Take a 2019 Tea Break with Delta

[Mike Harte]

For those following the tragic losses from the two Boeing 737 Max 8s, has it crossed your minds that there seems to be a distant similarity to the crash of the Airbus at the Paris air-show some 30 odd years ago.

The similarity that I allude to is that both manufacturers have/had installed computer technology that controlled the aircraft that was, seemingly, contrary to how the human pilots would fly the aircraft. And about which the pilots had either not been sufficiently briefed or possibly not briefed at all.

Obviously the big difference between the incidents is that the Airbus was attempting a very low level fly past, whilst the Boeings were still in their initial climb to their first level flight level.

[Mike Bell]

The fact that a ‘software update’ was / is in the process of being written could be significant, but I’m not in the business of speculating. I would think that a preliminary report on the latest accident will be produced very quickly.

[Gerard C]

I guess Mike H if is referring to flight AF296 June 26 1988 it was near Mulhouse not at Paris. Just for the record nothing personal of course. Wont make any further comment.

[S griffin]

Well this forum is there so different opinions to be heard at the end of the day.

[delta]

Back home and watching Reading getting stuffed by Leeds .

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by delta

Back home and watching Reading getting stuffed by Leeds .

Nothing new there then !

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by delta

Back home and watching Reading getting stuffed by Leeds .

Ye, thanks Pal! Could have given us a little help there.....

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Well, you can interpret that any way you like, but it still sounds more like a logistics problem to me... Of course, Musk haters will interpret it differently....

There's a well sunscribed blogger on YouTube who bought a Model 3 very recently, delivered in a few days, was not too keen on some of the blemishes and then decided that he really wanted the "Performance" model anyway so he swapped it and the replacement model 3 in the same expensive option paint finish was delivered within a couple of days as I recall the story. Something like 48 or 72 hours from on-line order to the car being delivered.

That suggests that their might be plenty of stock sitting around and maybe helps to explain a rather rapid availability of the model three in Europe and expansion into other parts of the world.

[Mike Bell]

Sorry, I’m still not convinced. ‘Well subscribed blogger on YouTube’ puts me off, for a start!

Let me be clear, I have no particular opinion on Musk, but have followed Tesla, SpaceX et al with interest for years. I have observed over that time that Mr M has far from perfect public speaking and PR skills, and like some other high profile individuals, should be kept away from Twitter! But as a techie, he is responsible, like it or not, for kick-starting the modern EV ‘revolution’, initially with his own money, and has put a lot of noses out of joint in the process.

Tesla have made an awful lot of mistakes bringing the Model 3 into production, mostly due to ignoring ‘standard practice’ followed by most mainstream manufacturers. This includes not having (in my opinion) an adequate strategy in place to ship them en mass when they ramped up production. I’m sure there are cancelled orders, and cars in stock that possibly shouldn’t be, but the muddled initial production hasn’t helped.

I don’t think there’s anything happening in Europe that wasn’t planned. The car specification is not the same as USA spec, despite the steering wheel at least being the same side.....

BUT, that’s just what I believe. Others can form their own opinion or just read what’s posted on the internet- which of course is always true!

[S griffin]

I don't know why he needs to be on YouTube. As you say he certainly lets himself down with foot in mouth disease. And he should certainly stay off Twitter, that's not for him. But his ideas are good and he's had some success out of it

The problem the car is not without it's problems. Maybe he needs a better business plan over here, as America have caught on to it

Of course everyone is entitled to an opinion

[Peter Mallett]

For me it's all a bit scary. Something like Apple where once you've signed up you are stuck. The thought of being tied to one type of charger at your home and the need for your car to be monitored 24hrs per day seems a bit 1984 (ish).

But, the products look good and during my previously reported SUV-ing I spotted a transporter with eight (?) S3s on it and we overtook a model S which I also like. But no, I'm not about to splash out on an EV.

[Colin McKay]

Back to the future- not cars but date lines. Just arrived back home after NZ jaunt but didn't go to PI with Iain, had a couple of weeks in French Polynesia to get over the stress of (not) racing. This meant crossing the date line twice as we opted to come home via NZ and Singapore rather than risk reported delays in the US due to lengthy immigration procedures even when just transitting. Anyhoo...we have a family tradition of trying to be the first with the 'pinch punch' thing with the kids on the 1st of the month. We were in Auckland airport at midnight on 28th Feb, 13 hours ahead of UK so won that one, then after a 5 hour flight to Tahiti arrived the day before we left and got them again. Coming home we left Tahiti for a 5 hour flight to Auckland, and arrived 2 days later. Eat your heart out Marty McFly🤣

When my brain catches up I'll put some pics up from NZ.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Sorry, I’m still not convinced. ‘Well subscribed blogger on YouTube’ puts me off, for a start!

......


I don’t think there’s anything happening in Europe that wasn’t planned. The car specification is not the same as USA spec, despite the steering wheel at least being the same side.....

Try this Mike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzspO4-T7t4

As to Europe, how different is the spec.?

Different charger connection options as I understand it but that would not be too difficult to swap if required.

Is there anything fundamental that would preclude retro-speccing pre-built car?

That said I would guess that you were right about planning. I don't recall a firm date for Europe release being mentioned so all the plan had to do was follow NA sales and start to change the manufacturing output balance at a point where a target number or a significant date based event might kick in. (For example).

Whether such planning is successful is another matter. I would imagine that the planned announcement of sales location closures and price reductions followed days later by a partial reversal of the closure announcement and price increases may not have been in anyone's plan. Obviously that has little to do with Version 3 specs and availability dates specifically but ...

[The Fat Clerk]

Had a couple of racing MGA's out @ todays Javelin Track Day. The conditions were tricky with very strong winds interspersed with rain and hail showers, most laps by quite a long way were done by Travis drummer Neil Primrose, in a MR2.
Fastest laps were done by a chap from Plymouth in a newly bought 3 litre M3, other race cars out were a CSCC Astra, a 2CV and various French Hot Hatches & a very ugly looking small Alfa.
The road cars were mainly MX5's.

[Mike Bell]

We’ve got 21 years as things stand in the UK before a zero emissions car is the only choice to buy new. And even then, hybrids could still be allowed. So until then we can all make a decision based on our own preferences and needs. Some of us will likely no longer be driving in 2040 anyway! Zero emissions is about more than just electric cars, but at the moment they’re the only viable choice, unless you can afford a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, and have access to a service station that sells it. Last time I checked there were less than a handful in the whole of the UK. Not easy to store........ I’m sure by 2040 a lot of the current tech will be redundant, but a start has to be made somewhere. Whether you want to be an early adopter or wait 21 years is down to personal choice.

That story about car parks full of Model 3s came out last July. And the consensus in the US press was as already mentioned, but obviously some came to other conclusions. Tesla is a company that some love to hate. Then in October the Daily Mail ran the story here as fresh news..... Donald would probably call it ‘fake’ news, if it was about him.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Colin McKay

Back to the future- not cars but date lines. Just arrived back home after NZ jaunt but didn't go to PI with Iain, had a couple of weeks in French Polynesia to get over the stress of (not) racing. This meant crossing the date line twice as we opted to come home via NZ and Singapore rather than risk reported delays in the US due to lengthy immigration procedures even when just transitting. Anyhoo...we have a family tradition of trying to be the first with the 'pinch punch' thing with the kids on the 1st of the month. We were in Auckland airport at midnight on 28th Feb, 13 hours ahead of UK so won that one, then after a 5 hour flight to Tahiti arrived the day before we left and got them again. Coming home we left Tahiti for a 5 hour flight to Auckland, and arrived 2 days later. Eat your heart out Marty McFly🤣

When my brain catches up I'll put some pics up from NZ.

Nice to hear you found your way back eventually, Colin! Look forward to some pics in the fullness of time.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Nice to hear you found your way back eventually, Colin! Look forward to some pics in the fullness of time.

Mike, did you originally write that as

"Look forward to some pictures this time."?

[grantp]

Suggestions welcomed as to why this policy comes under the purview of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. And what effects it is likely to have on the heating market?

"Gas heating ban for new homes from 2025"


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47559920

[Peter Mallett]

This was written into the Building Regulations about two years ago. No idea why it would fall under the Treasury though.

[Mike Bell]

It’s a second attempt to get new house build to use only ‘carbon free’ heating. As Peter says, it was added to the building regs a while ago, but the date has now been put back to 2025.

Gas hobs still allowed, so maybe a little creative thinking needed to use one for heating as well! Presume oil already off or also off the list?

Will make house battery storage units such as the T***a Powerwall more popular. I know someone who already has them installed, and together with solar panels and ‘heat recovery’ heating, they are almost self sufficient at times.

I would love the opportunity and money to build a new home with all the latest energy saving technology built in. One day......

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

It’s a second attempt to get new house build to use only ‘carbon free’ heating. As Peter says, it was added to the building regs a while ago, but the date has now been put back to 2025.

Gas hobs still allowed, so maybe a little creative thinking needed to use one for heating as well! Presume oil already off or also off the list?

Will make house battery storage units such as the T***a Powerwall more popular. I know someone who already has them installed, and together with solar panels and ‘heat recovery’ heating, they are almost self sufficient at times.

I would love the opportunity and money to build a new home with all the latest energy saving technology built in. One day......

How much more would a triple glazed fully "sealed" but correctly filtered and fresh air circulated home actually cost and what would be the payback period?

Likewise the Solar Panel and Powerwalled properties - what is the payback period with all incentive payments removed? Over what period does the installation 'recover' its initial ecologically damaging production activities.

Once such installations become mainstream (if that can ever happen - not sure the wider economics stack up at all) how much will people need to pay for on-demand electricity when "renewable" resources are unable to deliver?

What facilities will there be to deliver the "on demand" supply?

[Mike Bell]

Why does there have to be a ‘payback period’?

I’d do it just to save energy use, regardless.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Why does there have to be a ‘payback period’?

I’d do it just to save energy use, regardless.

So what is the energy saving payback period for the energy used in producing the raw materials, manufacturing, shipping and installing the required items?

Ditto the expected "pollution" recovery period?

How much "pollution" do we create now in order to say that pollution has been reduced in the future?

And since this rush is mostly driven by the CO2 wheeze - how much additional CO2 output do we create now (at a time when we are told by some that even immediate reduction will not be enough to "save the planet") in order to satisfy projected claims that humanity can control the planet's climate at some future point and thus prevent claimed overheating possibilities?

Anyway Mike, you are away from home a lot of the time compared to many. Your opportunity time for energy saving would, presumably, only apply when at home and thus is greatly reduced. To make full use of your investment you would need to stay at home more.

BTW, I love the way that people see a heat pump, especially a ground source heat pump, as a fantastic way to make a lot of energy savings.

The down side is that in certain places the ground conditions mean that the components need replacing after a decade or less. That might well fall foul of revised regulations and so require more extensive and earlier than required changes in other parts of the system. That comes with a cost not the least cost being that related to a shorter lifetime for productive use of items that consumed energy during their production.

Early unplanned obsolescence. Or, described another way, wastage.

Still, our leaders are good at wastage.

Refurbishing the Houses of Parliament, for example, is a complete waste of time, money and energy.

It makes a nice vanity project though.

[Tel 911S]

Originally Posted by grantp

Suggestions welcomed as to why this policy comes under the purview of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. And what effects it is likely to have on the heating market?

"Gas heating ban for new homes from 2025"


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47559920

This was originally reported in 2016
http://www.ccsassociation.org/news-a...on-ccs-report/
Where a report by Lord Oxburgh concluded that , "If UK houses were insulated up to the standard of houses in Austria , then it would only need another 200 GW of electric generation capacity to heat them with electricity ".

So that would be another 50 plus Hinckly C power stations , approx £1000 Billion , plus about the same again to upgrade the grid .

[Gerard C]

Payback for ilictricity? Just have a look here where we were much encouraged to produce our own and resale it to the gov' at a much higher rate than when you buy it direct!!!
How does it work I dunno. But this gave ideas to many unofficial agencies installing officially solar panels on not rich people roofs. The best target was retired expecting electricity for free plus some pennies. Mainly the system is worn out far before any accounting balance is reached. C'est beau la France quand ça déconne Ã* plein tubes! Delivered by Fedex to FedUp people!