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Er... OK... but that seems an odd thing to do? Surely what we're interested in, is the operating range of the VCU?! Indeed, one o the most frequent criticisms of the OWUT is that it is carried out way outside the operating range of the VCU, at such low toques and speeds that a slightly binding...

I don't think a VCU behaves linear manner, to be honest. In other words, I don't think a 10kg weight at 1.2m will take half the time of a 5kg weight at 1.2m. Hippo is our VCU expert on here. He has done a lot of testing with different weights at different lengths (and I think, on the same...

I am surprised at the 2 second result, (mine was nearer 50 seconds with 5kg at 1.2m and about 15 degrees ambient temperature, to go from 45 degrees to horizontal)! I find it hard to believe that with a 2 second fall time, it would transmit much useful drive to the rear wheels. I think, if it...

Longer term, might condensation become a problem?

I guess you probably know about these anyway, but I'm always amazed at the range of off-the-shelf electrical enclosures that are available. RS have a similarly huge range too - and of course, as many waterproof cable glands as you can shake a stick at...

I think we're conditioned to think that the bet MPG we can get out of whichever ICE is "100% efficiency" and then when we use it for towing, we say things like "it was only 20% worse". However, the bar is much higher for an EV. An ICE wastes most of the energy you put into it anyway, so the...

I've been running around in a BMW i4, this last 14 months, and I really like it. They can tow 1600kg, but the range does take an almighty hit.

Just.... brilliant! Love this!

My congratulations. It's a hell of a project! I'm driving an EV as a company car at the moment, and really quite enjoying it, to be honest. Presumably, you have to feather the throttle to get pretty much no torque passing through the drivetrain before you can change gear? It'll be...

No, I've no real reason to pop in here much these days. The Freelander still lives (my dad has it), but his driving days are well and truly numbered now. I did a service on it for him just after Christmas. It still drives quite nicely, really. Not that it does many miles these days. He...

I'll have to have a look. I don't come on here so much since I got rid of the Freelander. Surprised it's as good as 3 miles to the kWh. What did the Leaf do?

Understood, but I don't think I EVER got my TD4 to spin its wheels on damp tarmac, no matter where I dumped the clutch! I dd, once, get a wee chirp out of one (maybe both) front tyres when doing a hill start with a big trailer full of wood on the back, in the wet, but only for a fraction of a...

Gosh! So it still drives through the original clutch? Years ago, (about 10!) we converted a number of diesel vans to electric. (Definitely not our finest hour, it has to be said)! We bolted the motor straight to the gearbox input shaft, so you couldn't change gear unless stationary and with...

That's what I meant. Had it only been driving the front wheels, I wouldn't have given it much thought, but driving all of them and STILL breaking traction was indeed the bit that impressed me. A Leaf isn't THAT powerful. I don't know which one forms the basis of this conversion, but the early...

Fantastic achievement. I wouldn't have thought it would take off that quickly with a Leaf motor? Are you giving the motor more power than the Leaf would have done? Or is it the case that the Leaf's traction control system would have just intervened to back the power off when wheelspin was...

That's impressive! What EV motor and battery did you use in the end?

That's quite a range of times. I must admit, I'm surprised by those, as every time I've done it, they have been within (say) 5 seconds of each other. I've only ever done it with 5kg on the end of the bar, though, and they typically take 45-50 seconds, with the wheel rotating forward. (5...

The rules are, indeed clear. A missing cat is a fail. "8.2.2.1. Exhaust emission control equipment You only need to check components that are visible and identifiable, such as diesel oxidation catalysts, diesel particulate filters, exhaust gas recirculation valves and selective catalytic...

Indeed - and there are certainly plenty of people out there, who just hate cars. However, if we step out of the emotive arena and just take a cold, clinical look at the science, there's no doubt that transport emissions don't do us any good - particularly in cities. We kill about 10x more...

VW got slapped - not so much because of false readings, but because the cars didn't meet the emissions requirements on the road. They were mapped in such a way that when the car detected it was on a rolling road (i.e. having its emissions checked, it behaved itself impeccably, but once back on...