GF Car Buying Advice Required

[dockers_strike]

1 minute ago, Shooter in the Motor said:

This is the hardest aspect of a machine driving the car and they are finding this the biggest obstacle. There have been many reported incidents during testing where pedestrians have been killed and vehicles have crashed into each other as the machine is trying to anticipate human instincts. Self driving cars have crashed into buses as the system expected the bus to give way even though it was on the main road. A driver allowing a car in is perfectly reasonable but is not necessarily guaranteed so a self driving car either has to follow the rules of the road to the letter or accept there are going to be mistakes made - which defeats the objective of self-driving cars.

 

I work with a guy who has links into all this and it is truly fascinating but it's a massive undertaking to get it working. As a side not, he recently did some work with James May - he's doing a lot of work right now in the learner driver space which I found surprising.

 

I've ordered my next manual training car, the new model of the Dacia Sandero which he describes as 'basically a Renault Clio". Only much cheaper.

The new Sandero Stepway is a very good car, badge snobs excepted. I'll certainly give it consideration when it comes time to swap.

 

What Musk gets away with regarding his cars 'autopilot' is scandalous in my opinion. He's using the public to beta test the car's self driving ability on open roads and the gullible Tesla fanboys believe it.

 

I think EVs in UK and Europe have to emit a noise at speeds of 20mph and under. Over that, you can hear tyre noise of an approaching EV and if it's in traffic, you've got the sound of the other cars but yes, they could pose a hazard to the partially sighted or impaired hearing.

[Rico1304]

49 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

 

I think EVs in UK and Europe have to emit a noise at speeds of 20mph and under. Over that, you can hear tyre noise of an approaching EV and if it's in traffic, you've got the sound of the other cars but yes, they could pose a hazard to the partially sighted or impaired hearing

It’s ok, you be able the hear me shouting ‘Look at me, look at me!!!’

[Guest]

1 hour ago, dockers_strike said:

The new Sandero Stepway is a very good car, badge snobs excepted. I'll certainly give it consideration when it comes time to swap.

 

What Musk gets away with regarding his cars 'autopilot' is scandalous in my opinion. He's using the public to beta test the car's self driving ability on open roads and the gullible Tesla fanboys believe it.

 

I think EVs in UK and Europe have to emit a noise at speeds of 20mph and under. Over that, you can hear tyre noise of an approaching EV and if it's in traffic, you've got the sound of the other cars but yes, they could pose a hazard to the partially sighted or impaired hearing.

I looked at the Stepway and I have no idea why I didn't take it on. It's practically the same car with a slightly bigger chassis from all I've seen. But it's a really decent car with lots of straight edges inside where most people pay for the luxurious curved edges inside. Having taken it for a test drive, I was more than happy to see myself driving it and others learning to drive in it.

[Rico1304]

13 minutes ago, Colonel Kurtz said:

I think the problem with self driving cars is they break down the interface between the road and the pedestrian. Once people realise that self driving cars will stop automatically rather than hit something  they will start crossing the road without waiting . A couple of climate change protestors or teenagers kids could bring the M25 to a halt with just a few traffic cones or weighted balloons dropped from bridges. It will be chaos. Can’t see an answer to this unless you fence off roads. 

A court has decided today that a peaceful protest of blocking a road is lawful. Plus, have you never seen a motorway stopped because of a threatened suicide?  All the threats you’ve described exist and happen now. Self driving cars make absolutely zero difference. 

[Bobby Hundreds]

I thought the main issue with self driving cars was it couldn't tell the difference between a plastic bag on the road or a boulder. I keep hearing how fully self driving cars that can drive on all roads are much further away than many believe and yet others saying its closer than we think.

[Bruce Spanner]

Some really sound advice here.

 

https://green-giraffe.eu/publication/blog-post/thinking-twice-about-the-future-of-transport/

From one of our own, if I’m not mistaken…

 

[Elite]

Just now, Bobby Hundreds said:

I thought the main issue with self driving cars was it couldn't tell the difference between a plastic bag on the road or a boulder. I keep hearing how fully self driving cars that can drive on all roads are much further away than many believe and yet others saying its closer than we think.

I suppose it depends on whether they are driving in Bedrock.

[Rico1304]

Just now, Colonel Kurtz said:

Well people don’t often step in front of moving cars at the moment. Once they realise that most cars will stop automatically I think that will change. It’s a great innovation if you are a mugger and the self driving car is a convertible.
 

That said, last summer somebody nicked Mrs Kurtz handbag from her lap and ran off when we were stuck in traffic on the A4. They just walked down the line of stuck cars looking for convertibles. Clever idea. 

They generally wait till they are already stopped just like you experienced. Which is more likely, someone steps in front of a SD car hoping it stops, or they step in front of an already stopped car, preventing it starting?  

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Colonel Kurtz said:

Well people don’t often step in front of moving cars at the moment. Once they realise that most cars will stop automatically I think that will change. It’s a great innovation if you are a mugger and the self driving car is a convertible.
 

That said, last summer somebody nicked Mrs Kurtz handbag from her lap and ran off when we were stuck in traffic on the A4. They just walked down the line of stuck cars looking for convertibles. Clever idea. 

If the proposed changes to the Highway Code do happen, it's going to be a shit show with cyclists and pedestrians pulling out in front of cars in the mistaken belief that the new rules allow them to do it without reproach. But still as a car/van/truck driver would you prefer to stop and avoid being on a potential dangerous driving charge or rather take a punt on being able to prove the more vulnerable road user gave no chance to stop?

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Rico1304 said:

They generally wait till they are already stopped just like you experienced. Which is more likely, someone steps in front of a SD car hoping it stops, or they step in front of an already stopped car, preventing it starting?  

If some cunt tried to steal my handbag....

[General Dryness]

11 hours ago, Rico1304 said:

It’s only really affordable through my company car scheme.  I think I mentioned above it’ll be able the same as my leased X3 without the fuel, servicing, road tax and insurance.  

If you get a Porsche, you'll have to turn in your TLW membership mate.

 

Fuck off and be bourgeois elsewhere.

[Scooby Dudek]

4 hours ago, Shooter in the Motor said:

If some cunt tried to steal my handbag....

 

 

[Rico1304]

6 hours ago, General Dryness said:

If you get a Porsche, you'll have to turn in your TLW membership mate.

 

Fuck off and be bourgeois elsewhere.

Well It won’t technically be mine.  

[General Dryness]

58 minutes ago, Rico1304 said:

Well It won’t technically be mine.  

Fair enough then. As long as you're still scum like the rest of us.

[Rico1304]

56 minutes ago, General Dryness said:

Fair enough then. As long as you're still scum like the rest of us.

You can’t polish a turd, this would be a mere sprinkling of glitter. 

[Red74]

22 hours ago, Rico1304 said:

It’s only really affordable through my company car scheme.  I think I mentioned above it’ll be able the same as my leased X3 without the fuel, servicing, road tax and insurance.  

Have you had a look at the Audi etron GT? The standard spec gives you everything other than metallic paint. 

[Red74]

There’s a major problem with insurance companies deciding whose responsible for accidents when it comes to self driving cars. 
 

Gonna be far easier punishing us plebs rather than going after the manufacturers.

[Rico1304]

10 minutes ago, Red74 said:

Have you had a look at the Audi etron GT? The standard spec gives you everything other than metallic paint. 

It does look amazing.  

[Red74]

Just now, Rico1304 said:

It does look amazing.  

Ive just picked up a Q8 and it’s a licence killer but If I haven’t developed rheumatoid arthritis when the pcp’s up for this I’ll have another look at the GT.

[Rico1304]

9 minutes ago, Red74 said:

Ive just picked up a Q8 and it’s a licence killer but If I haven’t developed rheumatoid arthritis when the pcp’s up for this I’ll have another look at the GT.

It’s fast as fuck. Might try a test drive. 
 

Ta. 

[Rico1304]

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/356482/connected-kerb-promises-190000-new-public-street-electric-car-chargers?fbclid=IwAR0DMIM39Oq7EJLTxOaDsxVW-GlLbjFz4sWZPgsY7iE3XM-M72uruYMnzIQ

[dockers_strike]

Just when China is going to throw a spanner in the works!

 

Drivers making the switch to electric vehicles risk being forced to spend even more amid rising battery costs, experts have warned, in a blow to Britain’s green ambitions. 

 

The cost of lithium battery cells is rising for the first time after years of decline, with strained lithium supplies adding to rising prices of other cell materials. 

 

Chinese battery producers are said to be writing to customers looking to renegotiate contracts, including moving away from fixed pricing structures. 

 

The high upfront costs of electric cars is considered a key factor preventing consumers from making the switch from petrol or diesel. They are cheaper to run, but it can take years to recover upfront costs. 

 

A survey published by consumer group Which? in August found that a Mini EV costs £26,000 while the petrol alternative costs £16,605. The cost of running the Mini EV over three years was £1,827 compared to £4,418 for the Mini One – a £2,591 difference, taking into account tax breaks and lower fuel and servicing costs for the electric car. 

 

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, the price reporting agency, said: “Battery makers appear set to pass on lithium price increases to the automotive manufacturers and other downstream customers, which could have a major impact on electric vehicles coming to market between 2022 and 2024.” 

 

Petrol and diesel cars are being phased out in many countries in an effort to cut carbon emissions, with the UK set to ban the sale of new models in 2030. 

 

Technology and scale have been pushing down the costs of batteries and cars, with some studies predicting electric models could become cheaper to purchase by the middle of the decade. But rising battery costs risks slowing that progress. 

 

The price of lithium ion cells has fallen from $290 [£215] per kWh in 2014 down to $105 this year, but Benchmark predicts it could climb to $115 next year. 

 

Investment in new lithium production has been slow following a glut that triggered a price crash in 2018. With demand for electric cars growing as countries move to lessen use of fossil fuels, supply has not kept up, causing a surge in prices. 

 

Benchmark says prices for battery grade lithium carbonate in China have climbed more than 300pc since October 2020, hitting $28,765 in October. Prices for nickel and cobalt, also key battery ingredients, have also climbed, with Benchmark’s cathode price index up by 62.4pc over the year. 

 

It believes the lithium supply shortages are set to deepen next year and continue through the mid-2020s. 

 

Benchmark said: “Battery makers are being buffeted by rising raw material cathode and anode raw material costs, which represent the largest share of a cell’s bill of materials, but also by price rises for peripheral battery cell components such as binder materials, and copper and aluminium foils used in electrode production.”

[Rico1304]

The day has come!  Work have finally approved the Octopus car scheme and it’s being launched this week. 
 

I’ve being pushing it for ages and without wanting to sound like a zealot it is almost too good to be true.   I’d encourage anyone to try and get the scheme adopted at work, the range of cars is incredible and it’s possible to get a Tesla for £430 a month from your wage or a mini for £350.  That includes insurance, a second driver, tyre cover and any servicing costs.  It has virtually zero cost to your employer and octopus manage the lot (other than the changes to payroll).  

[Chairman Meow]

I struggle to accept that paying £430 per month for a car can be considered too good to be true. 

 

I could switch cars every other month at that rate and be making a profit doing so. 

 

The whole everything you use essentially being a subscription is fucking mental. 

[Rico1304]

6 minutes ago, Chairman Meow said:

I struggle to accept that paying £430 per month for a car can be considered too good to be true. 

 

I could switch cars every other month at that rate and be making a profit doing so. 

 

The whole everything you use essentially being a subscription is fucking mental. 

Tell you what then, don’t do it.