EAC receives its first six electric cars (CMail article..)

[Lofos-5]

Incidentally, even Trump is indirectly sponsoring electric vehicle development:

Toyota takes stake in Mazda, links up for $1.6 billion U.S. plant

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-toyo ... SKBN1AK0RF

[...] Analysts said the plan was more than a political ploy. The alliance is also an attempt to catch up with rivals in the race for electric car technology, as tighter global emissions rules loom, along with the entry of new players into the market.

"There will be new rivals appearing - Apple, Google - these are IT companies, we also need to compete with them, too," Toyota President Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder, told a news conference in Tokyo.

He was appointed last year to lead Toyota's newly formed electric car division, flagging the group's commitment to a technology it has been slow to embrace.

"What's different from the past is that there are no nautical charts for us to follow. It's without precedent," he said of the push into alternatives to the internal combustion engine.

Other traditional automakers such as Daimler and BMW are also weighing how best to work on new, disruptive technology, from electric vehicles to autonomous driving, that require hefty investment and have turned firms like Google and Tesla into rivals.

Toyota has set a goal for all of its vehicles to be zero emission by 2050. But until recently, it has said it favoured EVs for short-distance commuting, given their limited driving range and lengthy charging time. [...]

Are you still doubting that there is both political will and economic drive to get away from combustion engines? We sent a man to the moon a long time ago - this perceived challenge pales in significance to that I think...


A.

[PaphosAL]

Why do you think a Humvee is useless as a mode of transport, Lloyd, as compared to (say) a Range Rover?

Me myself personally would prefer the military version of the Hummer, with it's unique 4WD drive train, unlike the dumbed down civvy version...

Cheers- AL

[PaphosAL]

If memory serves me correct, but don't the real military humvees have some sort of unique 4WD arrangement, whereby each wheel is driven by some sort of hydraulic motor, rather than by a conventional LSD / CV joint drive shaft configuration, as used in their civvy version?

Cheers- AL

[Lofos-5]

In Bahrain, next to the F1 track, there is a Hummer academy. I got a one day course and certificate from there (birthday present) - good fun. My instructor was a Bahraini lady - the faces when the Saudi blokes turn up and see a lady offroad instructor is priceless...

The drilling manager I worked with there had a H2 as well - his good lady is Philippina and needed a ladder to get in, lol.

Have a look at this video - if you ever there give it a shot - scary stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1IaPWTGnZo.

A.

[Cogs123]

Yes Lofos-5, probably the same looks I got from British blokes in the early 80's when I, ( being 5' 2 ), stepped out of my
artic!...priceless

[PaphosAL]

Amazing video, Lofos-5 and thanks for sharing! That certainly looks to be a very testing 4x4 course. Good camera work, too. As, unusually for tv, you get to feel the ascents and descents!

Cheers- AL

[Bograt]

I have no idea...I drove a 4 speed automatic, if I remember rightly and it was fun...but give me a land rover any day...as proper one, none of your whoosy civi versions Or if you wanto to get serious, a Jackel....environmentalist would hate it....

A Jackal, yes please. Not sure how well that would go down, quite an imposing site with it's weapons loaded onto it. It would worry the goats (actually, maybe not. Nothing seems to worry goats. The goatmen, though, may not be too sure about it).

I think we have now, well and truly, hi-jacked poor Max's thread

[Kia Picanto]

valybora seems to be the latest in a number of new posters who make five consecutive, repetitive posts, presumably so that they comply with a 'minimum 5-post' rule for whatever reason?

A 'spambot' I think.

[PaphosAL]

Only reason I can think of, Lloyd, is to qualify for outgoing PMs. Maybe Dominic can confirm?

Cheers- AL

[PaphosAL]

I think Dom has already dealt with this issue, by checking the IP source and imposing a long term holiday?

Meanwhile, life carries on, yes? I lurve the look of that Jackal 2

http://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23243.aspx

Thinking about all the grub I could bring home, with that baby parked at Tesco in a Disabled bay on my Blue Badge, LOL! Better still, why don't we ponder the larger 6x6 Coyote? (Available to view in the same link). Now were are talking serious stuff, guys 'n gals!

Cheers- AL

[trevnhil]

Like

[robf]

I wonder,
perhaps the future will see standardised batteries that get replaced at stations, similar to the existing network of petrol stations.

[Lofos-5]

An article on the topic from the Telegraph (from the premium section, i.e. not for free) - linked here though:

https://www.aacs.org.au/media/green-tid ... il-giants/

A.