EVO story on a new, electric, Bristol...
 

An electric Bristol
 

That is good news, and people will cue up to step into a quarter-million dollar car. I wish them best of luck. I would not go near that, even if I could afford to spend that kind of money. Best to spend it on feeding starving people. In a rarified market, it is unwise to seek a higher form of rarity. Of course, a good dose of insanity makes for a few muffled chuckles.........

I do not understand this remark.
A quarter million dollars for a car is nothing unusual anymore nowadays.
Such cars are offered by Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and others and they increasingly sell - above all in rising markets like China, Russia etc.

Regards,
Markus

The new electric Bristol
 

My friend, you need to take a look at the economy a little more closely,and realize that the United States is still in charge of economic matters, and they have made a mess of things. This whole system is in a state of flux, and no one out there can predict what is on the horizon. Your confidence in the Middle East and China is misplaced. You named some famous marks. Our darling is not in that group, although it outclasses all of them. 95 out of a hundred people would have no idea what you are talking about when you mention Bristol. A few amatuer historians may recall Frazier-Nash; and there is a town or two named Bristol, and I believe a racetrack.........

It's about time for the US to realize they're NOT in charge of the world anymore, thanks God.

Regards,
Markus

Mr. Berzborn,

Please understand that Mr. Stephenson is not a representative for a great many Americans, if, in fact, any.

Thank you.

Lou.

The success of this project relies upon a number of factors; 1: what is used as the base; 2: whether the product meets the claimed design specification; 3: how attractively the product is packaged. It will be intersting to see to what extent FN/BCL intend to market this internationally.

The success of this project relies upon a number of factors; 1: what is used as the base; 2: whether the product meets the claimed design specification; 3: how attractively the product is packaged. It will be intersting to see to what extent FN/BCL intend to market this internationally.

I do not think it's a good idea to use some mass-produced base for the vehicle, install the Frazer Nash hybrid technology and then just put a Bristol logo on the car.

Regards,
Markus

I do not think it is a good idea to make an Electric Bristol....

Even worse to inlude a Wankel engine.

So the base is going to be a Mazda? Or ?
Mazda has developed the most usable Wankel so far. It is still crap, but the best Wankel crap made up to date.

If you can afford a Bristol (or RR, Bentley, Ferrari, Koenigsegger etc) you can afford to feed it petrol.

The Wanky engine is a very light weight design and is only there to charge the batteries if needed and not to drive the wheels.

For the test cars they were using Proton cars. A small hatchback and a 4wd.

The motoring jouralists that were on the track seemed very impressed and one mentioned that it was a lot better than a Tesla he had previously tested.

They have also installed the technology in trucks as well as a number of other vehicles.

A Wankel has some inherent problems which are unsolvable. The seals between the "lobes" and wall for example. If they develop a new material, one that lasts, if it is applied to a normal Otto or Dieser engine, that will make those even better...

The service interval is way too short, and no "normal" mechanics can service and repair them.

I think that (sadly) this direction will kill off Bristol.

No-one with 150-250k in Russia and China will buy an electric Wankel car anyway. Part of the wealth status over there is being seen to drive a car with a V8 or V12 engine that bearly manages 15-20mpg. If they go around in an electric car, rivals will think they are poor and economising! This is why the likes of Jaguar and Range Rover sell many more of the V8 supercharged models in China or Russia than they do the diesels.

Purely technically speaking a Wankel engine is in fact a good option for this purpose as it is elastic and can be built in a very compact way. I heard Audi had already the same idea for a hybrid vehicle.

Regards,
Markus

And Wankel has the benefit of being an amusing name for childish people :-)

Mistaken Identity and arrogant Yankees
 

Apparently, Mr. Browning has not had the pleasure of visiting the colonies, and he would be amazed at how many RGS's survive quite well in this economy with all the turmoil in the world markets. Just take a look at every country's stock markets and how they have reacted to America's stumbling. If you think we and our worthless dollar have no impact on the rest of the world, you are living under a stone wall out in the courtryside.
I find it very strange that we get embroiled in economics when discussing the demise of of auto marques and the grand hopes of a Phoenix-type rise from the ashes. Now, back to the garage for some hands-on therapy.

I also took their test Proton out for a turn around their go-kart track and it was indeed very impressive. A motor in each wheel gives the ability to very accurately control exactly how much power and torque goes to each wheel, so you could throw the car into very tight bends and it just pulled you round, actively increasing the speed of the outside wheel. The original petrol version would have just understeered off the track. I think the Wankel engine they use in the bigger EVs is of their own design and nothing to do with Mazda – as well as buying Bristol they acquired the rights to the Wankel design a couple of years ago. Ridding the vehicle of traditional gearbox and transmission assemblies is the most efficient way to make the most of the very different torque and power characteristics that an electric motor has compared with petrol (and diesel) engines.

While it is true that thirst = status in some circles, the fact remains that in many countries very thirsty cars will simply be legislated out of existence (or at least usability) at some point in the future. Why should Bristol not be at the vanguard of the next generation of hybrid vehicle? Looking even further ahead, this technology will still perfectly suitable if fuel cells replace the Wankel to generate electricity.

Electric cars, the Bristols and the market for them
 

I am afraid too few people recall the early days of the motorcar in the United States. At that point, one could choose a steam powered car, an electric car, and the smoky, backfiring internal combustion engined examples. To some degree, all were somewhat successful, and each had it's followers. Now, sprinting into the 21st century, the top selling, most outrageously powerful, exotic cars are all gasoline powered. They not only go like stink, but get respectable mileage to boot. The likelyhood of the masses choosing an electric car, in any part of the future that anyone would care to name, is pretty remote. I, for one, will ride one of my bicycles or walk. On especially important days, I will bring out one of my 440 cubic-inch, ten miles to the gallon, rubber tired locomotives on what is left of our highway system, and have the time of my life. I predict that gasoline will continue to be refined and burnt for a good long time. Petrol products and coal will fire the furnaces to produce the much-needed electicity for the plug-in cars. Of course, we will need to build museums to house examples for future generations to observe in bemused wonderment.

If a seriously rich petrolhead such as Jay Leno accepts that the future of the automobile is not petrol/gasoline/fossil fuel powered, I think that the guys at FN/BCL are on the right path.

Here we go on Electric Cars...again!
 

OK, granted Jay Leno is a car nut, and quite wealthy, but that does not make him an authority on where the car business is going. Car companies are already devoloping gas-powered cars with huge increases in fuel economy. We are going to see mileage figures approaching 50 miles per gallon, and diesels are already at that level. There will be a handful of people who think they are doing the 'right thing' and will buy an electric or a hybrid. It does make sense for short-distance commutes in little S***boxes, but our President wants us to hop a bus or train instead. As long as the majority of the population insists on remaining urban dwellers, electrics and others will have a place in the mix. The general consensus is that these 'forward thinkers' are just relieving themselves against the wind. I think that if you want an electric car, you must be obligated to buy a windmill to produce your own electricity for your charging device.

Of course, on the whole electric cars make no ecological sense, if aspects such as power generation, battery disposal etc. are taken into account.

Regards,
Markus

You're slightly missing the point I was trying not very well to make. Given sufficient technology, electric cars can be better than petrol cars – the weight distribution can be better, the torque available at low or zero RPM is phenomenal, the range is as good as petrol (with a small range extending internal combustion engine), the handling can be better by distributing the power better and so on. I love a big gurgling V8 as much as the next man, but electric will certainly be able to earn a place in many driving enthusiasts' hearts.

Maybe a similar story is found if you look at photography. The early digital cameras were expensive and rubbish niche products, but today the quality available from mainstream modern digital SLRs and medium format systems is far better than was ever available from film, especially in low light. Sure it gives a slightly different 'feel' to film, and I miss my darkroom (as I will miss a big petrol engine one day), but by most measurable yardsticks, digital sensors now far outperform all normal film stock.

It's very difficult to compare the results of analog and digital photography nowadays because with the exception of some specialist shops one gets a printout of a digital scan anyway.

Regards,
Markus

Returning to the photography/camera theme; Nokia are apparently now the largest producer of digital cameras in the world, they may not make the best cameras, but they make the most. As the majority of people see the automobile as a means of getting from A to B as cheaply as possible, the advent of cheap electric cars will inevitably have an impact on sales of those powered solely by fossil fuels, especially as the latter will face increasingly higher levels of taxation. Most people just want to take a photo, in the same way that most people simply need to get from here to there.

In 50 years time, it may only be the very wealthy who can afford to drive a car powered by gasoline.......

I do not think there will be really cheap electric cars in the next few years with sufficient practicability for everyday life.

Regards,
Markus

Which is why I indicated a timeline; admittedly the FN technology currently only makes sense in top end models, hence the purchase of BCL; however as with many innovations, the greater the use, the cheaper the application becomes (computers, mobile phones, ABS, etc) so I don't believe that it will be that long before the technology (extended range electric powertrain) is in general use.

Thy are still ridiculously expensive. The 2 electric cars tested on Top Gear recently were Ford Focus segment cars costing well over £30,000 each! To add insult to injury, like mobile phones, the batteries will hold less charge over time and will need replacing at certain intervals - an expensive prospect costing 30-40% of the original price of the car.