Going back to ICE after owning an EV .
Discussion
I’ve just read that in a survey of 2000 people who own an EV in this country only 1% would go back to ICE car , 91% were happy with there electric vehicles , with 8% being a maybe , I was quite surprised by these percentages but I guess most people aren’t worried about changing gears or a nice v6 rumble . Or EV’s are just brilliant at doing the daily stuff . I know a 2 car set up would be the way forward ,but a good EV is a expense some just cannot afford . Personally I’m still not ready for one but the other half is thinking about it for her next car .
I assume it's the survey run by ZapMap you're referring to? https://insideevs.com/news/464362/electric-car-own...
I think the main thing is that most EV drivers have made a positive choice to spend quite a lot of money on an EV. It would be rather strange to choose to buy an EV and then resent it for not having a nice V6 rumble - a 'what were you expecting?' kind of mistake. The small percentage of motorists who have freely chosen an EV are unlikely to be fully representative of the UK population.
The second thing is that surveys arranged by organisations whose business model revolves around particular choices are rarely fair and unbiased, or even that useful. Check out this perfect example of how pollsters can get the result they are looking for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahgjEjJkZks . A study conducted by a couple of university researchers in the US has a bit more credibility, https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ev-owners-switc... and comes up with a figure of 18%. However, due to the greater distances in the US and other factors, I doubt that would read across directly to the UK.
Finally, yes EVs are great to drive - perfectly linear control, completely smooth and silent. They appeal in much the same way a luxury car appeals - not for the thrill of driving, but the opposite, which has its own enjoyments. Just as you say, I'll wait until a good EV is available fairly cheaply, and then run that alongside a petrol-powered sports car.
If your wife's interested I suggest thinking hard about (a) the real useable range of various EVs and (b) how far she drives. If it was me and I could find an EV in budget that would have enough range for the use-case, I'd definitely go for it.
I think the main thing is that most EV drivers have made a positive choice to spend quite a lot of money on an EV. It would be rather strange to choose to buy an EV and then resent it for not having a nice V6 rumble - a 'what were you expecting?' kind of mistake. The small percentage of motorists who have freely chosen an EV are unlikely to be fully representative of the UK population.
The second thing is that surveys arranged by organisations whose business model revolves around particular choices are rarely fair and unbiased, or even that useful. Check out this perfect example of how pollsters can get the result they are looking for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahgjEjJkZks . A study conducted by a couple of university researchers in the US has a bit more credibility, https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ev-owners-switc... and comes up with a figure of 18%. However, due to the greater distances in the US and other factors, I doubt that would read across directly to the UK.
Finally, yes EVs are great to drive - perfectly linear control, completely smooth and silent. They appeal in much the same way a luxury car appeals - not for the thrill of driving, but the opposite, which has its own enjoyments. Just as you say, I'll wait until a good EV is available fairly cheaply, and then run that alongside a petrol-powered sports car.
If your wife's interested I suggest thinking hard about (a) the real useable range of various EVs and (b) how far she drives. If it was me and I could find an EV in budget that would have enough range for the use-case, I'd definitely go for it.
If I had the use case for it I'd definitely consider one, but I don't. I pretty much only have three journey lengths - 50 miles, 250 miles and 500 miles. Only the first would be completely hassle free.
I presume no one buys one without first being completely confident it would suit their purposes.
I presume no one buys one without first being completely confident it would suit their purposes.
Neil1323bolts said:
I’ve just read that in a survey of 2000 people who own an EV in this country only 1% would go back to ICE car , 91% were happy with there electric vehicles , with 8% being a maybe , I was quite surprised by these percentages but I guess most people aren’t worried about changing gears or a nice v6 rumble . Or EV’s are just brilliant at doing the daily stuff . I know a 2 car set up would be the way forward ,but a good EV is a expense some just cannot afford . Personally I’m still not ready for one but the other half is thinking about it for her next car .
If your OH is wanting a new car, and doesn’t do big mileage I would definitely get one over an ICE car..It doesn’t surprise me that so few would go back to ICE. I’ve now got an electric daily. It’s smooth, comfortable, warms itself up before I leave for work, and my £50 a week petrol bill has turned into a £4 electricity bill.
Every person I’ve taken out in it has said it’s brilliant.
The fact is that for a huge portion of the population, all they want is a means of transport. If you don’t need huge range in one go (and people who already have an EV probably don’t) then why on earth would they want to go back to an ICE.
People who love cars are obviously different, but even as a massive petrolhead I’ve already told people I can’t see me having an ICE as a daily again.
Every person I’ve taken out in it has said it’s brilliant.
The fact is that for a huge portion of the population, all they want is a means of transport. If you don’t need huge range in one go (and people who already have an EV probably don’t) then why on earth would they want to go back to an ICE.
People who love cars are obviously different, but even as a massive petrolhead I’ve already told people I can’t see me having an ICE as a daily again.
There's also the fact that you get instant torque.
Often on PH you hear about people not getting on with natural aspirated engines after getting used to turbos due to the full rush of torque early in the rev range.
The next step is EV, instant max torque. Once you are used to this driving style...
Often on PH you hear about people not getting on with natural aspirated engines after getting used to turbos due to the full rush of torque early in the rev range.
The next step is EV, instant max torque. Once you are used to this driving style...
Baldchap said:
We swapped our Tesla Model X for an RS5.
In the future, yes. Now, not quite.
I swapped my Model S for a Q7. Agree 100%, the charging network isn't up to it yet (both in terms of charge speed and reliability, which was around 50% in the 18 months I had the Tesla), the range is nowhere near claimed, and with no Tesla Superchargers within 50 miles of me, I seemed to spend my entire life with the car plugged in (before work, during work and getting home). And my commute was only 50 miles each way! The range anxiety was strong in this one... Also, not truly EV related, but the build quality on the Tesla was nothing short of shocking.In the future, yes. Now, not quite.
The performance though... oh my
We've a 200hp 280 mile range (max was 310 miles) EV and a 360hp 'sporty' SUV that cost twice as much.
Every time I pick up the keys to the EV if I can. Not as fast, not as plush, nothing like as sporty, but it's astonishingly chilled to drive.
Said it before but I also really resent filling the car up.
Every time I pick up the keys to the EV if I can. Not as fast, not as plush, nothing like as sporty, but it's astonishingly chilled to drive.
Said it before but I also really resent filling the car up.
We bought our i3 for a specific purpose - namely a 60 mile per day school run. This car replaced OH's Shogun which was costing about £400 a month in diesel on that school run. We are in the process of moving to a village which is actually supported by a school bus service so the specific purpose may no longer be relevant. In that case when it it time to change the i3, we won't necessarily be tied to another BEV vehicle. For us it was purely a financial decision, I'm still not entirely convinced by the long-term environmental benefits of BEVs.
I know two people who were early adopters of EV's, both getting Zoe's. One used it for the school run, where the range was down to 50 miles in the winter, with lights, heater etc all on. The final straw was when her Father was suddenly taken ill and the car didn't have the range to get to him without at least one recharge on the way. Not really ideal.
The other was unfortunately very similar. Parent taken ill and needing constant care, but too far to travel without needing a recharge on the way.
I will definately get an EV eventually, but have an ICE car as backup until the infrastructure is better.
The other was unfortunately very similar. Parent taken ill and needing constant care, but too far to travel without needing a recharge on the way.
I will definately get an EV eventually, but have an ICE car as backup until the infrastructure is better.
I'd only consider swapping the daily for an ICE if my mileage requirements changed massively and a regular 250+ miles per day became the norm.
There will of course be a few CC drivers who have gone the EV route due to the BIK savings who either didn't appreciate the pain of regular public charging or the fact that you only get 4p per mile on your mileage claims. They'll all end up back in 330/530e's I'd imagine?
A 2 car setup is definitely the aspiration for me though. Our current EV is fantastic as a daily but incredibly dull to drive.
We've just stepped out of a 2019 Model 3 after 2 years and 18k miles. Not a single fault or issue, so looks like things are improving.
There will of course be a few CC drivers who have gone the EV route due to the BIK savings who either didn't appreciate the pain of regular public charging or the fact that you only get 4p per mile on your mileage claims. They'll all end up back in 330/530e's I'd imagine?
A 2 car setup is definitely the aspiration for me though. Our current EV is fantastic as a daily but incredibly dull to drive.
LimaDelta said:
We bought our i3 for a specific purpose - namely a 60 mile per day school run. This car replaced OH's Shogun which was costing about £400 a month in diesel on that school run. We are in the process of moving to a village which is actually supported by a school bus service so the specific purpose may no longer be relevant. In that case when it it time to change the i3, we won't necessarily be tied to another BEV vehicle. For us it was purely a financial decision, I'm still not entirely convinced by the long-term environmental benefits of BEVs.
Do you not find the EV drivetrain a far better solution for daily duties than ICE whether it's saving money/the planet or not though?Big Bad Ben said:
I swapped my Model S for a Q7. Agree 100%, the charging network isn't up to it yet (both in terms of charge speed and reliability, which was around 50% in the 18 months I had the Tesla), the range is nowhere near claimed, and with no Tesla Superchargers within 50 miles of me, I seemed to spend my entire life with the car plugged in (before work, during work and getting home). And my commute was only 50 miles each way! The range anxiety was strong in this one... Also, not truly EV related, but the build quality on the Tesla was nothing short of shocking.
The performance though... oh my
You were charging a P100D 3 times per day to cover 100 miles? Assume you couldn't charge at home at all and were just adding a few kW at a time?The performance though... oh my
We've just stepped out of a 2019 Model 3 after 2 years and 18k miles. Not a single fault or issue, so looks like things are improving.
Edited by SWoll on Saturday 20th November 08:26
For us its not range, but lifespan. We have an 8 year old Rav we've owned from new which we don't plan on replacing until it becomes to expensive to repair. Toyota's 10 year warranty covers us for another two years and I have every confidence it will last at least 5 years beyond that.
There's another thread on battery degradation - at the moment I have no confidence that any EV will have a battery with a real world 15 year+ life.
There's another thread on battery degradation - at the moment I have no confidence that any EV will have a battery with a real world 15 year+ life.
SWoll said:
LimaDelta said:
We bought our i3 for a specific purpose - namely a 60 mile per day school run. This car replaced OH's Shogun which was costing about £400 a month in diesel on that school run. We are in the process of moving to a village which is actually supported by a school bus service so the specific purpose may no longer be relevant. In that case when it it time to change the i3, we won't necessarily be tied to another BEV vehicle. For us it was purely a financial decision, I'm still not entirely convinced by the long-term environmental benefits of BEVs.
Do you not find the EV drivetrain a far better solution for daily duties than ICE whether it's saving money/the planet or not though?Also given the kids will soon be on the school bus, there will be no 'daily duties'.
LimaDelta said:
SWoll said:
LimaDelta said:
We bought our i3 for a specific purpose - namely a 60 mile per day school run. This car replaced OH's Shogun which was costing about £400 a month in diesel on that school run. We are in the process of moving to a village which is actually supported by a school bus service so the specific purpose may no longer be relevant. In that case when it it time to change the i3, we won't necessarily be tied to another BEV vehicle. For us it was purely a financial decision, I'm still not entirely convinced by the long-term environmental benefits of BEVs.
Do you not find the EV drivetrain a far better solution for daily duties than ICE whether it's saving money/the planet or not though?Also given the kids will soon be on the school bus, there will be no 'daily duties'.
SWoll said:
LimaDelta said:
SWoll said:
LimaDelta said:
We bought our i3 for a specific purpose - namely a 60 mile per day school run. This car replaced OH's Shogun which was costing about £400 a month in diesel on that school run. We are in the process of moving to a village which is actually supported by a school bus service so the specific purpose may no longer be relevant. In that case when it it time to change the i3, we won't necessarily be tied to another BEV vehicle. For us it was purely a financial decision, I'm still not entirely convinced by the long-term environmental benefits of BEVs.
Do you not find the EV drivetrain a far better solution for daily duties than ICE whether it's saving money/the planet or not though?Also given the kids will soon be on the school bus, there will be no 'daily duties'.
stargazer30 said:
I had a Zoe when they first came out and Renault were giving them away free on pcp. Served it’s purpose well.
Went back to an ice (civic type r). I recently looked at them again but they are too expensive now.
Same here. £175 / month all in at a time when I was spending more on diesel. Zoe was absolutely brilliant and I'd definitely have another EV, but WFH for the last 18 months means that I can't justify the expense for something that sit's in the garage for most of the weekWent back to an ice (civic type r). I recently looked at them again but they are too expensive now.
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff