Electric Motorhomes at Scale, Can't be Far Away Now.

[enark]

The national grid currently carries about 30% less peak electric than it did in the peak about 20 years ago. Vehicle batteries will do much of their charging overnight when demand on the grid is far lower. Yes, we're now generating power in different places, but it's not as bad a problem as some claim.

Yes maybe, but the cables to transmit the power?

Have you tried getting NG to install an 11kva from primary to secondary sub station? Takes years…and costs loads

 

[Folkranger]

FIAT Professional has started production of the all-electric E-Ducato at its Atessa plant in Italy, marking a significant step toward sustainable mobility in the light commercial vehicle (LCV) sector.

The Ducato leads Europe’s RV market, with 70% of motorhomes built on its platform and a 16-year streak as “Best Camper Base Vehicle” by Promobil readers. It holds strong market positions across Europe, with a 24% share in Italy and notable rankings in France, Poland, Spain, and Portugal.

The E-Ducato, designed in-house, features a 110-kWh battery delivering a range of up to 424 km (WLTP), rapid charging, and versatile configurations suited for logistics and service industries.

Atessa, Europe’s largest LCV facility, produces up to 1,200 vehicles daily, exporting 80% to 75 countries. This milestone underscores FIAT Professional's commitment to Italian manufacturing and the shift to electric mobility.

View attachment 990001

I bet that battery doesn't leave much payload.

 

[Guigsy]

Be a while before battery cars catch up with diesel and petrol thoughView attachment 1005461

And that demonstrates that even if we did stop selling new ICE cars tomorrow, it would take years before they became a majority on the roads. Which slows the impact on the grid.

 

[Folkranger]

My concern is if we splash out on another diesel what are successive governments going to do to force us to switch. Then rendering our very expensive van worthless!

Not if Trump has his way. Drill baby drill!

 

[Guigsy]

Not if Trump has his way. Drill baby drill!

What does the American RV market have to do with the UK? And the fact that he's accepted a massive bribe from a guy that makes EVs.

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[Folkranger]

What does the American RV market have to do with the UK? And the fact that he's accepted a massive bribe from a guy that makes EVs.

It was said as a humourus aside. However it is not impossible that if the USA ditches all efforts at protecting the climate, other countries might get drawn into doing the same. God forbid.

 

[Guigsy]

A lot of green technology is now cheaper. Just it's expensive to transition. It might be that fossil fuel dependent countries fall behind in the medium to long term. Potentially accelerated if the orange one puts tariffs on all the imports American businesses and consumers rely on like rare earth metals, computer chips and many drugs.

 

[jerryz]

Most diesel vans can go 550 miles plus on a tankful and refuel anywhere , an EV will only go 200 miles and then cant get near a charger hmmmm ,,,

 

[McLouis]

You can just use a diesel generator to charge it up surely?

Or hey just put that diesel genset under the bonnet. Might just catch on.

 

[McLouis]

If EVs are terrible in winter how do they manage in Norway where they have just reached the point of the majority of vehicles on the road are EVs and over 70% of new registrations are EVs?

They just use the battery to heat itself....

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[McLouis]

I'm sure they will. If one day we are all in leccy vans then charging them will eventually become another source of income for campsites.

It will be the main business, small modular reactor on every campsite.

Wilding will become the thing, either maintain the beauty of Ice, or have the tow behind genny.....

 

[McLouis]

A quick note on units:

There is a lot of quoting of "KWH" or Kilo Watt Hours.

I note that a reasonable lithium habitation battery is around 100 KwH.
And praised for lightness.
Also a top range eVehicle has a 100 KwH battery which is very heavy.

School physics (long time ago) tells me volts * amps = watts.
So a kilowatt hour is very dependent on the voltage (or the amperage, obviously).

KWH as far as I remember kilo wasn't named after anyone and neither hour so the capital is only for Watt.

Sorry its just a science thing... Plays havoc with my neuro sh1t.

I assume habitation batteries are rated for delivering 12 volts.
Charging points are rated for delivering 220V at home.

How many volts does an eVehicle battery deliver?
Or amps, for that matter.

 

[Guigsy]

They just use the battery to heat itself....

Via a heat pump. EVs with a heat pump are about 10-20% less efficient in sub zero temperatures. Which is pretty much the same as diesel and petrol.

 

[AndyPK]

Via a heat pump. EVs with a heat pump are about 10-20% less efficient in sub zero temperatures. Which is pretty much the same as diesel and petrol.

So, no improvement there then………!

 

[The Wino]

So, no improvement there then………!

No just the usual difference roughly 50mpg if you're lucky petrol or diesel the equivalent of 200mpg for electric

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[Guigsy]

No just the usual difference roughly 50mpg if you're lucky petrol or diesel the equivalent of 200mpg for electric

I've just done the maths. My 10 mile drive to work this morning used 1.8kWh (it was slow! Very congested). So 5.6 miles/kWh. Which is 224mpg equivalent.

 

[Neil S]

Via a heat pump. EVs with a heat pump are about 10-20% less efficient in sub zero temperatures. Which is pretty much the same as diesel and petrol.

I find our Q4-e-ton which has heat pump loses more like 25-30% in very cold weather , perhaps we’re a bit heavy footed but compared to our ICE petrol it’s far worse

 

[The Wino]

I've just done the maths. My 10 mile drive to work this morning used 1.8kWh (it was slow! Very congested). So 5.6 miles/kWh. Which is 224mpg equivalent.

You just can't get the dyed in the wool petrol heads to understand how big the difference is!

 

[The Wino]

I've just done the maths. My 10 mile drive to work this morning used 1.8kWh (it was slow! Very congested). So 5.6 miles/kWh. Which is 224mpg equivalent.

That's very good miles per kWh for this time of year we'd be getting 3.

 

[John Barrett]

Look out for when China starts making cheap EV motorhemes.. This is thr fourth carrier launched by BYD. They really do mean business!

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[The Wino]

Look out for when China starts making cheap EV motorhes. This is thr fourth carrier launched by BYD. They rally do mean business!View attachment 1005594

What people seem to forget is if we abandoned EVs and went just to hybrids they could swap to producing those with the same difference in value. It's not the change to EVs that's making US and Europe manufacturing struggle it's the arrival of manufacturing in China at reasonable quantity and low cost. It's just the same as happened with Japanese motorbikes in the 1970's and cars a decade after. It's happening now with coaches too I see increasing numbers of Chinese made coaches around here.

 

[Folkranger]

Or hey just put that diesel genset under the bonnet. Might just catch on.

Mazda are already doing this by putting a small petrol rotary engine under the bonnet of their electric cars which will generate electricity when the battery runs out, thereby massively increasing the range.

 

[Guigsy]

That's very good miles per kWh for this time of year we'd be getting 3.

I don't think I got above 25mph. Most of the time I was crawling. Lots of braking for queues which meant I got nearly half of all the energy that went to the motor, I got back in regen. I barely touched the brake pedal.

My Ioniq is stupidly efficient. And I found out a couple of weeks ago that it has the optional heat pump (the dealer said it didn't). The 38kWh battery doesn't matter so much when it's so frugal on each of those kWhs. Even at this time of year, I'm averaging 4.8 miles/kWh.

I would have cycled in and arrived quicker. But I have to carry a lot of stuff home tonight... And it was pee'ing it down this morning.

 

[Folkranger]

I find our Q4-e-ton which has heat pump loses more like 25-30% in very cold weather , perhaps we’re a bit heavy footed but compared to our ICE petrol it’s far worse

My Mazda EV has dropped from 4miles/kwh all year average to 3.5 in the coldest weeks of this winter. It has a heat pump and I pre-heat the cabin and defrost the windows via the app before setting out.

Although not the most efficient EV I'm delighted that at 7p/kwh it costs me 70p to do 40 miles. Most ICE cars will need a gallon to do that, costing about £6.

 

[AndyPK]

Although not the most efficient EV I'm delighted that at 7p/kwh it costs me 70p to do 40 miles. Most ICE cars will need a gallon to do that, costing about £6.

…and then it will need recharging…..!

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[funflair]

I've just done the maths. My 10 mile drive to work this morning used 1.8kWh (it was slow! Very congested). So 5.6 miles/kWh. Which is 224mpg equivalent.

Interesting numbers, is that a purely cost based comparison, I did a bit of googling and came up with the number (40 times) that you seem to have used but I can't see what is behind that number.

 

[Googlebot]

Despite all the negative comments, (yes range and infrastructure need to improve), I am still an EV convert. I love our car and it’s so cheap to run.

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[Folkranger]

Interesting numbers, is that a purely cost based comparison, I did a bit of googling and came up with the number (40 times) that you seem to have used but I can't see what is behind that number.

Price per kwh is the missing piece. Overnight charging costs me 7p/kwh

 

[Guigsy]

Interesting numbers, is that a purely cost based comparison, I did a bit of googling and came up with the number (40 times) that you seem to have used but I can't see what is behind that number.

Based on petrol being 8.9kWh per litre.

 

[funflair]

Based on petrol being 8.9kWh per litre.

Yes I got a figure of 48.58 kwh/gallon for diesel so at 45mpg I get 1.08 miles/kwh, 5.6/1.08 x 45mpg = 233mpg equivalent so I think I have answered my own question thanks I think it was the generic multiply by 40 that got me interested in the numbers behind it but it seems to work out reasonably well.

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