Off Topic Thread 5.0

Neil3030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118978203#Comment_118978203

If Twitter does end up like 4chan an alternative will emerge for sure. If nothing else, Twitter's opportunity cost on advertising revenue will encourage serious competitors into the space.

stephen_n

I know he wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. The Blindboy podcast this week was a conversation with Keith Earls. Probably no massive insights but interesting all the same. Especially when he talks about hating rugby for about 6 years after the lions tour.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118990230#Comment_118990230

It's crazy how bad the mental health aspect of the game is for some players. Andrew Trimble said similar stuff about his lack of self-belief; how one bad moment at the start of game would ruin him for the rest of the game. James Lowe once commented that the lack of mental skills was one of the biggest differences when moving to Leinster. I hope we've gotten better since

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118992791#Comment_118992791

He talked about how that has improved and how players look out for each other now. That it’s a much more open and supportive environment when it comes to mental health.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118993045#Comment_118993045

Yeah I think this forum has largely gone the same way.

Ye big ars*hole.

Yeah_Right

Sir John Kirwan was the first player I heard openly discuss his mental health. Sure it was after he retired but he was such a legend of the game to have someone like that be so open about his struggles when playing caused shock waves in NZ society. It absolutely changed how so many men viewed mental health.

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118993070#Comment_118993070

I choose to hear that in the warm and compassionate tone it was meant in.

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118994129#Comment_118994129

I think sometimes we tend to put players on pedestals. That dehumanize them to a certain extent. Like they don’t feel what we feel because of the talents they have. Where as the truth is, their talent exposes them to a lot more stress than most experience.

Earls talked about an Instance in Ravenhill of a fan shouting at him that he had butter fingers. That it totally messed up his game as he was totally fixated on not dropping the ball. Something so small having such a big impact really surprised me.

kuang1

Made the decision to change to a fully electric vehicle. Got solar panels in recently so have decided to go all the way.

House is less than 3 years old and everything in it is electricity powered. No oil or gas.

But despite having heard some anecdotes about shortages of new cars and microchip etc, had no idea what I was getting into.

The car I've my eye on is a Kia EV6. The dealership can't even put the order in yet, and was reluctant to take the €1,000 deposit from me coz of that. I insisted just so I could "be in the queue" as it were.

He hasn't told me this, but from doing my own bit of research, will most likely be 12 months before I'm actually driving it!

hold my beer

Yeah it's madness. We bought an EV at the beginning of last year. We were very lucky because within a few weeks people were ordering and getting build weeks months in the future.

errlloyd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119004872#Comment_119004872

I know it's a long way away, but very keen to hear how you get on the with KIA EV6.

My brother worked on EVs in the UK (Jaguary E-Pace) and as a result he was an early convert to EVs and the rest of the family all got introduced quite early. Since then 5 (out of 8) of the car owners in my immediate family have switched to EVs and between them they have quite the spectrum.

Kia E-Niro

Hyundai Kona

Skoda Enyaq

MG ZS

BWM I3

Nissan Leaf

I've had a go in all of them bar the MG and the KIA / Hyundai (they're basically the same car) were comfortably the best. Both in practical terms, but also in the softer terms. I'm a bit away from getting one myself (currently have no car, but live in a city centre apartment with no charging and don't need a car), but very keen on the EV6 and the Cupra Born.

awec

EVs are still too small for me, the Enyaq is getting there but it's still just a crossover I think.

hold my beer

Small as in the inside?

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119008982#Comment_119008982

Yea, small as in the inside and boot capacity etc.

There are no EV estate cars yet (that I know of), and I am unsure what the range would be on a fully loaded EV estate if one did exist.

hold my beer

The ID4 is huge inside. The boot is decent size but not huge. Range is up to 450km, though would rarely get near that.

errlloyd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119008991#Comment_119008991

MG5 is an estate I think? They absolutely are the future, I think the inversion point is going to happen more suddenly than people expect. As soon as the range hits like 600k you're at the point where never having to stop for petrol (because you charge overnight) becomes more of a benefit than occasionally charging on long journeys is negative.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119008999#Comment_119008999

It's decent sized but a lot smaller than my current car (Superb Estate).

It's inevitable I'll own an EV eventually, just not quite there yet for me.

Former Former Former

Peugeot 5008 plug-in hybrid is due out next year, whether that will happen now I don't know.

I have the same issue. Three small kids mean most of the EVs are just not big enough.

kuang1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119008861#Comment_119008861

Yeah I've test driven the EV6 twice now. It's a very impressive machine. Deceptively big. Officially in the SUV class, it doesn't strike you as one from the outside though.

A small but really cool feature is in the rear seat footwell, there's no raised part in the middle. So if 3 people were sitting in the back they all have equal foot room. Just adds that bit more to how spacious it feels.

I'm currently driving an insignia, which has a huge boot. The EV6 boot isn't as big of course, but still v generous.

But some dealerships now don't even have one to test drive! Nuts!

pickarooney

There's bound to be a period where people want to switch to EVs en masse but the uptake for their second hand petrol cars will be low. If budget electric cars become a possibility I'd imagine people will have a preference.

Then again, electricity is just going to keep going up and up and charging an EV might become unaffordable. And awkward for people living in apartments.

molloyjh

The Enyaq has 585 litres of boot space. I know that’s 50-100 less than some estates but it’s a pretty serious amount of space regardless. The 12 month minimum wait time is an issue though!

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119010513#Comment_119010513

Yea that is pretty close, but if that boot is fully loaded and the car has a family in it what does the range look like?

molloyjh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119010534#Comment_119010534

Depends on the battery. The 80 has a realistic range of about 450km from what I’ve read. Not sure how badly impacted that is by a full car and boot though. We probably won’t really know the answer to that until towards the back end of the year when people have actually filled the car up and done it in enough numbers to gauge it.

Neil3030

Interesting that nobody is mentioning any Tesla models. I've my name down for a CyberTruck since 2019, but still not holding my breath. Nor am I sure I want to fund Musk's latest antics.

molloyjh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119010562#Comment_119010562

Most, if not all, Teslas are priced beyond the grant so probably rules it out for most people.

kuang1

And currently 10 month wait for Teslas.

Just don't like their aesthetics if I'm honest. Look too much like the modern beetle which is an abomination.

That, and the fact that you're charged anywhere from €1200 to €2300 extra if you want any colour other than white.

(driving my daughter mad lately by pointing at any white Tesla I see saying "poor man's tesla")

Take 25% off the manufacturers claimed range to get a sense of actual range.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119010562#Comment_119010562

The Model X is the only one available in Ireland that you could call big and it comes with a very hefty price tag.

connemara man

A green electric life is the dream but it just feels out of the price range to make that switch TBH between car and house who has that type of money upfront

Sure the Gov grants dont cover the interest of the loans you'd need

Almost as if the cost is 5+ years away from being accessible and that's me being optimistic

Dubinusa

Tesla sells well here in Massachusetts! But, there isn't many other electric vehicles that I've seen. Prius was a fairly popular brand, but I don't see many anymore.

I can't see many people switching over tbh. They cost a lot and there's very few places to charge them. I wouldn't get one for that reason. Besides, I love my petrol fueled car! She's beautiful 😍

molloyjh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119012883#Comment_119012883

Price is a real issue at the moment, but the gap between the price of an ICE and an EV are closing. And should continue to close the more uptake there is of EVs.

And with the ranges we’re seeing now (real world of 400-500km) a charging point at home reduces the need for a public charging network for most. It’s a real selling point for my wife who hates going to petrol stations! The only time we’d need to charge publicly would be those longer trips that we’d take once or twice a year.

And plenty of the EVs that are out now are nice looking motors. I think the EV6 is simply gorgeous. But I suppose a lot of that stuff is subjective. They are def more practical than an ICE with larger cabin space being a big part of what they offer. Apparently the VW ID3, which is slightly bigger than a Golf from the outside, is a similar size to a Passat inside.

Ultimately we’re going to need to see mass uptake of EVs across the globe as ICE cars are major polluters. And I think we will as they become more affordable and people start to see the benefit of them.