Campervans in Marina area?

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122240922#Comment_122240922

There's no getting away from the fact that the energy in the batteries is coming from diesel unless there are solar panels or external charging points. There's no free energy. Alternators use energy to charge, that comes from diesel.

John_Rambo

All vehicles use their fuel to power batteries. SUV’s, planes, trains, ferries etc… 
The point remains, Campervan’s are one of the most sustainable ways to holiday. 

Fabio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122241785#Comment_122241785

Of course there's no free energy. But the point remains - the van charges it's batteries while on the move. Same as most other vehicles on the road. The initial poster seemed to think the vans were burning diesel and spewing diesel fumes for hours on end so someone inside could have a couple of lights on. I was just letting them, and any other interested parties, know how this stuff actually works.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242722#Comment_122242722

Look, I'm neither pro or anti on campervans but the fact remains that using diesel to generate electricity for leisure or utility uses isn't very clean or efficient. It would be like using a diesel generator at home rather than plugging into the grid.

On the other hand, some of the claims made regarding inefficiency of campervans here were completely off the wall, particularly in comparison to air travel and "5 SUVs"!

John_Rambo

I take it you’ve never been away in a camper? They primarily don’t rely on diesel for power. They plug in in campsites because the leisure batteries don’t last that long, they’re only 12v batteries That’s why aires and campsites are so popular. The central heating, the fridges, cookers, grills and hobs run on gas and if you’re wild camping you’re reliant on the solar panels or you simply run out of power and use a torch or lamps. 

You may as well go around admonishing people for using their headlights or glovebox lights.

They’re still one of the most sustainable way to holiday. A camping trip by car or by campervan will definitely lead to a smaller footprint than flying, especially if you'd fly to a hotel.

Ozvaldo

Im seeing tents down there now aswell with people living in them by the looks of it

the beer revolu

There's a lot of visible poverty out there!

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122246974#Comment_122246974

The local ninnies will getting the council to move on people who have run out of options now. Talk about kicking people when they're down.

notAMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122240922#Comment_122240922

Yes…. and that energy comes from the diesel engine. Or are you claiming that camper vans can somehow break the first law of thermodynamics?

Listen, feel free to enjoy them, they provide ultimate in freedom and accessing all sorts of inaccessible places in the world. But the poster above was making out they were one of the most sustainable forms of holidaying possible, the holy grail of eco-friendliness.

They're actually closer to a hyper-privileged combination of a private car/plane and a private mobile hotel, the absolute opposite end of the scale of public transport and publicly accessible accommodation. If the benchmark you're trying to beat is another symbol of pollution and waste (massive SUVs), then that's a fairly low bar.

Try beating cycling or public transport as a more believable sustainability goal.

Fabio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122251065#Comment_122251065

Weird how some on this thread who claim to understand the first law of thermodynamics don't understand the simple idea of a battery being charged by an engine which is, at the very same time, propelling the vehicle. Same as any other internal combustion engine vehicle really. By definition you're going to be mobile in the van so it makes sense to use that energy to charge up a system you can use when stopped. It's clean at the site you stop, it emits some pollution, mainly CO2 when on the move, same as any other ICE vehicle.

There are some campers which, to my mind, are more like mobile homes, I kinda wonder why the people in them bother leaving home at all given they've taken the house with them BUT….most camper vans aren't like that so it's unfair to say they're a "hyper-privileged combination of….". The barrier to entry for a campervan is fairly low. If you're handy, you can build your own as time and funds allow. Many people do. Some even do them in such a way that you can still use it as your daily vehicle too, two jobs in one.

But look, that's not convenient to this thread. I don't know why but you're trying to drag this down the culture-war route by making it into an issue of privilege etc.