Southern Area : Sat 20 March 2010 : Stand at Whitchurch show

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arsharpe
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Southern Area : Sat 20 March 2010 : Stand at Whitchurch show

Postby arsharpe » Tue Mar 16, 2010 10:21 am

See http://www.whitchurchgreenfair.org.uk for more info.

(I don't think it is listed in the BVR)

We are short of people (well actually it's just me) at the moment :-) so I could do with some help. I am in the process of contacting local people but please feel free to volunteer. If you have never been to one, they can be great fun.

There is also space to show an additional electric vehicle if you have one.
Please let me know if you can help and if you are bringing an EV.

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ChrisB
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Re: Southern Area : Sat 20 March 2010 : Stand at Whitchurch show

Postby ChrisB » Tue Mar 16, 2010 7:23 pm

Shame, would have done this one but already had this weekend booked up many weeks back.

I do really need more than 4 days notice on Shows really :(

ChrisB
I reject reality and substitute my own !!!!!!

arsharpe
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Re: Southern Area : Sat 20 March 2010 : Stand at Whitchurch show

Postby arsharpe » Mon Mar 22, 2010 8:19 am

Well just a quick update on the show (http://www.whitchurchgreenfair.org.uk)

Despite the rain and gloomy weather there was a reasonable turn out of about 100 during the day. Useful extensive discussions with about 6 people that were keen on discussing EVs including 4 people signing-up for more information/membership.

The show was visited by Tom McCann, The Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (Liberal Democrat) for NW Hampshire and Keith Watts the Whitchurch Councillor. They both spent a couple of minutes at each stand. When I challenged Tom to be the first prospective local MP to experience being driven in an electric vehicle he immediately accepted and we had a short drive and subsequent photos. I passed on the message that the need for a roadside charging infrastructure (similar to petrol stations) is hype and home charging is sufficient. Also that its the public perception of EVs that is mainly inhibiting takeup which we need to change. We also covered the fact that having a charge point at work and in a town center increases the number of people that can use their EVs for longer journeys by not two but four times (because the area of circle is pi x r-squared)

A 30 minute presentation on "The practical application of electric cars for personal transport" (url to come) was made to a group of about a dozen people with some intelligent questions. In the meeting one person was obviously excited about the prospect of having a test drive afterwards and he wasn't disappointed.

In the end the rain meant that the BVS stand had to be squeezed inside and the second Berlingo taken for display purposes was not used. The stand itself was well manned thanks to local members Jon Cotterel, Robert Tierney and Stanford Drake (who arrived in his electric Axiam conversion). The following day one of our newest members JoanneB who is doing research of EV users, helped greatly by returning the second Berlingo back to my place and also gained her first 30 miles experience of driving an EV.

When photos are available they will be posted here.

See also lessons learned which will be updated shortly.

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ChrisB
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Re: Southern Area : Sat 20 March 2010 : Stand at Whitchurch show

Postby ChrisB » Mon Mar 22, 2010 8:25 pm

arsharpe wrote: I passed on the message that the need for a roadside charging infrastructure (similar to petrol stations) is hype and home charging is sufficient. Also that its the public perception of EVs that is mainly inhibiting takeup which we need to change. We also covered the fact that having a charge point at work and in a town center increases the number of people that can use their EVs for longer journeys by not two but four times (because the area of circle is pi x r-squared).


Rob , I'm slightly confused by the above statement where you are saying Road side charging is hype and home charging is sufficient but then you go on about having town center charging points to increase range ? either we want roadside charging or we dont, personally I think we do need some sort of infrastructure for charging.

ChrisB
I reject reality and substitute my own !!!!!!

ex925
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Re: Southern Area : Sat 20 March 2010 : Stand at Whitchurch show

Postby ex925 » Tue Mar 23, 2010 11:44 am

May I stick my oar in?
My experience of "non EV enthusiasts", (I hesitate to say anti-EV people) somewhat supports Rob
I have many petrol-head friends, most also bikers, and I stir things up regularly to try to widen perspective
Generally these non-EV riders and drivers appear to feel confident of two things:
1 That EVs are a dead end for several reasons in that:
1.1 The fuel supply infrastructure will simply add hydrogen some time soon
1.2 Re-charge infrastructure in the style of an "Energy Station" could never repay ingoing investment
1.3 No coherent single mode of universal energy-point will have any chance to evolve
1.4 Neither rapid-charge nor battery pack exchange will ever be widely viable
1.5 Long distance will never be realistically possible
2 That Hydrogen will be so strongly supported by vehicle manufacturers that:
2.1 EVs will never grow beyond the enthusiast/niche market
2.2 The military will never adopt EVs beyond "rear echelon"
2.3 Hydrogen production WILL evolve "below unity" (i.e. production energy-cost surplus)
This somewhat supports Rob, in that Local and central government people with whom I have raised the subject of "PureEVs" have one view, that the present transport energy system can only change to a fuel that emulates oil
Taken literally, Rob's statement still has merit. Those willing to run EVs presently can only truly rely on home-charging. All other "opportunity-charging" is hostage to fortune in a country where the use of oil-based energy is so mentally ingrained.
That's my tuppence worth, anyway
Look forward to the reactions
All the best
Ed

clnbrtltt
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Re: Southern Area : Sat 20 March 2010 : Stand at Whitchurch show

Postby clnbrtltt » Tue Mar 23, 2010 12:32 pm

We are very discouraged by what Rob and Ed have to say. :(

Quite honestly, in our opinion, these statements are a direct result of most of the population having their heads in the sand. :shock:

All this assumes that there will be "Business As usual" (BAU) for the foreseeable future.

We have a grossly over populated planet with many finite resources that are running out!
We are continuing to "use" these resources as fast as we can with no regard for future generations or our World.
Not only are we either at "peak oil" already or about to encounter that reality but we have "Climate Change" to cope with also.

Our understanding is that Hydrogen takes a considerable amount of energy to produce and that it has to be stored in pressure vessels.
WE WILL NOT HAVE THE NECESSARY ENERGY AVAILABLE TO US FOR CONTINUED USE ON A LARGE SCALE.
Business As Usual for the foreseeable future is highly unlikely (in our opinion) and we should all be looking to minimise our use of all finite fossil fuels.
Look around at what is already happening in our World. There are shortages of many essential resources already (food, water etc).
Our Country is virtually bankrupt now and yet all our politicians can strive for is "Business As Usual".
We have a very different future ahead for us all and we should be trying to prepare for that.

I had better stop now :!: Rant over. Back to my usual sunny self :D :D
Proven 6kW Wind Turbine
3.8 kW Solar PV

ex925
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Re: Southern Area : Sat 20 March 2010 : Stand at Whitchurch show

Postby ex925 » Tue Mar 23, 2010 12:59 pm

B.A.U. vs Eleventh-Hour Evolution?

If we're lucky.....
EVs and sustainable power-generation numbers will rise just in time to escape the worst energy wars
And the dwindling oil will just about match the fade-out of i.c. transport and energy generation

Perhaps we in the BVS should change the title and objectives of the society to read:
Sustainable And Integrated/Natural Transport Society
Or, the SAINTS
I just remembered, we already have one saint, so we've made a start

BUT SERIOUSLY

Since all sustainable energy is of solar origin (am I right?)
Maybe we should call ourselves the Solar Energy And Transport Society

"I'll get me coat....."

Cheers

Ed


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