EV are they worth it?

[ericmark]

I think that's the same as your No. 1 above? A plug-in hybrid.

No the local Vet has type 1) and in the main the petrol engine does not run, at any speed or load, however if she is contemplating a long run, over the capacity of the battery, she can select for the motor to cut in so extending her range.

With type 2B the battery is often not big enough to allow high speed or other high load like going up hill without the motor cutting in, so it cuts in automatic and the driver has little control as to when the battery cuts in.

he said that he always gets cars on lease-hire

If I did high mileage that would seem a good idea, but I filled my car two months ago, and still half full, when I do want to go on holiday however then I have high mileage, considering Germany latter this year for a wedding, so a few 1000 mile, we will stop likely in Belgium on the way, but hard enough to find a hotel without also trying to find one with charging.

 

[IT Minion]

I have high mileage, considering Germany latter this year for a wedding, so a few 1000 mile, we will stop likely in Belgium on the way, but hard enough to find a hotel without also trying to find one with charging.

It's a filter option on Booking.com and I believe every other hotel finding website.

 

[Avocet]

No the local Vet has type 1) and in the main the petrol engine does not run, at any speed or load, however if she is contemplating a long run, over the capacity of the battery, she can select for the motor to cut in so extending her range.

You mean her car can't be plugged into the mains to charge? I wasn't really sure what you meant by "charged independently" in your previous post? Ford tend to have a lot of selectable charging regimes, like I think you're describing, but the car will always override them if it thinks it's best. In other words, if she's set it to run on battery-only, and she's tanking down the motorway in it such that the car thinks the battery level is getting too low, it will just fire up its engine anyway. It won't just let her grind to a halt.

With type 2B the battery is often not big enough to allow high speed or other high load like going up hill without the motor cutting in, so it cuts in automatic and the driver has little control as to when the battery cuts in.

Again, I was taking "charging independently" to mean that you could plug it in?

If I did high mileage that would seem a good idea, but I filled my car two months ago, and still half full, when I do want to go on holiday however then I have high mileage, considering Germany latter this year for a wedding, so a few 1000 mile, we will stop likely in Belgium on the way, but hard enough to find a hotel without also trying to find one with charging.

Might be easier than you think, these days. As IT Minion says, lots of European countries are really starting to get their act together now on EVs. I wouldn't think twice about taking mine to Germany. I might still struggle in Poland, or Southern Italy, or some of the lest touristy bits of Spain, but I'd be quite happy in France, Germany and the Low Countries.

 

[mointainwalker]

It's a filter option on Booking.com and I believe every other hotel finding website.

Rather unlikely from my own experience - not EV charging - that you can expect completely accurate information.


"Might be easier than you think, these days. As IT Minion says, lots of European countries are really starting to get their act together now on EVs. I wouldn't think twice about taking mine to Germany. I might still struggle in Poland, or Southern Italy, or some of the lest touristy bits of Spain, but I'd be quite happy in France, Germany and the Low Countries."

Might be harder than you believe . I Iive in an immensely touristy area, but only in the skiing season, and the local web-site frequently moans that charging points are in parking-areas that are locked -up seven months of the year. This would cover a very large area geographically. My comment only refers to my own area, but I can easily believe that it translates to many others.

 

[securespark]

My personal thoughts on EV cars are that they are brilliant but catastrophically flawed in that they have a battery that has to be charged by the end user. This is also a battery that will degrade and render the car useless before the rest of it's components are worn out.

Have you seen that video of a geezer who has a fleet of MG5s? One has recently topped 100K and has remarkably little WaT. The car has just had its third set of tyres, which have been predicted to last until 147K.

He is well-chuffed.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Of course, once you're out on a long run and using fast (over 50kW) public chargers, you're nearer 80p per kWh, so the same full tank would cost me 80 x 0.8 = £64. Not bad for a full tank, but remember, that's only 300 miles at best, so actually a fair bit more than a diesel and a little more than a petrol of similar performance. However, like most people, the vast majority of the trips I do, are under 300 miles.

So, EVs not suitable/economic for maybe 50% of car drivers who don't have a driveway. That's quite a lot of people.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Obviously, that won't take me as far as a full tank in a typical ICE, (maybe only 300 miles at best),

What is the range in winter?

 

[ReganAndCarter]

600 miles in an EV this weekend.

No big deal...

Journey would only taken half a day in an ICE.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

i was looking for a 2nd hand ev 6 months ago...the prices for 2nd ev's has fallen massive. people arent as confident buying one without warrenty. in general all 2nd hand prices are down but EV's have been hit very hard.

Problem is people and dealers have no way of assessing health of the battery. With an ICE you can see from mileage and service history how a car has been used. But all used EVs are not equal. If one has lived in warm climes and been fast charged a lot, the battery will have degraded a lot compared to one used in Northern Europe and slow charged at home. The used values just reflect people's lack of confidence in the vehicles out there. Unless manus put a battery condition meter, etc on the dash next to odometer, uncertainty will reign

 

[JohnD]

So, EVs not suitable/economic for maybe 5o% of car drivers whi don't have a driveway. That's quite a lot of people.

There are also a lot of people whose daily drive is not much. I have an idea most drivers do less than 100 miles a day, and many less than 50. I think my daily commute has never been more than 120 miles a day ( though weekly commutes have been far more) so the only thing putting me off an EV or PIH was the much higher purchase price. I calculated that even if I kept the vehicle for ten years, and used solar panels on sunny days, I would never save enough on fuel to cover the difference.

 

[JohnD]

Even less than I thought

Average Car Mileage UK (2023)

How much ground does the average British driver cover each year? We've run the numbers to understand how typical mileage changes for purposes like commuting and business, as well as differences between petrol and diesel cars.

www.nimblefins.co.uk

 

[ReganAndCarter]

remarkably little WaT.

WaT?
What?

 

[ReganAndCarter]

so the only thing putting me off an EV or PIH was the much higher purchase price. I calculated that even if I kept the vehicle for ten years, and used solar panels on sunny days, I would never save enough on fuel to cover the difference.

This is true with lots of green tech. So often people get sucked into doing the right thing and spending big thinking they may also save a bit long term. I've seen semis with simple, good working gas boiler ripped out, the £15 to £20 thou of heat pump, LL headers, recovery system, pumps, bigger rads, new hw cylinder, beefed up insulation, etc, etc, etc. Yes, their house is now as warm as it was before it had the controls and systems akin to the Apollo 9 space control room - but they save nothing. Some have higher bills..

 

[Avocet]

So, EVs not suitable/economic for maybe 50% of car drivers who don't have a driveway. That's quite a lot of people.

No, across the country as a whole most homes have a driveway or off-street parking. There are solutions for on-street parking starting to emerge, but more work needs to be done in that regard.

 

[Avocet]

What is the range in winter?

Maybe 240 miles.