The market for quickly-rechargeable, light and compact batteries is huge. One or another battery will eventually evolve. When it does, electric-only vehicles are likely to have a range unthinkable using fossil-fuels. Moreover, in the meantime, hybrids are an excellent compromise. Furthermore, see also Electric Vehicles – Hybrids.
Many existing home grid-connect solar systems have excess capacity outside peak periods. Solar energy fed in during the day can be re-drawn during off-peak periods, for much the same price, to charge an electric car. This is because many grid networks have excess capacity outside peak periods. Furthermore, such charging extends battery life: all dislike ongoing deep discharges.
All Electric Vehicle Efficiency & Emissions This article, by Collyn Rivers, discusses electric vehicle efficiency and emissions. All road vehicles emit pollution (and are health issues). Emissions are in two main forms. One includes haze and particulate matter....
Electric vehicle motors AC/DC Electric vehicle motors use one or other of the two main kinds of electricity: alternating current and direct current. Both are effective as electric vehicle motors. Alternating Current (AC) is where electric current constantly reverses...
Globally, there is move to electric vehicles. Apart from minor rubber tyre particles they are virtually emission free.They are also about 80% efficient. If, however, their electricity is from fossil-fuelled power stations, their emissions are similar to year 2020 petrol-fuelled (or hybrid) vehicles.
Electric hybrid vehicle Electric hybrid vehicles are powered by either or both electricity and fossil fuel. They are far from new. In 1898, Ferdinand Porsche developed a hybrid car (the Lohner-Porsche). Its petrol engine ran a generator powering electric motors in its...
Charging your electric car at home or work is already totally feasible from a standard grid connection. Many already do so. Small electric cars, such as a Nissan Leaf, require a usually existing standard 230 volt ac 15 amp power point and a power cable that plugs into the car’s on-board charge.
Electric-only vehicles of today are most suited to urban driving, but as battery technology inevitably advances, and charging facilities increase, these will be decreasing issues.
Electric vehicle history Electric vehicles have existed for longer than most people think. They long pre-date petrol and diesel. This electric vehicle history by Collyn Rivers is an overview. The first dc electric motor (1866). Pic: Siemens UK. The electric...
RV Books Proven & Unbiased Information from Collyn Rivers ♦ ♦ motorhomes ♦ camper trailers ♦ solar ♦Important News The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is investigating the Caravan Industry A media release was issued on 12 November...
In the 1930s, German archaeologist Wilhelm Koenig claimed that whilst excavating an archaeological dig near Baghdad (Iraq), he uncovered a small clay jar. It had a plug that sealed the opening. That plug had a copper tube with an iron rod inserted into it. If filled with an acidic liquid, the device functioned as a basic battery. Koenig and others made similar versions that generated up to two volts per unit.
by Peter Manins Motorhome Information: The Basics Motorhome basics for those who are occasional motor-homers, who live in a built-up area, and are considering changing to a different motorhome, or who are considering making some improvements to their present one....
This paper explains how overtaking a fast moving truck, or being passed by one can exert dangerous truck wind forces on caravans.
Potential buyers of caravans need to be extremely careful to ensure that their proposed caravan is, in fact, fully compliant with Australia’s vehicle safety regulations, as stated in the national Australian Design Rules. The Federal government’s Vehicle Safety Standards branch has recognised the problems in the caravan industry. It is introducing a new Road Vehicle Standards Act in July 2021. This Act replaces the Motor Vehicle Standards Act, which has been in force since 1989.
For decades both caravan owners and vendors have emphasised the need for a laden tow vehicle to at least weigh as much as the laden caravan. Length and caravan stability, and where weight is distributed over that length, is now being seen as more significant.
Making caravans more stable is readily possible by design, loading, and tow vehicle use and choice. This article by Collyn Rivers explains how. It also provides practical guidelines for buying a caravan and tow vehicle, their loading and on-road usage. For a full technical explanation of why rigs can be unstable please see my Caravan and Tow Vehicle Dynamics/. See also Why Caravans Roll Over/
If connected incorrectly, solar regulators with current shunts can register twice your true solar input. Here’s why – and how you can to fix it.
The current (February 2018) Australian RV rules and regulations are outlined here by Collyn Rivers of RV Books. Those for trailers under 4500 kg (9920 lb) will change in late 2018 but details are not yet available. These rules often change and this article will be regularly updated to reflect those changes.
The complex interactions of caravan and tow vehicle dynamics are described here by Collyn Rivers. It is a precis of the rvbooks.com Why Caravans Roll Over – and how to prevent it.
Why the move to electric vehicles? It is largely because in the past few years there has become an increasing realisation that it is impossible to totally remove emissions from petrol engines. This applies even more so to diesel engines (although to their shame, major European car makers used fraudulent methods to cover this up). It is now all but certain that diesel cars and diesel 4WDs will cease being made after 2030. Many makers are planning an earlier date for diesel as it is becoming clear that it virtually impossible to remove the major polluting components.
Whether you’re building a new home or adding solar to an existing structure, this is the one book you can’t afford to be without.
Any bookshop, whether online or bricks and mortar, can order copies of Solar Success. Just ask.
ISBN: 978-0-6487945-4-7
The essential handbook for anyone with an RV of any kind. Everything you need to know to make the electrics in your rig work for you.
The book retailers set their own prices which can vary substantially. We'll aim to keep a selection of the better prices above.
Any bookshop, whether online or bricks and mortar, can order copies of Caravan & Motorhome Electrics. Just ask.
ISBN: 978-0-6483190-8-5
Explains in detail every aspect of tow vehicle and caravan stability. This is what you need to know to be safe on or off the road.
The book retailers set their own prices which can vary substantially. We'll aim to keep a selection of the better prices above.
Any bookshop, whether online or bricks and mortar, can order copies of Why Caravans Roll Over. Just ask.
ISBN: 978-0-6483190-6-1
Whether you’re building a new home or adding solar to an existing structure, this is the one book you can’t afford to be without.
Any bookshop, whether online or bricks and mortar, can order copies of Solar Success. Just ask.
ISBN: 978-0-6487945-4-7