Chris,

On Sat, 30 Sep 2006 12:33:55 +0100, Chris Gavin-Egan wrote:

> Here's and interesting question for you all.
> =

> Most of you would have heard of the Sinclair C5 electric car. Until this
> week I owned and ran www.c5alive.co.uk (now sadly moved on because of
> emmigration plans), anyhow I digress.
> =

> The legalities of using it in the UK is that it is a 3 wheeled electric
> tricycle that has a 12v deep discharge battery (12v 36amp/hr) running a
> 250w 12v motor. Maximum legal speed is 15mph and it has pedals should
> the battery run flat.
> =

> One of my customers has simply replaced the battery for a 12v petrol
> powered generator (in the boot compartment of the machine)
> =

> So... the generator is producing the required 12v in place of the
> battery but it is not connected in any direct fashion (ie gearbox etc)
> =

> Do you think this is arguably legal as a electric vehicle for the above
> road use ? =


No, it's a petrol-driven tricycle with an electric transmission system, IMH=
O.  =


If he had a battery and the generator charged that, he'd be in a better pos=
ition - and if it had two batteries, one being charged and one driving the =

motor with no cross-connect, I'd say he was high and dry, but with no batte=
ry I think he'll get done for not having a tax disc, and it not being =

registered, at the very least!  Not to mention insurance!  Note that the Po=
lice have a lot of new powers these days, which include confiscating and =

destroying untaxed, uninsured vehicles.

It must cost a fortune to run - those little generators normally work out a=
t around GB=A31 per kWh for fuel, at least ten times what it would cost to =

recharge at home.  It's a shame there's no such thing as "Agricultural Petr=
ol", the way there is with Diesel - you'd save a lot of money that way, but =

the smallest diesel generators cost around GB=A31,000 so that pretty much p=
uts it out of court.  You can get LPG conversions for some of the petrol =

generators, and that may be worth considering, if you can find space for th=
e tank.

> (I guess you  could substitute fuel cell/nuclear power/steam
> turbine/ wind turbine or any other electricity generating mechanism in
> place of the petrol generator for arguments sake, but being petrol
> powered makes it comparatively intreguing)

An open and shut case, I reckon!  :-)  He might get away with it being a mo=
ped (although having three wheels may clobber that) but it certainly isn't =

electric powered, any more than a car with automatic transmission and a tor=
que-converter is hydraulic powered.

> Its of no great importance but an interesting conversation.

I still think it's a shame the C5 didn't take off - Uncle Sir Clive has had=
 some good ideas in the past, but this one fell at the marketing stage, IMH=
O.

Cheers,


Howard Winter
St.Albans, England



-- =

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