Thread: Another Electric Defender

When are they going to learn not to add music . Need to hear its not ICE .

Originally Posted by goingbush

Now please let me know what 'normal' 4WD can actually run all day at full power AND carry a load . No LandRover can do that and I'm not aware of any 'normal' 4WD that can. My bet is that an Electric Fuel Cell 4WD will be the first that can - and unless your 95 it will be in your lifetime.

Yea, fair call. What I'm basically 'sick of' is the continual assault from the ever 'politically correct EV circles' extolling the virtues of this technology and how with millions spent putting charging points along the Hume with super fast charging one could do the journey in quick time. etc........... For me my yard stick is same time as a similar petrol powered vehicle and until then it's all very interesting but basically impractical.

I'm not having a go at you goingbush, quite the opposite, I've read with interest and admiration the documentation of your lightweight build and read subsequent posts with interest.

As to a viable off road electric 4WD my yardstick here is eg. leave Healesville on Friday night after work with mum and kids aboard heading NE. Camp overnight at one of the many available camp spots. Saturday head off for a days driving on the many 4WD tracks visiting historical and other points of interest in the area camping again on a river somewhere. Sunday AM after a short drive stop on top of one of the many mountains/hills in the area for lunch with a view and then home for tea.

All very vanilla really and you must have done this more than once prior to heading north. I can do this easily on one tank of fuel and when it can be done on one EV charge then I'll be interested.

The real challenge though will be the ability to travel to and then from Laverton to Ayers Rock along the Great Central Road and then on via Alice back to the east coast. Without a minimum 500 Km EV cruising range and with overlapping charging/change over points along the way IMO this remains an off road EV 4WD pipe dream.

Even though it will be an interesting though IMO ultimately futile journey as the distances involved and lack of population density make this whole dream nonviable economically much will be learned along the way. A bit like rolling out a telephone network really. The failed water turbine power generation technology is a good example of 'a good idea in theory BUT ..........' If it can't be made viable in the Bay of Fundy I'd be surprised if it can work economically anywhere.

I would have thought Hydrogen powered vehicles, with internal combustion or fuel cell would be a better solution all round, it sort of feels right, but not really something I know much about.

Deano

ps. On a similar subject, I stumbled across a Formula E race on TV the other day, didn't know such a thing existed. Wow!. Absolutely enthralling edge of your seat stuff. It struck me as like the Formula Vee of old. Extremely competitive, identical vehicles and 'committed' drivers with 'balls to the wall' racing to the last erg of power. Why people would watch F1 when you could watch this (or Superbikes/MotoGP to be fair) has got me stuffed.