Car - going electric
- Thread starter tiggers
- Start date
Well the more range the better, but it's not a showstopper. 99% of my journeys will be under 100 miles round trip.
Yes, and it's all logical, but I would like to join the future. The home charger is free (industry I work in) and while the upfront costs are more than a petrol or hybrid it's nice knowing that fuel will likely never cost me anything (as I already have solar and battery storage). Also while the outlay might be higher the residual will also be higher and yes I know it does not make it equal to the residual gap on a smaller petrol or hybrid, but it will help.
It's not really burning a hole as such, just would be happy to buy a nearly new car again having been avoiding anything too new for the aforementioned reasons. I know the Honda will keep on going but... well human nature and all that. Maybe you're right and I just delay it until the Honda actually dies.
I drive a Civic, I do dull
Yes, it's a good thought, but I just worry about the complexity. Probably unnecessarily.
Bas V
pfm Member
Well, you have 2 different engines, so the risk of 1 breaking down is twice as high. Maintenance of a PEH is more expensive. In return you get a larger driving range and more flexibility. But in your case, with solar panels, I wouldn't hesitate to go FEV. Driving electric is a giant step forward IMHO. The ride is just so much nicer (fast and silent).
Yes had a go in a Tesla Model S a few months back (belonged to a client) and the ride was one of the most impressive things.
MVV
pfm Member
Don't do it.Have an S2000 for blasting round the UK..... and destroying a little bit of the planet in the process
Don't worry... as soon as I un-SORN it in April and get it on the road for summer I remember why I love it so much... that engine and gearbox combination are probably the best I have ever had the pleasure to use. It's also absolutely mint after a complete underbody restoration so I'd be a fool to sell it.
In a way we're back to a similar discussion as with the diesel / petrol comparison. If you were doing loads of miles the EV begins to look sensible, esp if you can charge it from surplus panel production. With low anticipated mileage it takes years to justify the c25 tonnes of CO2 produced in manufacture of the car; about 10 tonnes more than an ICE car according to Polestar.
We've had the same thought but OH does about 100 miles per day for work so would have a quicker payback on cash and CO2. At the moment nearly all of our surplus PV here goes into HW through an Immersun so it's not wasted.
I'm not really convinced about EVs charging from the mains when marginal energy generation is from coal and gas, 2.5 and 42.4% at the moment.
Plan is to put up 24 more panels if we can afford that when OH has to change her car and we have to go to a heat pump.
gingermrkettle
Deep vein trombonist
Coal, it depends on the timing but that is really rare at the moment. Gas still works out better for CO2 by a factor of about 2 given the relative thermal efficiencies of power stations and ICE engines.
However, on nights with any significant amount of wind then the margin is wind power, thermal generation is set to run at a fairly fixed level and the wind is feathered in and out to match demand if you check the stats on carbon teacer or something like that. Given that most domestic charging will be overnight for reasons of price (apart from sessions directed by things like Octopus Intelligent) then the marginal generation during peak hours isn't that relevant.
And if you do want more wind power in the grid, Ripple Energy are preparing another co-ownership scheme.
Just so as you know solar panels have never been cheaper so don't let people rip you off.
I was certainly surprised to see coal just then when i checked Grid Status, it's showing 2.7% now, don't know whether there's a breakdown somewhere.
Wind is catching up well 30.8% over the last year against 32.9 for gas.
Big debate about wind here at the moment as they're trying to plan a connection to the offshore farms; it appears that we're so built up that any cable underground or pylons above get bogged down in an eternal planning hole. We'll all be dust and ashes by the time it's sorted.
It's one of the biggest barriers to wind. As said I work some of the time in this industry and the connection to the grid is usually by far the largest cost and most time consuming to plan and get passed. I have seen entire wind farm plans scuppered due to landowners' daft demands and I'm not talking about land used for anything in particular. When it starts needing to cross built up areas etc. it just gets a whole lot worse although i do have some sympathy in some cases as the plans can be a bit myopic in places.
Sloop John B
And any old music will do…
the Renault Zoe has apparently a very poor safety rating and is a Which? “Don’t Buy”.
The devil may be in the detail, but it’s worth being aware of.
.sjb
The devil may be in the detail, but it’s worth being aware of.
.sjb
Can well believe that, we've been in the process for three years now with private consultation meetings with every landowner on the proposed routes and a series of public meetings; makes it easy to understand how HS2 has already cost billions.
We've just had a commitment to try and keep the width of the exclusion zone down to 60m which helps but having that run through the business on a random line is incredibly disruptive cutting through drains and our water mains and access for up to five years.
The team managing it are doing a good job but knowing a few of the people they're dealing with i wouldn't want the job.