

Sorry, but your argument just does not stack up.
 
The push for EV’s is to satisfy the environmental lobby. When you look at the doomsday prophecies from the start of the climate change saga, be it an ice age coming then warming, none of them have happened. The planet is warming naturally from the little ice age although no statistical warming for around the last twenty years. Sea levels are rising but again no real change in the rate for the last century. The list of doom and gloom events goes on and on, the failure to happen also goes on and on.
EV’s will happen but for now the tech is just not there. The fantastic new battery is just around the corner, as it has been for a long time. Just remember that you have to recycle the EV battery at some stage, a Tesla battery is half a ton! Imagine the size/weight for a van?
The discussion about this will go on and on without end as everyone has their own views and beliefs. I know I cannot change the way people think and I would not want to force my views on them. I have formed my knowledge from research and my own background experience, others will have done it their own way.
This is my last post on this subject as all we are doing is going round in circles.
Stay safe - already booking sites in the hope we are going to be able to get out there!
 
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