Are we being forced to go electric?

[Alex321]

This the point that some are struggling to grasp. I am sure people are aware of EV and its pluses but price and affordability are issues in comparison to ICE. So pointless to say that Norway is big on it and my family has 3 EV cars and we have been using it for the last 7 years.

They are currently issues, but won't be for long. New prices for EVs are getting much closer to the equivalent ICE cars, and second hand prices are bound to folow suit in a few years.

 

[vickster]

They are currently issues, but won't be for long. New prices for EVs are getting much closer to the equivalent ICE cars, and second hand prices are bound to folow suit in a few years.

So there’ll be good EV cars like an e-golf for £5k and less in 5 years without astronomical mileages and fully functioning batteries etc? I’ll look forward to it

 

[icowden]

So there’ll be good EV cars like an e-golf for £5k and less in 5 years without astronomical mileages and fully functioning batteries etc? I’ll look forward to it

I'm not sure you can find a normal Golf for 5k with low mileages unless you get one that's 20 years old.

 

[icowden]

Could you have afforded your EV if wasn't a company car? I.e. been in a situation comparable to much of the population who don't have access to essentially subsidised EVs?
Norway might have lots of EVs which are cheaper...however there are only around 5m Norwegians and much of their immense wealth to be able to provide cheaper EVs and infrastructure comes from oil to the tune of approx $540bn in 2022 (ironic?)...

Nope. I would have had to get a different EV. I'd probably have been looking at a Nissan Leaf Accenta on PCP.

And yes, I know that the Norwegian subsidy on EVs is due to oil sales. But the USA have decent subsidies also. Until very recently there was a $7.5k federal grant. On top of that California offer up to $7,000 rebate. There can also be city or county incentives, home air district funding and incentives from local energy companies.

Our illustrious government managed a grant that was available for almost no cars, and £350 of home charger installation (now removed).

 

[Alex321]

So there’ll be good EV cars like an e-golf for £5k and less in 5 years without astronomical mileages and fully functioning batteries etc? I’ll look forward to it

Why would that happen?
If you are looking at an ICE golf no more than 10 years old and no more than 60K miles, you are looking at £10K plus.

I would expect similar EV to be not much more (if any) when there are a reasonable number around of similar age & mileage.

 

[FishFright]

So do I presume from that you don't have an answer, or just that you are too rude to provide one?

Because that most certainly isn't remotely close to answering my question.

original response removed due to me being a bit of an idiot... again.

 

[vickster]

Why would that happen?
If you are looking at an ICE golf no more than 10 years old and no more than 60K miles, you are looking at £10K plus.

I would expect similar EV to be not much more (if any) when there are a reasonable number around of similar age & mileage.

Blimmin heck…well I’ll be waiting a while longer. Even the Golf doesn’t appeal much esp the dull as dishwater colours.
There’s no current EV that mirrors my Skoda Fabia estate anyhow. It’s done 35k miles, is 10 years old, full history, very good condition. Basic but I’m not interested in sound systems, big touch screens, software, mapping, heated seats etc.

 

[Alex321]

The answer to your question was a couple of posts above . But if you can't be bothered to read who am I to run after you with a nappy ?

The answer to my question was nowhere.

You said, in response to a post of mine "That isn't (how) pollution works".

I asked what you meant by "that". It isn't possible to look at another post to work out what you meant by "that" in this case. I don't know what it was in my post that you were referring to, and looking at other posts is not going to make nay difference to that.

 

[Alex321]

Blimmin heck…well I’ll be waiting a while longer. Even the Golf doesn’t appeal much esp the dull as dishwater colours.
There’s no current EV that mirrors my Skoda Fabia estate anyhow. It’s done 35k miles, is 10 years old, full history, very good condition. Basic but I’m not interested in sound systems, big touch screens, software, mapping, heated seats etc.

Yeah, I don't think you are going to get an EV without the touch screens & mapping stuff. Even many quite basic modern ICE cars such as my wife's Nissan Micra have those - like you she wasn't interested in having them, but wanted another Micra when she last replaced her car, and that is what they came with by 2015.

 

[vickster]

Yeah, I don't think you are going to get an EV without the touch screens & mapping stuff. Even many quite basic modern ICE cars such as my wife's Nissan Micra have those - like you she wasn't interested in having them, but wanted another Micra when she last replaced her car, and that is what they came with by 2015.

I want a simple to use, good looking (to me), safe, fun car…not a laptop on wheels. Those Tesla screens are awful as an example

 

[FishFright]

The answer to my question was nowhere.

You said, in response to a post of mine "That isn't (how) pollution works".

I asked what you meant by "that". It isn't possible to look at another post to work out what you meant by "that" in this case. I don't know what it was in my post that you were referring to, and looking at other posts is not going to make nay difference to that.

Apologies , I was the one not reading properly.

Basically you can't work out which is the most polluting by simple percentages the poster had used. If you want accurate numbers the process would be a hell of a lot more involved than a bit of middle school maths.

 

[Alex321]

Apologies , I was the one not reading properly.

Basically you can't work out which is the most polluting by simple percentages the poster had used. If you want accurate numbers the process would be a hell of a lot more involved than a bit of middle school maths.

Fair enough. Thanks.

And I agree with that. As I said in another post, you also have to take account of how many times the energy gets converted, and the efficiency of each conversion. And I won't pretend to have any idea what those numbers are, I just know they are needed to get any properly accurate comparison.

 

[icowden]

I want a simple to use, good looking (to me), safe, fun car…not a laptop on wheels. Those Tesla screens are awful as an example

Have you used one? If not - how do you know?

Also the Tesla is a safe, fun car. How many other cars can you turn into santa's sleigh or James Bond's underwater car...? How many other cars can guard themselves, but drive to meet you? That's fun! As for safety, there was a story in the news last week where a guy drove off a cliff to try to kill his family. he was in a tesla, the family all survived with relatively minor injuries. They are pretty tough vehicles.

As we have said before, the issue at the moment for most people is price. Designs have changed so estate cars are getting pretty rare. In fact other than the Porsche Taycan which IMHO doesn't really count, you only have the MG5 (you can get one from 18k second hand).

 

[vickster]

Have you used one? If not - how do you know?

Also the Tesla is a safe, fun car. How many other cars can you turn into santa's sleigh or James Bond's underwater car...? How many other cars can guard themselves, but drive to meet you? That's fun! As for safety, there was a story in the news last week where a guy drove off a cliff to try to kill his family. he was in a tesla, the family all survived with relatively minor injuries. They are pretty tough vehicles.

As we have said before, the issue at the moment for most people is price. Designs have changed so estate cars are getting pretty rare. In fact other than the Porsche Taycan which IMHO doesn't really count, you only have the MG5 (you can get one from 18k second hand).
View attachment 674031

Because I see no need at all to have a big touchscreen in my car for any purpose. My phone is fine for sat nav, knobs and buttons are fine for adjusting heat, ac, etc. they are unnecessary and a potential distraction.
Frankly, I don’t need a marketing department to take me in with blokey gimmicks to buy a car, I need straightforward reliable transport in a colour that isn’t grey, black, white, dark blue, the colour is the only positive of the car above. I have legs, why on earth do I need a car to come to meet me?! What’s wrong with locks and alarms to protect a car?!
YMMV

Teslas don’t meet my needs and are fugly in my view, especially the SUV with the stupid doors.

I also don’t want a car from a company underpinned by the Chinese regime… not to mention they are also all too big.

 

[Deleted User]

Why would that happen?
If you are looking at an ICE golf no more than 10 years old and no more than 60K miles, you are looking at £10K plus.

I would expect similar EV to be not much more (if any) when there are a reasonable number around of similar age & mileage.

You're quite right but go for one a couple of years older with a few more miles on the clock and there's plenty around for 5K depending on which model you go for.

I suppose it all depends on what people want or are used to from a car as some I know wouldn't dream of having a car more than 3 or 4 yrs old and budget accordingly so when the next upgrade comes along it probably makes sense to go electric.

I doubt many buy them outright they either have them through work, a loan or that rental scenario whereas I wouldn't entertain spunking hundreds of pounds per month just to drive around in a new car.

If I had an option to blow 100k on any car going I still wouldn't have anything new I would have something like a late '80's 911 Porsche as that would hold an interest for me.

Lads at work pay between £300 and £500 per month to hire these modern cars which I just couldn't comprehend but there you go.