Is it is it right that to have a charger installed at home is on the ball park of £750/£1000 ?
To my mind not sure that level of cost gets payback compared to supermarket / lamp post charging especially if your mileage is relatively low.
I also suspect (any) government will inevitably ‘load’ EV charging in the future as pump levies decline.
Buy a new EV and you’ll often get a free home charger inc installation. Home charging can be up to 80% cheaper than public charging if you charge overnight.
That’s my point really. Not sure any are completely free. Discounted yes.
Still ponder if that cost achieves absolute payback. I accept however convenience has a value.
With some cars they’re 100% free. But even if you pay a grand you’ll get that back pretty quickly if you charge at home on the reduced o/n rate, and do a reasonable mileage. It’s a no brainer in my situation.
My friend has solar panels so his charging is, and always will be, free.
Is it is it right that to have a charger installed at home is on the ball park of £750/£1000 ?
To my mind not sure that level of cost gets payback compared to supermarket / lamp post charging especially if your mileage is relatively low.
I also suspect (any) government will inevitably ‘load’ EV charging in the future as pump levies decline.
Buy a new EV and you’ll often get a free home charger inc installation. Home charging can be up to 80% cheaper than public charging if you charge overnight.
That’s my point really. Not sure any are completely free. Discounted yes.
Still ponder if that cost achieves absolute payback. I accept however convenience has a value.
With some cars they’re 100% free. But even if you pay a grand you’ll get that back pretty quickly if you charge at home on the reduced o/n rate, and do a reasonable mileage. It’s a no brainer in my situation.
My friend has solar panels so his charging is, and always will be, free.
Out of interest which are offering completely free still?
My point about big cars wasn't ignoring big petrol cars. The point was that people are getting cars that are too big across the board but I would have thought if they are getting an electric car for the sake of the planet, they might get a smaller one.
The number of rapid (50kW-150kW) and ultra-rapid (150kW+) chargers has grown from 3,871 at the end of 2020, to 10,118 at the end of 2023 and more than 13,000 by September 2024.
Have a Nissan Leaf as a pool car at work. Was used to a company shindig in Reading, there and back one charge.
But despite its green credentials I can’t warm to it.
Would take any old petrol over any electric.
Probably because I am an old dinosaur.
Rather than dismiss you as a dinosaur, could you explain why driving "any old petrol" would be better than an electric.
I have been in the Motor Trade, in one form or another since i left school in 1973. I had a 4 year apprenticeship and enjoyed being a mechanic.
As in any job the satisfaction you derive from “doing the job “ in my case was from repairing Trucks, Buses and Cars. To fire up a big diesel after an engine rebuild was a real buzz. Now the Technician that looks after your car now can not begin to diagnose a fault without the help of a pretty sophisticated computer . Electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles are the future, I have seen in my career the progress from old crash gearboxes to Electronic control systems which eliminate the need for synchronisers.
But modern cars are for the most part soulless. ADAS is the electronic cacoon that ensures that you don’t operate the vehicle outside of its design parameters. This for me makes driving a chore.
Driving for me was a pleasure from my MK2 Zodiac, to my Avenger Tiger and my favourite of all cars my Triumph Dolomite Sprint.
So yes I will drive Old petrol car because they were fun to drive.
And I realise that to bang on about the past may put me in to dinosaur territory
Have a Nissan Leaf as a pool car at work. Was used to a company shindig in Reading, there and back one charge.
But despite its green credentials I can’t warm to it.
Would take any old petrol over any electric.
Probably because I am an old dinosaur.
Rather than dismiss you as a dinosaur, could you explain why driving "any old petrol" would be better than an electric.
I have been in the Motor Trade, in one form or another since i left school in 1973. I had a 4 year apprenticeship and enjoyed being a mechanic.
As in any job the satisfaction you derive from “doing the job “ in my case was from repairing Trucks, Buses and Cars. To fire up a big diesel after an engine rebuild was a real buzz. Now the Technician that looks after your car now can not begin to diagnose a fault without the help of a pretty sophisticated computer . Electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles are the future, I have seen in my career the progress from old crash gearboxes to Electronic control systems which eliminate the need for synchronisers.
But modern cars are for the most part soulless. ADAS is the electronic cacoon that ensures that you don’t operate the vehicle outside of its design parameters. This for me makes driving a chore.
Driving for me was a pleasure from my MK2 Zodiac, to my Avenger Tiger and my favourite of all cars my Triumph Dolomite Sprint.
So yes I will drive Old petrol car because they were fun to drive.
And I realise that to bang on about the past may put me in to dinosaur territory
Thanks for the explanation.
Driving in general used to be more pleasurable but there's too many cars on today's roads so perhaps your anti EV stance is better aimed at crowded roads. There's nowhere to take a pleasurable drive.
I have found our EV even more pleasurable to drive than the BMW. The regenerative breaking takes some getting used to but, without trying to, I have found myself letting the car do a lot more of the work by allowing it to do most of the breaking. It can also steer itself. Overall I find it more relaxing.
Have a Nissan Leaf as a pool car at work. Was used to a company shindig in Reading, there and back one charge.
But despite its green credentials I can’t warm to it.
Would take any old petrol over any electric.
Probably because I am an old dinosaur.
Rather than dismiss you as a dinosaur, could you explain why driving "any old petrol" would be better than an electric.
I have been in the Motor Trade, in one form or another since i left school in 1973. I had a 4 year apprenticeship and enjoyed being a mechanic.
As in any job the satisfaction you derive from “doing the job “ in my case was from repairing Trucks, Buses and Cars. To fire up a big diesel after an engine rebuild was a real buzz. Now the Technician that looks after your car now can not begin to diagnose a fault without the help of a pretty sophisticated computer . Electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles are the future, I have seen in my career the progress from old crash gearboxes to Electronic control systems which eliminate the need for synchronisers.
But modern cars are for the most part soulless. ADAS is the electronic cacoon that ensures that you don’t operate the vehicle outside of its design parameters. This for me makes driving a chore.
Driving for me was a pleasure from my MK2 Zodiac, to my Avenger Tiger and my favourite of all cars my Triumph Dolomite Sprint.
So yes I will drive Old petrol car because they were fun to drive.
And I realise that to bang on about the past may put me in to dinosaur territory
Thanks for the explanation.
Driving in general used to be more pleasurable but there's too many cars on today's roads so perhaps your anti EV stance is better aimed at crowded roads. There's nowhere to take a pleasurable drive.
I have found our EV even more pleasurable to drive than the BMW. The regenerative breaking takes some getting used to but, without trying to, I have found myself letting the car do a lot more of the work by allowing it to do most of the breaking. It can also steer itself. Overall I find it more relaxing.
Some EVs are more fun than others but for me personally once the novelties wore off, the immediate acceleration with no fuel injectors, regenerative braking (golf carts and milk floats have this too and they are both fun) I was not overly impressed. I'm a self confessed petrol head, love the tingle the roar and bark of a V8 gives me, how engines pop and burr. I love the smell of petrol, 2 stroke especially and I love how you need to be at one with a particular car to really get the best out of it.
I say all that understanding that alternative fuel vehicles are the future be that hydrogen or old fashioned electricity stored in a big battery and it makes me a bit sad, especially now that combustion engines are so good, economical and reliable, after 100 years we've close to cracked it and they will be discarded.
I also don't like the doctrine with all things EV and the talk about how cheap they are. They are not, they are prohibitively expensive new and I would only consider a new one due to the battery, charging them publicly is expensive, charging from home overnight is great value however that is part of what makes them a prohibitive thing. Only people with drives get access to the cheap method of charging them. All this shit about cables across footpaths makes heave. We live in a country so rightly and tightly regulated for what you can and cannot do working on the road and footpath then you have people dragging cables across the things to charge their car!
Also the inherent distrust in me does not like how eager the world seems to be to have autonomous vehicles. I want to be in control of where I go, not a computer. I'm not anti-EV I just want them to be better than whats the legacy and they are a long way off that currently
Is it is it right that to have a charger installed at home is on the ball park of £750/£1000 ?
To my mind not sure that level of cost gets payback compared to supermarket / lamp post charging especially if your mileage is relatively low.
I also suspect (any) government will inevitably ‘load’ EV charging in the future as pump levies decline.
Buy a new EV and you’ll often get a free home charger inc installation. Home charging can be up to 80% cheaper than public charging if you charge overnight.
That’s my point really. Not sure any are completely free. Discounted yes.
Still ponder if that cost achieves absolute payback. I accept however convenience has a value.
With some cars they’re 100% free. But even if you pay a grand you’ll get that back pretty quickly if you charge at home on the reduced o/n rate, and do a reasonable mileage. It’s a no brainer in my situation.
My friend has solar panels so his charging is, and always will be, free.
Out of interest which are offering completely free still?
I was looking at a Volvo that came with a free charger or £500 in credit for electricity. I think Skoda were offering the same deal, and possibly others.
My point about big cars wasn't ignoring big petrol cars. The point was that people are getting cars that are too big across the board but I would have thought if they are getting an electric car for the sake of the planet, they might get a smaller one.
It depends on your usage, doesn’t it?
With kids leaving home we’re looking at a smaller car now. But other people might have large families, or perhaps they use the car for transporting stuff around. A Fiat 500 would be hopeless in those circumstances, but great for a single person or a couple with no kids.
But yes, it’s crazy the amount of people you see driving around on their own in large 4x4s.
Have a Nissan Leaf as a pool car at work. Was used to a company shindig in Reading, there and back one charge.
But despite its green credentials I can’t warm to it.
Would take any old petrol over any electric.
Probably because I am an old dinosaur.
Rather than dismiss you as a dinosaur, could you explain why driving "any old petrol" would be better than an electric.
I have been in the Motor Trade, in one form or another since i left school in 1973. I had a 4 year apprenticeship and enjoyed being a mechanic.
As in any job the satisfaction you derive from “doing the job “ in my case was from repairing Trucks, Buses and Cars. To fire up a big diesel after an engine rebuild was a real buzz. Now the Technician that looks after your car now can not begin to diagnose a fault without the help of a pretty sophisticated computer . Electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles are the future, I have seen in my career the progress from old crash gearboxes to Electronic control systems which eliminate the need for synchronisers.
But modern cars are for the most part soulless. ADAS is the electronic cacoon that ensures that you don’t operate the vehicle outside of its design parameters. This for me makes driving a chore.
Driving for me was a pleasure from my MK2 Zodiac, to my Avenger Tiger and my favourite of all cars my Triumph Dolomite Sprint.
So yes I will drive Old petrol car because they were fun to drive.
And I realise that to bang on about the past may put me in to dinosaur territory
Thanks for the explanation.
Driving in general used to be more pleasurable but there's too many cars on today's roads so perhaps your anti EV stance is better aimed at crowded roads. There's nowhere to take a pleasurable drive.
I have found our EV even more pleasurable to drive than the BMW. The regenerative breaking takes some getting used to but, without trying to, I have found myself letting the car do a lot more of the work by allowing it to do most of the breaking. It can also steer itself. Overall I find it more relaxing.
Some EVs are more fun than others but for me personally once the novelties wore off, the immediate acceleration with no fuel injectors, regenerative braking (golf carts and milk floats have this too and they are both fun) I was not overly impressed. I'm a self confessed petrol head, love the tingle the roar and bark of a V8 gives me, how engines pop and burr. I love the smell of petrol, 2 stroke especially and I love how you need to be at one with a particular car to really get the best out of it.
I say all that understanding that alternative fuel vehicles are the future be that hydrogen or old fashioned electricity stored in a big battery and it makes me a bit sad, especially now that combustion engines are so good, economical and reliable, after 100 years we've close to cracked it and they will be discarded.
I also don't like the doctrine with all things EV and the talk about how cheap they are. They are not, they are prohibitively expensive new and I would only consider a new one due to the battery, charging them publicly is expensive, charging from home overnight is great value however that is part of what makes them a prohibitive thing. Only people with drives get access to the cheap method of charging them. All this shit about cables across footpaths makes heave. We live in a country so rightly and tightly regulated for what you can and cannot do working on the road and footpath then you have people dragging cables across the things to charge their car!
Also the inherent distrust in me does not like how eager the world seems to be to have autonomous vehicles. I want to be in control of where I go, not a computer. I'm not anti-EV I just want them to be better than whats the legacy and they are a long way off that currently
The first two points aren’t really true (prices have come down, and are continuing to come down, and there are increasing numbers of EVs in my street that are charged overnight with no issues).
The third point is debatable. There are plenty of superb EVs out there already.
I also love the sound of a throaty petrol engine (have been to the Goodwood festival of speed a couple of times, and loved it) but they’ll still be around for a long time.
It’s all a question of whether you think climate change is real, and if you think we need to take action for the sake of future generations. PS I’m with you on autonomous vehicles. Wouldn’t trust them, and how many jobs would be lost!?
Not sure if I mentioned before, but my feedback from a dealer I use is that at Auctions many (most) secondhand electric cars are going unsold unless very cheap. Tesla 3's that were 9-12 months ago fetching high 20's are barely fetching £20k now, same for other brands.
The bottom does seem to have dropped out of electric cars (secondhand) so some bargains to have I suspect. I've looked into it and may still get one when my wife's had enough of her Mini Clubman, but mainly as I can do through work with salary sacrifice makes it financially viable/sensible. Quite like the Volvo EX30 FWIW
I'm torn between Hybrid and full EV. Thinking about changing my car soon. The one thing that is making me think EVs aren't quite ready yet is the battery technology. The weight, size and slow home charging. There are lots of rumours and stories that the chinese are close to developing a much smaller, lighter battery system that will re-charge in minutes - i'm sure that would be a game changer and existiung EVs would becomem obsolete. Might be wrong but I'm tempted to wait.
Not sure if I mentioned before, but my feedback from a dealer I use is that at Auctions many (most) secondhand electric cars are going unsold unless very cheap. Tesla 3's that were 9-12 months ago fetching high 20's are barely fetching £20k now, same for other brands.
The bottom does seem to have dropped out of electric cars (secondhand) so some bargains to have I suspect. I've looked into it and may still get one when my wife's had enough of her Mini Clubman, but mainly as I can do through work with salary sacrifice makes it financially viable/sensible. Quite like the Volvo EX30 FWIW
Just a note on the salary sacrifice EV schemes. I have access to the Octopus one through work and, after calcs, was cheaper to take a lease directly, even with higher rate taxpayer salary sacrifice. The scheme does make it 'easy' (payment off payroll, insurance, charger, some miles covered) but you pay for that convenience. I was expecting to get a much better deal when salary sacrifice was taken into account.
Not sure if I mentioned before, but my feedback from a dealer I use is that at Auctions many (most) secondhand electric cars are going unsold unless very cheap. Tesla 3's that were 9-12 months ago fetching high 20's are barely fetching £20k now, same for other brands.
The bottom does seem to have dropped out of electric cars (secondhand) so some bargains to have I suspect. I've looked into it and may still get one when my wife's had enough of her Mini Clubman, but mainly as I can do through work with salary sacrifice makes it financially viable/sensible. Quite like the Volvo EX30 FWIW
Just a note on the salary sacrifice EV schemes. I have access to the Octopus one through work and, after calcs, was cheaper to take a lease directly, even with higher rate taxpayer salary sacrifice. The scheme does make it 'easy' (payment off payroll, insurance, charger, some miles covered) but you pay for that convenience. I was expecting to get a much better deal when salary sacrifice was taken into account.
I do less than 5,000 miles a year in a 7 year old Fiesta that's done 37,000 averaging over 50 mpg. How long would it take before the carbon footprint of making an EV would be offset by converting to zero emissions were I to change now?
It's the environmental impact that matters to me and I'm not convinced I'd be doing what's best yet taking everything into account in demanding a new or 'pre loved' EV.
Is it is it right that to have a charger installed at home is on the ball park of £750/£1000 ?
To my mind not sure that level of cost gets payback compared to supermarket / lamp post charging especially if your mileage is relatively low.
I also suspect (any) government will inevitably ‘load’ EV charging in the future as pump levies decline.
Buy a new EV and you’ll often get a free home charger inc installation. Home charging can be up to 80% cheaper than public charging if you charge overnight.
That’s my point really. Not sure any are completely free. Discounted yes.
Still ponder if that cost achieves absolute payback. I accept however convenience has a value.
With some cars they’re 100% free. But even if you pay a grand you’ll get that back pretty quickly if you charge at home on the reduced o/n rate, and do a reasonable mileage. It’s a no brainer in my situation.
My friend has solar panels so his charging is, and always will be, free.
Out of interest which are offering completely free still?
I was looking at a Volvo that came with a free charger or £500 in credit for electricity. I think Skoda were offering the same deal, and possibly others.
I had a look at the Volvo site and saw reference to the Ohme charger.
I saw within that reference to a 3G/4g multi net SIM card which is free for the first 3 years. Is this a potential hidden cost thereafter I wonder?
Wasn’t aware the chargers need a paid for SIM - hadn’t really considered his they ‘connect’ at all!
Im just wary of making the numbers stack up to justify the switch from fuel (for me).
Is it is it right that to have a charger installed at home is on the ball park of £750/£1000 ?
To my mind not sure that level of cost gets payback compared to supermarket / lamp post charging especially if your mileage is relatively low.
I also suspect (any) government will inevitably ‘load’ EV charging in the future as pump levies decline.
Buy a new EV and you’ll often get a free home charger inc installation. Home charging can be up to 80% cheaper than public charging if you charge overnight.
That’s my point really. Not sure any are completely free. Discounted yes.
Still ponder if that cost achieves absolute payback. I accept however convenience has a value.
With some cars they’re 100% free. But even if you pay a grand you’ll get that back pretty quickly if you charge at home on the reduced o/n rate, and do a reasonable mileage. It’s a no brainer in my situation.
My friend has solar panels so his charging is, and always will be, free.
Out of interest which are offering completely free still?
I was looking at a Volvo that came with a free charger or £500 in credit for electricity. I think Skoda were offering the same deal, and possibly others.
I had a look at the Volvo site and saw reference to the Ohme charger.
I saw within that reference to a 3G/4g multi net SIM card which is free for the first 3 years. Is this a potential hidden cost thereafter I wonder?
Wasn’t aware the chargers need a paid for SIM - hadn’t really considered his they ‘connect’ at all!
Im just wary of making the numbers stack up to justify the switch from fuel (for me).
I think it's to control from the app, not sure why they don't connect via WIFI though. £2 a month thereafter I read to keep it as a smart charger.
I posted the link below in another thread and it's not new, but an interesting concept for those who want keep driving petrol, but feel bad about the emissions and want to be carbon neutral, or those delaying converting to an EV for whatever reason but who feel the same, like me.
Need fat wallets and a guilty conscience though as it requires paying into schemes, such as tree planting ones, to offset the effect of emissions.
It's not for everyone, and were I to do it, I'd calculate my own offset amount, effectively taxing myself extra on fuel purchases, rather than use a company to work it out for me, unless they did it for nowt and without my having to make a commitment to them.
Not sure what algorithm to use though. That won't be straightforward, but if I do it myself, I'd then have flexibility in changing circumstances rather than being tied in.
I had an EV as a Company car but bought an ICE as a 'range anxiety antidote' for longer journeys - my wife also has an ICE. When I retired last December I was gifted the EV as part of my retirement package and as it was hard to justify three cars between the two of us I had to choose which one to sell - I opted to sell my ICE and retain the EV.
Last weekend I went on a longish round trip (the longest since I've had the EV and my wife was using her car) and spent the entire journey focusing on the ever decreasing range left in the batteries! Seven miles from home on the return leg the car died on me with an 'Electrical Failure - park the car safely). Having waited 90 minutes for the RAC who then told me it would be another 90 minutes and with the Police Officer saying they would call out their recovery as the car had to be moved (70mph dual carriageway with no hard shoulder). So I just double checked and the fault had reset and the car was working perfectly. Having an EV die at 60mph was a bit scary!
Bugger that for a game of soldiers - ordered a new ICE yesterday and will trade in the EV.
I had an EV as a Company car but bought an ICE as a 'range anxiety antidote' for longer journeys - my wife also has an ICE. When I retired last December I was gifted the EV as part of my retirement package and as it was hard to justify three cars between the two of us I had to choose which one to sell - I opted to sell my ICE and retain the EV.
Last weekend I went on a longish round trip (the longest since I've had the EV and my wife was using her car) and spent the entire journey focusing on the ever decreasing range left in the batteries! Seven miles from home on the return leg the car died on me with an 'Electrical Failure - park the car safely). Having waited 90 minutes for the RAC who then told me it would be another 90 minutes and with the Police Officer saying they would call out their recovery as the car had to be moved (70mph dual carriageway with no hard shoulder). So I just double checked and the fault had reset and the car was working perfectly. Having an EV die at 60mph was a bit scary!
Bugger that for a game of soldiers - ordered a new ICE yesterday and will trade in the EV.
Quite a few years ago an old boss had a complete electrical failure at 60mph but that was in an ICE.
Have a Nissan Leaf as a pool car at work. Was used to a company shindig in Reading, there and back one charge.
But despite its green credentials I can’t warm to it.
Would take any old petrol over any electric.
Probably because I am an old dinosaur.
Rather than dismiss you as a dinosaur, could you explain why driving "any old petrol" would be better than an electric.
I have been in the Motor Trade, in one form or another since i left school in 1973. I had a 4 year apprenticeship and enjoyed being a mechanic.
As in any job the satisfaction you derive from “doing the job “ in my case was from repairing Trucks, Buses and Cars. To fire up a big diesel after an engine rebuild was a real buzz. Now the Technician that looks after your car now can not begin to diagnose a fault without the help of a pretty sophisticated computer . Electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles are the future, I have seen in my career the progress from old crash gearboxes to Electronic control systems which eliminate the need for synchronisers.
But modern cars are for the most part soulless. ADAS is the electronic cacoon that ensures that you don’t operate the vehicle outside of its design parameters. This for me makes driving a chore.
Driving for me was a pleasure from my MK2 Zodiac, to my Avenger Tiger and my favourite of all cars my Triumph Dolomite Sprint.
So yes I will drive Old petrol car because they were fun to drive.
And I realise that to bang on about the past may put me in to dinosaur territory
Thanks for the explanation.
Driving in general used to be more pleasurable but there's too many cars on today's roads so perhaps your anti EV stance is better aimed at crowded roads. There's nowhere to take a pleasurable drive.
I have found our EV even more pleasurable to drive than the BMW. The regenerative breaking takes some getting used to but, without trying to, I have found myself letting the car do a lot more of the work by allowing it to do most of the breaking. It can also steer itself. Overall I find it more relaxing.
Some EVs are more fun than others but for me personally once the novelties wore off, the immediate acceleration with no fuel injectors, regenerative braking (golf carts and milk floats have this too and they are both fun) I was not overly impressed. I'm a self confessed petrol head, love the tingle the roar and bark of a V8 gives me, how engines pop and burr. I love the smell of petrol, 2 stroke especially and I love how you need to be at one with a particular car to really get the best out of it.
I say all that understanding that alternative fuel vehicles are the future be that hydrogen or old fashioned electricity stored in a big battery and it makes me a bit sad, especially now that combustion engines are so good, economical and reliable, after 100 years we've close to cracked it and they will be discarded.
I also don't like the doctrine with all things EV and the talk about how cheap they are. They are not, they are prohibitively expensive new and I would only consider a new one due to the battery, charging them publicly is expensive, charging from home overnight is great value however that is part of what makes them a prohibitive thing. Only people with drives get access to the cheap method of charging them. All this shit about cables across footpaths makes heave. We live in a country so rightly and tightly regulated for what you can and cannot do working on the road and footpath then you have people dragging cables across the things to charge their car!
Also the inherent distrust in me does not like how eager the world seems to be to have autonomous vehicles. I want to be in control of where I go, not a computer. I'm not anti-EV I just want them to be better than whats the legacy and they are a long way off that currently
The first two points aren’t really true (prices have come down, and are continuing to come down, and there are increasing numbers of EVs in my street that are charged overnight with no issues).
The third point is debatable. There are plenty of superb EVs out there already.
I also love the sound of a throaty petrol engine (have been to the Goodwood festival of speed a couple of times, and loved it) but they’ll still be around for a long time.
It’s all a question of whether you think climate change is real, and if you think we need to take action for the sake of future generations. PS I’m with you on autonomous vehicles. Wouldn’t trust them, and how many jobs would be lost!?
Off topic slightly but the number of jobs lost to autonomous vehicles compared to those that will be lost to AI is going to look quite attractive.
I had an EV as a Company car but bought an ICE as a 'range anxiety antidote' for longer journeys - my wife also has an ICE. When I retired last December I was gifted the EV as part of my retirement package and as it was hard to justify three cars between the two of us I had to choose which one to sell - I opted to sell my ICE and retain the EV.
Last weekend I went on a longish round trip (the longest since I've had the EV and my wife was using her car) and spent the entire journey focusing on the ever decreasing range left in the batteries! Seven miles from home on the return leg the car died on me with an 'Electrical Failure - park the car safely). Having waited 90 minutes for the RAC who then told me it would be another 90 minutes and with the Police Officer saying they would call out their recovery as the car had to be moved (70mph dual carriageway with no hard shoulder). So I just double checked and the fault had reset and the car was working perfectly. Having an EV die at 60mph was a bit scary!
Bugger that for a game of soldiers - ordered a new ICE yesterday and will trade in the EV.
Quite a few years ago an old boss had a complete electrical failure at 60mph but that was in an ICE.
That's true - mine was a secondary point really, the main issue is range and the lack of charging infrastructure.
Comments
To fire up a big diesel after an engine rebuild was a real buzz.
Now the Technician that looks after your car now can not begin to diagnose a fault without the help of a pretty sophisticated computer .
Electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles are the future, I have seen in my career the progress from old crash gearboxes to Electronic control systems which eliminate the need for synchronisers.
Driving in general used to be more pleasurable but there's too many cars on today's roads so perhaps your anti EV stance is better aimed at crowded roads. There's nowhere to take a pleasurable drive.
I have found our EV even more pleasurable to drive than the BMW. The regenerative breaking takes some getting used to but, without trying to, I have found myself letting the car do a lot more of the work by allowing it to do most of the breaking. It can also steer itself. Overall I find it more relaxing.
I say all that understanding that alternative fuel vehicles are the future be that hydrogen or old fashioned electricity stored in a big battery and it makes me a bit sad, especially now that combustion engines are so good, economical and reliable, after 100 years we've close to cracked it and they will be discarded.
I also don't like the doctrine with all things EV and the talk about how cheap they are. They are not, they are prohibitively expensive new and I would only consider a new one due to the battery, charging them publicly is expensive, charging from home overnight is great value however that is part of what makes them a prohibitive thing. Only people with drives get access to the cheap method of charging them. All this shit about cables across footpaths makes heave. We live in a country so rightly and tightly regulated for what you can and cannot do working on the road and footpath then you have people dragging cables across the things to charge their car!
Also the inherent distrust in me does not like how eager the world seems to be to have autonomous vehicles. I want to be in control of where I go, not a computer. I'm not anti-EV I just want them to be better than whats the legacy and they are a long way off that currently
PS I’m with you on autonomous vehicles. Wouldn’t trust them, and how many jobs would be lost!?
The bottom does seem to have dropped out of electric cars (secondhand) so some bargains to have I suspect. I've looked into it and may still get one when my wife's had enough of her Mini Clubman, but mainly as I can do through work with salary sacrifice makes it financially viable/sensible. Quite like the Volvo EX30 FWIW
It's the environmental impact that matters to me and I'm not convinced I'd be doing what's best yet taking everything into account in demanding a new or 'pre loved' EV.
Wasn’t aware the chargers need a paid for SIM - hadn’t really considered his they ‘connect’ at all!
Im just wary of making the numbers stack up to justify the switch from fuel (for me).
Still hate longer trips, where you hope one of the three charging points at the service station is free.
Need fat wallets and a guilty conscience though as it requires paying into schemes, such as tree planting ones, to offset the effect of emissions.
It's not for everyone, and were I to do it, I'd calculate my own offset amount, effectively taxing myself extra on fuel purchases, rather than use a company to work it out for me, unless they did it for nowt and without my having to make a commitment to them.
Not sure what algorithm to use though. That won't be straightforward, but if I do it myself, I'd then have flexibility in changing circumstances rather than being tied in.
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/sustainability/358605/car-carbon-footprints-does-carbon-neutral-car-exist
Time to charge. Normal plug would charge at 3KWh - a wall charger typically 7KWh. So more than twice as quick with a wall charger.
That's true - mine was a secondary point really, the main issue is range and the lack of charging infrastructure.