Diary of a Delivery Driver

As some of you know, I do a food delivery job over lunch time every day, just to earn some extra pennies to pay for this website and such like. Today was a pretty bad earning day, but one event stood out that needs mentioning. I came across a crashed car wrapped around a tree at the side of the road. I stopped to investigate, and put my hazards on as you do recoiling at the thought of what horror I might see. There was smoke coming out of the car, at least for a minute or so before it subsided. Approaching the car a guy came from around the back, a little shaken but otherwise seeming unhurt by the experience.

I sighed a breath of relief, because looking by the state of the car, this guy is very lucky to just walk away from it like he did. Fortune does smile on some of us now and then. I asked him what happened and he replied he didn't know. Obviously by the state of the car, he'd been speeding and lost control, or had maybe fallen asleep at the wheel.

Goes goes to show though. Trees don't moved for anything!

Yea absolutely.

Delivery Jobs have been abysmal this week since the kids are back at school. I only deliver at lunch times which doesn't help. Thank gawd i don't rely on this job!

I was sating to the wife that I needed a new cooker as the one I have, the hobs are sooooo slooooow to heat up. I wanted an induction hob. Well she suggested I buy a stand alone one as they not very expensive. I did. Bloodyhell, heating a pan of beans is as quick as boiling the kettle!

Had a sore through for a few days now, today I am actually losing my voice! I feel fine though.

One thing about an electric car, with so much torque they can get through front (or rear) tyres much faster than a combustion car.

These are the second lot this year on the front. But i do about 15-20K miles per year with the delivery job so it's understandable. I did notice the discs looked at little rusty though, EVs don't tend to use brakes much, they rely on regen.

Been working hard today, full morning of delivering, only nearly got killed once by a speeding driver on a roundabout.

Just finished writing some more help files and just repaired more posts in both the Picture perfect and general doll forums. I can't repair them all of course, but got the latest posts on last page done at least...

I will do more tomorrow.

So, gave up on the delivering today as its remembrance day and half the local roads are closed. I don't fance sitting hours in traffic queues when I could be doing more post repairs....

Wow, what a horrible delivery day it was today. I was online from 8am until 1.30pm and just had 3 deliveries. That's less than £15 made today. Jeeeez, glad I don't rely on this job for a living anymore!

On a plus note, car sailed through the MOT like it was nothing.

Some good news at least; MoT is a bitch if your car is old (mine is a 53 plate).

Wow, that's a 20 yr old car!

Well actually, 18, my previous was 03, got them mixed up; current one is 55. Sorry for the confusion. Anyhow, it only cost me £1K and it gets me around; I rarely need to drive for work, so my mileage is almost all social and hobby related; a couple thousand a year if that. I'd ditch it if I could but here in rural North Suffolk, there's a few crucial things you simply can't do by bus or train :(

How many miles has it done?

About 111,000 in total - four previous owners. My engineer says it should be good for maybe another 2-3 years. Then I'll just buy another cheap runabout and run that into the ground too :P

Thats what i used to do, but then I got a taste for the technology of the newer cars. I now just drive EVs.

For me it's a purely financial decision coupled with my total disinterest in cars as a hobby; yeah, I guess I'll have to go electric one day, just hope prices come down and charger availability goes up. No off-street parking in a council flat :( Plus the money I save is doll money ;)

Yea, it will be hell if you can't charge at home. And just as expensive as putting petrol in too!

I'm out on a job on Sat so you won't see me much, if at all until late.

Just got in from real work (not delivery). Filmed in a large church, there was a full stage, lighting setup juts like a theatre. Hopefully we got some great shots....

Now 130 miles round trip later I'm back home....

Its been snowing today, well over night. We’ve had about 3-3.5” of snow. Its the light fluffy stuff and it above freezing just outside, so hopefully lot of it will melt. My weather App says +1c

I been cleaning up with snow shovel, and I brushed the snow of the car.
Panels can’t make any electric all covered like that!

I have tried the move snow from the bottom to help it slide off later?
I'm going to try some deliveries, I have snow shovel in car ready.

We have had lots of snow up here on the Black Mountains, Wales, to much for cars to go, the 4x4's can still just about still go some parts, the long drive is full of show and Timbo is out clearing it with the tractor.
Lady-J

Seeing an electric car with GAS on the license plate, how funny :)
Snow covering the solar panels is a real bummer.
Years ago in my parents nursery we also had to brush off the snow from the panels and also from the glasshouses.

Jo

Yes Timbo has has do that here to stop the roof cave in, and on Miss Holly's flat roof, the farm house is fine and most snow comes off, but most times the houses round here are cold and snow stay on a long time.

I'm thinking his GAS number plate is so he can still run with all us petrol heads, I love him really.
Lady-J

Well, I'm back home after just an hour or so, after that disaster of a delivery day. Its 2c now so a slow thaw is happening but as it is, my car cannot get a grip on the snow on side streets, at all. It's a combination of both the mid range tyre's that seem fine in ordinary conditions but hopelessly inadequate in snow, and the silly amount of torque EVs have that isn't easily controlled. I Have even had to turn regen off because it was causing the car to skid when you took your foot off the gas!

I get stuck just on just a little snow going uphill. The car won't turn on corners, it just slid forward, I have almost hit a parked car this way and have hit s kerb or two. It's just too dangerous to continue, so i came home. The only option would be to try winter tyre's, but i don't really want to go to that expense as we don't usually have a lot of snow, it could be fine tomorrow!

I am thinking of a long range Tesla as next car (4x4) but I am having a hard time justifying the expense. I think new home batteries to add to the one I have for next year would be wiser...

I think you'll need a tractor with some of the snow today.
If you look again at the number plate, you'll see its No GAS, or as my dad likes to say "No One To Gas" LOL. That plate has been on 3 different electric cars now, and doubled in value too :)

I've had another go at the panels and although there is still snow up there, they are better. But still only producing 58w power as its not a bright day anyway and half the panels are "still" covered. Snow over just one panel effects the whole array. I have two rows, each with there own array on the inverter.

The heat pump is requiring upto 3KWH to run, although it is varying a little, its still almost emptyied the battery again already, its 12:15pm. I can charge it again on cheaper electric between 1-4pm, I should get about 80% in that time and that battery will last until about 7:30-8pm before all my electric comes from the grid!

It sounds like you have not had the best of days, the snow has not gone much here, I know EV are not the best on snow, so it's good to know you are back safe.
Not many know this, but Bob told me a wide wheel base car is best on snow, he had an old vauxhall Ventor, with a Diesel engine droped in, it would go anywhere in snow, even up the drive to the farm, he then had an old BMW two door it would go no where in ice or snow. Lady-J

Yes I agree with all that.