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TheRecklessEngineer

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TheRecklessEngineer last won the day on July 9 2014

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  1. So much this! Not sure what it looks like in the UK anymore, but here in NZ there are charging stations everywhere. Take a look at what the charging infrastructure looks like near you: https://www.plugshare.com/
  2. Something that's often forgotten when comparing EVs to gas powered vehicles is that in an EV you always leave home with a full tank - even if that tank is smaller than a gas vehicle. Every time I leave home in the morning I can drive 230km. I have needed to use a public charger three times in the last 6 months when taking longer road trips. Compare that to a gas vehicle when I'd have to stop at least once/week. Mileage is identical. In the times I have used a public charger 20 minutes is plenty. Typically identical to what I need to recharge on a road trip - enough time for a bathroom break, coffee and a leg stretch. It's hard to make the comparison when you haven't lived with an EV for a while. I feel that the quoted negatives of EVs are all perceived negatives and generally do not reflect the reality. Now I've lived with one for a bit I will never go back to gas powered.
  3. This is a battery lifetime thing. Li-ion chemistry degrades with age, temperature and state of charge. By limiting the state of charge between ~30%-80% you can significantly extend the lifetime of the pack. Tesla also use a liquid thermal management system to control the temperature of the pack. Typically, 100% on the dash isn't actually 100% on the battery. There's always a little overhead - plenty for regenerative braking, although you might find the rate is limited at high battery levels.
  4. I've been looking at this for some time. Currently, the cheapest drive train/battery combo can be bought in a used Nissan leaf. 80kW matches an older LR quite nicely. There's a guy here in NZ who's beating me to it. He's got a Leaf motor mated to a Land Rover gearbox (I forget which variety). I'm going to be watching with interest.
  5. I'm just going to drop this in here: http://aaisp.net/ Andrews & Arnold. They're not cheap, but they will give you the highest speed that's actually possible on your connection - not the one BT says is possible, but what's actually possible with the equipment installed. Also, many other perks. No throttling, and "XKCD/806" compliant.
  6. No, but if you can work a soldering iron then it'll save you £48.50. All you need to do is solder some wires onto those tabs.
  7. £50?! All you need is one of these: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/10k-andohm-miniature-linear-dual-gang-potentiometer-jm81c
  8. I seem to recall these pumps are a pig to prime. My approach would be to crank it hard with the throttle hard down until it (hopefully) fires. If that fails and you're still not getting any fuel to the injectors then it's time to look at the pump. edit: One thought - do check that the stop solenoid is powered when cranking. There have been cases of electrical shenanigans.
  9. Yes! Easy start/propane etc (or for the Aussies - 'start ya person I'm not that keen on') is only suitable for use in a petrol engine. Into a diesel intake will cause horrendous knocking - and if starting from cold then it's before you've even got oil in the bearings. If you've got nothing else, then sure - but if you're going to carry something then take a blowtorch. I've found a propane torch on the inlet manifold makes starting a reluctant diesel in very cold conditions much easier.
  10. It sounds like you're going too fast with the drill bit. A 14mm drill bit into a pilot drilled hole shouldn't take more than a few mins to get ~50mm deep. Take a look at this: https://youtu.be/Z2fNS4nkP-c?t=2m01s Notice how slow the drill bit is rotating. If anything, you want to be going slower for 14mm. Lots of pressure, take it slow and the bit will just chew through the material. I find a cordless drill on the 'slow' setting perfect for such things.
  11. I've used standard audio cable for the VR sensor on every MS installation I've done. It works great.
  12. And I did the same with a Volvo V40. Never had an issue (well....it did put a conrod through the block but I don't think that's down to glowplugs)
  13. Seen the Luka EV? http://www.lukaev.com/about-luka.html For an expedition vehicle - suppose you strap ~5kW of solar panels to the roof and unpack them when you make camp. Would probably take at least a day to recharge, maybe 2. But then if you're doing an expedition, where's the hurry?
  14. Good point. The 2.25 diesel heater plugs are in series IIRC. The TDi is in parallel. Pretty sure the current for the TDi glow plugs is much greater than the 2.25. I never bothered to wire mine up when I did my conversion actually.
  15. Sounds like a dirty connection somewhere to me. I'm not familiar enough with the wiring - but look for something common to glow plugs and starting.
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