On 6 Jul 2011 at 4:11pm Winnie wrote:
There was a BBC report recently about electric cars. They obviously make little noise compared to petrol driven motors, and a University research boffin was saying that the new cars will have to be given a 'false' engine sound to stop pedestrians getting squished and stuff.
They were researching what would be the best noise - this is quite important if you think about it as it will define the sound of our towns in the future.
So what do you think? What should Lewes sound like? Something futuristic, something like a Ford Focus, or my idea -horse noises?!?!
On 6 Jul 2011 at 4:24pm 'ere be monsters wrote:
Rookies.
On 6 Jul 2011 at 4:37pm Benny wrote:
The Benny Hill chase music.
Hopefully they will have less smug-git-ness about them than that lil blue one parked down Pinwell Rd that has the hugely pretentious large and small footprint plastered all over the back
On 6 Jul 2011 at 4:56pm Taff wrote:
The sound of an MV Augusta.
If anyone buys an electric I hope it doesnt catch fire ever. Very nasty fumes and extremely difficult to put the fire out.
On 6 Jul 2011 at 5:08pm Vesbod wrote:
Forget electric, Hydrogen is the only way forward....
Sounds just like a car, and emits water !!
On 6 Jul 2011 at 6:15pm Winnie wrote:
I like the Benny Hill suggestion
On 6 Jul 2011 at 10:38pm the old mayor wrote:
Tumbleweed IS silent !!!
On 7 Jul 2011 at 2:18am SHS wrote:
Bicycles are silent. Bring-on the silent car.
On 7 Jul 2011 at 2:19am SHS wrote:
....and get ready to invest in property by main roads?
On 7 Jul 2011 at 9:28am 'ere be monsters wrote:
Bicycles aren't supposed to be silent. They are supposed to have a bell to warn others of their approach. Rarely happens though.
On 7 Jul 2011 at 10:48am Cyclist wrote:
It's been a couple of years since all new bikes being sold were fitted with bells.
I still remember Mrs Sexton of Priory School flying down Rotten Row on her bike, ringing her bell shouting at us "I could have been a juggernaut!"
On 7 Jul 2011 at 11:42am 'ere be monsters wrote:
Was that not a fair description of her anyway?
On 7 Jul 2011 at 12:20pm Cyclist wrote:
heh, no comment 
I think the school joke was a juggernaut would go "hooonk hooooonk! I could have been Mrs Sexton!"
On 7 Jul 2011 at 1:36pm Amanda Dean wrote:
I have been asked to research the viability of installing EV charge points in Lewes by the lead member of the Lib Dem Group. There are already EV charge points in Brighton that were part funded by an EU grant.
On 7 Jul 2011 at 2:09pm Vesbod wrote:
Has anyone actually sat down to work out how much these EV charge points are going to cost the taxpayer ? and just exactly what are the benefits ? Please don't say "cleaner air", think of how the electricity gets to the charge point !
On 7 Jul 2011 at 9:25pm invisible man wrote:
Hi Taff, You mentioned MV Augusta and John Surtees sprung to mind. Great days and great bikes. Remember the Gilera.
On 8 Jul 2011 at 8:10am Vesbod wrote:
Remeber the Ariel square 4 ?
On 8 Jul 2011 at 9:17am Amanda Dean wrote:
I'm also a taxpayer and I have just as much interest as 'Vespod' in checking out the cost, both in financial and environmental terms. Currently the benefits include, less dirt, less noise and with any luck a move toward a more sustainable future. How electricity gets not only to car charge points but also to every point in my house is something I am regularly reminded of via the post and worry about when I think of the next generations future. At this moment in time, this is exploratory, I am interested in what people think and posting a message seemed like a good way to find out. What was the Ariel square 4?
On 8 Jul 2011 at 9:20am Amanda Dean wrote:
Sorry, I just realised your name was Vesbod. I am looking for outside funding, which has been available for similar projects.
On 8 Jul 2011 at 10:11am Clifford wrote:
'At this moment in time' always an interesting phrase. 'Now'?
On 8 Jul 2011 at 11:13am ADT wrote:
I like your horse idea 'Winnie'.
Full on gallop on the motorway, a canter down the high street, a gentle bray and winnying whilst waiting at the lights. It might sound a bit like they're lining up to start the Grand National in rush hour though.
On 8 Jul 2011 at 5:17pm jrsussex wrote:
Amanda Dean - I too would be very interested to know the installation costs of EV charge points. Whilst electric cars are not exactly selling like hot cakes they are now selling to more and more people. I cannot help but wonder why given that there are so few EV charge points. Not knowing much about electric cars I assume that if you run out of "fuel" the AA cannot rescue you. That problem stops a lot of people from considering the purchase of an electric car.
On 8 Jul 2011 at 5:39pm Vesbod wrote:
Amanda, an Ariel square 4 was a pretty "hot" motorbike back in the 60s, but it ran on petrol I'm afraid. Now then, back to electricity - having a cleaner environment is one thing (and good), but, in the cold light of day we must ensure that costs are not prohibitive i.e. if it's going to cost the tax payer more to utilise electric cars/bikes etc., than the current diesel/petrol model, I think it needs to be rethought again. It would be really interesting to see, say, an analysis of running a 1000 cc car using electricity generated via each of - coal/nuclear/diesel/windpower/hydro models compared with petrol/diesel/hydrogen driven models of similar cubic capacity - I understand that electric cars may not have cubic capacity per se, but maybe we should be using brake horsepower (BHP) as a bench mark ?
On 8 Jul 2011 at 7:21pm Clifford wrote:
Following on from jrsussex's point, why can't the electric cars generate their own electricity by using the movement to keep the battery constantly charged? (I failed my Physics O level you won't be surprised to hear).
On 8 Jul 2011 at 7:55pm jrsussex wrote:
Clifford - Genuinely a good question, afraid I cannot assist you with an answer. At least you took Physics O level, I didn't get that far. In the 1950's East End you would have been the school whizz kid, almost certainly referred to as "The Professor", That would be by the teachers let alone the pupils.
On 9 Jul 2011 at 6:54am Clifford wrote:
I remember sitting in a class of about 35 doing Physics, so I certainly wasn't 'the Prof'. Of those, I think probably about 25 passed. So in that sense I was one of the class dumbos!
On 9 Jul 2011 at 7:56am MC wrote:
Clifford. Friction. If what you propose was possible our planet's energy problems would be solved in an instant.
On 9 Jul 2011 at 8:58am Vesbod wrote:
Good thinking Clifford, and MC is of course correct, however, at absolute zero, there is no friction. So, if we ever slide back into an ice age again (which is probably unlikely - see other thread), the chances of perpetual motion and hence "free" electricity could be a real prospect. Mind you, having said that, I think we'd have a few other things on our mind besides electric cars !!
Oh, I passed GCE "O" Level Physics as well !
On 9 Jul 2011 at 11:58am Mack the Knife wrote:
I would make all vehicles sound like a Suzuki GT750, a water cooled 3 pot 2 stroke. That would have people choking over the lentil soup and yoghurt knitting!!
On 9 Jul 2011 at 2:53pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
I've yet to be convinced that the environmental impact of making electric cars doesn't outweigh the environmental benefits, tbh.
I still get 58 mpg out of an elderly 2-litre diesel, they'll have to get a lot cheaper before I swap. And how long do the batteries last before they need replacing?
On 10 Jul 2011 at 5:15pm Alittleknowledgeisadangerousthing wrote:
I'm sure it was on top gear (which I realise may have more than a slight bias) they discussed the electric car issue.. And concluded it to be an economic and environmental waste of time. Anette CT mentioned the batteries which are made from nasty chemicals and have a limited life. The cost of these added to the cost of producing electricity simply make them a non starter.
On 10 Jul 2011 at 6:26pm jrsussex wrote:
Beginning to sound much like my argument against wind farms.