Are we being forced to go electric?

[cougie uk]

How did you manage to park before cameras assuming you’ve been driving more than a few years?

Same way as I changed gear on the downtube before STI came along. It's just easier - I can see exactly what is behind me and low down and easily see the white lines that disappear out of the bottom of the wing mirrors so I don't need to angle them down and then back up again when I drive off. How close am I to that hedge or post - you can't see without getting out - but sensors and cameras help.

 

[MrGrumpy]

UK is granting license to several manufacturers to trial driverless vehicles, I believe this year. Public transport will go driverless too in the future

Futures bright , less jobs .

 

[fossyant]

That new Dacia Spring looks interesting ! Pretty cheap - assuming it does make it here.

 

[Alex321]

How did you manage to park before cameras assuming you’ve been driving more than a few years?

Being able to manage without something doesn't mean that isn't nice to have.

I have always driven estate cars as my main vehicle, and (surprisingly) it can be quite tricky to judge just where the rear is. I have often ended up thinking I was inches away from a wall or other vehicle when it was actually a foot or more. I've never had rear cameras, but the introduction of parking sensors has made a big difference to ease of parking.

Yes, I can park without them, but I strongly prefer to have them.

 

[fossyant]

Same way as I changed gear on the downtube before STI came along. It's just easier - I can see exactly what is behind me and low down and easily see the white lines that disappear out of the bottom of the wing mirrors so I don't need to angle them down and then back up again when I drive off. How close am I to that hedge or post - you can't see without getting out - but sensors and cameras help.

So two decades ago - I have a reversing camera (factory fit) on my car and it's 20 years old. The issue is I can't see about 4-5 foot of my car at the back, and even more at the front. MrsF's has 360 degree cameras. That said she has reversed both cars into something before

 

[cougie uk]

So two decades ago - I have a reversing camera (factory fit) on my car and it's 20 years old. The issue is I can't see about 4-5 foot of my car at the back, and even more at the front. MrsF's has 360 degree cameras. That said she has reversed both cars into something before

Is that a problem with the user then ?

Bring on the self driving cars !

 

[fossyant]

Is that a problem with the user then ?

Bring on the self driving cars !

I'll let you tell her

 

[farfromtheland]

I don't wan't robo-cabs, I'm all for hover cars !

We'd need them here - narrow road, parking both sides, on 2 bus routes. Fairly frequent jams back 50-100 yards when buses can't get past other vehicles. Drivers then have to use the pavement to clear the way.

As someone who can't use a car pool due to a disability and who carries heavy kit for work I will be very hard pushed if I can't have a car sometimes. What matter if it sits unused for weeks? That is not an environmental problem.

Commuting culture and lack of rural public transport are the problems. Building for commuting has to stop.

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

How did you manage to park before cameras assuming you’ve been driving more than a few years?

Older cars had far better visibility, "city" cars were far smaller. You used to be able to see where the front of the bonnet on most cars ended, now, they are curved; blame aerodynamic efficiency and (ironically) collision protection, and invisible from the driver's seat. Hence one reason for so many scrapes in car parks as people drive in head first. Windscreen pillars are thicker for strength and more raked for aerodynamics, both factors reducing visibility. Similarly, the rear of cars are shaped for aerodynamic efficiency and styling has thicker pillars and higher window lines.

Old proper Minis, you could practically touch each corner. Proper Land Rovers had straight sides and ends so you could position them within inches without any driver aids.

 

[Jenkins]

How did you manage to park before cameras assuming you’ve been driving more than a few years?

Rear window visibility is a problem in may modern cars which is where the cameras help. We've got a fleet of Hyundai Ioniq plug-in hybrids at work and you might as well throw out the interior rear view mirror for all you can see out the back.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I think l’ve mentioned before in this thread that someone l know at work has just got an electric VW
I saw it again yesterday, for the first time since he got it

I believe it’s a ‘NHS Staff Lease Car’?

He’s not in the slightest bit precocious, but he did tell me that the most difficult decision on Wednesday, when it was frosty around here, was how long in advance should he set the heating to
It can be set remotely, apparently, so he could get into a warm car!

This is a lad, who had 400BHP Imprezas, a few years ago (& 1000cc superbikes(

 

[Illaveago]

Fifth Gear Recharged was interesting last night . They tried out two electric vans . A VW and a Mercedes . The range of the VW on a full charge was 85 miles I think . When they filled the vans with washing machines the range was halved . I had a job as a parts delivery driver years ago and I was doing over 200 miles a day and that was without having to spend extra time refueling .

 

[figbat]

...he did tell me that the most difficult decision on Wednesday, when it was frosty around here, was how long in advance should he set the heating to
It can be set remotely, apparently, so he could get into a warm car!

My MINI does this as, I assume a lot of EVs do. I simply tell it what time I plan to leave in the morning and it decides when to start preconditioning the car - this is not only the cabin (where it switches on the heater, fan, heated rear window, heated mirrors and heated seats) but also the battery, which operates best when warm so is preconditioned for departure. I assume that in the summer it will chill the car before departure too (I haven't had it long enough to test this).

That said, my wife's Volvo (an ICE) can be remote started for warming up too, although this comes at the expense of £1.5/litre petrol and emissions on my doorstep.

 

[MrGrumpy]

My LR has fuel burner, can be remotely controlled to defrost windscreen and provide a bit of heat in the car. I don’t bother as it’s hardly worth the effort. Heated windscreens and mirrors has it cleared in no time anyway! The only thing I’d never not have now is heated seats and front windscreen the rest is not important. Even the Merc we have can self park . Used it once and thought what a complete waste of money . Utter pointless unless your sh..t at parking. In which case stop driving

 

[nickyboy]

Maybe not, but if we get to the point where summoning a self driving car is really cheap, much cheaper than owning a car that does nothing but sit on your drive 23 hours a day, it starts to become very appealing. There might even be a point where we decide whether we want our cars to earn some money for us by letting them go out and be pooled...

You're describing taxis today. You ring up or order one online, it arrives and takes you where you want to go and you pay for the service. Except taxis have been around the entire time the car ownership has exploded.

For sure, there are arguments such as self driving can be cheaper (no driver to pay) and may become more saturated than taxis. But we shouldn't underestimate the desire to have your own self driving vehicle, parked on the drive. That desire isn't going to go away, people don't always consider personal transport in a logical, rational, cost/benefit approach