Electric car - pros and cons

[sigh]

Thinking about replacing the diesel car, is now the time to change to electric or wait for another few years until range is better and infrastructure for electric cars has improved?

I do very little mileage for work, but do need a car  - and one that can transport things all over Scotland at weekends.

[Guest Matt Armstrong's Dog]

The innovation of Sinclair C5, whilst made with the right intentions, proved that vehicles for driving on the highways shouldn't be electrified.

Stick with a petrol or diesel vehicle min.

[Don Fonte]

9 minutes ago, sigh said:

Thinking about replacing the diesel car, is now the time to change to electric or wait for another few years until range is better and infrastructure for electric cars has improved?

I do very little mileage for work, but do need a car  - and one that can transport things all over Scotland at weekends.

You a drug courier at weekends min?

[sigh]

1 minute ago, Don Fonte said:

You a drug courier at weekends min?

Nah, I'm high on life man, dont need to take anything for that  - just need to be able to stick stuff on roof rack of car and be able to drive some where, and back again

[Redforever86]

12 minutes ago, sigh said:

Nah, I'm high on life man, dont need to take anything for that  - just need to be able to stick stuff on roof rack of car and be able to drive some where, and back again

Can you get any subsidy etc either personally or through work or a business. Might make it make more financial sense to go electric. 
 

Otherwise it depends on what actual car you want if the style and make of car you’d normally choose if wait a couple of years for more choice. 

[Dal Riata Don]

Just get a hybrid for the time being.

A Prius or Aqua would help you cover long distances. 

The electricity that you'd need is still made largely from fossil fuels so a full electric car isn't actually helping neither are the batteries recyclable yet.

Hydrogen faces the same problems and the range is worse.

[King Street Loon]

1 hour ago, sigh said:

Thinking about replacing the diesel car, is now the time to change to electric or wait for another few years until range is better and infrastructure for electric cars has improved?

I do very little mileage for work, but do need a car  - and one that can transport things all over Scotland at weekends.

Think you've answered your own question. 

[DD1903]

I know someone who had a 7 1/2 hour journey in an electric car that usually took them 4 1/2 in their previous diesel. All down to the range and issue with charger access. 

[YorkDon]

Since the price of electric shot up, charging mine has, doubled, and then some.

They’ve also opened up the Tesla chargers to all electric cars now, which has caused long queues at superchargers at popular/busy locations.

I drove to London a few weeks back and I think it cost me about £90 there and back.A similar journey a couple of years back cost about £30.

 

The key is home charging whenever possible.Not sure there are so many ev tariffs now as there were before all the energy price increases happened, and the incentives have also dropped significantly.

At one time I believe it was about 5p per kWh to change overnight at home if you had a smart meter, which is next to nothing.

The newer solar panel systems, and storage batteries offer a great opportunity to charge for nothing, particularly in Summer, but the initial outlay is quite hefty.

If I was looking now, reckon I’d be hanging fire on it.Hybrids are decent, to a point, but you’d need to do your research whichever way you fancy going.

[Bluto10]

you not get free charge at work these days? 

[Fridge]

The charger thing would by my issue. Maybe not as bad as I think how long does it take to charge them?

[Clydeside_Sheep]

I would wait, the range is not good enough yet and neither is the charging infrastructure.  Presently EVs are little more than expensive status symbols.

I posted an article recently that a US lab has made a breakthrough on battery range, so hopefully things should improve in a few years from now.

I would expect Scotlands ban on combustion engines will be delayed, just as I expect the same with the ban of gas boilers. 

(These were all classic Sturgeon policies - a lot of hot air to capture the headlines, but with absolutely no substance behind them).

Germany, with its leading motor industry, has been manipulating the EU recently to avoid / delay bans on traditonal engined cars.

[Clydeside_Sheep]

5 minutes ago, Fridge said:

The charger thing would by my issue. Maybe not as bad as I think how long does it take to charge them?

It varies, I think the best part of an hour is typical.

A big problem I have read about is drivers pulling into service stations to find broken chargers.

[YorkDon]

5 minutes ago, Clydeside_Sheep said:

It varies, I think the best part of an hour is typical.

A big problem I have read about is drivers pulling into service stations to find broken chargers.

Sorry CS but that’s wrong, and it’s this not knowing and thinking that, that puts folk off them.

You get a rapid charger and, depending how much you need you can be away in the time it takes to nip for a piss and grab a coffee.

Typically I’d say I charge for about 20 mins away from home, then on my way.

The network infrastructure needs massive improvement though.

[sheepcrooky]

23 minutes ago, YorkDon said:

Sorry CS but that’s wrong, and it’s this not knowing and thinking that, that puts folk off them.

You get a rapid charger and, depending how much you need you can be away in the time it takes to nip for a piss and grab a coffee.

Typically I’d say I charge for about 20 mins away from home, then on my way.

The network infrastructure needs massive improvement though.

That’s some fucking length of piss. 

[YorkDon]

14 minutes ago, sheepcrooky said:

That’s some fucking length of piss. 

I keep myself well hydrated.

[Ohjimmyjimmy]

I’ve just taken delivery of an EV - after an almost 13 month wait since I ordered it. Delivery times for many EVs are long but I think you can pickup a Tesla or a Polestar easy enough  if you are not fussy on spec - but if ordering from new you might have a bit of a wait.

Quoted range is ~290 miles but probably get around 240-250 - fine enough for the kind of driving I do where charging at home is enough. 

Main benefit for me is salary sacrifice and cheap-er running costs - Octopus charging at 12p /kW means motoring for ~4p a mile where a petrol or diesel car your probably looking at  15-20p per mile.

 

 

[BrianFaePerth]

Fuckin hell, electric cars? Is it 2013 again?

[Ke1t]

Petrol V8 for me, thanks, Hippies.

[Poodler]

1 hour ago, Ohjimmyjimmy said:

I’ve just taken delivery of an EV - after an almost 13 month wait since I ordered it. Delivery times for many EVs are long but I think you can pickup a Tesla or a Polestar easy enough  if you are not fussy on spec - but if ordering from new you might have a bit of a wait.

Quoted range is ~290 miles but probably get around 240-250 - fine enough for the kind of driving I do where charging at home is enough. 

Main benefit for me is salary sacrifice and cheap-er running costs - Octopus charging at 12p /kW means motoring for ~4p a mile where a petrol or diesel car your probably looking at  15-20p per mile.

 

 

Ha!

[Jigsaw666]

Pros: I don't have one

Cons: Some dickhead politician somewhere along the line will force me to get one

[Clydeside_Sheep]

15 hours ago, YorkDon said:

Sorry CS but that’s wrong, and it’s this not knowing and thinking that, that puts folk off them.

You get a rapid charger and, depending how much you need you can be away in the time it takes to nip for a piss and grab a coffee.

Typically I’d say I charge for about 20 mins away from home, then on my way.

The network infrastructure needs massive improvement though.

I respect your own experience as an owner, where I am not.

What kind of range does that 20 min charge get you?

According to this link, 35 mins on a 50 kW rapid charger gets you 100 miles range.

https://pod-point.com/guides/driver/how-long-to-charge-an-electric-car

They have got a long way to go to match a diesel, where 5 mins filling up gets you nearly 500 miles.

But (as mentioned) the ranges may improve soon.

According to this from last October, the UK only has less than 6,500 rapid chargers.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electric-vehicle-charging-device-statistics-october-2022/electric-vehicle-charging-device-statistics-october-2022

I guess at the minute, the choice of car comes down to what kind of driving you do. 

My driving & mileage has changed markedly ever since lock-down and WFH.  However, we still like to take the car on holiday, meaning we kick off with ~150 miles Glasgow to Newcastle drive (for the ferry).  

That is reasonable with a current EV, but it does mean you will be needing to charge up promptly after getting off the Ferry.  

Another things which concerns me about them is how the ambient temp changes the range left in the battery.

To be fair, any owner I have spoken to has always loved them - our neighbours on each side have a Tesla and a guy I know around the corner has two (and a Tesla power wall).

[redstrummer]

20 hours ago, sigh said:

Thinking about replacing the diesel car, is now the time to change to electric or wait for another few years until range is better and infrastructure for electric cars has improved?

I do very little mileage for work, but do need a car  - and one that can transport things all over Scotland at weekends.

The MG 4 looks better value than most 

[Clydeside_Sheep]

2 hours ago, Sooper-hanz said:

You bloody love that ferry part of the holiday. 😎

I admit it, its true!

Definitely the way to travel.  

[Don Fonte]

1 minute ago, Clydeside_Sheep said:

I admit it, its true!

Definitely the way to travel.  

Ever come close to falling overboard?

[BaaBaaRedSheep]

22 hours ago, Sooper-hanz said:

If anything you’re probably better going for a hybrid just now. The infrastructure isn’t there to go fully electric yet.

100% agree, that's my plan when I next trade in the motor. 

[Guest Matt Armstrong's Dog]

20 hours ago, Fridge said:

The charger thing would by my issue. Maybe not as bad as I think how long does it take to charge them?

I remember when rechargeable batteries for use with your electronic items first appeared on the market at the end of the 80s/start of the 90s.

No sooner did you start using this type of battery and charging it accordingly, the life of the battery started reducing, along with the life of the charger you used until such point the battery was landfill fodder. It never mattered how many times you charged the battery.

The same will happen again with battery fuelled vehicles. It's already been proven, for fucks sake. 

It is yet another deviously thought-out plan by the current tyrannical Westminster government that has no foundation whatsoever, masquerading as a scheme to reduce carbon emissions whilst trying to depopulise our nation, as there are going to be a lot of casualties and, ultimately, fatalities as a result of this totally flawed concept. 

 

 

[Fridge]

9 minutes ago, Matt Armstrong's Dog said:

I remember when rechargeable batteries for use with your electronic items first appeared on the market at the end of the 80s/start of the 90s.

No sooner did you start using this type of battery and charging it accordingly, the life of the battery started reducing, along with the life of the charger you used until such point the battery was landfill fodder. It never mattered how many times you charged the battery.

The same will happen again with battery fuelled vehicles. It's already been proven, for fucks sake. 

It is yet another deviously thought-out plan by the current tyrannical Westminster government that has no foundation whatsoever, masquerading as a scheme to reduce carbon emissions whilst trying to depopulise ur nation, as there are going to be a lot of casualties and, ultimately, fatalities as a result of this totally flawed concept. 

 

 

You aright min? 

[Don Fonte]

1 minute ago, Fridge said:

You aright min? 

Think he's fucking lost it.

[Redforever86]

Nothing has changed fae the late 80s apart from Aberdeen are shite now eh. What a world he must live in.