Hi Guys

Financial considerations aside

Would you Swap your XJS for an MG Cyberster?

That would be a very difficult decision to have to make, as my head says Yes, while my heart says No!

No more having to get out the Spanners or Rolling around in the dirt, has to be some of those things that I think I would miss

And no more Paranoia, listening to every little sound, wondering if you are going to break down and maybe never get home

Maybe an Electric XJS would make more Sense as you cannot beat the look of this Iconic Sports Car, even though an Electric XJS could be more than Double the Price just like the new cost of my Road Tax

 

Alex
You need help!

 

Somebody call emergency services - swap an XJS for an MG .... an electric XJS ... hell electric anything - hell no ..... to each their own I guess but hell will be frozen before an EV touches my driveway

 

Hi Greg

I should have seen that coming!

But the Cyberster is too nice to ignore, even though I'm not a fan of Ev's

 

Prices are back on the rise Ben just seen a 50K XJS 4,0L on Car and Classic! (£49.995)

 

A used XJS isn’t going to put much of a dent in the price of a new Cyberster… so if you can afford the MG, you can afford both. If the MG was sold in the USA, I’d be tempted. It’s fast, it looks awesome, and since it’s an MG, it’s not a car that makes you look like a pompous piece of **** (aka BMW driver).

That said, electric car performance and behavior, bothered me. Recent first electric car experience… in a Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor, so, not the fastest one, with full self driving. Friend bought it used, 45000 miles, $21000 after govt rebate on used EVs, so they depreciate like crazy right now! I was alarmed when the steering wheel ripped itself from my hands. I hated how you had to either use the cruise control, or constantly keep foot on the pedal. The speedometer was not where I was looking, it’s off to the side on the center television. When my friend was driving it and mashed the pedal, I was not happy to be there. When I drove it, I didn’t want to use even a small bit of its power. I walked away feeling like a seriously old man. Not for me, at all.

 

That’s like asking ‘would you trade a daughter for a dishwasher?’

Sure, the appliance will more reliably wash the dishes and without all the drama, but one’s life will be boring and less rich.

 

I have 3 vintage Jaguars. A MGTD I’ve owned since 1962. And a TESLA. I’ve owned it for 6 months and absolutely love it.
New you can buy a new TESLA as little as $35,000 minus the $7500 federal rebate and depending on your state another $7500 off.
In addition TESLA HAS DISCOUNTED inventory ( new cars ) as much as $6000 and we got less than 1% interest rate on the new car.
So the price you paid reflects how affordable TESLA’s are.
The single pedal driving is easy to adapt to. I’m 76 years old and figured out how to drive smoothly during the free test drive.
There are about 10 TESLA’s in my neighborhood. Not a single person has had any trouble with their car. ( one is 10 years old )
The way they are built the computer goes in right after the car is painted. To ensure everything goes together properly.
As far as FSD ( full self driving?) I haven’t used it yet but I know at some point I won’t be a good safe driver and the FSD has a record already of being 10 times safer than when driven by a person.
It’s unusual to get free over the air updates
2 nights ago I got the *** automatic self summons. You can have the car park itself and retrieve itself when you summon it.
There is the dumb way where you tell it how to get to you. The smart way is you let it figure it out on its own.
I like the fact that I don’t need a key or even to turn it on. It recognizes me from about 12 feet away and I can walk up to it and the doors are unlocked. Then when I leave and get 12 feet away the car shuts itself off, toots the horn goodbye and folds the side mirrors in

 

^^^ but does it give a nice rumble when ya step on the pedal?

 

I’ve got other cars for that.
Besides I like Vintage racing a Jaguar. You can’t believe how reliable and great performance they are on such a tiny budget.
The money I save from owning a Tesla allows me to Vintage race. Driving the HONDA CRV costs $4 going to work and $4 going home.
The TESLA. Costs me 73 cents there and 73 cents back. No brake jobs ever. No oil changes or any cost involving fluids. Ever. ( well yes I do have to buy windshield washer fluid).

 

Hi Mguar

How does the Single Pedal thing work? as I know the Cyberster has one although I haven't seen how that feature works on any reviews (Yet!)

As much as I love my XJS I would still consider the Cyberster as a daily driver, as it seems to be an Awesome looking motor

Alex

 

Like a regular throttle pedal except the power is instant. You can’t believe the rate of acceleration.
Then when you let off the throttle the regeneration kicks in and puts power back into the battery. Here is no “coasting” if you feather the throttle a bit you simply maintain your speed.
Let off the throttle hard and it’s like you step on the brakes hard. When you come to a stop you don’t have to put your foot over on the brake, it shifts into hold automatically even on a hill etc. then the light changes to green and you step on the pedal and go it does everything like it’s reading your mind.
You can’t believe all the features an EV. Has that a gasoline car doesn’t.
My TESLA just got a free over the air update to call the car from its parking spot and have it drive ( without anybody in it) right up to wherever you are. Don’t worry the TESLA. Is 10 times safer than a human being already and their goal is to make it 100 times safer.
You have no key. Your cell phone is your key and it recognizes you from 12 feet away. Unlocks the doors. And adjusts the seat etc to your preference. ( you do get a back up fob that does the same thing but requires you to actually be at the car).
When my wife drives it changes things to her preference. If you want to lend it to someone. You can do that by your phone., no need to give them keys.

 

OB,

All the typical EVs use a 2-pedal system as per a standard automatic car. The only difference is that EVs have the capacity for the freewheeling of the road wheels to drive the motor to regenerate current back to the batteries. You can change the settings to vary the regen and range and the driving characteristics. As a driver, the feeling of a max regen effect is quite unusual. One of my friends has the setting at its minimum, merely because he likes the feel of a more traditional auto transmission where he uses the brake pedal when he wants to slow down. Also, I assume that the absence of brake lights could prove disconcerting to cars behind who are used to seeing brake lights come on if a car is rapidly decelerating.

The self-driving car is also likely to happen in the UK within the next year. I believe that will prove the biggest single change to ever happen to transportation. I'm intrigued by it, but when I see the states of roads, driving, and the geography of the UK road network in the UK, I'm struggling to see how it can ever become a reality, but I suspect the day will eventually come.

As regards the Cyberster, I saw the original model at very close quarters 18 months ago (a clay model that I would defy anyone to know wasn't a real running car). I really liked the styling, both interior and exterior, and I think it will sell really well based on the price - £60.000+ in the UK for the "proper" model. Part of that sales attractiveness is undoubtedly the name, an "MG" will naturally sell so much easier than the Chinese "SAIC" that it actually is! Would I swap my convertible XJS for one? Of course not, they are very different cars that would play very different roles in my life. But would I own one? Well not in my current circumstances. I don't envisage I'll ever own an EV, because I just can't afford one and can't see the prices of a suitable EV that I'd like, ever dropping to the point that I'd be able to buy one. I do see lots of advantages, potentially lower running costs and astonishing outright acceleration (which is admittedly just staggering compared to IC cars). Like all of us petrolheads, the noise of a V8 or V12 is addictive, but we'll all probably end up as the oddities, like the guy who lives near me and has a steam car that comes out a few times a year!

We are undoubtedly at the cusp of quite incredible changes in personal motoring. The most intriguing thing, for my money, is that every traditional manufacturer, EXCEPT JAGUAR, is still hedging their bets / backing multiple horses. I find that Porsche are a great barometer, and they seem to be still playing with Petrol, Diesel, Electric, PHEV, Synthetic Fuel and Hydrogen fuel cells! So, I have no idea where it's all going to end up!

Paul

 

I think a big factor is the local prices of electricity vs gasoline/diesel. When I live electricity is almost entirely generated by burning natural gas, so from an energy efficiency point of view it makes no sense to burn fossil fuel to turn into electricity, transmit and change batteries to use.

Two major things that rarely get mentioned is that batteries are only about 2/3 efficient. If it takes (say) 100W of power to change a battery, you will only be able to take about 65W out of it before it is dead. The rest goes into heat. Second, came from a friend of mine who is an electrical engineer who works for the grid operator. He calls the electrical grid "the toaster in the sky" because of the amount of line loss. He cited a case where we needed to buy power from a power plant at the far end of the grid. 100MW left the plant gate and 9MW arrived where it was needed for local distribution. The rest was transmission loss in the lines and went out as heat. So ignoring that the generation plant is not 100% efficient, between transmission loss and battery loss you were well into single digit percent efficiency. I don't think this is better than the conventional distribution system for an IC engine.

I have driven a Tesla and I didn't like it when the quick acceleration mode was used, it actually made me feel sick. I don't know what the battery life is like in a Canadian winter, but we all know that batteries don't like cold.

 

Mguar@Jagboi@Ptjs (Paul)

That is interesting Guys, although I would imagine that a One Pedal Car could get you into loads of trouble, as you might just get so used to taking your foot off the gas to put on the Brake, that you might do exactly the same in your XJS

Car Manufacturers seem to be going Retro. as they already have the New Capri and also the Morris Minor 1000 and so I'm really hoping that Mercedes re-introduces the 190e and 190d my Favorite Cars of all time

 

Yes it has 2 pedals but you only use one. That way you’re getting back added range. Plus if you never use the brake pedal the brake pads don’t wear out.
Every 2 years you bring your car in for service. They rotate your tires, change the cabin air filter, and flush your old brake fluid. The simplicity of a Tesla is amazing. Newer ones are down to only 4 modules to control everything. That and a motor ( which goes backwards and forwards no transmission required ).
It costs $140 ( you are expected to add your own windshield washer fluid as needed)
I don’t know about others but when I tried Full self driving during the demonstration drive. It dealt with every problem ( including road construction). The safety record for FSD is 10 times better than when humans drive. (Tesla has instant documentation of where you are and what’s happing). The average human has an accident every 650,000 miles FSD is at about 3,100,000 miles between accidents. With 8 million Tesla’s on the road already. Those miles add up pretty quickly.
Tesla is going for 100 times safer than humans.

 

Paul.

Gasoline cars are 20-25% efficient. ( 4 stroke engines only one stroke actually produces power) a lot of the energy goes out the exhaust pipe, or sent into the radiator. Peak torque is at 4800 ROM typically and peak power is beyond that.
An EV has peak power at a stop. That’s why trains are electric drive Instead of diesel drive. You’d need a 5000 gear transmission to drive a train with a diesel engine. ( the original hybrid? )
EV’s vary dramatically between manufacturer
my TESLA averages 91- 97% efficiency. ( I’m still a little kid at heart and it’s really fun to push the pedal down. No roaring or squealing tires just go,•••••••• zoom! Well past any sane speed. It’s the same way on the freeway. The authority it gains speed is positively addictive.
I can understand people hanging onto old information. That’s all the media promotes.
As for Cold weather? Yes the old NMC batteries were greatly affected by cold losing as much as 30% of range. If cold enough.
But hey Norway gets pretty cold? They have 90-100% EV. Sales Sweden is behind but Finland is going mostly EV’s.
So what do they know that you don’t? Look up LFP batteries. They don’t have quite the energy density of old NMC batteries But they aren’t affected too much by cold either.
My Ford gets 3 mpg less when the weather here is really cold. So let’s not pretend gasoline is perfect.
I’m a serious gear head. 3 Jaguars 1 MGTD and a TESLA Those are toys. ( I love to vintage race) the Tesla is an adult decision. ( with a sizeable helping of fun on the side). Going to work in my wife’s Honda CRV cost me about $4 in gas. Then $4 more going home. The TESLA costs me 73 cents to work and 73 cents coming home.
For now!!! I’m getting my own solar panels. ( you can buy them at AMAZON, EVAY, Costco, etc. then DIY them. ( it’s actually pretty easy)
I’ll spend $4000 to provide me with about 10KW of electricity. ( typical house) Then I’ll add a back up battery. (They start at about $1700 but typically you’ll want about $8500 worth of batteries.
Now most people will have others do it because they are too lazy to spend a couple of weekends putting everything up.

 

Excellent point.
As to relative costs, nothing in the petrol vs electric relative efficiency debate can be properly and truthfully compared without first stripping out the tax component of petrol. The decisions individuals make are not relevant to the efficiency question.

 

Yes, you need to look at whatever each person pays for electricity vs petrol/diesel and compare on that basis. I have reasonably expensive electricity compared to cheaper gasoline. Other places can be considerably different.

Government subsidy is also a factor to consider for purchase and operating costs. However, I was originally thinking more from an engineering energy efficiency point of view, not a cost of operation point of view.

 

Well said. Yes oil companies get massive tax breaks that make the small subsidies for EV’s trivial chump change in comparison.
That aside there is now way to create your own gasoline.
Solar panels in your yard or on your roof is shockingly cheap if you DIY Instead of $40,000 you can generate your own electricity for about $4000. Go to AMAZON, EBAY. Costco etc. select your panels and inverters etc. ( you still get the 30% federal grant). It will take yourself and another friend family member etc. 2 weekends to put the panels in place and get the “wiring” ( mostly plug and play )
Go on UTube select the guys not in love with technical jargon and demonstrating their expertise.
It’s really about connecting this wire here and use this size wiring. I bought mine at a local big box store. Even though it was slightly cheaper ordering a kit on line. I wanted a ready source in case I made a mistake or needed more.
As for which of the seemingly thousands of offerings. Think about what you intend to do and where you’re going to put it. It can be anyplace in your yard exposed to the sun without shade. Or on your roof. ( thss as t’s where having a friend to help comes in).
There are traditional panels one sided, or bi-directional that take advantage of reflected or indirect sunlight. South facing has its disadvantages too. Panels work best when cool. So EAST/WEST will also work and vertical helps keep the panels cooler at midday. Plus survive hail storms better while working well on snow storm days.
It took me a year of research and seeking recomendstions. I did the whole spread sheet thing Before I finally figured out that a lot of the difference between brands was really just marketing hype. Oh there are differences typically reflected in prices. But then the factory may need to move product and the resulting sale makes the whole spread sheet worthless
When I was actually ready to buy. I selected a Brand made in Canada for the usual cost warranty, performance etc.
Then did the searching on EBsy, Amazon, etc.
$97 per panel. Free shipping on a full pallet sized order. 390 watt Bi directional. I waited for my tax return and oops by the time it arrived the sale was off. And now panels reflected the import tariffs. Waiting for another sale the market had turned around and panels were now selling for almost 3 times the price.
Turns out late winter is the best time to shop.