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

[dazzer6666]

Not at the moment for our ‘main’ vehicle. Need much longer range to convince me. ‘Forced’ stops on long journeys (awaydays mostly), with potential waits for charging points and expensive to use don’t appeal. I comfortably did Everton and back on a single tank of fuel. However, Mrs D’s little (and very old) runabout needs replacing very soon and will be looking at getting an EV for that as all journeys are short and we can easily put a socket on the house. Only issue is the cost of the vehicle relative to the amount of mileage it’s likely to do - her current ICE costs absolute buttons to run.

 

[beorhthelm]

But that's my point. I popped up to Holmbush earlier and saw a BP Pulse sign. I followed it around and there's a bank of 50kW chargers in the M&S car park. Pop to the shops/cafe and potentially charge your car for the week. A charger outside your house would be great but it's not essential.

Like I said before, how many drivers have a fuel station outside their front door?

they dont, though they can fill up in less than 5 minutes on the way to work or the shops. the charging at home becomes an issue because it's supposed to avoid the problems of charging away from home. i.e. you cant get a charge space out, or takes time, or it's expensive, so solution charge at home.

it shouldnt be a deal breaker but its an inconvenience, and probably importantly for most, a change of behaviour. once people just accept a weekly, bi-weekly, or daily trip to the municiple charge park, they'll settle into it, might see a new social movement around it. they can talk about the rising cost of road pricing and spot electricity prices over a coffee.

that spot price will be the most significant issue to adoption eventually, as we transfer energy use from fossils to electric while not building out enough capcity to cover. i think at about 30-35% vehicles being EV the energy use will be more than current total electric consumption. seeing as we're struggling to get zero emissions on present electric output, that may be a problem and lead to some very expensive prices. forget about cheap overnight charging, that'll become peak time for the EV fleet to charge. need to build a substantial base of always on energy production in next 10 years for widespread EV use to work. yes nuclear, as wind wont cut it to get where we want to be, need total electric supply increased by 3-4x, or 8x to cover domestic heating too.

 

[Hugo Rune]

I’ll be moving over to an EV in the near month or so. I think I’ll have less than a dozen journeys per year where I’d worry about range as I’ll be getting a home charger and do mostly local journeys.

This thread has confirmed my belief that it’s the right decision for me but I can see why these cars don’t suit a lot of people.

 

[B-right-on]

Absolutely not.

No interest in driving a glorified golf cart.

Pefer my 1995 4.0. V8 Supercharged XKR or my new (to me) GSXR1000.

I just love the smell and noise of the internal combustion engine and IDGAF if Greta hates me.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

it shouldnt be a deal breaker but its an inconvenience, and probably importantly for most, a change of behaviour.

I remember similar arguments when we were encouraged to use a bag-4-life when going shopping and a reusable coffee cup.

 

[chickens]

 

[sparkie]

I don't think I will ever buy one.

New petrol car sales are banned after 2035, and I always buy 2nd hand.

My plan is to stop driving in 2043 at the absolute latest so I should just about be able to miss having an EV.

I do wonder what the state of the batteries will be in 2nd hand EV cars - I suspect it'll be quite a lottery.

 

[ElectricNaz]

I'm not sure.

We have a car scheme at work and I'm thinking about leasing a Cupra Born. Something like 362mi range and it's £349 a month all in after tax benefits, including insurance and servicing. I think that's pretty reasonable.

Very tempting as all I really need is to make sure I have 200mi range for Brighton games without needing to faff around with charging at a public charge point on the way back. Even on a very cold day the 362mi range should be enough to not get range anxiety I think?

Basically any financial decision like that is on hold until after we remortgage at the end of next year, but I'm not actually against them anymore. I was at first many years ago when their range was more like 160/180miles.

 

[chickens]

I don't think I will ever buy one.

New petrol car sales are banned after 2035, and I always buy 2nd hand.

My plan is to stop driving in 2043 at the absolute latest so I should just about be able to miss having an EV.

I do wonder what the state of the batteries will be in 2nd hand EV cars - I suspect it'll be quite a lottery.

Battery health is measurable, and most places will provide a battery test certificate on request that details current capacity vs original capacity.

It won’t be a lottery, a car with good battery health will just have a higher resale value than a car with poor battery health.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

it shouldnt be a deal breaker but its an inconvenience, and probably importantly for most, a change of behaviour. once people just accept a weekly, bi-weekly, or daily trip to the municiple charge park, they'll settle into it, might see a new social movement around it. they can talk about the rising cost of road pricing and spot electricity prices over a coffee

Over time I think it will become socially unacceptable to drive a petrol car. You see a person carrying a disposable coffee cup with s plastic lid, and not a £25 bamboo reusable one , hand crafted by a peasant in Borneo, you cannot help but sneer. It will be the same with motor vehicles.

 

[Commander]

More or less it’s 100 yards away, just pop in and out in a few minutes, if I had to find a charging point I would have to drive in the hope of finding one nearby and hope someone else was not using it. I would then be hanging around for ages waiting it to charge and paying a fortune compared with overnight home charging. So until it becomes more practical for someone in my situation l’m out.

NSC / the human race in a nutshell.

"I wouldn't get one because there aren't enough chargers".

"There are plenty of chargers and the app shows you exactly where they are and even if they are currently in use".

"I'd have to drive in the hope of finding one nearby and hope someone else was not using it".

People just hear what they want to hear.

 

[beorhthelm]

Over time I think it will become socially unacceptable to drive a petrol car. You see a person carrying a disposable coffee cup with s plastic lid, and not a £25 bamboo reusable one , hand crafted by a peasant in Borneo, you cannot help but sneer. It will be the same with motor vehicles.

you'll definately be able to tell the middle classes, with their home chargers or time to spend at the charge park, from the hoi poloi with their old school petrol burners.

 

[Bozza]

I'm not sure.

We have a car scheme at work and I'm thinking about leasing a Cupra Born. Something like 362mi range and it's £349 a month all in after tax benefits, including insurance and servicing. I think that's pretty reasonable.

Very tempting as all I really need is to make sure I have 200mi range for Brighton games without needing to faff around with charging at a public charge point on the way back. Even on a very cold day the 362mi range should be enough to not get range anxiety I think?

Basically any financial decision like that is on hold until after we remortgage at the end of next year, but I'm not actually against them anymore. I was at first many years ago when their range was more like 160/180miles.

You'll probably be OK.

The stated manufacturer ranges are WLTP which don't really reflect real-world usage. This site gives a predicted range of 200 miles for motorway use in cold weather:

CUPRA Born 77 kWh e-Boost

All details and specs of the CUPRA Born 77 kWh e-Boost (2022-2024). Compare price, lease, real-world range and consumption of every electric vehicle.

ev-database.org

 

[nicko31]

Battery health is measurable, and most places will provide a battery test certificate on request that details current capacity vs original capacity.

It won’t be a lottery, a car with good battery health will just have a higher resale value than a car with poor battery health.

It used to be a big issue, but degradation is negligible now.

The motors don’t degrade though, the ones in ICE cars usually lose a bit of power when they have a big of leg on them.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

you'll definately be able to tell the middle classes, with their home chargers or time to spend at the charge park, from the hoi poloi with their old school petrol burners.

Electric cars are quite literally a vehicle for inverted snobbery. Thinking about this further, where can I buy one?

 

[Bozza]

Electric cars are quite literally a vehicle for inverted snobbery. Thinking about this further, where can I buy one?

Not Stoke?

 

[chickens]

I do find it fascinating that we seem to have already gone past the tipping point, with the “yes/already have one” vote marginally ahead of the “no” vote.

The only word of warning I’d give re: electric is probably better to lease/PCP than buy outright, unless going for older sub-£10k cars.

This is because battery technology is making leaps and bounds atm, MG have already said they’ll have a solid state battery available by the end of 2025, with Mercedes and others claiming they’ll have solid state batteries in place by 2030.

Once models with these faster charging, higher range batteries are out there, existing models will be perceived as less desirable, with solid state charging taking 10 minutes 10% to 80%, as opposed to existing batteries 30 minutes for the same charge level.

 

[Flounce]

Over time I think it will become socially unacceptable to drive a petrol car. You see a person carrying a disposable coffee cup with s plastic lid, and not a £25 bamboo reusable one , hand crafted by a peasant in Borneo, you cannot help but sneer. It will be the same with motor vehicles.

I sneer when I see anyone walking along with any sort of coffee cup

Make and drink your coffee before you leave home or when you get where you’re going.

NOBODY is that busy that they have to drink it on the go, just get up 10 mins earlier

 

[Guinness Boy]

But that's my point. I popped up to Holmbush earlier and saw a BP Pulse sign. I followed it around and there's a bank of 50kW chargers in the M&S car park. Pop to the shops/cafe and potentially charge your car for the week. A charger outside your house would be great but it's not essential.

Like I said before, how many drivers have a fuel station outside their front door?

But you'd surely agree the best way to get EV take up is to make them much more cheap and convenient than they are now, rather than brow beating people on tight budgets or schedules?

 

[Flounce]

I do find it fascinating that we seem to have already gone past the tipping point, with the “yes/already have one” vote marginally ahead of the “no” vote.

The only word of warning I’d give re: electric is probably better to lease/PCP than buy outright, unless going for older sub-£10k cars.

This is because battery technology is making leaps and bounds atm, MG have already said they’ll have a solid state battery available by the end of 2025, with Mercedes and others claiming they’ll have solid state batteries in place by 2030.

Once models with these faster charging, higher range batteries are out there, existing models will be perceived as less desirable, with solid state charging taking 10 minutes 10% to 80%, as opposed to existing batteries 30 minutes for the same charge level.

Except the poll assumes you have the money to buy or lease one, (where you throw away money and end up with nothing). Most of the country is not in the position to do so at the moment, imo.

I am genuinely surprised that only .9% don’t drive and don’t want to. I thought young people, especially those living in cities, cycled, walked, caught a bus or took an Uber.