Another stupid Government led idea - Electric Cars

starbelgrade · 14-04-2010 12:28AM #1

What a sh*t idea. It's bad enough having to charge your phone, but think of the chaos when you have to ask someone if they have a charger for a VW Golf?

Seriously though, the thing that bugs me most about this, is that the government are going to offer €5k grants to purchasers of the car, which will go straight out of the country to Renault who are set to supply the vehicles. Therefor, the taxpayer is subsiding the middle class - ie., those who can afford these almost €40k cars & also subsidising a French motor manufacturer.

There's also no grid set up to charge the things, they only do 100km before they run out of juice & we've no idea if they are even going to be the new type of fueled car that will be predominant in the next few years.

Next we'll be subsiding rich people like bankers and developers.... oh, wait...

m@cc@ · 14-04-2010 12:31AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

What a sh*t idea. It's bad enough having to charge your phone, but think of the chaos when you have to ask someone if they have a charger for a VW Golf?

Seriously though, the thing that bugs me most about this, is that the government are going to offer €5k grants to purchasers of the car, which will go straight out of the country to Renault who are set to supply the vehicles. Therefor, the taxpayer is subsiding the middle class - ie., those who can afford these almost €40k cars & also subsidising a French motor manufacturer.

But will be raised by import tax, VAT and road tax. Electric cars are coming, might as well get on the boat, so to speak.

Sheeps · 14-04-2010 12:33AM

They are actually a good idea, it's a shame you've got no idea what you're talking about.

tba · 14-04-2010 12:36AM

Yeah a stupid idea like the smoking ban and charging for plastic bags.

Very few nations are small enough and contained enough to allow a full scale roll out of electric cars. Iceland, the Caribbean nations etc.. are the likely contenders along with the good old republic.

If you were smart you would set up a company to build/install these chargers, cause once its proven to work here it will be a growth industry.

m@cc@ · 14-04-2010 12:37AM

tba wrote: »

Yeah a stupid idea like the smoking ban and charging for plastic bags.

Very few nations are small enough and contained enough to allow a full scale roll out of electric cars. Iceland, the Caribbean nations etc.. are the likely contenders along with the good old republic.

If you were smart you would set up a company to build/install these chargers, cause once its proven to work here it will be a growth industry.

Excellent point. Never thought about it like that.

starbelgrade · 14-04-2010 12:38AM

Sheeps wrote: »

They are actually a good idea, it's a shame you've got no idea what you're talking about.

You might provide an argument to the contrary. I am open to persuasion, but I see no reason for Ireland to try to be the forerunner on cars that rely on fossil fuels for their energy & are quite simply, sh*t cars.

FunnyStuff · 14-04-2010 12:38AM

Sheeps wrote: »

They are actually a good idea, it's a shame you've got no idea what you're talking about.

I'd like to see it when you need to pull in off the side of the road to charge your car in the nearest top up facility. Do you think this is like putting petrol in yr car? 5 minutes and yr done? Some of these things will need to be charged for 8 ****in hours!!!

Whats the ****in point if a trip from one side of the country to the other requires an overnight stay!?!?!?

PhysiologyRocks · 14-04-2010 12:39AM

My car loves petrol.

And I love my car.

starbelgrade · 14-04-2010 12:41AM

tba wrote: »

If you were smart you would set up a company to build/install these chargers, cause once its proven to work here it will be a growth industry.

The ESB - a semi state heavyweight - are going to be the biggest players in this market. The rest, most likely will be farmed out via tender, to the cheapest european counterparts.

Dartz · 14-04-2010 12:41AM

Hint: OP is a Stonecutter.

m@cc@ · 14-04-2010 12:43AM

FunnyStuff wrote: »

Whats the ****in point if a trip from one side of the country to the other requires an overnight stay!?!?!?

You think trips from one side of the country to the other are the norm as opposed to the school run? There's a whole branch of research devoted to making batteries last longer and charge quicker. For short distances, electric cars are practical and can be inexpensively charged overnight.

Sharpshooter · 14-04-2010 12:43AM

They only go a short distance though, compared to the car so what happens when you are on the motorway?

Will there be places to pull into to get you to the next part of your journey and how long would that take?

Or are they only intended for short trips?

Inquisitive much, sorry.

AnonoBoy · 14-04-2010 12:45AM

Is there a catchy dance number that can explain all this to me?

Electric Car Bugaloo?
Do the Electric Car?
Car Car Electric Car?
I Wanna Take You To A Gay (Electric) Car?

Captain Chaos · 14-04-2010 12:46AM

FunnyStuff wrote: »

I'd like to see it when you need to pull in off the side of the road to charge your car in the nearest top up facility. Do you think this is like putting petrol in yr car? 5 minutes and yr done? Some of these things will need to be charged for 8 ****in hours!!!

Whats the ****in point if a trip from one side of the country to the other requires an overnight stay!?!?!?

Exactly, the technology for batteries is just not there yet. You want a minimum range of about 350km at worst case with 8 hour charge times. The charge times are not practical at all either.

Hydrogen like what they have rolled out in California is where the real money is for the short term until battery tech and advance more.

Sorry I can't pick you up from the airport tonight, my car is on its 8 hour charge after I drove it to work twice. Very popular cars alright. The ESB are going to love it too.

m@cc@ · 14-04-2010 12:46AM

Sharpshooter wrote: »

They only go a short distance though, compared to the car so what happens when you are on the motorway?

Will there be places to pull into to get you to the next part of your journey and how long would that take?

Or are they only intended for short trips?

Inquisitive much, sorry.

I'd say short trips at this stage, like city cars. But think about it, long distances are not the norm for most users.

orourkeda · 14-04-2010 12:48AM

When are we introducing electric chairs?

tba · 14-04-2010 12:48AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

The ESB - a semi state heavyweight - are going to be the biggest players in this market. The rest, most likely will be farmed out via tender, to the cheapest european counterparts.

Ireland is in the EU, why cant we be the cheapest option? I can guarantee that if the roll out continues on pace they will be the most experienced.

donkey balls · 14-04-2010 12:54AM

Sharpshooter wrote: »

They only go a short distance though, compared to the car so what happens when you are on the motorway?

Will there be places to pull into to get you to the next part of your journey and how long would that take?

Or are they only intended for short trips?

Inquisitive much, sorry.

sure the new motorways galway-dublin etc dont even have lay bys for you to pull in,also you have a cable from the car to the charger say you leave it in overnight and some b*ll*x comes along and unplugs it while charging.:eek:

AnonoBoy · 14-04-2010 12:56AM

orourkeda wrote: »

When are we introducing electric chairs?

I've already got one. Well I stapled my electric blanket to an old armchair and hooked it up to a spare car battery. Toasty!

drunkmonkey · 14-04-2010 12:56AM

Donkey balls your a genius, we don't need electric cars we need gravity powered cable cars!!

AnonoBoy · 14-04-2010 12:57AM

donkey balls wrote: »

sure the new motorways galway-dublin etc dont even have lay bys for you to pull in,also you have a cable from the car to the charger say you leave it in overnight and some b*ll*x comes along and unplugs it while charging.:eek:

It only takes 90 minutes to charge them so you don't need to leave it in overnight.

starbelgrade · 14-04-2010 12:57AM

tba wrote: »

Ireland is in the EU, why cant we be the cheapest option? I can guarantee that if the roll out continues on pace they will be the most experienced.

For a start, Renault already have plans in place to provide a battery leasing option on Ireland.

The most expensive part of the car is the battery itself, so when you buy a Renault, you'll get a card that you'll be able to swipe at battery changing stations which will be set up along motorways between cities for long haul trips.

You swipe your card, they take out the battery & replace it with a freshly charged one.

The only people who'll be making money out of this will be the government, Renault & Bill Cullen.

Good oul Doctor Bill - he was on The Frontline recently preaching to the unemployed, saying that they were essentially lazy & needed to get off their asses & do something instead of whinging about having no jobs & relying only state hand-outs. State "hand-outs" which most of them paid for through PRSI & taxes whilst they worked their asses off.

And meanwhile, he's been scheming with the government to get taxpayers to subsisdise the purchase of electric cars from Renault.

Coincidentally, he sells... Renaults.

Aridstarling · 14-04-2010 12:58AM

How about you use two batteries? That way, when one is running low you can swap it out for one that's fully charged. Might only take two minutes and could be done just about anywhere. Why, I guess you could even have three or four or five!

FunnyStuff · 14-04-2010 12:58AM

m@cc@ wrote: »

You think trips from one side of the country to the other are the norm as opposed to the school run?

School run my hole.... make the little brats walk. Sick of these ponsy blonde bimbos in their "SUV's" driving 30 seconds down the road to drop lil Amy and Troy to school. **** when i was a kid i walked two miles to and two miles back from school. And can you even imagine what it gonna be like to charge yr car on yr electric bill?!?!?! This wont be like pluggin in a toaster.

And for the record i'll be all for electric cars if its actually gonna do some good and save me money and ****in petrol. But its no use saving €100 a week on petrol, if its gonna add an extra €100 a week to my electricity bill.

iUseVi · 14-04-2010 01:01AM

Aridstarling wrote: »

How about you use two batteries? That way, when one is running low you can swap it out for one that's fully charged. Might only take two minutes and could be done just about anywhere. Why, I guess you could even have three or four or five!

Maybe six?

evolutionqy7 · 14-04-2010 01:07AM

it would be a great idea if there were charge points on the motorway and around the city area...but there isnt...and as far as i know manufacturers havent actually brought electric car only in Ireland yet..

anyway Electric cars are great way to reduce petrol emissions and electricity is much cheaper than petrol

im not a fan of them but its good to see that the government is encouraging people to get them...100 km range is more than enough to get from home > work > home in the city...their not really targeted for long journeys...think you should consider that...

though i would never buy one cause i prefer powerful petrol i think its a great idea

i think best way forward is hydrogen/electric hybrid

hydrogen gives clean power without making the car slow and having an electric engine gives you a boost or lets you crawl in traffic!

krudler · 14-04-2010 01:12AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DfHyGD7_pM

to anyone who thinks electric cars are all tiny sh1tboxes that cant chug past 50 kmh, look at this, 1.00 onwards

m@cc@ · 14-04-2010 01:13AM

FunnyStuff wrote: »

School run my hole.... make the little brats walk. Sick of these ponsy blonde bimbos in their "SUV's" driving 30 seconds down the road to drop lil Amy and Troy to school. **** when i was a kid i walked two miles to and two miles back from school. And can you even imagine what it gonna be like to charge yr car on yr electric bill?!?!?! This wont be like pluggin in a toaster.

Did you hear me endorsing the school run?

No, it won't be like plugging in a toaster but it'll still be cheaper than petrol. Have you actually done any research into this?

FunnyStuff · 14-04-2010 01:14AM

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

it would be a great idea if there were charge points on the motorway and around the city area...

.100 km range is more than enough to get from home > work > home in the city...

What about people who dont live in the city!?!?!?! Do we even matter?!?!?!
Or will we have to drive into yr infested hive just to charge up our cars???

krudler · 14-04-2010 01:14AM

Hydrogen cars are the way to go, cos I love the fact you'd be driving around with something that is so explosive you could blow a hole in the world

krudler · 14-04-2010 01:15AM

FunnyStuff wrote: »

What about people who dont live in the city!?!?!?! Do we even matter?!?!?!
Or will we have to drive into yr infested hive just to charge up our cars???

You can still use your donkeys, calm down

Another stupid Government led idea - Electric Cars

Comments