VERY OT ... 602's new electric Hyundai.

[GlenAnderson]

I was told that you have to turn the towing vehicle wheels in the same direction you want the trailer to go and it's best to start with the towing vehicle, trailer and wheels in a straight line, unlike a 2:or close coupled 4:wheeler where you turn the towing vehicle in the opposite direction.  It's a knack which I've not tried.

I drove this wagon and drag for a while. I found that I had to envisage using the prime mover to turn the front axle of the drag, to put that where I wanted it to go, and once the trailer was going the right way, the wagon would follow. It took me a few months to master it.

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[Beowulf]

.....the handbrake which then automatically releases as you drive off. As said , the handbrake should apply itself when in park or switching the ignition off. I hated them when I first drove with an electronic handbrake about 20 years ago, love them now though.

My 18 year old Jaguar has an electronic handbrake, it could not be easier to use, and as Phil has said, its released when you drive away. Brilliant!

[w3526602]

Hi,

Thanks everybody.

I love the car, including little quirks ... like the mirrors folding in as I walk away from it. and its screams of panic as I go to PASS my gate post when reversing off my drive. Note PASS, as the car is not actually going to hit the post.

I'm impressed by how it "knows" the instant that I enter a different speed limit, but have not yet worked out what triggers a forced reduction in speed," or why its logic is not consistent. What logic system can identify "the elephant in the room"?

No doubt I will get there.

602

[Birdsnest55]

John it knows the speed limit as it has a (some) cameras that read the road signs.

Paul

[linesrg]

Good afternoon all,

After 6yrs of owning a Renault Zoe we're about to take ownership of a Megane EV - don't see hot all the fuss about EV's is?

Regards

Richard

[Wittsend]

Not everyone is able to pick up and take onboard new technology - sometimes it seems like you need a degree in computing to work out what new cars' features are.

You car uses GPS to know where it is. It will have a mapping database and so, along with onboard cameras will know what the speed limit on any part of a road is.
When you change from one zone to the next the response is very quick - just a few yards. The car knows exactly where it is.

If my car detects if it's been in an accident or has broken down it alerts the authorities 
Which is OK if you can get a mobile phone signal at your location 

[Theshed]

I work with 'new' technology.
I dislike electronic handbrakes, keyless ignition and anything else that takes away my driving experience.
I like driving and want to do most of it myself. Thank You very much !

[w3526602]

Hi,

Gosh, this "thread" is running!

One quirk that still puzzles is "slowing down as it approaches roundabouts", but the braking effect seems to fade away as it actually reaches the roundabout ... I think. The process doesn't last long enough to study.

On the the other hand, nobody can complain about a car that can "kick you in the back" anytime you kick the (NOT) loud pedal. Most satisfying when bloke behind gets too close.    I wonder what the 0 to 60 time is for a Kona.

I didn't buy this car, Barbara did ... without asking permission. Paid cash! It just arrived in the drive. She said it was a birthday prezzy. Nothing in it for her ... she has been totally confined to bed for over a year.

Doh! My/our girls have arrived again, dinner is ready. No sense of timing!

602

[Wittsend]

That's because the braking energy is fed back into re-charging the battery - just as happens on F1 cars.
It's a similar principle. Foot off the pedal the car slows and the battery is charging. If you really need to stamp on the brake pedal then the "traditional" brakes take over.

 

[Gareth]

Our electric Up! has the same regenerative braking.

It's activated by selecting 'B' on the gear selector. If you leave it in D then when you take your foot off the gas (amps?) it just coasts.

When you press the brake pedal in either mode, in initially increases the regenerative effect proportionally, until when you are pressing it quite hard, it supplements the braking force by using the service brakes. Pretty seamless operation and the brakes are hardly worn at all after 2.5 years and 13.5k miles.

[w3526602]

Hi,

Ah!

Perhaps the engine charging the batteries, when slowing down, acts as a brake, UNTIL everything is turning too slowly to generate any "reverse" electricity, so the engine braking effect fades away ... when you want (but shouldn't need) it most ?

602.

PS. I believe the cheapest battery powered car is the Citroen Ami, retailing st something over £8,000.

We also paid a "short" £1,000 to have a charging point nailed to the wall, next to the "front" door, so it can be used for either (presumably not both at same time) of two cars parked on the drive, or a third car parked on the hard standing across to the third the front of the bungalow, but Barbara objects to having her view from her bed obstructed.

I have no knowledge (time or cost) of the street charging in the village.

Visions of hooking up (on the move) to tram or trolley-bus wires that abounded in Croydon during my formative years. I was allowed to stay up late, to watch the "Last Tram" drive through Croydon, but I can't remember what year that was ... but I can remember the thrill (pitch and yaw) when the driver "put the hammer down".

Trolly buses made me sick.

602

[Theshed]

'Perhaps the engine charging the batteries, when slowing down, acts as a brake, UNTIL everything is turning too slowly to generate any "reverse" electricity, so the engine braking effect fades away ... when you want (but shouldn't need) it most ?'

Yes 602 you've got it. That is basically how it works.
Simple but effective.
The idea of some sort of 'on the move' charging would be better than what we currently lack.

[w3526602]

Hi Threshed,

Thanks for that.

Perhaps we need a wind generator mounted on the roof, but would that mean the faster you go, the more powerful the engine becomes?

 

602

[w3526602]

Hi

I think I already mentioned elsewhere that my car was "clipped" while parked outside my daughters house. I didn't know until arriving home, and finding my bog black bumper hanging on by just a couple of screws.

I just told the main dealer to come and get it. Give me the bill, as I don't want to lose a life-time of NCD.

Not a good idea. Several days later, car was returned. Barbara didn't even blanche, just handed the bloke her credit card.

£7,000.

We won't go there again.

602

[Simon K.]

You were scammed, you could have bought a whole land rover for that money.!