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DP, your effort to "electrify the UK" is commendable. Hopefully addressing Top Gear's highlighted location will help provide some press coverage of the UK wide network of public chargers, and your end-to-end drive.
Keep up the good work!
GSP
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
Heads up: The Leaf and Peugeot Ion bashing episode airs tonight on BBC2.
Behind-the-scenes at episode six - BBC Top Gear
Transmission
Behind-the-scenes at episode six - BBC Top Gear
Transmission
This wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it could be. They did actually mention a few decent things about both cars, pointing out that for the money, the leaf was certainly better. They didn't go into running costs properly though and made up some stuff about battery lifetimes. The messing about in Lincoln was pretty absurd, they proved that the cars weren't any good at the things they were never meant to be good at, i.e. driving to a place too far away with no charging points. In summary, it wasn't as terrible as it could've been, but also included a lot of factual inaccuracies and charades that showed the worst side of EVs.
For the time being it's available here:
Topgear Season 17 Episode 6 -Originally aired on July 31st, 2011 - Car Videos on StreetFire
To get to the EV part, skip to segment 3.
They did pretty much what I expected, which was to trash batteries and then put in a hydrogen plug.
Topgear Season 17 Episode 6 -Originally aired on July 31st, 2011 - Car Videos on StreetFire
To get to the EV part, skip to segment 3.
They did pretty much what I expected, which was to trash batteries and then put in a hydrogen plug.
NigelM
Recovering Member
Have watched TG a few times on BBC America and wonder that they have nothing better to export?...
They don't do serious car reviews unless it's a supercar that costs 1/4 million dollars, pounds or euros. Basically they seem to rip every car, no matter what; if you watch the show expecting deprecating sarcasm then it's actually pretty funny, but I wouldn't take seriously anything they said in a review. A good example was the emphasis in the EV segment on a "top speed of only 81mph". I spent a couple of weeks in the UK earlier this summer and it was clear to me that driving anywhere at a steady 70mph is quite an achievement; there's a lot of cars on that British island! (Also, the UK must represent 50% of the world-wide market for traffic/speeding cameras!)
They don't do serious car reviews unless it's a supercar that costs 1/4 million dollars, pounds or euros. Basically they seem to rip every car, no matter what; if you watch the show expecting deprecating sarcasm then it's actually pretty funny, but I wouldn't take seriously anything they said in a review. A good example was the emphasis in the EV segment on a "top speed of only 81mph". I spent a couple of weeks in the UK earlier this summer and it was clear to me that driving anywhere at a steady 70mph is quite an achievement; there's a lot of cars on that British island! (Also, the UK must represent 50% of the world-wide market for traffic/speeding cameras!)
Related MyNissanLeaf thread:
My Nissan Leaf Forum View topic - Top Gear Intentionally Ran Battery Down
My Nissan Leaf Forum View topic - Top Gear Intentionally Ran Battery Down
dmckinstry
Model X 2019
In their defense, they effectively pointed out, although didn't actually state "If you're and idiot you shouldn't be driving an electric car, just as if you never plan your trip so that you know where the next refueling station is, you shouldn't be driving any vehicle."
It certainly could have been worse than it was. I'm just irked by May's assertion that clearly the answer is "hydrogen, it has to be hydrogen," with Clarkson agreeing. Hammond asks, "But isn't hydrogen very complicated to work out." And then May goes on about the can-do spirit of engineering or something and that television was complicated "but they did it." Why then is he unable to apply that same logic to batteries, which actually work now.
The thing with the whole happy-go-lucky, larking around idiotic nature of Top Gear these days is that they drop out of it into serious mode when they want to put the boot in.
What's more (and you guys probably don't get to see this), the BBC is grooming Hammond and May to be more general science and engineering presenters. Obviously they are talking heads, but people then tend to go "that May must know what he is talking about, we saw him on xyz".
What's more (and you guys probably don't get to see this), the BBC is grooming Hammond and May to be more general science and engineering presenters. Obviously they are talking heads, but people then tend to go "that May must know what he is talking about, we saw him on xyz".
NigelM
Recovering Member
My understanding is that (especially) in the UK the infrastructure for hydrogen refuelling is pretty awful. The BBC(!) recently reported on the UK's first hydrogen filling station to open in Swindon
Has TG done a show on Hydrogen fuel cells and, if so, what was their take on refuelling?
Not all that bad. Nice compliments on the LEAF. Gave little of EV driving benefits so most time was spent bashing batteries and lack of charge points while admitting it will all get better and then saying hydrogen is the answer with little to back it up.
They also did not take the cars around the track. Maybe they were afraid the new Stig would fall in love with electric s again.
Can someone explain the scrabble fill-in joke?
They also did not take the cars around the track. Maybe they were afraid the new Stig would fall in love with electric s again.
Can someone explain the scrabble fill-in joke?
Yes, the infamous Roadster (bashing) review was followed by praises for the Honda FCX-Clarity.
They don't go into much detail on pros/cons, but just say "it is the future" with a glazed look of "we get paid to say that."
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My understanding in UK hydrogen is that there is this filling station at the Honda plant in Swindon (for which they got £250k from local authorities to cover some of the cost), one in Coventry and another soon to come in Birmingham. There was one in London to refill some Mercedes hydrogen buses but I am not sure if it is still active.
dmckinstry
Model X 2019
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