Zeb

Small rooms ?

‘Amazing’: Queensland mum uses electric car to ‘save’ son’s life with dialysis during power outage Kristy Holmes always knew she could use her electric car for ‘good things’, but when storms caused a blackout, it proved life-saving An electric vehicle owner has used her car’s emergency power system to run her 11-year-old son’s lifesaving dialysis machine and another has ridden to the rescue of his neighbours after devastating storms cut power in south-east Queensland. When the power went down following storms and flash flooding on Christmas Day, many residents immediately felt the consequences: electric gates did not work, septic tanks began to fill, air conditioners could not run and fridges began to warm as a heatwave followed. But some electric vehicle drivers whose cars are equipped with “vehicle to load” systems – a back-up power system that allows the car to act as an emergency generator or supply for devices such as lights, laptops, TVs and refrigerators – stepped in to help out and, in some cases, save lives. One woman on the Gold Coast, Kristy Holmes, 42, used her BYD electric car to power her 11-year-old son’s dialysis machine after their power shut off on Christmas Day. At first Holmes and her husband used the car to plug in their fridges and those of their neighbours in the adjoining units but when the power did not come back on quickly, she started to wonder whether the BYD Atto 3 the couple bought in February could also handle the life-saving dialysis machine. “We ran it off the car,” Holmes said. “We only needed to use it for the one night. We could have run it for at least four nights and then have to go charge the car somewhere.” Her son Levi, who is about to go on a transplant list this month, would have faced life-threatening health consequences had he not been able to receive treatment, and would have needed to travel to Brisbane during the storm if he could not find an alternative. Holmes said she had known she could “use my car for good things” since she made slow-cooked mulled wine for a movie night using the car’s electric system. “It’s the most amazing car I’ve ever owned. Now it’s been able to save my son during a storm, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a petrol car again.” Another EV driver, chemistry teacher Matt McLaughlin, 52, used his vehicle to help those in need after he posted to the Bonogin community Facebook group offering emergency power. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/01/amazing-queensland-mum-uses-electric-car-to-save-sons-life-with-dialysis-during-power-outage

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The 9 o'clock NYE fireworks (the early ones) in the Harbour City aren't that far off - so getting in a few 'coldies' - as ones does 😋 Main midnight fireworks later. As a warm up though -

Not so big - but deadly - ..... ‘Really dangerous’: Deadly snake holds up play during Thiem’s match in Brisbane Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem had to battle two Australian opponents in the first round of qualifying for the Brisbane International after a deadly snake forced a suspension of play. The former world No.3 was taking on Australian youngster James McCabe on Saturday. Security staff were called in, and the umpire had to temporarily stop play when the snake slithered onto the court. A snake catcher eventually captured the deadly 50-centimetre eastern brown, and removed it from the venue, allowing play to resume. The brown snake is considered the world’s second-most venomous land snake. ... Thiem said. “But they said it was a really poisonous snake and it was close to the ball kids, so it was a really dangerous situation. SMH https://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/deadly-snake-puts-play-on-hold-in-thiem-match-in-brisbane-20231230-p5eube.html

Yes. Danny confirmed this over on PA. Danny's Sport Bar on Buakhaw

Condolences Galenkia on your loss. Stay strong Mate. RIP Jan.

Some things really are best left unsaid ?

The TOP 10 electric vehicles you can buy from China

The beat goes on... heaven knows where all this ends up if half of it is accurate... ............................................................................ China's Electric Vehicle Revolution Comes for German Industry This bit from the same clip (towards the end) puts what is happening in perspective -

The scary thing is what else is in the pipeline by the various Chinese EV manufacturers. Legacy manufacturers like Toyota's CEO have acknowledged the engineering dominance of Tesla describing it as "a work of art". Also I think it was Ford or GM acknowledging they are unlikely to catch-up with Tesla in an engineering or overall sense. Legacy manufacturers should be able to compete on the non battery aspects of EV's and source batteries from China while building their own expertise in this area. Tesla use Chinese batteries already in some of their EV's. I don't know, but wonder if the legacy companies have lost the will in all of this ? But the Chinese & Tesla are not standing still....

If this is accurate & widely available within a reasonable time frame there are huge implication's for the legacy manufacturers. Production said to be happening NOW ! Pricing not covered though. Electric Viking - Geely's Game Changing Fire Proof LFP batteries: 500kw charging, 83.7% density This battery looks to have that covered as well 😋

I agree with so much of the above posts. Where I live the dealers business model is to make a huge chunk of their income from servicing after the sale, but that business model is broken, under market and regulatory challenge as well as changing. Going back 15 - 20 years ago dealers tried imposing very expensive servicing via themselves in order to 'retain' warranty cover - speaking ICE vehicles here. (This aspect alone would take pages to detail.) This was of course successfully challenged under consumer law and dealers could either moderate serving costs or never see customers again. Various Independent service garages emerged who offered reduced prices yet maintained the checks and maintenance to the level required to retain warranty. Some of the motoring organisations entered the market as well - think the equivalent of the RAC - the NRMA in NSW - but there were others. The dealers turned to being dealers for a range car manufacturers - think 3 - 4 - 5 or more - all run by one overall dealer. They also serviced the vehicles of 3 - 4 - 5 different manufacturers - with varying degrees of success - and along came EV's. Some dealers are once again trying - "Servicing has to be done by us to maintain warranty" - which will be challenged. But MG and others are quoting "Precise Price Servicing" over the warranty period (7 years unlimited Km's in my MG4 for instance) and providing Roadside Assistance 24 hours x 365 days - provided you get servicing done with them. The cost of the Roadside Assist is not free - but pricing reflects in the servicing cost - of course. My servicing interval is every 2 years or 40,000 km whichever comes first. Every second service (4 years or 80,000 km) is more costly, however over an 8 year period of 4 services on an annualised basis the cost to me is AUD$ 300 pa for 8 years - call it 160 GB Pounds per x 8 years. All up AUD $2,406 for 8 years service (About GBP 1,300) I had Roadside Assist with NRMA for an almost 20 year old clunker prior to getting the MG4 which cost just under AUD$120 per year ( GBP 65) without the range of benefits I now get. Over 8 years my prior Roadside Assist would have cost AUD$ 960 ( GBP 520) which is included in the All Up costs shown above. Constant prices assumed for simplicity.... MG's Roadside Assist comes with a range of additional benefits such as - Towing, Taxi, replacement vehicle hire if needed, Hotel accommodation, taxi to the hotel in addition to other assistance for other travel home if required. I'm not locked to 8 years nor to a particular dealer. I pay per service interval but the costs over 8 years are as above. "Precise Price Servicing" is not fixed price but anything can and probably will happen in 8 years If I'm unhappy with the dealer I'll find another one. An example of the 48 months/ 40,000 km service - Check the function of the Parking Brake and adjust it as necessary. Check the operation of the Lamps, Horns and system warning indicators. Check operation and accuracy of windscreen wipers, washer and windscreen for damage - If the washer nozzles are adjustable, adjust them if required. Check the status and function of seat belt. Check various control function of A/C system. Replace air-conditioning filter. Check status and function of seat. Check the condition of bonnet safety catch, tailgate/boot lid lock, door locks, hindges, door checks etc., Clean up all the dust and refill lubricating grease as necessary. Check operation of electric sunroof, lubricate channels as necessary (If Fitted) Check the connection and status of the 12v battery. Check the High-Voltage harness for mutual interference, wear or damage. Check the appearance of the high/low-voltage connectors to comfirm surface is damaged or not. Check the washer fluid level and add to the standard level as necessary. Replace Brake fluid Check the status of cooling system pipeline and connecting parts. Replace Coolant Check the status of the A/C system pipelinew such as the compressor, the cooling pipeline, and the condenser. Clean relevant surfaces as necessary. Check the status of brake vacuum booster and hose. Check the appearance of the high/low-voltage connectors to confirm the surface is damaged or not and installation is in place or not. Check the high/low-voltage harness for mutual inteference, wear or damage. Check the appearance of the high/low-voltage battery pack vent valve for damage, and check installation marks to see if it has moved. Check the status of the manual service switch to ensure reliable mounting and clean up the dust on the surface. Check the mounting position of the cooling water pipe and clip to ensure reliable sealing. Check the installation marks of any high-voltage battery pack mounting bolts and ensure the bolts are fastened. Check the appearance of high-voltage battery housing (including bracket) for crack or deformation. Check the appearance of high-voltaqe battery pack grounding wire and replace it as necessary. Check the status and thickness of front and rear brake pads and brake discs, and repalce them as necessary. Check brake pipes and hoses for condition and security. Ensure that hoses and not twisted or kinked. Check the wheel bearings and drive shaft sleeve. Check the suspension and steering system for leakage or wear. Check the tyres for tread depth and signs of damage, deformation, or uneven tyre wear, including the spare tyre (if equipped). Check the four-wheel alignment data and perform front and rear wheel rotation as appropriate. Check tyre pressures and adjust as necessary, including the spare tyre (if equipped). Check if the chassis and underbody bolts and nuts are fastened or fixed, and replace them as necessary. Replace the electric drive transmission fluid Check the electric drive transmission mounting bracket. Use diagnostic software to reset service reminder interval indicator. Check for fault codes and determine operational status of the control systems. Check software version of electronic control units and upgrade to latest version if available. Check the equilibrium state of the high-voltage battery pack and suggest the owner carry out an equalising charge as necessary. Carry out road test, and check the status and function of power system, brake, steering and other systems. ........................ The BYD Dolphin is a similar vehicle to the MG4, but the BYD & MG both have different levels of trim which make the same brand vehicles as virtually different models - something I won't be going into much detail about. MG have a dealer network in Australia which may also sell the vehicles of any number of manufacturers. BYD don't have traditional dealers per say in Australia and it all looks a bit 'messy' to me. I almost bought a BYD but the MG was what I wanted BYD China has a financial interest in EV Direct which imports BYD's into Australia. mycar, is the Official Australian BYD Service Partner Eagers Australia are dealers to the following brands as well as BYD- Abarth Alfa Romeo Audi BMW Bentley Chery Chrysler Jeep Cupra Fiat Fiat Professional Ford GMSV HSV Hino Holden Honda Hyundai Hyundai Trucks Isuzu Trucks Isuzu Ute Iveco Jaguar Jeep Kia LDV Land Rover Lexus MG Mack Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Parts Distribution Peugeot Porsche Pre-Owned Ram Renault Skoda SsangYong Subaru Suzuki Toyota UD Volkswagen Volvo Volvo Trucks Zooper easyauto123 ...................................... I'm sure to have left stuff out - doing this somewhat on the hop. Plus I'm sure there are changes that will happen as well.... Such is life. 😋

This is what it related to - Yet EV's are compared regularly to ICE vehicles as a matter of course,(notwithstanding what you referred to above as - "not really been in mainstream use for long enough to offer a reasonably decent enough amount of data to compare". This is done by consumers, manufacturers, dealers, government & regulators etc etc - the list can go on and on and debates, discussions etc can also go on and on and on. Thats the rabbit hole I referred to - the one I have little interest in - because I have an EV I'm happy with and my main focus is enjoying it in the years I have left with reasonable health etc. People can get an EV or not. Argue the toss or not - its really up to them. Doesn't mean I will never throw my two bob's worth in the mix - as events etc happen etc. I will though make a few comments about dealers etc and my experience with them - regarding my patch of the woods - there may be some similarity to the UK scene and which you have commented on in other posts here today. Will do so below as time permits, hopefully something fairly soon. Christmas stuff pressing etc but will comment soon etc.

Well you raised servicing of EV's as "expensive" and now you say you know very little about it apart from 'one guy' who is moaning. See the point I'm making ?

What EV's in particular are you talking about and how much is being charged ? Examples please. To what extent does pricing vary widely from brand to brand where you are? Examples please. What do you regard as 'expensive' & how does this compare to servicing costs for petrol cars etc ?

Tesla recalls 2 million cars with ‘insufficient’ Autopilot safety controls The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tesla will send out a software update to fix the problems https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/12/13/tesla-autopilot-recall/

Yet that is exactly what is being done. A lot a chasing down rabbit holes. In the meantime time is running out for the legacy ICE manufacturers.

Already happening. 'Electric Viking' who reports regularly on EV's on YT says EV's including Tesla's used as taxi's in Beijing with 300-400,000 km plus on the clock. Thats a "decent life span" by any means. The "black mass" in EV batteries is valuable for recycling however the batteries last so long there are few currently available to recycle. Back to the original question though - 25-26000 pounds for a base MG4 or BYD Dolphin is not excessive and is comparable to an ICE purchase for an arguably better car. My MG4 will outlast me, possibly by many years and depreciation is not an issue for me - nor is there much evidence of it being a widespread one. There is a lot a stake for big name ICE manufacturers who have been caught napping by the Chinese. Some of them won't survive. Not that it worries me on iota.

Can you give some examples of this "very significantly higher" depreciation ?

My MG4 entry level model came in about the same as a Toyota Corolla - so no comparison in my view. The BYD Dolphin is pretty good as well. Thats a new one for me. Had mine 3 months and any suggestion that new tyres will soon be needed is a real laugh. Its really amazing what some people will believe - but up to them.

Over 111 F (44 C) in Sydney's western suburbs atm. Tomorrow tipped to be hotter....

1:31 pm just putting on the aircon as heatwave conditions ramp up here in Sydney and across NSW - even hotter tomorrow - so I've got a good supply of VB in 😋 Even hotter to the west of the Great Dividing range out in regional NSW... Its looking like a typical Aussie Christmas 😋 SMH https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/schools-closed-extreme-fire-danger-declared-as-heatwave-hits-nsw-20231208-p5eq1c.html