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Who has or is planning to get an electric car / EV Talk
- Thread starter PracticalMac
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So about £20 for the same range my petrol car gets. Can’t really argue with that cost.
Agreed. That’s on a standard tariff. There are cheaper overnight tariffs. But then you pay more for the rest of your electricity. We use quite a bit in the day with cooking and my wife is at home 24/7.
We had one charge port where I work as a Director had a plug in hybrid. Bizarrely now he’s been sacked they’ve removed the port and we now have no provisions for vehicle charging. Strange approach i thought with how things are going as ultimately in the future they will be paying to put those sorts of things back in.
We have three at our warehouse (new build). We are having two put in at our head office Monday. Should make things nice for me. We have three electric cars. The other two are the two owners and both Tesla’s.
So quick write up for my 230 mile trip (each way) in a car with a 130-140 mile real world range.
First of all I drove at 65mph. I could have got a bit more range at 60 or even 55mph, but decided 65 was an okay compromise on speed and time.
So left at 100%. My first stop was at around 120 miles. However the bank of chargers at Cambridge services were all offline. So I had a plan B and C lined up, but none had as many charging points. Anyway settled for a McDonalds about 15 minutes away. When I arrived I was down to 20% and starting to feel a bit nervous. But although there were only 2 chargers, they were both empty when I arrived. Buy the time I left there was a bit of a queue so I unplugged at 79%. This was enough to get me to my destination.
The return trip needed a couple of stops as I wasn't having the luxury of starting at 100%. My first point was a nice supermarket in a nice town. Had a really nice aray of chargers (slow, fast and rapid). I went for the rapid and took the opportunity to do a bit of photography and stretch my legs.
My next planned stop I actually went for a different one as I was starting to feel a bit hungry. So stopped around 10 minutes earlier when I saw a charging point coming up. Again there were only 2, but neither was in use when I arrived or when I left.
Stop one 46 minutes £17.11
Stop two 41 minutes £15.57
Stop three 36 minutes £12.49
Total trip 460 miles. Cost £45.17
Conservative estimate for the equivalent petrol cost would be £90+.
Truth is I'd have stopped once each way either way but maybe not for that long. So pretty happy with my first long road trip in a low range EV.
First of all I drove at 65mph. I could have got a bit more range at 60 or even 55mph, but decided 65 was an okay compromise on speed and time.
So left at 100%. My first stop was at around 120 miles. However the bank of chargers at Cambridge services were all offline. So I had a plan B and C lined up, but none had as many charging points. Anyway settled for a McDonalds about 15 minutes away. When I arrived I was down to 20% and starting to feel a bit nervous. But although there were only 2 chargers, they were both empty when I arrived. Buy the time I left there was a bit of a queue so I unplugged at 79%. This was enough to get me to my destination.
The return trip needed a couple of stops as I wasn't having the luxury of starting at 100%. My first point was a nice supermarket in a nice town. Had a really nice aray of chargers (slow, fast and rapid). I went for the rapid and took the opportunity to do a bit of photography and stretch my legs.
My next planned stop I actually went for a different one as I was starting to feel a bit hungry. So stopped around 10 minutes earlier when I saw a charging point coming up. Again there were only 2, but neither was in use when I arrived or when I left.
Stop one 46 minutes £17.11
Stop two 41 minutes £15.57
Stop three 36 minutes £12.49
Total trip 460 miles. Cost £45.17
Conservative estimate for the equivalent petrol cost would be £90+.
Truth is I'd have stopped once each way either way but maybe not for that long. So pretty happy with my first long road trip in a low range EV.
We bought a Kia Sorrento Hybrid back in April, and now my wife has fallen in love with the EV6. Looks like the Sorrento will become my daily driver and we'll be putting a deposit down on the EV for the wife.
Really appreciate the detailed account of a long journey with an EV. It’s definitely confirmed my concerns and I know I am not ready for a change to that type of vehicle yet. I think the technology needs to improve along with a lot of financial changes, but you guys are testing it for the rest of us so it’s appreciated
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It’s the sort of trip I make less than a handful times of year. But the charging network is getting better all the time. Once the rest of the Tesla network opens up in the UK things will be better.Really appreciate the detailed account of a long journey with an EV. It’s definitely confirmed my concerns and I know I am not ready for a change to that type of vehicle yet. I think the technology needs to improve along with a lot of financial changes, but you guys are testing it for the rest of us so it’s appreciated.
Also remember the range in my EV is on the lower side compared to a lot of what’s on the market. But that was reflected in the price. I’d rather have a car I like with less range than one I hate with more. But if my job involved lots of travelling I’d have to bite the bullet I guess.
Tesla just put in a supercharger 1.9 miles from our house. Nearest one before was over twenty mins away. But it’s been completely packed 6am to 10pm as it’s on the edge (no super chargers to the north or west (within 35 mins) of me). Hopefully they put another one in nearby 
. Still nice option to have.
. Still nice option to have.
It was a good account and I appreciate the detail. One thing to keep in mind is that Apple Fanboy’s vehicle only has a 130-140 range. That is 75-50% of most newer EV ranges, now. It’s certainly a useful range but if you were planning to do more than an annual long distance trip you would probably opt for one with higher range. The charger network is still probably the weakest part of the EV experience but that is getting better. Electrify America is planning to double their network size by 2025 and I’m sure the other providers have similar plans. I don’t worry too much about it as we do most of our driving locally and charge at home. A once a year trip of more than a day isn’t something that concerns me too much. Taking a little longer to charge on that trip doesn’t have much impact compared to the rest of the year.Really appreciate the detailed account of a long journey with an EV. It’s definitely confirmed my concerns and I know I am not ready for a change to that type of vehicle yet. I think the technology needs to improve along with a lot of financial changes, but you guys are testing it for the rest of us so it’s appreciated
It’s a bit different for me as I go on long 200+ at least twice a month. I also have kids so lengthy charging stops are something I want to avoid when they are the age they are. I want to get there and not stretch it out to be honest. It’ll be 2030 at least before I get an EV anyway the way it’s going. By then hopefully there will be a 5 seater with 300-500 miles of range with a 600 litre boot for around £25k. I dread to think what some of the people I know will do when they are lucky to spend £5k on a car now! Things need to change and in the next 8 years.
I got a Model 3 right before the gas hikes happened and I will never buy a gas vehicle again. Teslas are fun and I love the super charging. I'm able to drive to my folks from Colorado Springs to the middle of nowhere, CO under $20 when before with gas it was always a $40 trip. That was gas before the hikes.
I will likely get a new EV in the next 5 years. It'll be hard to move on from Tesla if I do, but damnit I miss CarPlay. The new CarPlay for the future will be very tempting when it releases...
I will likely get a new EV in the next 5 years. It'll be hard to move on from Tesla if I do, but damnit I miss CarPlay. The new CarPlay for the future will be very tempting when it releases...
We sold our civics in February when gas hit $5 a gal. It’s now $7. Used Tesla LR AWD Model 3 2018. We are extremely happy and will not be going back. My wife drives 110 miles every other day. Loving every part of this car. Max range with our driving habits is 276 miles.
2 things are true for me
We have a Model 3 and a Model Y. I'm thinking about replacing the Y with something like an e-Tron (I'm a four rings guy)
- I will never own an ICE vehicle again
- I will never buy a Tesla again
We have a Model 3 and a Model Y. I'm thinking about replacing the Y with something like an e-Tron (I'm a four rings guy)
Welp, opposite here. I never thought there would be a day where I spend more time in a Model S than I did my internal combustion sports cars, and it’s finally happened. It’s not that I don’t appreciate internal combustion (Cuz’ I definitely do), it’s just I de-prioritized driving as much as I’ve enjoyed the Model S [Especially with high fuel prices]. I’ve got nothing but great things to say and I’ve had no experiences that would put me off from another Tesla in the future.
I mean, how can you not like this car:
CarPlay would be a deal breaker for me. Just one of the many reasons I never considered a Tesla.
Agree I’d never buy an ICE vehicle again.
The build quality and design of Tesla’s just aren’t for me. I prefer my interior space a little more civilised.
They have a great battery and charging network. But I’ve been on two road trips to two of the most remote locations in the UK this week and didn’t struggle finding charging points.
I’ve always felt Tesla’s are quite plain looking and boring. I’ve never looked at one and been impressed by its aesthetics, technology yes. I prefer a German car for styling and think what Audi and BMW are doing with their EV’s are more interesting for the future. In reality though when my turn comes around it’ll be more likely i’ll have to downgrade to a Ford or Vauxhall if I want something in my budget and size.
Probably find the build quality would be better in the Ford or Vauxhall!
But I think there will be a lot more options in the coming years. Plenty of good cars coming.
Anyone out there with a Mustang Mach-E? Like a few others in this thread, I’d like to switch to electric, but I want CarPlay so it makes it hard to consider a Tesla. I also like that I can take the Mustang to a local Ford dealership if I ever need to.
I’m guessing you’re talking about a used vehicle? It is very doubtful in my opinion that ANY new car in 2030 will be priced at £25,000 or $30,700, let alone an EV with the specs you desire. Average vehicle today in the US is about $40,000 or £32,600. One of the cheapest EVs today, a Nissan LEAF with the smaller battery and far less that your desired range, exceeds your target price as well; I can’t imagine even that vehicle being £25,000 in 2030.
But I do love your optimism and I hope you’re right.
It’s optimism with about 90% doubt because we are having EV’s forced on us by 2030 yet a huge proportion of motorists won’t be able to afford them. When I listed that spec I did so with tongue in cheek because right now that sort of EV is about £100k. The average cost of a car in the UK as of 2022 is £12k. If a used EV is £25k+, we have a huge economic problem coming. I think carbon neutral fuel will be promoted in the meantime and hopefully that will be a technology sharing the roads beyond 2030.
I was indeed talking about a used vehicle too. I have absolutely no desire to ever buy a brand new car.