What is the future for motorhomes (1 Viewer)

[frogijock]

I will convert mine to a museum and charge all the youngsters to come and see what life was like before the PC dictators took charge and ruined everyone,s lifestyle.

 

[TinaLes]

I have no idea in percentage terms what the Fuel Duty being imposed on every gallon of Petrol is in the states, but it does make me wonder why there is so much of a difference in price between the states and The EU. Even when we had our own source of fuel from the north sea, it was never as cheap as it was in the states.
It sounds almost unbelievable now, but we were all told on the discovery of oil in the north sea, that natural gas was a residue of producing oil, and that it was going to be pumped to our houses for next to nothing, I was too young to take it seriously, but why was that one swept under the carpet at the time ?
You see another political con I guess.
Well tarc2man, enjoy your RV, enjoy your travels, I am very envious of those that travelled through Europe in the 60/70,s it must have so much more exciting, with not as many campers or vehicles on the road...nice one!
Les

 

[Sue]

We need a practical infrastructure for 're-filling' electric vehicles before they can be used for anything other than a local commute.

Yes ..and ...how is electricity generated? , the power source behind its production can be equally as polluting....coal fired stations( a lot less now It's true) nuclear power ( opinions vary on the safety ) wood...and wood chips which must be produced and then transported, and often is transported very long distances ...in ships....fuelled by??

I don't know, nor can I imagine what the answer is , but targeting current vehicles is an easy political point scoring excercise, at the expense of the masses who are driven in whatever direction is of use to the politicians.
Caring for the environment is important..but we were told we were doing that when we bought our diesel cars and vans!

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[TinaLes]

Yes ..and ...how is electricity generated? , the power source behind its production can be equally as polluting....coal fired stations( a lot less now It's true) nuclear power ( opinions vary on the safety ) wood...and wood chips which must be produced and then transported, and often is transported very long distances ...in ships....fuelled by??

I don't know, nor can I imagine what the answer is , but targeting current vehicles is an easy political point scoring excercises, at the expense of the masses who are driven in whatever direction is of use to the politicians.
Caring for the environment is important..but we were told we were doing that when we bought our diesel cars and vans!

Good point Sue, but as we also now know, we cant even afford to build our own new power stations unless we sub out the build/ownership to foreign countries, like France and China. Then offer them a sweetener in the deal by agreeing that WE will be prepared to pay them 2.5 times the kWH rate that we are paying today!! Even more fuel poverty for all of us, and apart from a cross on a ballot paper WE have no say in it!!

 

[vwalan]

once out of the eu and tight travel limits having a m,home might not be so useful. think there will be lots being put up for sale . prices will drop and sales will fall.
if lots stop going abroad then every where in uk could be packed out with m,homes . campsite prices will increase etc . not a good future i,m sure .

 

[Spriddler]

At least Elon Musk has the future in mind since the car currently on its way to Mars isn't a diesel.
Never mind the pollution from many hundreds of tons of rocket fuel burned to launch it, and the David Bowie CD playing in the car.

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[Spriddler]

I will convert mine to a museum and charge all the youngsters to come and see what life was like before the PC dictators took charge and ruined everyone,s lifestyle.

Nah, fill it with chickens, then you can drive it anywhere with th'engine running on methane generated by all the chicken poo (and the hard boiled eggs ).

 

[olley]

Get your nasty diesels off the road, LPG is the way to go.

 

[Stealaway]

Not in my lifetime so I'm all right Jack.
It will be a good while before they can remove all the HGV's - and all the white van / Amazon delivery vehicles are banned.
The incredibly small percentage we add to the pollution problem is almost insignificant, although we are an easy target, so expect road fund licenses to increase.

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[martin2603]

If we all get electric and charge up at night the lights will all go out!!!!!!!!
Sounds good idea but not in practice.
New diesels are LESS polluting on long runs than petrol. There is a lot of smoke and mirrors on this subject

 

[tonyidle]

They have, It`s called Hydrogen, The problem is everyone has seen the "Hindenburg". The next thing is a viable Hydrogen generator on the vehicle, reducing the tankage to the bare minimum, just water. That is IMV where the Research money should be spent.

There's still no point in prolonging the life of the inefficient ICE. Stored electricity is still the best option (maybe a hydrogen fuel cell to look after the batteries).

 

[tacr2man]

Its not just the electricity production , but the storage medium itself
is a finite resource (lithium) .
Rather than worrying about a lack of lithium, there could be shortages of rare earth materials, should the EV replace the conventional car. One such material is the permanent magnet for the electric motors. Permanent magnets make one of the most energy-efficient motors. China controls about 95 percent of the global market for rare earth metals and expects to use most of these resources for its own production. Export of rare earth materials is tightly controlled. The Chinese might become the new "Arabs"

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[tonyidle]

Its not just the electricity production , but the storage medium itself
is a finite resource (lithium) .
Rather than worrying about a lack of lithium, there could be shortages of rare earth materials, should the EV replace the conventional car. One such material is the permanent magnet for the electric motors. Permanent magnets make one of the most energy-efficient motors. China controls about 95 percent of the global market for rare earth metals and expects to use most of these resources for its own production. Export of rare earth materials is tightly controlled. The Chinese might become the new "Arabs"

Or we might just have to look harder. Lithium in Cornwall?

 

[Spriddler]

New diesels are LESS polluting on long runs than petrol. There is a lot of smoke and mirrors on this subject

Mostly from diesels................

 

[nicholsong]

Just a reminder to those quoting US fuel prices that those are for a US Gallon i.e. 8pint X 16 fluid ounces as opposed to an Imperial Gallon i.e. 8 pints X 20 fluid ounces. So to get an equivalent price per Imp. Gal. one has to multiply the US price by 1.25.

On the general subject of the life of our existing MHs, it has not been mentioned that lifetime of a MH is much longer than that of most vans/trucks on a similar base vehicle, which are often replaced after 3-4 years. Thus governments could target vehicles with a lead time of say 5 years, without impacting the van/truck market significantly but having a disproportionate effect on MH owners of 15-20 year-old vehicles.

Geoff

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[JJ]

Frankly I am too selfish to care.

I don't care about the resale value of my motorhome because I will never sell it.

I don't care about how crowded campsites are because I so rarely use them. Anyway, I have my own piece of sunny Paradise to park on.

I draw (most of) my own water.

I make (and have done for years) my own electricity.

I don't use much diesel these days because I have become too boring and don't go very far.

I'm alright Jack... sod the politicians and all who vote for them.

Let the revolution begin.

JJ

 

[Stealaway]

Anyway, I have my own piece of sunny Paradise to park on.

Duyu wanna mate - mate? - I can that

 

[SpeedyDux]

We should all band together and force the Government to recognise MHers as a separate race who have a nomadic heritage and lifestyle.

This seems to be a tried and tested way to get special treatment by the Government, and encourages guardians of law and order to look the other way.

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[gus-lopez]

I think in the near future there will be increased tax for diesels on a scale depending on what Euro class it is. Euro 6 being the cheapest or no change, increasing through 5, 4, 3 etc. The oldest having such high tax that they are seen as uneconomical to keep.

Once 40 years old in the Uk then it is exempt .if they'd stuck to the original plan it would beat 25 years, like most countries. I don't pay road tax here, nor does anyone who applies at 25 years .
Historic is also exempt in many emission zones &, even being foreign registered, I am registered as exempt in the Lez . Probably others as well but as I'm unlikely to want to use them then I haven't bothered.

Might be ott in the UK but 83% of all sales here are diesel & always have been. Petrol was always seen as the province of the extremely wealthy & those with an alternative coloured income

There’s always red or heating oil.

I believe certain parts of a certain community are familiar with the practice of using the above means for propolstion of diesel vehicles

I know a chap here who bought a new merc in 1997. It has never been in a fuel station

In Aldi's a couple of days back & I noticed that I can now buy sunflower oil cheaper than road diesel here. Never used to be the case & as mine will run on it ..........

 

[magicsurfbus]

I think motorhomes will be strapped to the next generation Falcon Heavy and sent on a road trip to outer space......Rocket fuel replacing diesel. Obvious innit?

 

[Cat53]

Yep, I totally agree with you but there's no doubt IMO that the older diesel engines will soon come under a whole load of criticism from anyone and everyone.

Also, I don't think it will be that long before owning an old diesel vehicle means that you can only retain ownership as long as it just sits on your drive and doesn't move - and that won't be good for older motorhomes for sure.

I'm betting they will suddenly say made a mistake and reverse everything, again!!!

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[Blue Knight]

We should all band together and force the Government to recognise MHers as a separate race

Crickey, if someone from the Govt were to read this Fun Forum then we would all be sectioned under the mental health act.

Furthermore, all Funsters would be banned from talking to normal folk and we'd all be shipped off to an Island to live a life of solitary confinement with only our camping chairs in hand to remind us of the good old days.

 

[JJ]

Duyu wanna mate - mate? - I can that

Sorry... don't understand the "can that" bit...

JJ

 

[olley]

Metallic hydrogen that's the future.

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[PeteH]

There's still no point in prolonging the life of the inefficient ICE. Stored electricity is still the best option (maybe a hydrogen fuel cell to look after the batteries).

I disagree, The issue is fuel, not efficiency. But if you wish to argue, then remember that the cost of the Electricity to supply the "efficient" electric cars is produced by some of the most inefficient processes on the planet. With cumulative "losses throughout. Power generation is one of the most inefficient methods in terms taking the "Heat"/ "energy" potential of the fuel and transforming it to the energy at the vehicle wheel. So Called "Free" energy sources have their own issues, Wind and Solar are not that efficient. Potentially the only one with any consistent chance of producing power may be Wave energy. albeit at a vast cost.

 

[tonyidle]

I disagree, The issue is fuel, not efficiency. But if you wish to argue, then remember that the cost of the Electricity to supply the "efficient" electric cars is produced by some of the most inefficient processes on the planet. With cumulative "losses throughout. Power generation is one of the most inefficient methods in terms taking the "Heat"/ "energy" potential of the fuel and transforming it to the energy at the vehicle wheel. So Called "Free" energy sources have their own issues, Wind and Solar are not that efficient. Potentially the only one with any consistent chance of producing power may be Wave energy. albeit at a vast cost.

Figures available for power station efficiency (excluding renewables) ranges between 32% to 45% compared to 20% petrol and 25% Diesel (complete automotive drivetrain). Central production of power means technologies such as carbon capture can be employed. Wind and solar aren't efficient but are non-polluting. The biggest problem faced by power companies is uneven demand: massive peaks for short periods and long periods of reduced demand. If we could store and manage energy production we have more than enough generating capacity. Storage means batteries that could be used to manage peaks at individual dwelling level and/or at regional level. Electric vehicles can be a part of that. More even demand means better use can be made of renewables.

 

[PeteH]

Figures available for power station efficiency (excluding renewables) ranges between 32% to 45%

That is before you transmit it to the charging unit (losses) and on to the vehicle and the add the loses on that. The IC engine is Fuel (energy) in Power (energy) out. I agree not that efficient. BUT more than an electric power train, and more flexible. "Storage" is extremely inefficient despite the fact is has convenience. Utilising the existing technology (IC engines) and consuming Hydrogen would be overall a more efficient way of moving forward in the interim, as opposed to blanket phasing out of a proven technology.

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[busby]

I don't think for one second that a few vintage vehicles will hold back the current momentum for change.

We are doomed Mr Mannering,,doomed,,,BUSBY.

 

[Blue Knight]

We are doomed Mr Mannering,,doomed,,,BUSBY.

I might start building my bomb shelter in the morning while stockpiling a few hundred tins of spam.

 

[busby]

I don't think for one second that a few vintage vehicles will hold back the current momentum for change.

We are doomed Mr Mannering,,doomed,,,BUSBY.

once out of the eu and tight travel limits having a m,home might not be so useful. think there will be lots being put up for sale . prices will drop and sales will fall.
if lots stop going abroad then every where in uk could be packed out with m,homes . campsite prices will increase etc . not a good future i,m sure .

Why will coming out of EU restrict travel in Europe? BUSBY.

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