Thinking About A New Car

[BlueLoo]

I don't understand, short trips and low mileage are the perfect conditions for an EV. No excessive emissions while the engine is warming, no waiting for the engine to warm for the heater to work, no (local) emissions in towns. If I only had short journeys and low mileage trips I would definitely run an EV.

Short trips and low mileage are petrol territory because the cost of a petrol vehicle is far lower than the same electric.
If you do see the price delta being low, then i would agree.

Electric cars are not cheap.

 

[BlueLoo]

please explain.

Electric vehicle can go longer between rests (charges) than you can or should.

 

[BlueLoo]

I bought and then rather promptly sold a BMW i3 (it was a REX which I had to fill the tiny petrol tank every 2 days) for the simple reason that I cannot use it for my journey to and from work and I'm not stopping to charge during that journey.If I could have justified the cost, I would have loved to have kept it (for local journeys) because there is plenty to commend it (especially instant torque) but range and range anxiety and having to think about turning off my heater or driving very slowly means it was not practical for an 80 mile commute.
I fully expect battery technology to improve but most people want to use an EV in a similar way to their current dino fuel car, me included. Some of the newest electric cars might just about cope with my needs which are high speed early hours drive of motorway and unclassified roads, full use of aircon/heater etc but I will never spend more than around £13K on a car so it will be a few years before I make the switch (again).
I replaced with a BMW 320D Efficient Dynamics btw and the cost to fuel it is actually a lot cheaper given that I had to keep using the range extender on my I3. This is a car that will do over 60mpg even with the cruise set at 80mph and aircon on full tilt.
This car in Guy Martin's clip, is one that I would consider if my usage changes......

You bought a device which didn't fit the purpose because you wouldn't pay for one that would.
That isn't a fault of the technology, that is a fault of you not doing due diligence.

The same idiocy has people buying Diesel cars to do 3000m/pa with mostly short trips to the corner shop on the misunderstanding that diesels save money

 

[fixitflav]

some electric cars already have over 250miles battery endurance, which for most people is ample.

no doubt batteries will get cheaper, lighter and more powerful.

250 mile range is fine as long as you can reliably top up when you get low. Good if the government knocked heads together and ensured all the charging and payment systems were compatible.

 

[Diver Fred]

Electric vehicle can go longer between rests (charges) than you can or should.

Ah but you don't understand how the wife and travel, do you. On regular long trips - 130 miles, around 2&1/4 hours traveling time one or the other of will drive, if we have to do that as a round robin in one day one of will drive there and the other will drive back. On longer trips 300 miles+* we swop over every hour & half or so so we both remain fresh. *we have a regular trip of 7 hours duration. If we had to stop for a charge up then that 7 trip would become what? 11, 12 or more hours.

250 mile range is fine as long as you can reliably top up when you get low. Good if the government knocked heads together and ensured all the charging and payment systems were compatible.

It's not only topping up but also how long to usuably charge. When I drove mini's (at best 6 gallon tank) the range could be around 250 miles and took 10 minutes to refuel, how long will it take an electric car to charge up unless you have a Tesla and pass a 'SuperCharger' site.

 

[TimboTwo]

I get 600 miles to a tank in my VW Transporter (2.0TDI, 150PS, auto), no more than 10 mins in the fuel station, no electric vehicle can beat that. Plus have the capacity to carry all the equipment and spares that I need for my job.
I often have to travel 350 - 450 miles in a day.

 

[norseman]

It's not only topping up but also how long to usuably charge. When I drove mini's (at best 6 gallon tank) the range could be around 250 miles and took 10 minutes to refuel, how long will it take an electric car to charge up unless you have a Tesla and pass a 'SuperCharger' site.[/QUOTE]

Same applies to any ICE vehicle regardless of fuel consumption. Gas guzzlers simply have a larger fuel capacity to match the range, it might take an extra couple of minutes to fill but paying for the stuff takes the same length of time, regardless of the quantity purchased.
Both my classics have 70 & 80 litre capacity respectively & even in the unlikely event of either of them being nearly empty the time spent on the forecourt is miniscule compared to an EV charge

 

[norseman]

It's not only topping up but also how long to usuably charge. When I drove mini's (at best 6 gallon tank) the range could be around 250 miles and took 10 minutes to refuel, how long will it take an electric car to charge up unless you have a Tesla and pass a 'SuperCharger' site.[/QUOTE]

Same applies to any ICE vehicle regardless of fuel consumption. Gas guzzlers simply have a larger fuel capacity to match the range, it might take an extra couple of minutes to fill though paying for the stuff takes the same time regardless of the quantity purchased.

 

[BlueLoo]

Ah but you don't understand how the wife and travel, do you. On regular long trips - 130 miles, around 2&1/4 hours traveling time one or the other of will drive, if we have to do that as a round robin in one day one of will drive there and the other will drive back. On longer trips 300 miles+* we swop over every hour & half or so so we both remain fresh. *we have a regular trip of 7 hours duration. If we had to stop for a charge up then that 7 trip would become what? 11, 12 or more hours.



It's not only topping up but also how long to usuably charge. When I drove mini's (at best 6 gallon tank) the range could be around 250 miles and took 10 minutes to refuel, how long will it take an electric car to charge up unless you have a Tesla and pass a 'SuperCharger' site.

Well if you are doing mega miles per day, you want a large touring car with big tanks and long range.

A i10 isn't built for that anymore than a i3.

You can easily get 3hrs per stint in a modern electric car at motorway speeds. Charging can take as long a cup of coffee and then you can be off for another 3hr blitz and so on and so forth.

You buy the car to fit your median need and satisfy your outlier usage case.

 

[Old Salt]

I have just bought a convertible diesel to have some fun with in the summer to take the place of my triumph stag. Half a tank has seen 300 miles of mixed driving at a cost of less than £40 quid.

Dirty, smelly diesels, you cant beat em

 

[JohnD]

250 mile range is fine as long as you can reliably top up when you get low. Good if the government knocked heads together and ensured all the charging and payment systems were compatible.

Like the EU did with phone chargers

Let's hope the EU does it

And UK will tag along.

 

[norseman]

I have just bought a convertible diesel to have some fun with in the summer to take the place of my triumph stag. Half a tank has seen 300 miles of mixed driving at a cost of less than £40 quid.
Dirty, smelly diesels, you cant beat em

Each to his/her own.
Dependant on which of my two classics chosen for the journey I would see between £60 & £90 of E5 burnt over that same distance, but I would enjoy the ride
Can't beat 'dirty smelly diesels' ... 'oh yes you can !

 

[ReganAndCarter]

If you do short trips & low mileage, get a petrol.
Everything else, get electric.

All the others are a increasing waste of money.

Video is a bit long, but if this video is a true representation of electric car ownership, count me out. Seems like a total over complicated nightmare (touchscreen to control everything, bells going off all the time) to drive and a complete time consuming PITA to charge. Stupidly expensive too. How can long distances be possible when you might have to queue for a charge point then find it doesn't work?

 

[Burnerman]

Our local Waitrose in Hexham has 2 charge points.....one Tesla and one ordinary.
It’s not uncommon for the ordinary one to be occupied, the vehicle charged and the owner nowhere to be seen - returning at their convenience.
Great.
John

 

[BlueLoo]

Video is a bit long, but if this video is a true representation of electric car ownership, count me out. Seems like a total over complicated nightmare (touchscreen to control everything, bells going off all the time) to drive and a complete time consuming PITA to charge. Stupidly expensive too. How can long distances be possible when you might have to queue for a charge point then find it doesn't work?

He is a clueless idiot.

In truth, most people complaining about electric cars do so because they are complaining about change itself rather than anything which is relevant when taking all things into consideration.

One exception does seem to be charging points on motorways in the UK.
That's a governance thing.
I don't see any issues here in Ireland regarding same at the moment, but that will change i imagine once the cars become more popular.