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Should I buy an EV - real world advice needed.

SteveG said:
We've got a plug-in hybrid Outlander as one of our cars as it ticked a lot of boxes for our slightly unusual use case.
  1. It's quite a large SUV so has plenty of space for our two largish dogs
  2. It's 4x4 and has decent ground clearance so is good in the snow (important as we have a cottage in the highest village in the Cairngorms and visit that most weeks), especially with all-seasons tyres fitted
  3. Town driving here in Edinburgh (including my wife's commute) is mostly done on electric - the range is very dependent on temperature and on the type of driving but realistically is around 20 miles or so
  4. The trip from Edinburgh to our cottage is a hilly and sometimes very cold/dark 160 miles each way which is towards the upper range of many EV's in winter. We don't need to stop in a petrol car or the hybrid so I wouldn't want to have to stop to charge an EV, especially as there are no chargers directly on the route and no motorway type services with chargers (other than one that's too near the start of the journey to be useful) - you'd need to go off route and then hang around in your car (or walk the dogs) while the car was being charged
  5. It's reasonably spritely as it's got a 130hp petrol engine and the 2 electric motors are something like 80hp each.
  6. It charges fine from a domestic socket so we've not had to buy electric car charging points for either of our homes
Even on the longer runs it's no more expensive for fuel than the diesel equivalent would have been (we're averaging around 40mpg on our longer runs), and when charged at home (which is really the only place I charge it) then it's pretty cheap to run around town.

The change between drive modes is very smooth and from inside the car it can be difficult to tell it it's using the petrol engine or electric motors much of the time.
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Now that sounds just perfect - thanks for that information. Most useful to know you can just charge it from a regular socket too.
 
Sonority said:
Mild Hybrids are not exaclty battery operated (as far as I can tell) as in they cannot just run on a battery, but they certainly can be a very helpful boost to power when needed.
For true 'hybrid' even those that do modest mileage in fully electric, the 'use case scenario' really needs to be fully checked out.
~ For me, just about perfect, as I have circa 15 - 20 mile range depending on outside temp, and that very easily covers my daily commute, even with aircon, heated seats and steering wheel all full on It is 'pre conditioned' before I drive off.
Home or close by charging will be essential to make the most of it.
For distances, especially when I want to make the most of its efficiency, pre programming the sat nav with destination and way points, then setting off in hybrid, the car knows when to deploy electric and or engine, usually running out of stored electrons on arrival at destination (they do re gen as well, which is a boon).

The biggest fun - at least for me, hitting sport and booting it. That just then gives full power from both power units. (The battery is never allowed to go 'fully flat' and keeps an amount for just such occasions)
Somewhat startling the first time you try it, and not something I do with any regularity.
Driving to work in silence, on a frosty moring like today, in a fully up to temp car when you clamber in, is quite something I have come to enjoy.
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So is yours a general 'hybrid' or PHEV like SteveG ?
 
I think ‘Hybrid’ = PHEV, at least as far as I know.
Petrol Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
Yes, mine is a ‘PHEV’ for all intents and purposes.
& yes, charging from a 13A standard plug is an option.Takes a little longer, as most (unsure if all now) use AC as opposed to DC for charging, and the max charge rate is set by the car, not by what amperage is available from wall box.
 
beammeup said:
Talking earlier about a BEV - what do you think of the Mild Hybrids and Plug-in Hybrids?

I would never trust a BEV for the main car (I would have range anxiety) - but a Plug-in hybrid seems a nice compromise. For example I test drove a Skoda Superb 1.4 TSI iV and it was so smooth - yet apparently does 30 miles on battery alone.

Quite impressed also by the Tucson 1.6 CRDi MHEV - again very smooth with a smidgen of battery to put in that little bit of boost now and then.
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I have a Superb iV and it’s a great car.

If the electric range is enough to get you to work and back and you only need petrol for less frequent longer journeys, and if you can charge it at home (just from a mains plug is fine) then it’s hard to fault.

The range isn’t quite 30 miles IME. I live 12 (urban) miles from work and in good conditions in summer with no excessive traffic it can more or less get me there & back. In poor conditions (eg yesterday with low temperatures and in horrible traffic most of the way) it switches to petrol on the way home, but with my usage I still expect I’ll see 1000 miles or more for the tank.

Personally I would prefer a fully electric car, but for a lot of people the Superb would be an excellent blend of both worlds.
 
good news

www.autocar.co.uk

VW Group hails 'encouraging' solid-state battery tests | Autocar

New cells are claimed to have lost 5% of capacity after the equivalent of 311,000 miles
www.autocar.co.uk www.autocar.co.uk

The Volkswagen Group has revealed that new solid-sate battery cells developed by partner QuantumScape have shown encouraging results in recent tests, with a better range and significantly less degradation than both its existing lithium ion batteries and rival solid-state cells.

During the tests, run by Volkswagen Group battery division PowerCo in Germany, the cells are claimed to have experienced a minimal 5% storage capacity loss after more than 1000 charging cycles – the equivalent of 311,000 miles on the road for an electric car with a range between 311 and 372 miles, according to the German car maker.


The Volkswagen Group said current automotive industry standard targets call for 700 charging cycles and a maximum storage capacity loss of 20%.
 
Reading the reasons, looks they're primarily dropping Tesla, not EVs, and the reason is its poor repairability and unavailability of parts. Dropping all EVs may have been a way of breaking the future commitment to buy more Teslas without incurring a contract penalty, or just Tesla tarring other EV brands with the same brush, as happened in the UK with insurance...

But honestly, I've got an EV but I would not rent one on a foreign trip right now.. petrol cars are enough of a risk in a place you don't know, without adding the complications of finding and using public chargers when you get lost.

"Would you rent an EV on holiday?" would be a good barometer of the state of the public charging infrastructure, though... right now, there's very few places you child say "yes" to that.
 
KrisW said:
Reading the reasons, looks they're primarily dropping Tesla, not EVs, and the reason is its poor repairability and unavailability of parts. Dropping all EVs may have been a way of breaking the future commitment to buy more Teslas without incurring a contract penalty, or just Tesla tarring other EV brands with the same brush, as happened in the UK with insurance...

But honestly, I've got an EV but I would not rent one on a foreign trip right now.. petrol cars are enough of a risk in a place you don't know, without adding the complications of finding and using public chargers when you get lost.

"Would you rent an EV on holiday?" would be a good barometer of the state of the public charging infrastructure, though... right now, there's very few places you child say "yes" to that.
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Not only the charging infrastructure, I have heard of people picking up EV hire cars that were not fully charged meaning they had barely enough charge to get to their destination. Not great. Some more thinking by the car hire companies needed before they to go full on into EV use.
 
Sonority said:
I think ‘Hybrid’ = PHEV, at least as far as I know.
Petrol Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
Yes, mine is a ‘PHEV’ for all intents and purposes.
& yes, charging from a 13A standard plug is an option.Takes a little longer, as most (unsure if all now) use AC as opposed to DC for charging, and the max charge rate is set by the car, not by what amperage is available from wall box.
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PHEV means a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, as you can also get self charging hybrids.
 
Yes, you misunderstand.
See G&T’s response 5 posts up.
He pointed out I was incorrect as you did.
I got it wrong 👍
 
My boss has a Tesla. He really likes it but it didn’t really work for him in a recent round trip from Leeds to Solihull. Couldn’t get a charger near the meeting point so set off home & was directed to Derby for a charge.

Probably added circa 2 hours to his journey home. However, for the majority of his motoring it works fine.

It’s all about need. I do semi regular 200 mile plus round trips & ICE currently works better for me.
 
Avoid buying an EV if you believe there is a climate emergency and think EV is the way to go hire one for a few years do not buy , the used prices have not yet settled for EV's and unlike petrol/diesel cars at around 8-10 years old an EV is not worth paying for repairs as will cost more to repair than they are worth even a 1 yr old EV if the battery goes youll probably pay more for a replacement battery than what you paid for the car used that is if you can get one , the parts for EV's take a long time to arrive hence a lot of insurance companies just wright them off if involved in an accident due to the time taken for parts and the hire of a replacement in the mean time. There is a lot more to consider than when buying a regular car , the infrastructure is not that great in most areas and re charging the battery is a pain in the arse, if you have an electric port at home and you charge every night for a daily commute for a small car driving one they can work out ok ish otherwise prepare to wait in a queue and then spend 30 mins plus once it's your turn , electricity is likely to rise again so cost to run given the depreciation they actually cost far more than a regular car, they also catch fire easier so beware.
 
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