MattyB

Whilst I don't disagree with your point overall, the tag line "exponential population growth" is often used, but it isn't true at this point. The rate of population growth peaked in the 60s and has been dropping steadily ever since as global education and contraception improve and fertility rates decrease. Whilst we are a long way off the population peak, most projections have that happening at somewhere between 2060 and 2100 depending on the speed that birth rates drop over time. The total population numbers possible are still very high even so, though I assume none of these models include the impact of the climate change induced war, pestilence, famine and natural disasters that you mention in your post.

Nobody listened to it because your post gave no context as to what the programme was about, why it was relevant to this discussion or why it would be of interest. I didn’t act on it for the same reason I didn’t stop to listen to the guy on the local high street last week claiming the world was about to end.

Given our situation I will not buy another car without a plug again, it would be crazy to do so given our solar generation available. This was just an either/or decision, and we decided to swap the big car and buy the PHEV first because the right car came up at the right price elsewhere. We will still swap the Jazz for a Leaf or something similar sometime next year when the spring hits and our excess solar generation ramps up again to charge it with. Waiting a bit should also give us a few additional options used at a similar £15k price point (eg the MG4).

Complete nonsense. Secondhand EV prices dropping from the crazy levels they were during and immediately after Covid supply chain issues was always going to happen, and it finally happened around 6-9 months ago. Yes, these cars have depreciated slightly more than their ICE equivalent at this point, but that is also in part to do with the aggressive (new vehicle) price cuts being implemented by Tesla and some of the new Chinese manufacturers like BYD. That will only continue as new EV volumes go up and manufacturing costs continue to fall. I have been monitoring used values closely for the last three months since we decided to change one car, and values have definitely stabilised now. We have a large local independent used EV specialist (Powerlease) nearby, and talking to them (and evidenced by the turnover on their website) they are having no problem selling used 2-3 year old “Everyman” EVs from the likes of MG, Kia, Hyundai, Renault and Nissan. This is because these are now very compelling cars for people like us who need a med-short range runabout for use as a second car and won’t be doing regular long journeys that require public charging.

Before you fly it, run the numbers on eCalc or similar to see it you are over amping anything. It only takes 5-10 mins, and may save you making an error which costs you a motor and/or ESC.

This group on FB may be a good place to ask for help too… https://m.facebook.com/groups/141910347739147/

Not a Spektrum user, but everyone I know who buddies using the latest version uses the wireless method. It seems to work well; I would stick to that if I were you, as it seemed relatively straightforward to setup when I saw it done at the field.

…and governments start disincentivising the ICE alternatives. Make no mistake, governments globally are going to increase taxes on fuel in the next 10 years to move people towards zero tailpipe emission vehicles and recover lost tax £s from the VED taxes that EVs and some hybrids have historically avoided.

Thanks, that does look just right for my intended use. I assume that will be on a 2S pack with an 8-10A esc? will probably get some ordered on AliExpress tonight (they are about 5x the price on Amazon!

What did you go for?

@Tosh McCaber, is the new motor identical in specs (or close enough not to worry about)? The fact the new prop hit the fin implies can length is shorter, and (whilst it’s somewhat of a simplification because other factors can play into it) if the diameter is the same as the old one and the can length shorter, it’s ability to dissipate heat (and therefore it’s peak power) is likely to be lower. What was the diameter, can length, kV and weight of the original motor?

The Nordic countries are hands down the best at this globally, as they generate a huge percentage of their electricity via renewable sources, mostly hydro. Norway is apparently at 99% renewable generation, so the carbon equality crossover point between anI ICE and EV is super low there at <10k miles. They are also going to be very early to stop the sale of all new ICE cars in 2025. https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/when-do-electric-vehicles-become-cleaner-than-gasoline-cars-2021-06-29/ https://roadmapsforenergy.eu/norway-fossilfuel-car-ban/

Toto, see if you can get someone to maiden your Easyglider for you and trim it out off the flat field. Do that and you will be ready to take it to the slope whenever the opportunity arises (Sept and Oct can often bring good sloping weather before the nasty stuff really gets started).

The FPVUK response to the RID question is interesting, and a lot more robust than the BMFA’s… “Question 14: Should CAA implement Remote ID (Opportunity 11) and why? Definitely, no. Remote ID would require huge investment in infrastructure and systems in the UK. This cost would no doubt be passed on to UAS Operators in one way or another (perhaps through the registration fee). It would also require significant investment from drone manufacturers. And finally it would involve very significant, and disproportionate, cost to operators of legacy drones and potentially model aircraft flyers too. The fact is that those intent on using a drone for nefarious purposes will not activate remote ID, and they certainly will not retrofit a remote ID module to a legacy drone. It is almost inevitable that any remote ID functionality will be defeated/disabled by ‘hackers’ (those who like to ‘tinker’ with how electronic products work). Spoofing could also be employed by those intent on using their drone without being traced. Or, they could simply build a drone from components. Furthermore, the Police already successfully track and trace criminals who use drones using existing detection systems. Likewise, the CAA already has access to this data which allows it to understand the sector, etc.”

FPVUK response - https://fpvuk.org/caa-call-for-input/ FPVUK thread where they are discussing it - https://dronehub.co.uk/t/caa-call-for-input/413 FPVUK’s guidance doc (equivalent to the BMFAs) - https://fpvuk.org/files/FPV-UK-response-to-CAA-Call-For-Input.pdf There is nothing on the LMA site that I can see, so I’m guessing any guidance they have given to their members is via email, if they’ve done so. The PSSA are an informal club not a national association, so they won’t be doing anything on this.

Gents, you need to read some of the small print n the CAA proposals… In the most dystopian version of RID that is being looked at, all the data from your flight is not just being broadcast locally via Bluetooth or WiFi. It could also be being sent back to a central database via the mobile data networks and recorded by the authorities for posterity. This means enforcement could be carried out remotely via an AI solution that trawls the data looking for transgressions in real time or historically (e.g flying to close to buildings not under your control, flying 1ft over the height limit, etc.). The first you would know about your “crime” is when a letter drops through your door asking you to pay a fixed penalty notice or (if it’s more serious offence) your appearance day in court. All this may feel unlikely now, but make no mistake, it is absolutely possible and is right there in the document today (though they are very careful not to say what they will do with the data). This, along with multiple additional over-reaches, is why it’s so important to respond. Big brother may absolutely be watching….

Yep, it should certainly have an easier life than those engines in the old RX-8s. My Dad's hybrid CR-V works on a similar fashion (4cyl petrol engine on the Atkinson cycle, tiny battery acting as a buffer, and no direct drive from the engine to the wheels at any speed below about 75).

I hope they have improved them since the last generation of Wankels - my then boss had an RX-8 in the mid 2000s, and it turned into a bit of a maintenance nightmare (as had the previous generation I believe). I do (unsurprisingly) agree that plug in hybrids are still a sweet spot for many people who have mixed usage patterns, and it does look like that car has a longer pure-EV range than my Passat which should make it even more efficient in real world terms.

There are many EV evangelists who go too far and do come across as believing that, but that is clearly that is nonsense. However, zero tailpipe emission vehicles of one type or another do have to be part of the solution, along with more renewable generation, improved home insulation, shortening supply chains, using the power we have more efficiently, etc. etc. Put simply all the science tells us we cannot just keep burning stuff and crossing our fingers the planet will heal itself - doing nothing and continuing as we have done for the last 100+ years of industrial development is not an option. This is why we have chosen as a family to try and decarbonise our lives as much as possible; yes, it is a microscopic contribution on a global scale, and won't make any realistic difference if Governments worldwide don't address the really big issues around fossil fuel generation, aviation etc, but it is all we can do. Given we are in a position to make some of these changes (with the by-product that it should save us money in the long term versus continuing as we were) then I want to be able to tell my future grandchildren we did what we could.

That is an awfully complicated and expensive way to make a "self-charging hybrid" (Toyota, I bloomin hate that term, go sit on the naughty step...! 🤣), but I admit quite amusing!

Indeed. It does feel like I have seen this playbook run somewhere before though; I wonder... CAA Call for input 2023 - Opened 9th Aug 2023, Close 7th Sept 2023, consultation period 29 days, online responses allowed BMFA National Centre vote 2015 - EGM announcement 10th June 2015, EGM vote 4th July 2015, review period 24 days, proxy or in-person voting only 😉🤣 Note - I don't want to go back over old ground; the BMFA did follow it's AoA (even if I and many others don't like them), and the National Centre is there now. It is (even to my eyes) a partial success, even though it has a far more limited scope than the vision initially portrayed and the financials still worry me long term. I am just pointing out that this tactic has been used many times before, and is likely to be used on us again in the future to provide cover for the CAA and UK Gov to push through regulatory change with the minimum of resistance. As Andy says, we have to be ready to respond quickly, politely and at volume each and every time they do this, no matter how hard they make it.

I have no problem with personal transportation being part of the discussion - they make up a significant percentage of most peoples carbon emissions. However I'd rather stay away for the topic "Why an EV would never suit me", because a) that way we have to rehash a lot of the FUD that goes with the topic and has been discussed at length in the EV thread, and b) we all know this current generation of EVs won't suit everyone, so stating that repeatedly is not really adding much.

Based on that table, the ICO pages on UK GDPR indicate a fair bit of that would be considered personal information, though I can see it does not include name and address info which is reassuring.

Final point... The fact the first mainstream reasonably priced EV (the Leaf Gen 1) of modern times had some issues should be no surprise. The battery tech was new, and it was essentially a rolling science project versus ICE cars which had had >100 years of development to refine them. However, the speed of development in EVs since then has been dramatic, so comparing a Gen 1 Leaf against a Tesla 3 or the latest and greatest from Kia, Hyundai, VAG et al is like comparing a DC3 against an A380. Sure, if you want to buy a new one today and run it for 20 years, no, I'm not sure that will be possible, but we are probably within 5 years of that being possible. Besides, how many people do you know who actually do that with their ICE cars today? It can't be more than 1-2% based on my friends, family and work colleagues...