I have an EV that weighs less than a BMW 3 Series, I rarely use the brakes (they should last the lifetime of the vehicle) and the last set of tyres travelled 35,000 miles (far longer than those on my Morgan). It costs about £6 to fill with volts and doesn't need servicing. But I do understand there's a lot of confusion about them.
There are 'responsible' EVs on the market I'm sure (though few would consider the likes of that little Citroen roller-skate true driving)... I was thinking of theTeslas etc ... however, in the eyes of an ardent planet-saver I'm sure even yours could be made less impactful ... stripped of anything other than bare nescessities and with the range and performance reduced to 'city-car' levels (after all, you just need something to get you up the road to the station for your 'real' journey by public transport🙂) ... other than knocking the likes of the X-type for being pointlessly bloated and over-performing (even to a confirned 'car-nut') I'm being tongue in cheek ... really just cautioning anyone who underestimates the fervour that evangelistic 'planet-savers' could oh so easily bring to bear when it comes to regulating something they disapprove of. 🙂 ... your idea of what's 'reasonable' will most certainly not match theirs!!
At present I am a big fan of my Tesla model 3, as a basic transportation device that seems to well suit most of my needs of it, I was reluctant to fold down the rear seats and load it with a bag of road repair tar, and a couple of manhole covers, a couple of months back, the likes of which and so much more I used to throw in the back of my old truck without a care, so I guess at that point my Tesla became thought of as a bit more than the basic transportation device I had categorised it as..?
As for the simplicity of pre digital vehicles, I suspect as time passes they may become ever more valued by those who are not resistant to getting involved in a bit of DIY to maintain them.... Time will tell..? In this kind of weather I used to borrow one of the airports SWB petrol V8 engined Landrovers to ensure I could get in to work....It would be comforting to have one such available today given the snow hereabouts, but given the very few times it has snowed hereabouts in the last 20 years or so... I guess basic cost benefit analysis would determine that was nuts...? (-:
I didn't buy my EV to save newts but the fact that EV's become carbon neutral after about 13,000 miles (according to Reuters) will be a benefit to some. Before EV's came along, nobody particularly bothered about brake dust or carbons - now it's all the rage. Funny.
As a daily driver an EV is hard to beat - I have other cars for when driving pleasure is the sole purpose.
A while back no-one worried about NOX and we drove diesels happy in the knowledge we were saving CO2 🙂 .... don't think the particulate argument has anything to do with the rise in EVs ... just another generic arrow in the quiver of those hunting cars to extinction! 🙂
A very good friend of mine bought a Tessla last year and he absolutely loved it, very sadly he recently passed away at 56. He paid around 48k for the car and his widow needed 33k to cover the finance 25k to 26k was being offered by the garages no one really wanted it. Eventually she managed to sell but involved part ex ing her mini as well for a new Mini. Even so it still left her about 3k short of the 33k finance. Now that is a big hit in a year electrickery or what..... Em
For sure the loss of a partner in life will likely throw up all sorts of issues, financial and otherwise, all of which can compound the trauma... I do hope the lady mentioned has a strong support structure around her.
In terms of EV`s, I have typed that my Tesla cost circa £44k new, and when I was rearranging insurance for the second year, I looked on the www at Go Compare (?) who at the time provided three market valuations, which I think I have already shared on this forum... Trade in, private sale, and auction... Off the top of my head I can not remember the exact figures, enough to type that my 1 year old 3k mile Tesla was then valued at circa £27k which to me seemed to be a rather high rate of depreciation...?
Perhaps also worth consideration, the insurance premium was I think circa 30% more than my then 10 year old Porsche, which at the time and still has, a higher market value than the purchase price of the Tesla when the Tesla was bought new.. Thus if thinking of buying an EV it seems best to check out what it might cost to insure it compared to whatever other alternatives you have in mind...?
As with all else the market controls the financial value of anything, and it seems that there may be all sorts of issues at play, perhaps the most prominent may be the natural reluctance to accept a considerable technological change, followed by media reports whereby it seems that the media will play to the mood of the audience..? Exploding EV`s and inconvenience of charging would seem ever to receive more hits than any advantages an EV might have....? Then of course there will be those in some position of power who may find advantage in the argument either for or against, and it seems they will also easily pick up a band of followers, who may need no more than a slogan to hook on to in order to adopt fundamentalist beliefs...?
There would seem to have been so much fake news bordering on hysteria out there over time, and which may have died down a bit now. Dependant on who one chooses to believe, it seems a high percentage of folk who could have access to home or workplace charging, who could change from ICE to EV and find/feel themselves advantaged by doing so..? Currently I am one such, never having had to charge my Tesla other than at home..
I am a self confessed selective Luddite, and a petrol head, and I suspect from the from the first time I could point and exclaim the word CAR..!!! However I am currently a fan of Tesla having taken time to consider my frustrations with the increasing complexity of the combustion engine required to make it both more efficient in terms of power output, while also required to cut emissions produced, requiring sensors to supply accurate feedback readings, and all while operating in a hostile environment. The ICE having a considerable number moving parts, operating across a wide range of temperatures, as required by every ICE to function normally, and which logically(?) seems to present far more risks of failure when compared to any electric motor`s operational requirements, given it`s very few moving parts..? In terms of general efficiency measurement, I think the electric motor is by far the most efficient device generating considerably waste heat, than does any ICE...?
I suspect that that if/when the charging infrastructure might ever include charging bays in far more car parks, cinemas and shopping centres, etc. etc. etc. thus improving the convenience factor of EV`s, and if improving battery technology increasing range capabilities, then perhaps the EV may well become the more favoured form of personal transport..
It seems Norwegians rather like EV`s as a population, perhaps ask yourself why...? I suspect financial incentives may play a part... (-: As with much else, it would seem to be... all about the MONEY...?????
It seems Norwegians rather like EV`s as a population, perhaps ask yourself why...? I suspect financial incentives may play a part... (-: As with much else, it would seem to be... all about the MONEY...?????
Maybe because electricity is cheaper in Norway. Here the majority of EVs cost over £50k so incur the additional vehicle tax rate.
