'Everyone I know who bought an electric car has gone back…’
Discussion
DodgyGeezer said:
gangzoom said:
But why/would I need to do a 100 mile round trip with zero notice?
I'm been quite serious, may be my life just isn't exciting or my job not demanding enough, but I cannot remember the last time I needed to do even a 100 mile round trip with no notice?
If I knew I had a long trip planned for the day I would simply charge the car to 90% every night instead of 50%.
I did one yesterday - spur of the moment thing. "Let's go to Portsmouth" the fact that I didn't have enough petrol for a return journey didn't matter since I can get extra range in 5 minutes with little (no?) effort. I have no doubt at all that at some point in the next 10 I'll be in an electric car - if things improve, as one would hope that they will!I'm been quite serious, may be my life just isn't exciting or my job not demanding enough, but I cannot remember the last time I needed to do even a 100 mile round trip with no notice?
If I knew I had a long trip planned for the day I would simply charge the car to 90% every night instead of 50%.
TTmonkey said:
I simply can’t remember the last time I turned up a garage and the fuel pump refused to connect to my car to deliver the liquid motion lotion I needed. No stress delivery. Apart from the cost.
Would I go EV yet? Not quiet, they are pretty expensive still for the ones I’d actually desire to own. And the infra is immature and heading for an availability crunch. However, if I could have one, it would be to supplement an ICE car that I’d keep for fun. EV for the drudge, the commute, the shopping runs.
petrol sports car for fun (choice currently would be a Boxster S).
I remember fuel shortages, queuing for 15 minutes to get to a pump, broken pay at pump devices, long queues in the attached shops and even once a station where they had misfilled a tank and we got diesel rather than petrol..Would I go EV yet? Not quiet, they are pretty expensive still for the ones I’d actually desire to own. And the infra is immature and heading for an availability crunch. However, if I could have one, it would be to supplement an ICE car that I’d keep for fun. EV for the drudge, the commute, the shopping runs.
petrol sports car for fun (choice currently would be a Boxster S).
Agree though, ICE for weekends is still the best bet. Preferably something charismatic and flawed, like a Maserati 4200 or Gran Turismo, would fit the bill perfectly.
SWoll said:
TTmonkey said:
I simply can’t remember the last time I turned up a garage and the fuel pump refused to connect to my car to deliver the liquid motion lotion I needed. No stress delivery. Apart from the cost.
Would I go EV yet? Not quiet, they are pretty expensive still for the ones I’d actually desire to own. And the infra is immature and heading for an availability crunch. However, if I could have one, it would be to supplement an ICE car that I’d keep for fun. EV for the drudge, the commute, the shopping runs.
petrol sports car for fun (choice currently would be a Boxster S).
I remember fuel shortages, queuing for 15 minutes to get to a pump, broken pay at pump devices, long queues in the attached shops and even once a station where they had misfilled a tank and we got diesel rather than petrol..Would I go EV yet? Not quiet, they are pretty expensive still for the ones I’d actually desire to own. And the infra is immature and heading for an availability crunch. However, if I could have one, it would be to supplement an ICE car that I’d keep for fun. EV for the drudge, the commute, the shopping runs.
petrol sports car for fun (choice currently would be a Boxster S).
Agree though, ICE for weekends is still the best bet. Preferably something charismatic and flawed, like a Maserati 4200 or Gran Turismo, would fit the bill perfectly.
TTmonkey said:
I was trying to remember when the tanker driver strike was. Was it 20 years ago...? Time flies.
Would have been around that.I've got an 18 year old daughter and she never lived in the house we were in at the time.
I had a superb prodrive Impreza nicked during that strike. I am sure it was because they were queuing for the petrol station a few hundred yards away and could see in the path rather than speed on past
JeffreyD said:
TTmonkey said:
I was trying to remember when the tanker driver strike was. Was it 20 years ago...? Time flies.
Would have been around that.I've got an 18 year old daughter and she never lived in the house we were in at the time.
I had a superb prodrive Impreza nicked during that strike. I am sure it was because they were queuing for the petrol station a few hundred yards away and could see in the path rather than speed on past
Funnily enough also had a MY99 Impreza with PPP bits, not the best car for when getting fuel is a challenge. Liked a drink should we say..
gangzoom said:
But why/would I need to do a 100 mile round trip with zero notice?
I'm been quite serious, may be my life just isn't exciting or my job not demanding enough, but I cannot remember the last time I needed to do even a 100 mile round trip with no notice?
If I knew I had a long trip planned for the day I would simply charge the car to 90% every night instead of 50%.
Happened to me last week - dropped the two boys at school (98 mile round trip, close enough), on the way home got a call from the eldest along the lines of. “OMFG, I’ve forgotten all my maths stuff and I’ve got an exam tomorrow”. Got home, grabbed the stuff, got it to him, got home. That’s 100 miles round trip on the M40 Autobahn, so about 200 miles of actual EV range. I'm been quite serious, may be my life just isn't exciting or my job not demanding enough, but I cannot remember the last time I needed to do even a 100 mile round trip with no notice?
If I knew I had a long trip planned for the day I would simply charge the car to 90% every night instead of 50%.
Are the quoted ranges at all realistic or do you have to stick to 30-40 mph to achieve it.?
What does 80 mph on the motorway do to the range, and what about cold winter nights with heater lights a/c wipers etc all in use?
I’ve only had a PHEV and never achieved the advertised range in EV mode.
What does 80 mph on the motorway do to the range, and what about cold winter nights with heater lights a/c wipers etc all in use?
I’ve only had a PHEV and never achieved the advertised range in EV mode.
paralla said:
Seems like the last time in living memory that anyone struggled to refill their car with petrol or diesel was 21 years ago but it's quiet common for people to struggle to recharge an EV using public charging as it stands today.
Im sure the early pioneers of ICE cars had fun sourcing petrol, until the infrastructure was installed.Cliffe60 said:
Are the quoted ranges at all realistic or do you have to stick to 30-40 mph to achieve it.?
What does 80 mph on the motorway do to the range, and what about cold winter nights with heater lights a/c wipers etc all in use?
I’ve only had a PHEV and never achieved the advertised range in EV mode.
Varies as you'd imagine, including between manufacturers with some being more realistic than others.What does 80 mph on the motorway do to the range, and what about cold winter nights with heater lights a/c wipers etc all in use?
I’ve only had a PHEV and never achieved the advertised range in EV mode.
Winter seems to consistently reduce range by approx 1/3 IME due to a combination of heater use, cold battery and efficiency drop caused by wet roads etc.
Tough one to give accurate figures for TBH as so many variables than can affect it, but EV's are naturally more efficient at lower speeds as aero drag is the real killer of range.
Carwow have done a couple of useful videos on real world range.
paralla said:
Seems like the last time in living memory that anyone struggled to refill their car with petrol or diesel was 21 years ago but it's quiet common for people to struggle to recharge an EV using public charging as it stands today.
So at no point in the past 21 years have you queued at a petrol station while someone does their shopping, had issues with a pay at pump machine, stood queuing for 10 minutes in a kiosk etc?The idea that filling your tank is something that takes in total <5 minutes is BS IME, and I drove ICE for 25 years before getting an EV.
Edited by SWoll on Monday 7th June 14:42
i agree with just about everyone on here, all the points have merit.
i've owned EVs since 2014, loved them all (early i3 range aside)
charging is a pain, unless you have a tesla, then it is seamless.
i was getting 140kw@ 44% SOC the other day. 573miles/hr - lightning quick charging...
I'm kidderminster area, in the last few weeks ive been liverpool and back, london and back, betws-y-coed and back, exmouth and back. I don't hang around either, 80-85 on the m/way. the occasional tickle on the return leg to make sure i get home with plenty of range. it works perfectly....
but that doesn't scale to every person/car/home.
however, i have faith in the charge networks to scale up efficiently at the right time so when 2030 comes, we will all wonder what the big worry was.
just chill, it'll be ok!
i've owned EVs since 2014, loved them all (early i3 range aside)
charging is a pain, unless you have a tesla, then it is seamless.
i was getting 140kw@ 44% SOC the other day. 573miles/hr - lightning quick charging...
I'm kidderminster area, in the last few weeks ive been liverpool and back, london and back, betws-y-coed and back, exmouth and back. I don't hang around either, 80-85 on the m/way. the occasional tickle on the return leg to make sure i get home with plenty of range. it works perfectly....
but that doesn't scale to every person/car/home.
however, i have faith in the charge networks to scale up efficiently at the right time so when 2030 comes, we will all wonder what the big worry was.
just chill, it'll be ok!
I wouldn't got back from an EV daily driver to an ICE car.
Its cheaper and a nicer driving experience for day to day journeys.
I am 1400 miles into leasing an ID3 and so far we have spent less than £60 on charging (between home and public), thats a saving of £150 compared to diesel. Its cheaper to insure £250, and tax £0, although you do have to consider the cost of home chargers etc..
round town its better in every way than any auto I've ever driven, and the motorway too. Would I take it on a B road blast round my local roads no - but I have a 911 for that ;-)
Public charging is marginally more inconvenient than using petrol station forecourts, but on a recent journey to London I stopped for 6 mins to get enough juice for the last section of the journey from a 125kw charger, I recharged fully later at home.
I realise that crossing the continent in one go is going to be a bit more inconvenient than in an ICE car with a 500 mile range, but that is the only use case that is for us, and that is a once every 2 year event. Most days we go to work (140 miles round trip for me) the shops or on holiday in the UK and we have had 0 problems so far.
I appreciate that urban dwellers with no driveway will need local authorities to fully address near the home charging, but London has progressed well in this area, the Ubitiricity network is good. I am sure others will vary but I was always able to find a charger within a short walk of where I was staying, no more difficult than public parking in London really. Once other areas get on top of this issue it will be much easier to own an EV if you have no driveway.
Its cheaper and a nicer driving experience for day to day journeys.
I am 1400 miles into leasing an ID3 and so far we have spent less than £60 on charging (between home and public), thats a saving of £150 compared to diesel. Its cheaper to insure £250, and tax £0, although you do have to consider the cost of home chargers etc..
round town its better in every way than any auto I've ever driven, and the motorway too. Would I take it on a B road blast round my local roads no - but I have a 911 for that ;-)
Public charging is marginally more inconvenient than using petrol station forecourts, but on a recent journey to London I stopped for 6 mins to get enough juice for the last section of the journey from a 125kw charger, I recharged fully later at home.
I realise that crossing the continent in one go is going to be a bit more inconvenient than in an ICE car with a 500 mile range, but that is the only use case that is for us, and that is a once every 2 year event. Most days we go to work (140 miles round trip for me) the shops or on holiday in the UK and we have had 0 problems so far.
I appreciate that urban dwellers with no driveway will need local authorities to fully address near the home charging, but London has progressed well in this area, the Ubitiricity network is good. I am sure others will vary but I was always able to find a charger within a short walk of where I was staying, no more difficult than public parking in London really. Once other areas get on top of this issue it will be much easier to own an EV if you have no driveway.
Edited by djglover on Monday 7th June 14:59
Greg_D said:
i agree with just about everyone on here, all the points have merit.
i've owned EVs since 2014, loved them all (early i3 range aside)
charging is a pain, unless you have a tesla, then it is seamless.
i was getting 140kw@ 44% SOC the other day. 573miles/hr - lightning quick charging...
I'm kidderminster area, in the last few weeks ive been liverpool and back, london and back, betws-y-coed and back, exmouth and back. I don't hang around either, 80-85 on the m/way. the occasional tickle on the return leg to make sure i get home with plenty of range. it works perfectly....
but that doesn't scale to every person/car/home.
however, i have faith in the charge networks to scale up efficiently at the right time so when 2030 comes, we will all wonder what the big worry was.
just chill, it'll be ok!
The obsession with 2030 I don't get either. You'll still be able to buy new PHEV's until 2035, and run used ICE/PHEV beyond that point so EV take-up will increase but it's not like every car on the road will be electric any time soon, or even the majority? i've owned EVs since 2014, loved them all (early i3 range aside)
charging is a pain, unless you have a tesla, then it is seamless.
i was getting 140kw@ 44% SOC the other day. 573miles/hr - lightning quick charging...
I'm kidderminster area, in the last few weeks ive been liverpool and back, london and back, betws-y-coed and back, exmouth and back. I don't hang around either, 80-85 on the m/way. the occasional tickle on the return leg to make sure i get home with plenty of range. it works perfectly....
but that doesn't scale to every person/car/home.
however, i have faith in the charge networks to scale up efficiently at the right time so when 2030 comes, we will all wonder what the big worry was.
just chill, it'll be ok!
SWoll said:
So at no point in the past 21 years have you queued at a petrol station while someone does their shopping, had issues with a pay at pump machine, stood queuing for 10 minutes in a kiosk etc?
The idea that filling your tank is something that takes in total <5 minutes is BS IME, and I drove ICE for 25 years before getting an EV.
I have, coming back from the South of France on a busy holiday weekend, we had to queue for 40 minutes at a motorway services. It was an inconvenience mitigated by the fact that each car in front of us was filled and gone in 5 (10 if I'm being generous) minutes rather than a disaster if each car in front was queuing for a fast charger and taking 45 minutes.The idea that filling your tank is something that takes in total <5 minutes is BS IME, and I drove ICE for 25 years before getting an EV.
Edited by SWoll on Monday 7th June 14:42
SWoll said:
The obsession with 2030 I don't get either. You'll still be able to buy new PHEV's until 2035, and run used ICE/PHEV beyond that point so EV take-up will increase but it's not like every car on the road will be electric any time soon, or even the majority?
in a worst case senario you will be able to take a 2029 engine and gearbox (or one of your choice) and build a kit car/recreation to your specification, so even for die hard petrol heads there will be options rxe said:
gangzoom said:
But why/would I need to do a 100 mile round trip with zero notice?
I'm been quite serious, may be my life just isn't exciting or my job not demanding enough, but I cannot remember the last time I needed to do even a 100 mile round trip with no notice?
If I knew I had a long trip planned for the day I would simply charge the car to 90% every night instead of 50%.
Happened to me last week - dropped the two boys at school (98 mile round trip, close enough), on the way home got a call from the eldest along the lines of. “OMFG, I’ve forgotten all my maths stuff and I’ve got an exam tomorrow”. Got home, grabbed the stuff, got it to him, got home. That’s 100 miles round trip on the M40 Autobahn, so about 200 miles of actual EV range. I'm been quite serious, may be my life just isn't exciting or my job not demanding enough, but I cannot remember the last time I needed to do even a 100 mile round trip with no notice?
If I knew I had a long trip planned for the day I would simply charge the car to 90% every night instead of 50%.
(and whilst he was stewing about it, i'd have been dropping in on one of the many fast chargers on or just off the M40 and in about 30min been good to take his forgotten homework to him.....)
100 mile charge is 15 mins on ultra rapid, admittedly if you haven't got one near you or you haven't researched where they are it could be a pain. I live in a small town and there are 4 50kw rapid chargers, so worst case is a 30 min charge. But this type of scenario is mitigated by having home charging, so you almost always have a full battery, unless you've just returned from another long journey.
People will continue to put forward the most awkward or rare use cases as a reason not to go for EV.
People will continue to put forward the most awkward or rare use cases as a reason not to go for EV.
Edited by djglover on Monday 7th June 16:33
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