The Future of Diesel and Petrol Motorhomes

[tonyidle]

You will I’m sure find a way to travel. Just probably cost you at least twice as much to buy the vehicle and only be able to travel half as far.

I already have the vehicle. I was responding more to the suggestion that at 75 you would have given up.

 

[glenn2926]

I already have the vehicle. I was responding more to the suggestion that at 75 you would have given up.

I see, my post was in response to the lack of vehicles to tour in from that date. Battery motorhomes will be very, very expensive and won’t go very far on a charge.
Like you, I’ll be keeping my old bus until I can no longer get fuel for it. I’m toying with buying a new motorbike soon for just that reason, to keep it going as long as l can buy petrol for it. After that’s not available, well that might be time to give in to those trying to stop the current ways of travelling.

 

[Wagonagain]

Ive done it
I found the answer just get to 88mph and the flux capacitor kicks in and bobs your auntie.
A back to the future train that runs on old plastic bags and steam

 

[tonyidle]

I see, my post was in response to the lack of vehicles to tour in from that date. Battery motorhomes will be very, very expensive and won’t go very far on a charge.
Like you, I’ll be keeping my old bus until I can no longer get fuel for it. I’m toying with buying a new motorbike soon for just that reason, to keep it going as long as l can buy petrol for it. After that’s not available, well that might be time to give in to those trying to stop the current ways of travelling.

I'm in a different camp. I'd love to be around to see, and to drive in, a world of electric vehicles but I'm afraid time is running out .

 

[gpat]

What!!!!!! I'm 73 now and I expect to be travelling for at least another 10 years .

Yeah. 75 is the new 55

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[gus-lopez]

I already have the vehicle. I was responding more to the suggestion that at 75 you would have given up.

Given up? i'm wondering will I still be here & if I am will I want to be?

 

[Grummyb]

Dont blink, because by the end of this year there will be plenty that can tow

eg New Volvo XC40 Recharge full electric has a tow limit if 1800kg ( and 400+ hp and 600+ nm torque)

You can get 18 tonne electric lorries and by 2040 the sale of all diesel lorries will come to an end so cars powerful enough to tow are not far away nor are electric motorhomes technology marches on faster than we realise and as much I love an internal combustion engine there days are numbered

 

[scally]

We should just count ourselves lucky to have been able to travel, tour the places and countries we have done. Future generations are not going to have that choice.
It’s going to be the same for motorbikes, again we’re very lucky to have been able to travel and tour on our motorbikes.
I’ll be 75 in 2035 so probably won’t be bothered about not travelling.

Im 84 in couple of months and still travelling as was my dad untill 92 so dont give up hope yet my friend

 

[glenn2926]

I'm in a different camp. I'd love to be around to see, and to drive in, a world of electric vehicles but I'm afraid time is running out .

Yeah I get that some quite fancy battery vehicles. I just cannot get any enthusiasm for a whirring electric motor. Having grown up around straight fours, straight sixes, V sixes, V eights, Triples, Twins of various configurations and of course screaming two strokes.
I cannot imagine being transported around by an electric motor being any kind of experience at all.

 

[glenn2926]

Im 84 in couple of months and still travelling as was my dad untill 92 so dont give up hope yet my friend

It’s not the age it’s the lack of vehicles to use.

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[Cheshirecat57]

Yeah I get that some quite fancy battery vehicles. I just cannot get any enthusiasm for a whirring electric motor. Having grown up around straight fours, straight sixes, V sixes, V eights, Triples, Twins of various configurations and of course screaming two strokes.
I cannot imagine being transported around by an electric motor being any kind of experience at all.

Shame that you think that way
Ive just had an Xc40 all electric for a couple of days, and the equivalent of 400 bhp , that is on tap from the instant you press the go pedal, is fun…..BTW there was no whirring

 

[tonyidle]

Yeah I get that some quite fancy battery vehicles. I just cannot get any enthusiasm for a whirring electric motor. Having grown up around straight fours, straight sixes, V sixes, V eights, Triples, Twins of various configurations and of course screaming two strokes.
I cannot imagine being transported around by an electric motor being any kind of experience at all.

I have enjoyed all of those things and owned several of them. But the sound is only part of the experience and (rightly I think) is more and more being confined to the track and / or closed events which will find a way to continue. The attraction of electric vehicles is the availability of massive (by ICE standards) torque available at zero rpm and no transmission to control. They should offer a superb driving experience with the added attraction of massively reduced NVH.

 

[Glas Robin]

FWIW, we've just "gone electric" at home.

I've just bought an EGO 80v 18inch chainsaw, 22inch mower and brushcutter and a couple of 10ah batteries. They are all far better than their petrol predecessors and I couldn't recommend them more.

I reckon by the time we are in the market for a replacement van I'll be looking at an electric one. Battery tech is advancing rapidly. The trick will be to select manufacturers that provide a realistic and reasonably-priced upgrade path for the battery and motor. The van itself is likley to long outlast the technology of five years' time and I want to be able to upgrade, just as I do my IT and phones at present.

 

[Glas Robin]

They're here already:

 

[Glas Robin]

If those links are to be believed, the Pilote Mooveo has a 400km range and charge time varies from 2 hr (Tesla fast charge) to 5 hours (3-phase) and overnight for standard 13amp EHU.

To be honest, that would be fine for almost all of us. we could accommodate hook-up every 250 miles of travel probably - and in time the infrastructure will be there for plenty of 2hr fast charge sites (which will no doubt only get faster and faster). And at least we can sit in the van, rather than the awful service station.

I'm rather looking forward to it. Quite what we will do with all the millions of tons of discharged batteries in 15 years time, who knows. But no doubt we will find ways to recycyle them.

The only snag is the expensive price. Around double what a similar conventional moho costs. But that'll change rapidly.

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[glenn2926]

BTW there was no whirring

Or any other lovely engine note.

 

[glenn2926]

I have enjoyed all of those things and owned several of them. But the sound is only part of the experience and (rightly I think) is more and more being confined to the track and / or closed events which will find a way to continue. The attraction of electric vehicles is the availability of massive (by ICE standards) torque available at zero rpm and no transmission to control. They should offer a superb driving experience with the added attraction of massively reduced NVH.

No doubt, battery cars will move the body. They will never however move the soul.
Battery cars to me are the same as lifts, escalators etc etc, very efficient and quiet but nowt to get exited about.
Edit, oh and around twice the price. So that rules me out of ever owning one.

 

[glenn2926]

FWIW, we've just "gone electric" at home.

I've just bought an EGO 80v 18inch chainsaw, 22inch mower and brushcutter and a couple of 10ah batteries. They are all far better than their petrol predecessors and I couldn't recommend them more.

I reckon by the time we are in the market for a replacement van I'll be looking at an electric one. Battery tech is advancing rapidly. The trick will be to select manufacturers that provide a realistic and reasonably-priced upgrade path for the battery and motor. The van itself is likley to long outlast the technology of five years' time and I want to be able to upgrade, just as I do my IT and phones at present.

I teach chainsaw courses and obviously we now must have an electric saw. I don’t know what your chainsaw background is but the Stihl electric we have is ok for a bit of shedding or garden work I suppose but what do you do after twenty minutes when the battery has run out? Bearing in mind we are in the forest.
With our old 261s we just refill with petrol, chain oil etc and back to work

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I teach chainsaw courses and obviously we now must have an electric saw. I don’t know what your chainsaw background is but the Stihl electric we have is ok for a bit of shedding or garden work I suppose but what do you do after twenty minutes when the battery has run out? Bearing in mind we are in the forest.
With our old 261s we just refill with petrol, chain oil etc and back to work

Our son works in forestry, he would need a van full of batteries to do a day's work in the middle of Exmoor.

 

[Tonks]

It’ll be interesting to see it’s range when towing. Also it’s ability to refuel in about three minutes. I keep reading about vehicles recharging to 80% in a shortish time. Who ever refuels to 80%?

It's range is 208, according to Volvo, which means in reality it will be less than that, and even less when towing. The 'refuel time' will be lengthy, which if you're on a long journey is nonsensical - not to mention it could take hours if other vehicles are in front of you in the line for the power connectors. On a fairly recent report with someone driving an electric car up the country, they had to leave the motorway to search for a charging point, because the ones at the services were all out of order.
Oh, and the price STARTS at £37345... Which is a price I have never in my life been able to afford for any car. I've never been able to buy a brand new car, and most electric cars are going to be bought by those who have the funds to buy new or nearly new cars, or who are happy to be tied into loans or PCP agreements. I'm self-employed, and own both my vehicles outright. My car is now worth about a fiver, but I've had it years and it is still giving me good reliable service.

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[Glas Robin]

Our son works in forestry, he would need a van full of batteries to do a day's work in the middle of Exmoor.

I teach chainsaw courses and obviously we now must have an electric saw. I don’t know what your chainsaw background is but the Stihl electric we have is ok for a bit of shedding or garden work I suppose but what do you do after twenty minutes when the battery has run out? Bearing in mind we are in the forest.
With our old 261s we just refill with petrol, chain oil etc and back to work

I have 20 acres of fields and woods and have worked it for 20 years - so a fair experience of logging and general tidying.

I've yet to do a full day's solid work with it but I'm v impressed with its use so far. It is lighter and much quieter than my Stihls. It starts on the button (quite literally). With a thinner chain, and 20m/s chain speed, it cuts smooth and fast. Other than chain oil and shrpening, there is absolutely no maintenance, and no consumables costs.

I haven't tried continuous felling with it yet - but logging I get a good 45-60 mins out of a 10ah battery (about the same as the lawnmower). The fast charge is an hour to fully charge - so with 2 batteries I can probably go continuously if close to power - with three I would be pretty much sorted anywhere on my land - with a short walk/drive back to power every couple of hours. I can accommodate that for the upsides.

I don't think I will ever go back to noisy, smelly, (at times) unreliable and polluting petrol machinery. I have the same power in battery tools - and longevity will come. And this is just the start - they will be twice as good in five years, and twice more in another 5.

I know many are sceptics - but this is a different type of technology. It is not trying to completely replicate what the earlier technology did. It is different. In the same way that internal combustion was differet to steam or horsepower. It didn't replicate it - it replaced it. And we can be certain that internal combustion will be replaced in time - and a few heritage enthusiasts will be left to tend to their petrol shire-horses and diesel locomotives. And then battery power will be replaced in time by hydrogen or fusion or Scotty's warp drive.

 

[TheMachMan]

Battery is completely buggered in my 4 year old electric hedge trimmer. £70 for a replacement.
Had a Merc C class hybrid in the past as a co car. Best it managed was 19 miles rather than the 30 claimed.
I’ll hang on for as long as poss before getting next electric vehicle!

 

[glenn2926]

I have 20 acres of fields and woods and have worked it for 20 years - so a fair experience of logging and general tidying.

I've yet to do a full day's solid work with it but I'm v impressed with its use so far. It is lighter and much quieter than my Stihls. It starts on the button (quite literally). With a thinner chain, and 20m/s chain speed, it cuts smooth and fast. Other than chain oil and shrpening, there is absolutely no maintenance, and no consumables costs.

I haven't tried continuous felling with it yet - but logging I get a good 45-60 mins out of a 10ah battery (about the same as the lawnmower). The fast charge is an hour to fully charge - so with 2 batteries I can probably go continuously if close to power - with three I would be pretty much sorted anywhere on my land - with a short walk/drive back to power every couple of hours. I can accommodate that for the upsides.

I don't think I will ever go back to noisy, smelly, (at times) unreliable and polluting petrol machinery. I have the same power in battery tools - and longevity will come. And this is just the start - they will be twice as good in five years, and twice more in another 5.

I know many are sceptics - but this is a different type of technology. It is not trying to completely replicate what the earlier technology did. It is different. In the same way that internal combustion was differet to steam or horsepower. It didn't replicate it - it replaced it. And we can be certain that internal combustion will be replaced in time - and a few heritage enthusiasts will be left to tend to their petrol shire-horses and diesel locomotives. And then battery power will be replaced in time by hydrogen or fusion or Scotty's warp drive.

I tried one fell. A tree under 200mm the electric did fell it but whenever I put the slightest pressure on it stopped. One battery could not fell then do the snedding and processing of one 200mm tree.
It also has a tiny 1/4 pico chain on a very short guidebar. How one could work for a full day felling in the forest I don’t know. This electric saw is brand new. The 261s are a good few years old and just keep working, even with ham fisted students using them.
Messing about at home logging firewood etc the battery saw is ok, only ok mind. Proper felling work battery saws are a long way off yet. We did get caught on Wednesday in a quite severe thunder and lightening storm. I didn’t want an electric anything in my hands in that.

 

[spikehcm681]

We should just count ourselves lucky to have been able to travel, tour the places and countries we have done. Future generations are not going to have that choice.
It’s going to be the same for motorbikes, again we’re very lucky to have been able to travel and tour on our motorbikes.
I’ll be 75 in 2035 so probably won’t be bothered about not travelling.

When you get to 75 - you may think differently?

Said he - a 75 year-old.

 

[Badknee]

The Polestar which basically a Chinese built Volvo lookalike can tow 1500kg .

Volvo Car Group (Volvo Cars) is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely Holding) of China

Its actually a Chinese Volvo.

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[Vikdikdok]

I plan to harness 2 horses to my PVC - just got to figure out where to carry the horses feed

 

[martin2603]

We are now constantly battered by ads for new EV s on TV. The new Golf on a PCP will cost £20k over 3 years with a big balloon payement at the end or hand it back and start again. The cheapest Zoe is just under £30k and the sky is the limit for an ‘Average’ vehicle if you want any range.
The supply of Lithium is limited so it will bryintrresting to see how it all pans out .
I won’t be running down to the Showroom just yet.

 

[Cheshirecat57]

It's range is 208, according to Volvo, which means in reality it will be less than that, and even less when towing. The 'refuel time' will be lengthy, which if you're on a long journey is nonsensical - not to mention it could take hours if other vehicles are in front of you in the line for the power connectors. On a fairly recent report with someone driving an electric car up the country, they had to leave the motorway to search for a charging point, because the ones at the services were all out of order.
Oh, and the price STARTS at £37345... Which is a price I have never in my life been able to afford for any car. I've never been able to buy a brand new car, and most electric cars are going to be bought by those who have the funds to buy new or nearly new cars, or who are happy to be tied into loans or PCP agreements. I'm self-employed, and own both my vehicles outright. My car is now worth about a fiver, but I've had it years and it is still giving me good reliable service.

So, the ban on new ICE cars in 8 years will not affect you, because you do not buy new cars
If you buy/use only ,say, 10 year old cars, then it will be 2040 by the time you will struggle
So in your case, not really worth giving it a moments thought

 

[Wikky]

Nothing like politicians' aspirations. I see a lot of talk about electric vehicles. Less talk about accessible and working charging points and very little talk about how these charging points are going to be powered.
We are a windy island. We already have solar farms and wind turbines. We need more research in to utilising wave power from the sea. Off- shore wave powered turbines would use the energy of the waves and also protect some of our vulnerable coast. Oh, and power EV vehicles.
Another topic would be engines using liquid hydrogen in the fuel tanks.......

 

[Wikky]

If those links are to be believed, the Pilote Mooveo has a 400km range and charge time varies from 2 hr (Tesla fast charge) to 5 hours (3-phase) and overnight for standard 13amp EHU.

To be honest, that would be fine for almost all of us. we could accommodate hook-up every 250 miles of travel probably - and in time the infrastructure will be there for plenty of 2hr fast charge sites (which will no doubt only get faster and faster). And at least we can sit in the van, rather than the awful service station.

I'm rather looking forward to it. Quite what we will do with all the millions of tons of discharged batteries in 15 years time, who knows. But no doubt we will find ways to recycyle them.

The only snag is the expensive price. Around double what a similar conventional moho costs. But that'll change rapidly.

Ah but did they run it without wipers, lights and heating on to achieve that range. Did it go up and down hills and at what speed did it operate?
I've driven elec cars and I think they're great if commuting no greater than 100 miles or so.

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