The future?

It is theoretically possible to extinguish a lithium battery fire if you exclude oxygen, but in most cases it's not practical to do so. It's often easier (and safer in the long run) just to let it burn itself out.

Lithium reacts with water, so drowning it in foam or water is only useful as a heat shield while dragging people out of danger. Dry powder extinguishers would work if you can dump enough powder in the right spot. Gas type agents like CO2 or halon will work initially, but when the fire retardant gas has dispersed and the lithium has access to air again, it'll spontaneously re-ignite.
Baring in mind what you have just said, nobody seems to have looked into a motorway pileup involving either all electric or electric and petrol vehicles. I know petrol cars do catch fire but it’s fairly rare in a road traffic accident- would you say E cars are more or less likely to catch fire?
 
Baring in mind what you have just said, nobody seems to have looked into a motorway pileup involving either all electric or electric and petrol vehicles. I know petrol cars do catch fire but it’s fairly rare in a road traffic accident- would you say E cars are more or less likely to catch fire?
I dunno. I've never seen any comparative research. But I think I'd rather crawl out of a burning electric vehicle after a crash than a petrol one. While batteries will burn, I'd guess they're less likely to explode than a petrol tank, and they're not going to cover you in burning liquid.
 
I read an interesting article on driverless cars a couple of days back with an interview of the CEO of an Israeli company developing them. Taxis will be driverless in Tel Aviv next year. 2022.
There are three obstacles to the development of driverless cars at the moment. One is the reconnaissance of the terrain which has to be precise, of course much more so than a GPS which is why for the moment, the project is limited to a town.
The second is cost which is why at the moment, the project will launch with taxis. No driver costs to deal with but once the money from the initial project rolls in, driverless cars will be available at a competitive price.
The last obstacle is legal but numerous countries are modifying their legislation, in Europe notably. Apparently, Germany has already done so.
All car manufacturers are of course working on the subject.

It opens very interesting perspectives. No more drivers license. An important reduction in the number of vehicles manufactured and circulating due to an optimisation of use.

Paul
 
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Wonder if they'll be able to program the driverless car to detect a big, heavy, 4WD coming around the bend in the opposite direction at a speed at which it will fail to take the bend and slam head-on into it, which is the sort of stack we see all too often on Oz roads (well, any bloody car actually, but I have a beef about overweight 4WDs being driven as if they were lightweight sports sedans).

So while there is a mix of humans and non-human drivers, there are gonna be accidents caused by the un controlled humans.
 
I read an interesting article on driverless cars a couple of days back with an interview of the CEO of an Israeli company developing them. Taxis will be driverless in Tel Aviv next year. 2022.
There are three obstacles to the development of driverless cars at the moment. One is the reconnaissance of the terrain which has to be precise, of course much more so than a GPS which is why for the moment, the project is limited to a town.
The second is cost which is why at the moment, the project will launch with taxis. No driver costs to deal with but once the money from the initial project rolls in, driverless cars will be available at a competitive price.
The last obstacle is legal but numerous countries are modifying their legislation, in Europe notably. Apparently, Germany has already done so.
All car manufacturers are of course working on the subject.

It opens very interesting perspectives. No more drivers license. An important reduction in the number of vehicles manufactured and circulating due to an optimisation of use.

Paul
Will driverless taxis in Israel be Kosher? :ROFLMAO: I have been to Israel many times and the thought of getting in a taxi without a driver in Tel Aviv is friggin scary, surrounded by swarms of scooters at breakneck speeds down narrow roads well there is going to be a lot of damaged scooters. Besides, there will be no driver to tell you where to find the best shawarma at 3 am, or how the government is ruining everything or who is going to win the Maccabi or Hapoel game. Jerusalem, driverless taxi forget about it.
 
I read an interesting article on driverless cars a couple of days back with an interview of the CEO of an Israeli company developing them. Taxis will be driverless in Tel Aviv next year. 2022.
There are three obstacles to the development of driverless cars at the moment. One is the reconnaissance of the terrain which has to be precise, of course much more so than a GPS which is why for the moment, the project is limited to a town.
The second is cost which is why at the moment, the project will launch with taxis. No driver costs to deal with but once the money from the initial project rolls in, driverless cars will be available at a competitive price.
The last obstacle is legal but numerous countries are modifying their legislation, in Europe notably. Apparently, Germany has already done so.
All car manufacturers are of course working on the subject.

It opens very interesting perspectives. No more drivers license. An important reduction in the number of vehicles manufactured and circulating due to an optimisation of use.

Paul
Yes, I design these kind of projects:

 
I read an interesting article on driverless cars a couple of days back with an interview of the CEO of an Israeli company developing them. Taxis will be driverless in Tel Aviv next year. 2022.
There are three obstacles to the development of driverless cars at the moment. One is the reconnaissance of the terrain which has to be precise, of course much more so than a GPS which is why for the moment, the project is limited to a town.
The second is cost which is why at the moment, the project will launch with taxis. No driver costs to deal with but once the money from the initial project rolls in, driverless cars will be available at a competitive price.
The last obstacle is legal but numerous countries are modifying their legislation, in Europe notably. Apparently, Germany has already done so.
All car manufacturers are of course working on the subject.

It opens very interesting perspectives. No more drivers license. An important reduction in the number of vehicles manufactured and circulating due to an optimisation of use.

Paul
So the optimization of use would also include a speed limit 100% precise. Imagine a Laverda going 100% by the (low) limit all the time. Every single time. Ever.
Likely?
I need to demonstrate against the tyranny.
Cheers,
Jacques
 
So the optimization of use would also include a speed limit 100% precise. Imagine a Laverda going 100% by the (low) limit all the time. Every single time. Ever.
Likely?
I need to demonstrate against the tyranny.
Cheers,
Jacques
More than half of the worlds 8 billion and growing humans live in towns. Urban areas and sometimes whole countries are asphyxiated by cars at a standstill or hardly moving. That's what the optimisation of use is about. In some places, it is necessary for the police to close access to some main roads so as to regulate traffic flow. Speed limits are irrelevant in such cases.
I never exceed the speed limits whilst lane splitting cars at a standstill.
When I'm touring, I always use secondary roads. Very little traffic, no police.

Paul
 
AFAIC carbon-neutral electrification and driverless transport will be incredibly useful in urban areas all over the world. As Paul points out, that's where the concentration of the problem lies with vehicle carbon emissions. That and air travel.

I have no desire to ride an electric bicycle - I'd rather sweat and take the fitness advantage while I'm at it. I wonder when petrol/gas will become akin to Kodak camera film - a rare and expensive commodity for special uses only.
 
AFAIC carbon-neutral electrification and driverless transport will be incredibly useful in urban areas all over the world. As Paul points out, that's where the concentration of the problem lies with vehicle carbon emissions. That and air travel.

I have no desire to ride an electric bicycle - I'd rather sweat and take the fitness advantage while I'm at it. I wonder when petrol/gas will become akin to Kodak camera film - a rare and expensive commodity for special uses only.
Think how fast film camera technology disappeared, virtually overnight. I remember seeing a one hour developing machine that would have cost £20/30k outside a closed “Jessops” in the rain about to scrapped.
Must hurry up and get mine finished..
 
Think how fast film camera technology disappeared, virtually overnight. I remember seeing a one hour developing machine that would have cost £20/30k outside a closed “Jessops” in the rain about to scrapped.
Must hurry up and get mine finished..
Tell me about it! Bloody bike os so close i just need the time to wind up the remaining tasks. The years haven't just been ticking by ... they've roared past overhead like a strike fighter!!
 
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