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

[Madafwo]

Voted yes. And it'd be a VW ID.7 Tourer with the bigger battery, or whatever else comes out between now and when I change cars next.

My tipping point has always been enough range to be able to get to or from Manchester on a single charge, on top of that it needs to be an estate, not an SUV and also it can't be a Tesla.

In an ideal world it'd be able to do a full round trip without needing a charge but I only do that once a year or so these days, so if I have to find an off motorway fast charger somewhere on the way back then so be it.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

I voted fence but I have looked at both Hybrid and full EVs recently. The old EV range anxiety is gone and I don't do much very long distance driving these days.

However, they are still expensive compared to the ICE equivalent and the insurance costs also seem very high at the moment. As others have said, the depreciation is also a concern, even if looking to buy a one to two year old EV rather than new. With no subsidies around and some manufacturers backtracking on their pledges to be EV only in the next few years you also wonder how the market will look in the next year or two.

I looked at some of the Honda hybrids where you do get a decent amount of mileage on electric only but they also sneak into the 'luxury' car price range and the increased road tax negates the savings you might make on fuel.

If it was a company lease then it would be a definite yes but out of my own pocket it is not that I couldn't afford it but if I look at the total cost of ownership, it is harder to justify.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Are EVs not just old hat now, waiting to be replaced by hydrogen powered transport? I was reading that Hyundai are already promising massive hydrogen production by 2030, brought forward from 2035, and that they launch a new hydrogen powered model in 2025.

Yes they have similar refuelling issues right now as electric did historically, and their efficiency was questioned but these problems are/will be addressed. There are those who doubt that hydrogen will actually come to fruition as the dominant fuel source but technology is evolving fast. The fact that the third biggest car maker in the world is pushing so hard speaks volumes.

So for now I shall keep on burning dinosaur droppings.

 

[nicko31]

Inefficient ICE vehicles have a soundtrack, that is actually important to some of us

Non SUV sporty ICE vehicles also handle much better than a lardy EV

You pays your money and takes your choice. In the case of an EV much more money for a bland and often shoddily put together Tesla or similar. My neighbour has a VW ID3, he is in love with it, I think it’s dull

Yes I am biased but then so you are you. I vehemently disagree that EVs are “just so much better than inefficient ICE vehicles” It depends on what ICE vehicle you drive

I actually have an ID3 with 80kw batt, 0-60 in 6.5 secs and handles pretty well. You could argue EV's are dull as they are so refined and quiet.

Build quality varies and Telsa's seem a bit hit and miss, but we're not talking Austin Allegro territory.

Unless you're a rep on the road or do a lot of long trips, 250m range is good for most. For me the important measure is it will do the 230m round trip to the Amex in winter conditions.

We need to see more help for punters to buy new EV's in the budget, maybe increase vehicle excise duty on heavy polluting vehicles to pay for it. As things stand fleet drives have an unfair tax break

 

[bluenitsuj]

Nope.

 

[Commander]

Not my point and you know it. Getting stuck in some place where the neighbours don’t like having motorists knocking on their doors for a quick one isn’t my idea of a decent infrastructure.

But what would you do if your petrol car ran out of petrol? It's not that difficult. There are loads of chargers around.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

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.

Some are natural, some aren't. A dear departed friend never worked out that the clutch made gear changes easier.

 

[BBJ]

As a Ev design engineer for the past 12 years these are my thoughts for what it’s worth:-

1) I would never buy a full Ev because
Lack of charging point infer structure in Uk & charge time is very vague. When u buy there are normally different in car chargers 3, 11, 22Kws options and they are extra cost depending what you need ie more kw, more costly, quicker charging.
Ev range mile indicated is very difficult to trust as it is similar to the old ICE miles per gallon tests which are never done in real world conditions ie temperature, driving style, traffic conditions.
They are expensive to buy compared to ICE cars (The cheaper ones like MG which is China, I am not sure how they sell them for the price in UK!!!!
Battery life has not really changed and I would say 5-7 yrs b4 replacing. This is a major expense that rarely gets mentioned. A lot of Batteries are leased separate.
The carbon footprint to manufacture an Ev is not as good as u would think. There are a lot of exotic metals in the electrical components that have limited supply from only a handful of countries. Also, a lot are imported from the far east and Asia..
A lot of Ev rely on software via Wi-Fi updates and this leaves them open to outside corruption and possible control.

the only Ev I would consider is a hybrid with a full petrol engine to charge the battery. It’s not as green, but is a compromise for people living and working in the real world who don’t want to get stuck on a motorway in winter with their family in the back and run out of charge.

 

[chickens]

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.

The i3 is surprisingly fun to drive, but BMW charge a fortune for parts for it. Body work especially. Agree that it’s all Leaf/i3/first gen Zoe at the budget end of the market.

The next gen for used are the Hyundai Kona and Kia Niro, or Jaguar iPace.

After that we’re into the stuff that’s still available now, with a much greater level of choice. You tend to be looking at the Porsche Taycan or Audi e-tron GT for genuine driving enjoyment, but reviewers have had a lot of positive things to say about the MG4, which is very good value and meant to be surprisingly entertaining, in a way the sportier Focus’s used to be.

 

[chip]

Most EVs are to big, to expensive, overly complex and really ugly. I like the little Honda EV, but its range is too limited. I only buy Japanese cars nowadays so will have to wait for something from Mazda or Subaru and they've all bet on hybrid which seems the worst of all worlds. It's got to have a sunroof too.

 

[Flounce]

We need to see more help for punters to buy new EV's in the budget, maybe increase vehicle excise duty on heavy polluting vehicles to pay for it. As things stand fleet drives have an unfair tax break

I’d be all for taxing heavy polluting vehicles too but I am also for taxing heavy vehicles which includes many SUVs and EVs

 

[dejavuatbtn]

But what would you do if your petrol car ran out of petrol? It's not that difficult. There are loads of chargers around.

At a pinch, get a can of petrol. What I’d need in an ampster, or preferably four, I could stick them in the wheels.

 

[beorhthelm]

Are EVs not just old hat now, waiting to be replaced by hydrogen powered transport? I was reading that Hyundai are already promising massive hydrogen production by 2030, brought forward from 2035, and that they launch a new hydrogen powered model in 2025.

Yes they have similar refuelling issues right now as electric did historically, and their efficiency was questioned but these problems are/will be addressed. There are those who doubt that hydrogen will actually come to fruition as the dominant fuel source but technology is evolving fast. The fact that the third biggest car maker in the world is pushing so hard speaks volumes.

So for now I shall keep on burning dinosaur droppings.

hydrogen isn't going to take off for personal transport. it has it's benefits but on balance it losses out to electric. makes little sense to cart around heavy, large compressed gas cylinder, there's difficult supply of materials for fuel cells at scale, then there's the problem of building a parallel distribution network. it should stay at the grid level where it's drawbacks are negliable. may be for larger vehicles, seems to be working for buses.

 

[swindonseagull]

I would if you could guarantee an emergency recharge almost anywhere, or batteries were interchangeable and you could just swap them at a garage. Unfortunately they didn’t think about the practicalities of it all when they started on this unjoined up technology. Too many companies thinking they knew best when they should have had a consensus on how all this will work in the future.

why would you get yourself into the position of needing an emergency charge? you would not drive your ICE until its empty.

 

[swindonseagull]

Not my point and you know it. Getting stuck in some place where the neighbours don’t like having motorists knocking on their doors for a quick one isn’t my idea of a decent infrastructure.

why would you ever get into that situation? the car tells you percentage battery charge and range plus touch the screen and it will navigate you to a charging station.....

 

[junior]

We just got our first EV a couple of months ago, a BMW iX. We also still have a petrol Cupra Ateca.

I am a fully paid up petrol head, and never thought I'd see the day that I converted. But I have. I absolutely love the BMW EV. It's fun to drive, the performance is unreal, it's comfortable and well specced, but the best things about it is NEVER having to go to the petrol station and that feeling of getting robbed by the cashier ever couple of days.

My Cupra lease is up in May, and I thought we'd have had the BMW long enough for me to make an informed decision on whether to replace that with another petrol/diesel car (we are a 2 car family), but I've made my mind up and am test driving a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N tomorrow morning.

I can't see me going back to having internal combustion vehicles.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

This is exactly me. But Mrs GB likes driving and muggins here pays the insurance and petrol. Therefore I answered no as her opinion is that there needs to be better range and more charge points.

Just out of interest - and not trying to start a binfest - how many miles would you like and how many more charge points (public, I'm assuming, as opposed to home/businesses)?

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Not my point and you know it. Getting stuck in some place where the neighbours don’t like having motorists knocking on their doors for a quick one isn’t my idea of a decent infrastructure.

If that happened - the equivalent of running out of fuel - that's down to the driver, not the car or the infrastructure!

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Until they have street charging outside my house it’s impractical. I don’t have a drive or garage. House is a Victorian terrace in Brighton.

Do you have a fuel station outside your house?

 

[Commander]

why would you ever get into that situation? the car tells you percentage battery charge and range plus touch the screen and it will navigate you to a charging station.....

It’s the sort of weird argument my Mum would use against EVs. As if they are randomly going to conk out with absolutely no way of you knowing when the charge is getting low. It’s a completely ridiculous argument