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Random motoring thoughts

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Hairy-Joe
Posts: 1567
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2021 3:33 pm

Random motoring thoughts

#1

Post by Hairy-Joe »

I'm starting this for random motoring thoughts and basically "shooting the breeze".

I'll start with one that just dawned on me. I've family home from the Middle East and they hired a car. All fine and dandy, it's a diesel Octavia. We were just talking about the price of fuel (and him complaining about paying almost €1 a liter). I was thinking. In a few years when everything is electric, how will the hire car companies sort out overseas based hire car customers who won't have the relevant accounts, cards, etc to use public on-street chargers.

Random thought I know.
Fratello
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Posts: 143
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2021 10:33 am

Re: Random motoring thoughts

#2

Post by Fratello »

They might have a company card you get with the car. Then you can pay as you go along or at the end.

On the fuel theme.
In 20 years time when electric is the norm how difficult will it be to get petrol?
Will it be antisocial to drive an ICE car?
Will Porsche 911s from the 1980's that people think are worth 60k now be worth much less due to the price of petrol and the fact you get abused for wonton destruction by driving one?
Or will battery conversions see many classics turned electric. I saw a cool 944 conversion on the interweb recently.
Hairy-Joe
Posts: 1567
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2021 3:33 pm

Re: Random motoring thoughts

#3

Post by Hairy-Joe »

I think in 20 years time there will still be plenty of petrol and diesel for sale. There's nothing at the moment or on the horizon to beat diesel for trucks, tractors, plant, etc. There will still be plenty of vans on diesel for those doing long runs or regularly are heavily loaded.

Petrol will still be available as there will still be plenty of petrol cars around. They will be sold new for years to come.

I can see it being a right mix of fuels for years.
CelticRambler
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Posts: 2577
Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2021 6:19 pm
Location: Central France

Re: Random motoring thoughts

#4

Post by CelticRambler »

Hairy-Joe wrote: Sun Apr 03, 2022 10:19 pmIn a few years when everything is electric, how will the hire car companies sort out overseas based hire car customers who won't have the relevant accounts, cards, etc to use public on-street chargers.
Might be displaying my naivety here, but what's wrong with a common or debit/credit card? Being still in diesel mode, I haven't paid a huge amount of attention to the payment instructions on the charging stations that pepper my routes across France, but if I can pay for parking with any card (or even my phone) why can't I pay for a few kW of electrojuice for the engine? Same as I would for my camper, if I wasn't fully autonomous in that department. :?:
CelticRambler
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Posts: 2577
Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2021 6:19 pm
Location: Central France

Re: Random motoring thoughts

#5

Post by CelticRambler »

Here's my random motoring thought for the day: when using engine braking on a long descent, including numerous switchback/hairpin turns, how do you deal with the tailgating fecker behind? Unless the advice has been updated in recent years, the general rule for such descents is to let the engine do its thing till the revs and vehicle speed are hitting their safe limits, then hit the brakes quick and hard on a straight stretch before the next hairpin.

While I generally try to spot the tailgaters as they come into view on the level above, and get myself slowed right down so they can pass me at their own risk, one of these days, an idiotic Frenchman is going get himself into my blind spot just before I brake and find himself hitched to my towbar ... at least until I do the next 270°turn. :evil:
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