Electric cars.

I am not doubting that. What I am concerned about is the overall carbon footprint including the refining of LPG. I do not know if that is any less than petrol to diesel.

 

Found results of studies into the Automotive footprint of LPG, petrol and diesel. LPG is cleaner, well to exhaust, than petrol but with relatively modest differences between LPG and diesel with the precise ordering depending on the study.

 

There is usually a reason why some of these different fuels dont catch on.

I was looking at something earlier and it seems Switzerland are going to restrict electric car charging should they have a problem with supply rather than blacking people out.

 

Who wants an electric car when you can have a nippy hatchback?

 

Hi,

I like this;

RAY MASSEY climbs aboard Volkswagen's new ID Buzz | This is Money

The only problems for me is it's electric and expensive. I used to own a classic VW split screen camper with 1200cc Beetle engine over 45 years ago; it was fun and relaxing to drive whilst being great for camping in on Scarborough front with a couple of chums enjoying a fry up breakfast.

About a year ago I seriously looked into buying a brand new TukTuk these being sold locally at I think around £6,000 but in the end decided against due to living in Huddersfield where it's so hilly also TukTuk emissions are terrible hence now TukTuk's are also going electric; just had a nosy and WOW even an electric Tuk is expensive;

Buy a Tuk Tuk - Bajaj & Piaggio Tuk Tuks for sale | Tuk Shop

Cars are becoming obsolete; now they are mobile mission controls and each year adds more complex electronics; our 2016 Skoda Yeti has lots of electronic gizmos that I never use and possibly some I don't even know about; reading the owners manual makes my eyes glaze over just for the infotainment; drivers are encouraged to be lazy no longer thinking for themselves; our Citroen 2CV's were excellent little runabouts but suffered rust problems; not everyone wants the latest must have car.

When I had my garage business in the dark ages I could take a car to bits with an handful of spanners but now everything is so complicated to the point just driving a few yards means a law could be broken resulting in an instant fine; we've got silly road humps etc and fixed speed cameras; do these actually do anything for lawful drivers; why not punish those breaking the law more severely like those driving without insurance automatically have their car seized and crushed but then here in the UK criminals are treated better than victims.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

I am waiting to take delivery of a new (to me) Skoda Fabia. I downloaded a manual and it has me bamboozled, even as an engineer who has even written manuals for new equipment. I am also on a Honda Jazz forum and the sections for the latest model are full of questions about how do I switch this off and how do I disable that.

 

Been on many tuk tuk taxi's in the far east, but you can't beat a Bangkok tuk tuk tour at night. There are different types of tours but the one's that take you to the different types of night markets are the best. The tuk tuks in Bangkok normally run on LPG and have wide bore exhausts, The owners tend to charge more when you rent them as they have been modified, using chrome flashing lights and a loud music system etc etc.

Bangkok by night - and by tuk-tuk - YouTube

 

I found a deserted frozen car park the other day. As there was nobody around and nothing to hit, I showed my teenage son what happens if you are daft enough to pull the handbrake while steering on ice. It was quite good fun.

I told a couple of work colleagues about this. I thought they were joking when they replied that you can't do that on the newest cars because they don't even have a hand brake.

Is this true or were they pulling my leg? My car is hardly ancient, registered in 2015. I didn't think that much has changed in the last 7 years.

 

So does an electronic brake lock on if you have an electrical problem.
I know a bloke who took a band new car back to the dealer and traded it in for a second had one because he didn't like all the electronics, he lost a lot of money but he said he'd never get on with it.
He was in his 70s, but obviously hadn't realised how things have changed.

Not sure I could get used to a button for a hand brake, if its anything like all those tiny little buttons they have on cars these days I dont think I'd find it in the dark.

 

The new Jazz has the electric parking brake where you would expect to find it but it is much smaller.



It actually applies all four brakes. I believe it is like the air brakes on a truck. No electrics and it won't release.

 

Hi,

Thanks @gks for adding the interesting video. My friend and his girlfriend have been building a new house on their farm in Thailand and have finally retired out there; he was back here a week ago clearing up business matters having sold the business and I popped over for a natter; he terrified me when he said he'd just got stripped off for a shower in the new house; as he pulled the shower curtains on a big snake landed at his feet turning him into a ballerina and even worse than the snakes which often just slither away are the monstrous poisonous centipedes; he showed me pictures of the snake and a centipede; he also showed me a picture of a long snake having a swim in his swimming pool he'd just out of; when it rains it comes down like pencils; they've been leveling the farm at the last count 38 big wagon loads of soil brought in also many tons of concrete. Thailand has both good and bad points but give me wet cold Yorkshire anytime.

I'd have loved to buy the Tuk but it would be impractical for our terrain and climate which is a shame; in it's place I'd like now to buy a Bobcat digger allowing me to attack our rear steep garden removing many big tree stumps but it would mean craning in the Bobcat over the high fence and dry-stone wall; whatever I want to do living here there are so many problems preventing me.

Give me a car with an handbrake lever anytime; I'm not in favour of many electronic gizmos on modern cars; I just hope our diesel Yeti will last many years to come; it's a keeper.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

I'm probably really old fashioned how I drive, I notice everyone seems to just use the foot brake all the time, and when I bought the car I have now, which is nearly 10 yrs old it had the facility of holding on the foot brake for a few seconds as you pull away on hills.

I found it held the brake on too long, so kind of ended up with a lurch forward as it released, so I disabled it.

I'm more of a hand brake user and often then stopping on hills never actually touch the foot brake, just come to a stop and apply the hand brake, do the opposite when pulling away, and if necessary, when crawling up hill just slip the clutch and hold it on clutch and hand brake.