Save old cars

[Offgrid]

What I really want to do is to save the many interesting vehicles that are lying around in farmers' fields rotting. I knew a farmer who had several, and I tried to buy them from him, but he always said that a friend was going to restore them. I don't think he thought that I had the ability. eventually he had to go into a home, and lost his reason. His executors cleared the farm, and most stuff went for scrap. Two things that were of particular interest to me were a Lister autotruck, and a round Reliant - the one before the only fools and horses one. The Francis Barnett that I have was in bits, and I've put that together apart from the engine cover.

I suspect that many old Volvos are scrapped because of ignition and fuel problems ( as well as rust), but this is based on my experience with the 740, so you guys will have a better understanding of this. I also regret not being able to preserve many cars that I discovered, including an Opel Monza and Triumph roadster ( Bergerac's car).

[Familyman 90]

Originally Posted by Offgrid

Hydrogen cars like the Toyota Mirai will replace domestic electric vehicles, and help to contain the dramatic increase in the price of electricity that is causing financial problems for many households.

You do realise that vadt amounts of electricity is required to crack hydrogen? If it H took off then demand for electricity will skyrocket, and without a massive increase in generating capacity so will the price of electricity.

Add in the inefficiencies with each trophic level as electricity is used to crack hydrogen, which is the transported to market, and then used to create electricity again, and youll see that H is the answer to nothing other than the speed of refill.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by ITSv40

In the last twelve months I have sold 70 year old mowers that had not seen grass for 50 years. .

.....and probably cut grass much better than modern mowers and will still be running in another 50 years time.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by Familyman 90

You do realise that vadt amounts of electricity is required to crack hydrogen? If it H took off then demand for electricity will skyrocket, and without a massive increase in generating capacity so will the price of electricity.

Add in the inefficiencies with each trophic level as electricity is used to crack hydrogen, which is the transported to market, and then used to create electricity again, and youll see that H is the answer to nothing other than the speed of refill.

Have you noticed that on the plans for the 8 new nuclear power stations recently announced by HMG - each one has a Hydrogen cracking plant attached?

Here's a wild prediction for you - electric cars are a flash in the pan and will disappear in 15-20 years time when we somehow manage to produce hydrogen more efficiently and at scale.

Electric cars will be like the compact fluorescent lightbulbs we were all urged to buy in the late 80's/90's when conventional light bulbs which we had been using for literally hundreds of years were sudden frowned upon (a bit like diesel). And then along came LED's in the noughties, and suddenly the CFL's were crap. Heavy, too large, full of toxic waste. Electric cars are the same phase in history as CFLs - sub-optimal but at the moment we don't really know what else to do. Lithium mining and extraction is also hugely energy demanding and damaging to the environment, but with hydrogen it may even be possible to recover these electric mistakes by replacing their batteries with hydrogen fuel cells.

Once we can produce hydrogen efficiently and at scale, electric cars will be ditched overnight and we'll go back to cars with small, lightweight heavily turbocharged internal combustion engines, and it will also be possible to retro-fit hydrogen fuel to petrol cars. Everyone will be happy, including the planet, and the developing nations in the world who will never be able to afford to replace their old vehicles with electric. And we can "save old cars" - they will suddenly come the most sustainable form of motoring.

I am aware that some, maybe most might find that suggestion fanciful, but I believe it to be true - all we can do is wait and see.... Yesterday I drove by Jaguar Land Rover's engine factory on the M54, I remember watching that being built about 8 years ago, when I used to drive past weekly. In a few years time it will be empty, or redeveloped to produce electric motors. The world can change very quickly now...