Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge

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Tue 15 Jun 2021 22:24
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - focussed

An electric coach travelling from London to Cornwall for the G7 Summit was left stranded outside the Eden Project over the weekend, after its battery ran out of juice before finding a charging point. Turns out the race to zero is easier than expected…

The Carbon Battle Bus, which attempted the stunt as part of Planet Mark’s ‘Zero Carbon Tour’, ground to a halt with hundreds of miles left on the journey, having failed to find a single functioning charging point across their entire trip through Cornwall. Planet Mark’s slogan is “Empowering change ‍for a brighter future”. Disempowered, it doesn’t ring true.

Steve Malkin, Planet Mark’s founder and CEO, claimed they were “on the road to show that zero carbon is immediately possible for every community and organisation in the UK and beyond” – which is strictly true, so long as every community and organisation is happy to fall short of their destination by about 200 miles

order-order.com/2021/06/15/carbon-battle-bus-stran...n

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Wed 16 Jun 2021 00:13
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - Terry W

Eden Project to Carbis Bay is 45 miles not 200.

There are several hundred charging points between London and Carbis Bay. However I suspect most of them have space for cars and vans, not coaches.

The problem is the numpties running the carbon battle bus, not the concept. As things stand right now the journey would be easy in an EV, but a coach without the range to do the full journey in one hit is a bit ambitious.

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Wed 16 Jun 2021 06:34
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - Bromptonaut

On the subject of long range operation of electric vehicles I was on the Western Isles last week and came across a Tesla parked by the access to Northton Machair ; roughly where the Truckman top pickup is. That's a pretty remote spot though there are chargers in Tarbet approx 25 miles away.

It had Tesla branding on the number plates and I did wonder if it was on some sort of publicity jaunt.

Also witnessed a chap failing to connect his Car Club Zoe to the charger at Tyndrum's Green Welly stop. Got himself a helluva tail returning down Lomondside to Glasgow at 'economy' speed :-)

Edited by Bromptonaut on 16/06/2021 at 06:54

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Wed 16 Jun 2021 07:01
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - Sofa Spud

Most charging stations are designed for cars, with car sized parking places. Unless there are several empty spaces together, it would be difficult to position even a small coach so that it could be charged.

So while the charging infrastructure for electric cars is growing, how much of that is suitable for parking large EVs like this full-size coach?

Edited by Sofa Spud on 16/06/2021 at 07:03

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Wed 16 Jun 2021 07:19
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - daveyjp

Teslas are only sold through their own dealers, so they all have Tesla branded plates.

If you can charge you can drive them anywhere. I saw a UK plated Tesla in Tallinn.

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Wed 16 Jun 2021 07:23
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - Chris M

"It had Tesla branding on the number plates and I did wonder if it was on some sort of publicity jaunt."

I think you'll find all have Tesla on the number plate from new. Easy way to spot a second hand one as the used car dealer usually put their own branded ones on.

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Wed 16 Jun 2021 07:40
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - Sofa Spud

I can remember odd occasions when I've not been able to use my petrol or diesel car because the tank was nearly empty and I'd forgotten that nearby filling stations were closed on Sundays or bank holidays! My own fault, maybe. The only time I've run out of petrol was when the vehicle I was driving sprung a fuel leak in the engine bay! I was lucky it didn't catch fire. Very lucky! As a consequence I will never drive anything with the old Ford V4 engine again - if there are any left, that is.

Edited by Sofa Spud on 16/06/2021 at 07:42

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Wed 16 Jun 2021 08:53
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - John F

The only time I have been in an EV was a couple of years ago - a weekend drive to Palm Desert in California (where a son lives, loads of EVs). Stopped at a mall to recharge - all twelve Tesla sockets occupied plus a queue. Well over an hour before we were on the move again. Put me off EVs for life.

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Thu 17 Jun 2021 10:19
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - Archie35

The only time I have been in an EV was a couple of years ago - a weekend drive to Palm Desert in California (where a son lives, loads of EVs). Stopped at a mall to recharge - all twelve Tesla sockets occupied plus a queue. Well over an hour before we were on the move again. Put me off EVs for life.

I lived for 9 years in the Gulf. The nearest petrol station to my office, in one of the world's wealthiest oil producing countries, frequently had hour long queues to refill till eventually they tore it down and quadrupled the size just a few years ago. No doubt that mall you mention has also quadrupled their charging socket capacity since you visited. I also have the same worries about EV charging on longer trips, but I am sure that, in time, capacity will grow to match the demand.

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Thu 17 Jun 2021 20:17
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - mcb100
Just been to buy some diesel from my local Shell filling station, and it’s closed for refurbishment. It’s put me off internal combustion engines for life.
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Thu 17 Jun 2021 16:57
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - Wee Willie Winkie

"I think you'll find all have Tesla on the number plate from new. Easy way to spot a second hand one as the used car dealer usually put their own branded ones on."

A lot of Tesla drivers remove the factory black number plates surrounds (the ones with TESLA.COM on them), as they're not nice looking at all. Plus, the rear one rattles when the boot (or trunk, in Teslaworld) closes. I removed my number plate surrounds, then used double sided tape to secure the plate to the mount. Looks far better.

Edited by DieselBoy on 17/06/2021 at 16:59

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Wed 16 Jun 2021 09:40
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - Andrew-T

Eden Project to Carbis Bay is 45 miles not 200.

I guess it had to get back to London ? Well over 200 miles I should think.

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Wed 16 Jun 2021 12:47
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - focussed

Maybe a bit of forward planning could have involved a very long charging lead so that the coach could have parked where there is room for it?

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Thu 17 Jun 2021 05:13
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - edlithgow

I ran out of petrol once, in 2003 in the north of Scotland, on a Sunday.

I put it down to lack of forward planning, but it turns out I was demonstrating the impracticality of the internal combustion engine, leading directly to its demise.

Sorry about that.

Edited by edlithgow on 17/06/2021 at 05:15

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Thu 17 Jun 2021 14:08
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - brum

If they had equipped the coach with a solar panel roof, had a couple of pop up windmills and distributed hand crank generators to all on board they might have avoided embarrasment.

solarbus.pro

www.marlec.co.uk/wind-power/caravans-and-leisure/

offgridpowerboom.com/best-hand-crank-generators/

;)

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Thu 17 Jun 2021 15:00
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - sammy1

""""

I ran out of petrol once, in 2003 in the north of Scotland, on a Sunday.

I put it down to lack of forward planning, but it turns out I was demonstrating the impracticality of the internal combustion engine, leading directly to its demise.""

As I have said before, you can carry a can of fuel but not a spare 700ib battery. That is what I call forward planning

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Thu 17 Jun 2021 17:47
Mickey Mouse Motor Corporation - Zero carbon - zero charge - Engineer Andy

If they had equipped the coach with a solar panel roof, had a couple of pop up windmills and distributed hand crank generators to all on board they might have avoided embarrasment.

solarbus.pro

www.marlec.co.uk/wind-power/caravans-and-leisure/

offgridpowerboom.com/best-hand-crank-generators/

;)

Nah - lots of exercise bikes linked to a dynamo and a few sails on top to catch the wind going up the westerly M5/M4! :-)

Even better if it was full of journalists and politicians - all that hot air and smelling eachother's f***s could also be put to good use as a fuel source!

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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?