Will you be an EV enthusiast?

[TheRainMaker]

Can't see myself being an EV enthusiast, the same way I wasn't a diesel enthusiast.

[Longy00000]

Got our first EV almost a year ago and I can't say I'm an enthusiast and I'm very much a petrol head.
I like the EV and its comfortable quiet and as cheap as chips to run. Our overnight tariff is costing us about £2 for 100 miles so way cheaper than petrol and the tariff has gone up twice it used to cost about £1.10.
I'm.just not that enthusiastic about it. I've driven many EVs and they all leave me feeling the same about them. Very functional and efficient so not much to complain about BUT no drama or engagement either.
A friend of mine booked a top of the range tesla to test for an afternoon and after he floored it from a standstill several times he was left thinking well is that it and couldn't see where all the money was or understand why he would want one. He too felt no engagement so bought another Mercedes ice.
They certainly have a place and maybe the younger generations who will know no difference will grow to love them as we have loved our V6s. V8s and v12s

[Olibol]

I’ve had a Tesla for over a year. I think it’s a great car, but not a particularly fun one. No more so than a 3 Series for instance. I’ve struggled to find a fun EV, but I think the Mini SE fits the bill pretty well and will suit me as a fun car until something more exciting comes along.

I’ve always been a car enthusiast, but I’m also a planet and children enthusiast, so happy to swap a bit of noise and smell for a cleaner conscience. I’ve no regrets, but I do look forward to a richer choice of cheaper, simpler and more entertaining EVs. MG’s sub 4 second electric MX5 equivalent is on my shopping list next year.

[BorkBorkBork]

EV’s are in their infancy. And they are largely utility vehicles. Porsche will potentially change how we view them with the launch of an electric cayman platform. We’ll see.

But I’m certainly an enthusiast as far as a daily driver is concerned. Are they as emotive as ICE, no. But they are superior in every respect that matters for daily use.

These types of threads so early are really a waste of time. EV’s are progress. And we’ll see manufacturers innovate, because they have to. And I expect to see some great EV platforms in the future. And I’m looking forward to it.

[PBCD]

ChrisH72 said:

EV's still do nothing for me...


...Never driven an EV so I can't comment on that

[NMNeil]

Ardennes92 said:

It’s not just the manufacture of them though, what about the mining of the raw materials, don’t see them using renewables; plus shift 2.5 tonne of product half way around the world.

But once the materials are extracted and the EV is built, the pollution stops. With an ICE engine, it's only the beginning.
https://www.cnbc.com/2010/04/29/The-Worlds-Worst-O...

[DMZ]

BorkBorkBork said:

EV’s are in their infancy. And they are largely utility vehicles. Porsche will potentially change how we view them with the launch of an electric cayman platform. We’ll see.

But I’m certainly an enthusiast as far as a daily driver is concerned. Are they as emotive as ICE, no. But they are superior in every respect that matters for daily use.

These types of threads so early are really a waste of time. EV’s are progress. And we’ll see manufacturers innovate, because they have to. And I expect to see some great EV platforms in the future. And I’m looking forward to it.

I know it’s a gross simplification of your post but in the land of ICE, stuff doesn’t need to have a Porsche badge or look like a sports car to be considered interesting. A fast ID3 equivalent would have a following as an example even if I must say I struggle to see that happening to the ID3. There might be groups of ID Buzz’s parked up somewhere by enthusiastic owners though and maybe that tells us that cool eco friendly utilitarian/lifestyle is the future of EVs. And I would be good with that.

[chickenbarns]

ChrisH72 said:

chickenbarns said:

no one is stopping bloggs from taking a bus to work.

-CB

Unless Bloggs lives in one of the many places that isn't well served by public transport.

EV's still do nothing for me. I remember when I used to always read car mags when going shopping but I rarely bother these days. I think it's an affordability thing mostly. I've always saved up and bought my cars with cash but when dull, basic transport is starting from £30k that just seems unattainable now.

Never driven an EV so I can't comment on that but I like my cars to be simple and characterful. Manual box, nice engine note, not laden with tech etc.

wibble.

-CB

[Blib]

chickenbarns said:

wibble.

-CB

What's with the '-CB' ?

We can see who you are.

Cheers,

The Moose.

[757]

Doubt I will be.

But, tbh my enthusiasm for cars in general is waning - be it ICE or EV or whatever, I like driving in general and still see my self as a pistonheader, doesn't matter what car it is, more the freedom for me, I get more satisfaction running a shed on a shoe string budget and see how long I can go

Still like going out in my 50+ year old Beetle when I can be bothered, otherwise it just sits there for months on end.

But, my enthusiasm around cars as an enthusiast has changed as I've got older, so can't see an EV being any different.

[WestyCarl]

EV are very much in thier infancy, look how long it took to go from the model T to something more interesting for the enthusiast.

For sure there will be differances (no noise) but I still think,maybe hope, that in the coming years there will be some great drivers EV's

[LuS1fer]

WestyCarl said:

EV are very much in thier infancy, look how long it took to go from the model T to something more interesting for the enthusiast.

For sure there will be differences (no noise) but I still think,maybe hope, that in the coming years there will be some great drivers EV's

The Model T was interesting as it replaced the horse. It was also relatively cheap so most people could afford one and they sold in millions and offered motorised transport to the masses.

Affordability was key. When the Mustang launched, it sold 22000 on the first day and a million in 18 months. I don't actually know any private buyers who can afford an EV as opposed to business users.

[SWoll]

LuS1fer said:

The Model T was interesting as it replaced the horse. It was also relatively cheap so most people could afford one and they sold in millions and offered motorised transport to the masses.

Affordability was key. When the Mustang launched, it sold 22000 on the first day and a million in 18 months. I don't actually know any private buyers who can afford an EV as opposed to business users.

The affordability has taken a hammering over the past 12-18 months. At one point a Fiat 500e was £20k in basic trim and VW ID3's started at around £25k-26k. Today you can add £10k to both of those due to limited model choice and rampant inflation. Finance costs have also gone through the roof with lease costs almost doubling on certain models over the past 2 years.

Madness.

[TheDeuce]

Klippie said:

EV cars are for the favoured few that afford them, Joe Bloggs on a low income will require cheap ice cars to get to work, are there any sub £2000 EV’s for sale just now...no and never will be as the huge cost of a replacement battery pack will create piles of scrapped cars.

This push to EV is nothing more than green virtue signalling the infrastructure is no where good enough for a mass roll out of this technology never mind the affordability of the cars...it’s all bullst and people need to wake-up to see this.

Yea, of course...

No one will be able to buy an old EV for £2000, ever, because naturally the owner would rather scrap the car than sell it for £2k

Everything drops in value over time, and at some point in time a £60k car will be worth £2k. There is no moment at which an old £15k EV instantly becomes of zero value unless something major goes very wrong, just as it can with an ICE car.

Most likely some early Tesla's will sell for the low thousands at around 16-20 years old. They will still have at least half their original range which is actually more than enough for most people for 99% of their trips.

So far ten year old examples tend to have around 90% of their original range. They will easily surpass the useful life of an average ICE - without an battery replacement.

[McAndy]

An interesting post. I'll pick up on the "EV shows" part.

From my experience the shows tend to use EVs as a hook, but are actually "environmentally conscious living" shows, e.g. Fully Charged Live at Farnborough airport in the UK, and other global locations now.

I've been twice and enjoyed it both times, from both vehicular and living aspects. I'm interested in the vehicles from a "new tech; rate of change" perspective, but I'm not convinced they'll trigger an emotional response such that there'll ever be a Goodwood Revival-style event.

Just my two eco-purchase-cashback credits.

[TheDeuce]

McAndy said:

An interesting post. I'll pick up on the "EV shows" part.

From my experience the shows tend to use EVs as a hook, but are actually "environmentally conscious living" shows, e.g. Fully Charged Live at Farnborough airport in the UK, and other global locations now.

I've been twice and enjoyed it both times, from both vehicular and living aspects. I'm interested in the vehicles from a "new tech; rate of change" perspective, but I'm not convinced they'll trigger an emotional response such that there'll ever be a Goodwood Revival-style event.

Just my two eco-purchase-cashback credits.

Interesting that you mention goodwood..



I think it's fair to say the above is an example of how electric cars, whilst not being as evocative as ICE, can in terms of sheer performance create a spectacle and make people smile.




To answer the original question posed by the thread:

I've always been a enthusiast of technology in general, and a lover of nice/fun cars. So, naturally, I was an instant EV enthusiast because it was a new technology entering the world of motoring - by combining the latest battery and high speed DC motor technology, it was finally possible to make a viable electric car for the masses. It's an interesting time to be a car fan.

Are the cars themselves worthy of being passionately cherished collectors item? I can imagine in 30 years time someone being very proud of an early production Tesla Model S, the first mainstream EV. I'm sure there will be others that come along that are particularly significant in some way and will go onto become desirable collectors items.

[bigothunter]

For many years, manufacturers have been concerned that as the glamour of motoring fades so do profit margins. EVs are the next step in the trend of cars becoming mere commodities. Fully autonomy is the zenith of detachment from the product and disinterest in 'motoring'.

Railway enthusiasts love steam and even show interest in classic diesel locos. Being passionate about electric locos is difficult despite their functional superiority. Cars are going the same way...

[NMNeil]

SWoll said:

The affordability has taken a hammering over the past 12-18 months. At one point a Fiat 500e was £20k in basic trim and VW ID3's started at around £25k-26k. Today you can add £10k to both of those due to limited model choice and rampant inflation. Finance costs have also gone through the roof with lease costs almost doubling on certain models over the past 2 years.

Madness.

But there may be light at the end of the tunnel.
https://screenrant.com/tesla-model-2-details-expla...
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-08...

[Drl22]

Reading this thread, and a few others in the EV section, I’ll never be enthusiastic about going to meet other EV users, the level of pedantry and boring chat about things people really know nothing about is way above other sections of PH and I find myself skipping pages of arguments and repeated “opinions” just to find some relevant content regularly. All this suggests to me I’ll have a miserable time at any EV event. I’ll stick with the incredible community of ICE car owners I know and just enjoy my daily EV quietly on my own.

Edited by Drl22 on Tuesday 20th September 19:30

[SWoll]

NMNeil said:

SWoll said:

The affordability has taken a hammering over the past 12-18 months. At one point a Fiat 500e was £20k in basic trim and VW ID3's started at around £25k-26k. Today you can add £10k to both of those due to limited model choice and rampant inflation. Finance costs have also gone through the roof with lease costs almost doubling on certain models over the past 2 years.

Madness.

But there may be light at the end of the tunnel.
https://screenrant.com/tesla-model-2-details-expla...
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-08...

The RWD Model 3 is now a £48,500 car without options, and with paint + alloy wheels is now £50k+

The Model 2, if it ever happens, wil be £35-45k all day long, the $25k quoted in that article is laughable.