[Technology] If you could afford it would your next car be an EV?

[Flounce]

Simple question, assuming you could fund it easily and that it would be your only car

How much behind going EV and allegedly saving the planet is NSC?

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

A tentative yes.

I was amazed to see just how much second hand prices have come down last time I looked. That said, it's still not the sort of money I just have lying around and i'm sure there will be a temptation to buy a £2K banger ICE and try to get a few years out of that

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Simple question, assuming you could fund it easily

How much behind going EV and allegedly saving the planet is NSC?

I'd like to know more details before committing to buying an EV, like will deep sea mining be used to mine for raw minerals required for batteries. A process that could be far worse environmentally than running an ICE vehicle. (also see will forests be chopped down in Canada and elsewhere to provide wood pellets to fire up our power stations? and other processes which are misleadingly deemed green and saving the planet)

The likelihood is that as more and more batteries, etc are needed to power these vehicles, the more likely damaging environmental practices will have to be adopted to keep up with the increasing demand.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I don’t drive, don’t like driving, have no need to drive, so no.

 

[Flounce]

I don’t drive, don’t like driving, have no need to drive, so no.

How do you know you don’t like driving if you don’t drive?

 

[Brian Fantana]

I swapped to an EV in May and it's been absolutely fantastic all round so far.

 

[beorhthelm]

i wouldnt buy new and the sort of budget i would have it's all Nissan Leaf and BMW i3. so no. which is a shame as from use point of view an EV would do fine. may be in another 10 years.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

How do you know you don’t like driving if you don’t drive?

I took my test quite late in life, 29 I think, and owned and drove a car for 2 years. That was enough. I really do not like it, I’m not a “natural” driver and find it mentally tiring. I’m not making any anti-car statement it’s just something I do not enjoy.

 

[Flounce]

I took my test quite late in life, 29 I think, and owned and drove a car for 2 years. That was enough. I really do not like it, I’m not a “natural” driver and find it mentally tiring. I’m not making any anti-car statement it’s just something I do not enjoy.

Fair enough. I am the opposite, I love driving on open roads. Not much of a fan of driving in heavy traffic which seems to be most driving these days in the South. Continental A road driving in an ICE car with a lovely exhaust note in a sporty car is as much fun as watching the Albion win for me though

I am not talking about driving like a dick either!

 

[stewardxxx]

My office is in Bristol and I travel all over the country for work too so a pure EV is likely not a great solution for me. I am keen on some of the hybrids though - the Skoda Superb Estate Hybrid (whilst unfortunately being a Skoda) looks very compelling!

 

[Flounce]

My office is in Bristol and I travel all over the country for work too so a pure EV is likely not a great solution for me. I am keen on some of the hybrids though - the Skoda Superb Estate Hybrid (whilst unfortunately being a Skoda) looks very compelling!

Nowt wrong with modern Skodas, especially if getting from A to B in comfort is your wont.

 

[stewardxxx]

Nowt wrong with modern Skodas, especially if getting from A to B in comfort is your wont.

Comfort is the big thing - have a Merc GLA at the moment and I wouldn't say it is uncomfortable but it's not as comfortable as other cars I have driven. (Renault Megane estate was surprisingly a very comfortable car to drive!)

Also hate living in fear of how much Merc will sting you if something goes wrong outside the warranty!

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Ive put other, as you said as your only car. I would probably get a hybrid, but not as ONLY car, I mean, who only has ONE car these days

 

[FIVESTEPS]

A growing number of private motorist's are returning to fossil fuelled vehicles as sales of new models rise at a faster rate than electric alternatives.

 

[OzMike]

Hybrids are better with the distances to travel over here.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

My office is in Bristol and I travel all over the country for work too so a pure EV is likely not a great solution for me. I am keen on some of the hybrids though - the Skoda Superb Estate Hybrid (whilst unfortunately being a Skoda) looks very compelling!

Tell me you know nothing about Skodas without etc etc etc

That aside - Superb iV would be, er, Superb for you - a lot of EVs have ranges that would cover Bristol and back (new VW ID.7 is pushing 440 miles, for example), or you simply stop, charge it up for 15 mins and be on your way. Or charge while you're at work.

Clearly it's a work in progress - and not everyone is ready, which is fine - but I wouldn't dismiss it completely if you're open to the idea.

As to the OP? If I had to buy/have a car then yes, it would almost certainly be an EV.

 

[RandyWanger]

No. Either the 3.0 L 6-cylinder diesel (MHEV) or 4.4 L V8 petrol Range.

 

[Hudson Hawk]

As a personal purchase not a chance. Depreciation is mental at the moment.

As a company car yes. Low tax and the company takes the hit.

It does seem the company car market is propping up the electric car market.

 

[Elbow750]

Voted No because I have no onsite parking. I need more public and close by on street charging, then I'll firmly be team EV.

 

[chickens]

I have a first gen Nissan Leaf I picked up for about £6k from memory. It’s the one with the slightly extended battery pack (30kWh) that now at nine years old gives about 80 miles real world usage before needing charging. You can pick them for about £4.5k now because of their limited range.

It’s hilarious to drive, as it runs out of puff if you try to take it beyond the national speed limit (why would you?) but zips past everything else except other electric cars from a standing start, which REALLY upsets Audi drivers who seem to believe that this is against some natural order.

It’s great fun to nip about in, I don’t have to feel precious about it, and it’s incredibly comfortable with a Bose stereo. I’m not funding journalist murdering petro-states driving it, and I can greet news of rising oil prices with an indifferent shrug.

The only consumables it’s ever needed are wiper blades and tyres, plus replenishing the screen wash. My next car will 100% be electric, but I don’t know when I’m going to need a next car, because this one is doing everything I need it to, and isn’t costing me anything to run.

I might end up changing it purely through getting bored of waiting for something to go wrong. I’ve always liked the look of the Polestar 2, and you can get the 400 mile long range one for about 25k approved used now.