Why did you buy BEV?
Poll: Why did you buy BEV?
Total Members Polled: 91
Discussion
I'm not sure why I bought my i3; it was an impulse thing really.
Having had it over a month now, my only regret is not switching sooner.
June was my first full month and according to the app I used 201 kWh @ 4.5p ~ less than a tenner for nearly 1,000 miles. My drive is less stressful and relaxed, plus I can stealthily sneak into work carpark unnoticed - which is nice.
Having had it over a month now, my only regret is not switching sooner.
June was my first full month and according to the app I used 201 kWh @ 4.5p ~ less than a tenner for nearly 1,000 miles. My drive is less stressful and relaxed, plus I can stealthily sneak into work carpark unnoticed - which is nice.
A combination of nearly all the above. Calm and quiet ride with no gear changes, not producing fossil-fuel emissions[1], much cheaper to run for my travel profile (25k km/year and off-street parking and easy charging at both houses.) Also ~480hp/4 secs 0-100 km/h is plenty fast enough.
That said, it took my previous vehicle (a MY2009 3 litre V6 diesel Audi with >300k kms) becoming very expensive to get through the Swiss roadworthiness test, to convince me to take the plunge. Really should have done it a year earlier.
[1] And before people start wittering on about oil/coal/gas-fired power stations, my local electrons are purely hydro-sourced from a flow-through dam on the Rhône. So even 'greener' than retention dams up in the nearby Alps which contains billions of tonnes of concrete and do damage the local flora/fauna. OK, occasional French ones are of nuclear origin, but still probably better in terms of climate change than oil/gas/coal.
That said, it took my previous vehicle (a MY2009 3 litre V6 diesel Audi with >300k kms) becoming very expensive to get through the Swiss roadworthiness test, to convince me to take the plunge. Really should have done it a year earlier.
[1] And before people start wittering on about oil/coal/gas-fired power stations, my local electrons are purely hydro-sourced from a flow-through dam on the Rhône. So even 'greener' than retention dams up in the nearby Alps which contains billions of tonnes of concrete and do damage the local flora/fauna. OK, occasional French ones are of nuclear origin, but still probably better in terms of climate change than oil/gas/coal.
Edited by Michael_B on Friday 9th July 15:36
Got our e-golf used as we needed a replacement city car runabout for the missis, and it was a bargain. Has been excellent, has good performance, is much better to drive than its ICE equivalent, costs nothing to run, and not having to visit sketchy city filling stations anymore is good safety benefit.
No longer needed the SMax bus, so went for a Kona 64Kw EV over 2 years ago.
Many of the reasons above came into play.
We already have solar panels, so getting the most out of those....the drive is very smooth and accelerates like the best hot hatch I ever had as a youngster (Mitsubishi Colt Turbo, fyi ;-))
Still have my XC60 for tip runs and when we need to go long distances with no long fill-up breaks (eg, ski run to Les Arcs), but given the choice, we always use the Kona. Absolutely love it! Adaptive cruise makes longer journeys easy-peasy, seats are pretty decent (heated and cooled)
We do around 1k miles per month, some free solar otherwise mostly Octopus Energy at 5p/kWh.....the car does about 4miles/Kw, so about 80 miles for a quid....clearly there is a big up-front cost, but nevertheless it is quite satisfying!
Many of the reasons above came into play.
We already have solar panels, so getting the most out of those....the drive is very smooth and accelerates like the best hot hatch I ever had as a youngster (Mitsubishi Colt Turbo, fyi ;-))
Still have my XC60 for tip runs and when we need to go long distances with no long fill-up breaks (eg, ski run to Les Arcs), but given the choice, we always use the Kona. Absolutely love it! Adaptive cruise makes longer journeys easy-peasy, seats are pretty decent (heated and cooled)
We do around 1k miles per month, some free solar otherwise mostly Octopus Energy at 5p/kWh.....the car does about 4miles/Kw, so about 80 miles for a quid....clearly there is a big up-front cost, but nevertheless it is quite satisfying!
Did it purely for tax reasons.
Ended up enjoying the car for its comfort, quietness and overall general abilities; but it isn't involving in any way (apart from the odd occasion when I start worrying about range).
Wouldn't do it again in a hurry by choice, and breaking my lease and going back to ICE as quickly as I can.
I think neither the cars nor the infratsructure are good enough yet - though the situation for both is fast moving, and in the correct direction.
I am not anti-EV (in fact quite the opposite - I really wanted to like it), and I accept that in ten years we will probably all have them, but I did not find it the promised land that others have.
As a footnote, I have also found that, in spite of changing electricity providers to Octopus, my usage (and therefore bills) have shot up markedly.
Ended up enjoying the car for its comfort, quietness and overall general abilities; but it isn't involving in any way (apart from the odd occasion when I start worrying about range).
Wouldn't do it again in a hurry by choice, and breaking my lease and going back to ICE as quickly as I can.
I think neither the cars nor the infratsructure are good enough yet - though the situation for both is fast moving, and in the correct direction.
I am not anti-EV (in fact quite the opposite - I really wanted to like it), and I accept that in ten years we will probably all have them, but I did not find it the promised land that others have.
As a footnote, I have also found that, in spite of changing electricity providers to Octopus, my usage (and therefore bills) have shot up markedly.
distinctivedesign said:
Did it purely for tax reasons.
Ended up enjoying the car for its comfort, quietness and overall general abilities; but it isn't involving in any way (apart from the odd occasion when I start worrying about range).
Wouldn't do it again in a hurry by choice, and breaking my lease and going back to ICE as quickly as I can.
I think neither the cars nor the infratsructure are good enough yet - though the situation for both is fast moving, and in the correct direction.
I am not anti-EV (in fact quite the opposite - I really wanted to like it), and I accept that in ten years we will probably all have them, but I did not find it the promised land that others have.
As a footnote, I have also found that, in spite of changing electricity providers to Octopus, my usage (and therefore bills) have shot up markedly.
I agree that the infrastructure is still a little way off.....for us, not a problem, pretty well ALL our charging is at home. I think that is critical to those who drive high miles.Ended up enjoying the car for its comfort, quietness and overall general abilities; but it isn't involving in any way (apart from the odd occasion when I start worrying about range).
Wouldn't do it again in a hurry by choice, and breaking my lease and going back to ICE as quickly as I can.
I think neither the cars nor the infratsructure are good enough yet - though the situation for both is fast moving, and in the correct direction.
I am not anti-EV (in fact quite the opposite - I really wanted to like it), and I accept that in ten years we will probably all have them, but I did not find it the promised land that others have.
As a footnote, I have also found that, in spite of changing electricity providers to Octopus, my usage (and therefore bills) have shot up markedly.
Also understand the 'not involving' comment - that is often levelled at EVs from all vendors. For my part, I find the silence, comfort & tech far outweighs that, although I've never been a racing driver!
A little surprised by your last point though!
In the 2 years we've been with Octopus, our monthly energy bill has resolutely remained the same (actually took a little cash out as we were too much in credit) - so our 22k miles have technically been free motoring!
(of course this was buoyed by the fact their Go Tariff was clearly better than the one we had with our previous company, GNE).
I needed a new car and had a surplus of funds in my little consultancy business. So tax reasons combined with needing a new car made a Tesla almost unavoidable.
I would also add that I'm extremely pleased I did. I have petrol cars too, but for a daily barouche, the Tesla is hard to beat.
I would also add that I'm extremely pleased I did. I have petrol cars too, but for a daily barouche, the Tesla is hard to beat.
distinctivedesign said:
Did it purely for tax reasons.
Ended up enjoying the car for its comfort, quietness and overall general abilities; but it isn't involving in any way (apart from the odd occasion when I start worrying about range).
Wouldn't do it again in a hurry by choice, and breaking my lease and going back to ICE as quickly as I can.
I think neither the cars nor the infratsructure are good enough yet - though the situation for both is fast moving, and in the correct direction.
I am not anti-EV (in fact quite the opposite - I really wanted to like it), and I accept that in ten years we will probably all have them, but I did not find it the promised land that others have.
As a footnote, I have also found that, in spite of changing electricity providers to Octopus, my usage (and therefore bills) have shot up markedly.
You were very positive about the car on another thread less than a month ago and appear to only be covering around 250 miles a month so what changed? Do you think an ICE Audi SUV would be any more involving?Ended up enjoying the car for its comfort, quietness and overall general abilities; but it isn't involving in any way (apart from the odd occasion when I start worrying about range).
Wouldn't do it again in a hurry by choice, and breaking my lease and going back to ICE as quickly as I can.
I think neither the cars nor the infratsructure are good enough yet - though the situation for both is fast moving, and in the correct direction.
I am not anti-EV (in fact quite the opposite - I really wanted to like it), and I accept that in ten years we will probably all have them, but I did not find it the promised land that others have.
As a footnote, I have also found that, in spite of changing electricity providers to Octopus, my usage (and therefore bills) have shot up markedly.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
And you bill has probably shot up because you are barely using the off peak rate due to such low mileage in the EV and are paying more in standing charges and peak use the rest of the time?
Edited by SWoll on Friday 9th July 22:51
My reasons are very similar to others here. Went for an i3 REX.
Long time hot hatch fan and love their practicality and performance, but here in the US, your choices are somewhat limited. Finding a Golf GTI that is unmolested is pretty difficult, and other options are at the more extreme end of the market (and pricing). Also, lots of local driving in and around my local city and the nearby ones - so an electric car makes a lot of financial sense, even if PG&E (the local energy company) is super expensive and petrol is cheap. We had an Evoque, but that struggled to get 15 MPG for some of the trips we were doing and ending up with a final energy bill that's 1/3 of the petrol one is nice.
The i3 is a neat little design with practicality and space with a small footprint. Performance is good and it drives very well. Why not? I do like the idea that I am saving money across the board, such as servicing and fuel costs, but I do worry that those that can't afford a more modern car are stuck with some mid-90's SUV with a V8 - might sound nice, but those old Tahoe's and Explorers / Expeditions will struggle to get 12 MPG and around town you are into high single digit numbers! A large percentage of the population are just cut out of the options!
Anyway, additionally most EV's come with advanced connected capabilities such as pre-cooling, send destination and so on. Yes, you can get those features on other cars, but the i3 is one of only a handful of cars that you can get these features AND has a hatchback AND cloth seats!!! As much as leather can be nice, in 40 C heat, they suck....
Then there is the performance - quick, easy and simple to drive. Instant power and they make a great car to blast around in. Not the pinnacle of handling or interaction, but almost all are a great 6/10th car to drive! So a tick for performance too.
Finally, if I can assist in reducing localized pollution, that's great, not a primary thing. However, I do get to use the express and car pool lanes for free, which is well worth it in rush hour in a major city. Oh, and I like the idea of recycling of an EV (or other car) at the end of its effective life. BMW does a good job with the i3 and others have implemented programs also.
Long time hot hatch fan and love their practicality and performance, but here in the US, your choices are somewhat limited. Finding a Golf GTI that is unmolested is pretty difficult, and other options are at the more extreme end of the market (and pricing). Also, lots of local driving in and around my local city and the nearby ones - so an electric car makes a lot of financial sense, even if PG&E (the local energy company) is super expensive and petrol is cheap. We had an Evoque, but that struggled to get 15 MPG for some of the trips we were doing and ending up with a final energy bill that's 1/3 of the petrol one is nice.
The i3 is a neat little design with practicality and space with a small footprint. Performance is good and it drives very well. Why not? I do like the idea that I am saving money across the board, such as servicing and fuel costs, but I do worry that those that can't afford a more modern car are stuck with some mid-90's SUV with a V8 - might sound nice, but those old Tahoe's and Explorers / Expeditions will struggle to get 12 MPG and around town you are into high single digit numbers! A large percentage of the population are just cut out of the options!
Anyway, additionally most EV's come with advanced connected capabilities such as pre-cooling, send destination and so on. Yes, you can get those features on other cars, but the i3 is one of only a handful of cars that you can get these features AND has a hatchback AND cloth seats!!! As much as leather can be nice, in 40 C heat, they suck....
Then there is the performance - quick, easy and simple to drive. Instant power and they make a great car to blast around in. Not the pinnacle of handling or interaction, but almost all are a great 6/10th car to drive! So a tick for performance too.
Finally, if I can assist in reducing localized pollution, that's great, not a primary thing. However, I do get to use the express and car pool lanes for free, which is well worth it in rush hour in a major city. Oh, and I like the idea of recycling of an EV (or other car) at the end of its effective life. BMW does a good job with the i3 and others have implemented programs also.
So I probably needed to spend some tax money and it was all a bit last minute a few weeks ago with a year end June.
I started to look at electric cars foe the mrs to replace the old 2009 family wagon smax to ferry the kids to school so I was looking at Niro’s and the like then stumbled across the new release enyaq. Few calls and a trip to my local and I was in one a day later surprising. However upon my travels I also came across a etron.
Do you know doing man math in the yard with tax saving included I jumped out of a 2011 Range Rover vogue se 4.4 with 13 k into a 82 k etron for a net cost of about £140 a month on pcp. The saving in fuel, tax, rfl, depreciation and ongoing heavy maintainance costs. That was eye opening and thus I now have two electric cars and really enjoy the ride. I would much rather a electric Range Rover but not to be yet.
There is a fairly nice feeling knowing there’s no emissions being emitted . The other day we had a worker in the yard and he had some lunch and made some calls. Jumped in his van, started his engine and sat there with it running for a hour. It does make you think.
Anyhow I am now going a a bit ott and looking into a taycan cross turismo
I started to look at electric cars foe the mrs to replace the old 2009 family wagon smax to ferry the kids to school so I was looking at Niro’s and the like then stumbled across the new release enyaq. Few calls and a trip to my local and I was in one a day later surprising. However upon my travels I also came across a etron.
Do you know doing man math in the yard with tax saving included I jumped out of a 2011 Range Rover vogue se 4.4 with 13 k into a 82 k etron for a net cost of about £140 a month on pcp. The saving in fuel, tax, rfl, depreciation and ongoing heavy maintainance costs. That was eye opening and thus I now have two electric cars and really enjoy the ride. I would much rather a electric Range Rover but not to be yet.
There is a fairly nice feeling knowing there’s no emissions being emitted . The other day we had a worker in the yard and he had some lunch and made some calls. Jumped in his van, started his engine and sat there with it running for a hour. It does make you think.
Anyhow I am now going a a bit ott and looking into a taycan cross turismo
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