Grandmashazzie Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 Hi everyone, I am changing my car shortly and was thinking of getting an electric car, I only do short runs to meet friends etc and certainly wouldn’t need to be doing a 100 + miles. I usually hold on to my cars for around 10 years and with changes coming in and thinking environmentally I reckon it would be a good thing. I don’t know anyone with electric car. Does anyone here have one and could give their thoughts please .Many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 We haven't got one Grandmashazzie, but have given it some thought. Our diesel car suffers from too many short journeys with stops and starts, as town is close, resulting in a flat battery; can't be good for the engine either as it doesn't warm up. However as we make several trips a year over 150 miles and because of the initial cost, we will be opting for petrol. It warms faster, needs less starting current and is cheaper to buy. We only do 3000 miles a year. The other unknown is charging; do you need to modify the house wiring to accommodate a charger or must you use a commercial outlet? I know there is a rental charge on the batteries as well, because they don't last forever, so the amount we spend on fuel may be less than the rental? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanTheChickenMan Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 We have a self charging hybrid Lexus which gives us the best of both worlds as we drive 25,000 miles a year. THe technology is changing so fast, for me I wouldn't be ready to go fully electric. However the boss has a Tesla Model S, it's an amazing car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 We have an i3 and love it. Had an electric charging point installed on the side of the house which charges the car overnight, driven to London a few times and used fast-chargers at most service stations and take about half an hour. Lots of shops like IKEA and Waitrose have charging stations too. I’d definitely test drive some if you can, the i3 is very nippy and different to drive as you don’t naturally come to a stop, it’s a more sudden braking as you come off the accelerator. We can turn the car on to heat up, defrost the windscreens and heated seats using the app before you get in the car or air con in the summer! The only downside is range anxiety on long journeys cos you have to find a charger en route, can’t just stop at a petrol station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 We thought about it when we changed our car last year, but decided the technology was not yet advanced enough and there wasn’t the infrastructure to support the long journeys we do from England to Spain. Also, the electricity has to be generated so they are not as clean as some of the hype would like us to believe. So we got a top of the range diesel which has bells and whistles to reduce the impact on the environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 I drive an electric van for work and most of the time it’s great - only let down by the range. I only buy second hand cars, spending around £5-6k and then keep them for usually about 6 or 7 years, so at the moment I can’t go electric because it still doesn’t work for that kind of market. If I were able to buy a new car I would definitely consider it - the range anxiety wouldn’t worry me but the fact that the technology might be completely out of date in well less than ten years would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 Thank you all. I have read a lot on new VW id3 , and having been a VW owner in the past, starting with an iconic yellow beetle 1303S ( I wish I still had her ) I think I fancy that one. It’s range is excellent and it is apparently to revolutionise the electric car industry in much the same way the beetle became the people’s car. Having made this decision I am gutted to find out everyone coming to U.K. in the summer has been booked with deposits paid and I can only go on a list I in case someone changes their mind or doesn’t like the colour they have been offered. He didn’t say how many was on the list waiting for someone to drop out but I will ring on Monday to see. Re house , it should be easy to put charger in as electric metre is against outside wall where car will be parked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 Just read that it’s sold out on its launch! Presumably more will follow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 I have a large and 'robust' diesel 4x4, but then I need it. I couldn't have an electric car as I can almost never park near my house for charging! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 We have an electric car and it is great. If you are using it for short journeys, you probably won't have too much of an issue with charging as I assume that you will do most of your charging at home? If you do, weigh up whether home charging is practical - where would you run your cable. If not charging at home, weigh up your charging options which are possibly the greatest challenge with EVs. We have a Tesla and so have exclusive use of super fast Superchargers so this is not an issue. The availability and speed of chargers is something that is not fully covered when people are sold EVs so check your options out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 I am envious of your Tesla! We sometimes go to a hotel where you can hire them for the day, but we haven't done it yet. They are super stylish I think. An EV is out of the question in Portugal. Our nearest charging point is 120km away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 I'd love an electric car! I generally use OH Skoda Octavia estate D as he works from home most of the time and also it's used at weekends, if we go anywhere. Therefore my totally ancient (02😝) Skoda Fabia estate - otherwise known as 'the skip'- is in our garage for the vast majority of the time. It does around 2k per year; just short journeys but it simply isn't possible for us to manage with just one car as we live in a village, boys go to school on the school bus but sometimes do need collecting if they are doing something outside school hours and I shop each week. Equally OH has to go to Sheffield x2 per month and sometimes off for meetings at short notice. It pains me so much to pay £235 in road tax, £180 in insurance and £55 for an MOT every year just for these few miles. An electric car would be great as I only do short journeys (in my skip or OH's) and a charge would just about get OH to Sheffield. A small plug in and the Octavia estate would cover all eventualities but they are soooooooo expensive to buy that we just can't justify it.I do wish there were better deals on small electric cars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 Hopefully price will come down a bit in the future. Although I would guess when they are mainstream they will need to be taxed to pay for roads and services. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 On 2/15/2020 at 6:57 PM, The Dogmother said: I have a large and 'robust' diesel 4x4, but then I need it. I couldn't have an electric car as I can almost never park near my house for charging! There are lots of ‘independent’ charging points popping up on residential streets with parking like yours. The bays are reserved for electric charging but not individual people so not sure how it would work with multiple users. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 I have one of those in my street. The council installed it with sign and all. You need an account and a pass to use it to charge your car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 Haha, can't see that working in my street - parking is tight enough as it is, without a charging bay taking up space. I'm lucky to be able to park int he same street if I get back after 7pm, let alone the same postcode. Having said that, I love this road - the divers population and friendliness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 6 hours ago, The Dogmother said: Haha, can't see that working in my street - parking is tight enough as it is, without a charging bay taking up space. I'm lucky to be able to park int he same street if I get back after 7pm, let alone the same postcode. Having said that, I love this road - the divers population and friendliness. ....... and typos!!!!!! That will teach me to post from my phone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 7 hours ago, Cat tails said: I have one of those in my street. The council installed it with sign and all. You need an account and a pass to use it to charge your car. That’s how they work here too. Then you look at the app and it tells you if the charging point is free or in use. I can imagine there being squabbles though when someone has finished charging but just let their car in the space. 1 hour ago, The Dogmother said: ....... and typos!!!!!! That will teach me to post from my phone! Oh really DM - I thought you lived on a street with lots of SCUBA enthusiasts 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
