Tesco's buys British- the new Modec Electric van

[ChrisMG]

New Electric Vans To Deliver Tesco Goods.

Tesco home shoppers can expect deliveries by a new concept electric vehicle van next year after the chain bought 15 of the environmentally friendly vehicles for its dot com service.

The vans do not emit CO2 and are powered by a battery that can cover over 100 miles on a single charge. UK manufacturer Modec, which will supply the vans, said it had interest from other food companies and delivery firms, particularly in London and the south east, because the vans don't need road tax or an MOT and are exempt from congestion charges as well as most parking restrictions.

"We've had hundreds of inquiries as people can see the benefits," said sales and marketing manager Geoff Reyner. "They can be refrigerated and with a top speed of 50mph, it's fast enough to make deliveries on time."

Tesco, which will start using the vans in the spring, said it would order more if trials proved successful. "They are very quiet - ideal for deliveries in residential areas," a spokeswoman said.

Source- http://www.modec.co.uk

[Phil]

No the vans themseleves dont emit Co2 but the power stations that they plug them into overnight do.

[Addict]

That's right because there are no ways of generating electricity without producing CO2 .

[principal skinn]

Originally Posted by Addict

That's right because there are no ways of generating electricity without producing CO2 .

Could this be the governments next move-punative environmental taxes on electric vehicles due to their 'carbon footprint'?

Nice to see somebody buying British though ,makes a change from all those sprinters.

[ZRsteve]

Originally Posted by Addict

That's right because there are no ways of generating electricity without producing CO2 .

Apart from wind power, solar power, tidal/wave power ...


ok, none of those will produce enough power to make a real difference, except perhaps wind turbines, but...

Nuclear power (after the initial construction) has no significant emissions at all. It's the only pratical way forward.

[Windy]

You missed out Hydro power!

OK, we don't have much of it in this country but we do have some, in fact probably enough to power all the electric road vehicles we currently have. Certanly have enough wind turbines to do so.

[principal skinn]

Originally Posted by Windy

Certanly have enough wind turbines to do so.

Tell me about it-I'm surrounded by them!

[cjmillsnun]

Originally Posted by ZRsteve

Apart from wind power, solar power, tidal/wave power ...


ok, none of those will produce enough power to make a real difference, except perhaps wind turbines, but...

Nuclear power (after the initial construction) has no significant emissions at all. It's the only pratical way forward.

And the highly radioactive toxic waste that has to be stored for hundreds of years is not significant emissions? Not to mention the risk of another Chernobyl? I agree that a limited number of nuclear stations would help, but I don't see it as the only practical way forward.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by Windy

You missed out Hydro power!

OK, we don't have much of it in this country but we do have some, in fact probably enough to power all the electric road vehicles we currently have. Certanly have enough wind turbines to do so.

Anybody else been to the Dinorwig (sp) power plant in Wales? Awesome place.

[cjmillsnun]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

Anybody else been to the Dinorwig (sp) power plant in Wales? Awesome place.

That's the one in the mountain isn't it...

Not been yet but plan to go. Prob next year.

[Bob S]

Originally Posted by cjmillsnun: And the highly radioactive toxic waste that has to be stored for hundreds of years is not significant emissions? Not to mention the risk of another Chernobyl? I agree that a limited number of nuclear stations would help, but I don't see it as the only practical way forward.

The situation at Chernobyl was a product of the unique peculiarities of the RBMK-1000 reactor design, such a thing would be impossible with a modern reactor, or indeed with a Western-style reactor from the same period. The Three Mile Island incident proved that an unrequested fission surplus can be fully contained in a safe manner with a properly designed reactor structure. As for storage- that's what Yucca Mountain was designed for, if the NIMBYs would ever allow it to open, that is.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by cjmillsnun

That's the one in the mountain isn't it...

Not been yet but plan to go. Prob next year.

Do so. Take some ear plugs as the turbines where the water flows is mega noisy.

Very impressive place. Been twice.

[Windy]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

Anybody else been to the Dinorwig (sp) power plant in Wales? Awesome place.

I don't think it counts though since it is a pump storage system so uses as much as it generates. Useful to fill in on the odd day when the wind doesn't blow anywhere in the UK though (if that ever happens).

[osiris87]

I think I went there with scouts about 6 years ago. If I remember rightly its function is quenching the surge in electricity demand that the grid experiences at certain times e.g. at footie half time when everyone goes and boils the kettle in the kitchen. They then pump water back up at night when electricity prices are cheaper.

[cjmillsnun]

Originally Posted by Bob S

The situation at Chernobyl was a product of the unique peculiarities of the RBMK-1000 reactor design, such a thing would be impossible with a modern reactor, or indeed with a Western-style reactor from the same period. The Three Mile Island incident proved that an unrequested fission surplus can be fully contained in a safe manner with a properly designed reactor structure. As for storage- that's what Yucca Mountain was designed for, if the NIMBYs would ever allow it to open, that is.

Nothing is impossible. I agree that Chernobyl happened because

a) The design of the reactor.

b) The Soviet Regieme of the time which meant that there was pressure to ensure that tests were carried out on the reactor even though it was suffering from xenon poisoning.

c) The incompetance of the staff for not putting safety first.

I also agree that Western reactors of the time were.

a) Better designed.

b) Had better trained staff.

c) Did not suffer the same pressure from above.

However accidents can and do happen, and who knows.. there may be a design fault in our reactors. Always be prepared for the unexpected.

We in the UK are currently decommissioning most of our Magnox reactors, as they are reaching the end of their life. The sites used (mostly in some remote areas of natural beauty) cannot be restored to their former glory for hundreds of years, because of site contamination by radioactive material.

You may have Yucca mountain in the states, but we don't. And there is still the risk of transporting this material. We had a pretty convincing demonstration of how tough the transporting vehicles were in this country.

But there is still a risk. Nuclear does have a part to play, but it is not the only practical solution.

[cjmillsnun]

Originally Posted by osiris87

I think I went there with scouts about 6 years ago. If I remember rightly its function is quenching the surge in electricity demand that the grid experiences at certain times e.g. at footie half time when everyone goes and boils the kettle in the kitchen. They then pump water back up at night when electricity prices are cheaper.

Yup spot on. Dinorwig is exactly for that purpose. The company I used to work for (National Grid) could call on it to deal with TV pick-ups as they are called.

[KBX10]

It is nice to see some good news come out of my home city with all the demise lately.
Have seen these at Mira a lot over the summer and judging by their size, they do make an ideal purchase for Tesco and the like.

Only LTI left as a road vehicle manufacturer but tucked away in a corner of town is a company that is thriving producing Off Highway Vehicles. Diggers and Dumpers to you and me. I joined as a Development Engineer after losing my job at MGR. We are market leader in Dumpers and are placed very competively with JCB and co. The corporation we fall under is the 3rd largest in the world and with investment into the site continuing, hopefully we can continue to strive forward which can only be good for Coventry.

Apologies if I have gone off on a slight tangent but as you might be aware, good news has been hard to come by here lately. Good on Modec

[Adrian Robertsh]

Good to see Tesco buying British!

Can someone explian what produces electricity when the wind stops blowing these wind turbines that are going to blight/save our lives ( delete as apropriate to your viewpoint) until the first big power cuts has everyone up in arms because of a lack of electrical generating capacity?
You can't just switch a coal/gas/nuclear power station on/off at will!

[goose_200]

Originally Posted by cjmillsnun

RIP, 46009!

[Riverfish]

Originally Posted by Adrian Robertsh

Good to see Tesco buying British!

Can someone explian what produces electricity when the wind stops blowing these wind turbines that are going to blight/save our lives ( delete as apropriate to your viewpoint) until the first big power cuts has everyone up in arms because of a lack of electrical generating capacity?
You can't just switch a coal/gas/nuclear power station on/off at will!

Well what will produce electricity when the gas runs out? or gets too expensive. I agree that at least in the medium term nuclear is the way to go but wind power and other renewables will have to feature unless they get nuclear fusion to work. I seriously believe that without these other methods of electricity generation we will become more and more dependent on states such as Russia for our gas in the next decade or so and I'm not so sure tht they wouldn't simply turn the supply off if they thought it worthwhile. Like it or not we are going to have to see more wind turbines around the country and off our shores