AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Inflation-proof electric vehicles?

3rd January 1981, Page 22
3rd January 1981
Page 22
Page 22, 3rd January 1981 — Inflation-proof electric vehicles?
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

THE OCTOBER Drive Electric BO exhibition, organized by the Electric Vehicle Association, left the electric vehicle industry with every indication that operators of internal-combustion engined vehicles want to know more about electric vehicles.

What is more important so far as manufacturers are concerned, Peter Williams, EVA communications office, told CM, is that more users are ready and willing to put money on the table to try them out.

Ten years ago, the main argument for electric vehicles was their non-polluting quality. In those days, there were no such things as traffic-compatible vehicles, and on door-to-door delivery duties, slow electrics were supremely cost-effective. Petrol and fuel oil were cheap and even batteries used for motive power were relatively inexpensive.

Today, with the changing energy scenario, the cost advantages of electric commercial vehicles need to be spelt out in a different way. Different rates of price inflation between oil and battery power now make it a much sounder investment to buy five years of fuel in advance — because that is what the purchaser of an electric is effectively doing. And if he values keeping his vehicles at work through political upheavals, he is staking the reliability record of the electricity supply industry against the whims of OPEC.

Capital outlay may represent up to 30 per cent of the electric vehicle first cost, which is why electrics are more expensive to buy, so the operator is obtaining his energy source for the next five years, packaged in extremely compact form. Five years is about the minimum life to expect from a modern lead-acid battery, and of these, four years come with a guarantee. A tradein allowance of some 10 per cent on purchase price is typical.

The cost of electricity for recharging the batteries is much smaller over the life of a battery than the cost of battery depreciation itself. So make sure the battery is topped up and charged properly and that it is properly matched to the intended duty.

Money can be saved by properly plugging into overnight tariffs like economy 7, or by optimising the use of maximum de

mand tariffs, but correct battery sizing is still the secret to saving the greatest amount of money with an electric road fleet.

Other savings there certainly are. Electric vehicles are easier to maintain, they are exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty; generally they attract an insurance discount; and fewer spare parts are required. Because of their clean and quiet operation, electrics can be driven straight into warehouses and other environmentally sensitive areas.

However, these facts need reappraising for higher-speed vehicles increasingly built by most of the road vehicle manufacturers today. Higher speeds mean more energy used in acceleration and greater braking losses.

Unless they are fitted with a battery/motor/controller system which has been carefully optimised, the vehicle will consume more units of electric power per ton of payload transported.

Their economics depend critically on offsetting higher battery cost with improved vehicle reliability and availability. ELECTRIC vehicles are not all sm . This ex-trunk Leyland Buffa was converted to battery electric Ross Auto Engineering Ltd, Southport, Lancs, and has been service on shunting duties insi Unipart's depot since March. 111 only that, but an earlier version a ton prime mover from Ross Au has been in service on brewe premises — Watney Mann I seven years now. Ross Auto sa that any make of hgv chasis chas: is suitable for conversion, ax discussions are being held with number of people concerning t use of Bed fords and Fords. Such vehicle can shunt 26-ton-gross sen trailers, although with a reduci maximum road speed.


comments powered by Disqus