Who has or is planning to get an electric car / EV Talk

[The-Real-Deal82]

In Germany the ratio between chargers and battery-cars got worse not better. I rode an VW electric cab the other day the driver said he would like his old Passat Diesel back because the new e-car's range is way too short for a cab drivers shift. He needs to recharge every noontime but because charging takes so long he needs to use a more expensive and rare fast charger with a charge time limit of one hour. The car is not fully charged after one hour for the second half of the shift so he pays hefty charging overtime fees on top and is close from getting banned from using it.
He said the only cars with significant better battery range are Porsches.

Taxi drivers in Birmingham UK had a similar experience when they went to EV’s. I know a significant amount of the Uber drivers reverted back to hybrids due to range and lengthy charge times. I suppose those are the wrong types of vehicles to be electric at the moment due to the technology not quite keeping up with demand. Charge times are one of the real concerns for motorists as we need to be at a point where charging a car is on par with the time it takes to fill at the pump. Otherwise congestion is going to be dreadful when there are too many EV’s in use.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Taxi drivers in Birmingham UK had a similar experience when they went to EV’s. I know a significant amount of the Uber drivers reverted back to hybrids due to range and lengthy charge times. I suppose those are the wrong types of vehicles to be electric at the moment due to the technology not quite keeping up with demand. Charge times are one of the real concerns for motorists as we need to be at a point where charging a car is on par with the time it takes to fill at the pump. Otherwise congestion is going to be dreadful when there are too many EV’s in use.

Although I see your concerns you have to remember the vast majority of charges will occur overnight on your drive. So if you have a 200 mile plus EV you will only need to charge in the (more expensive) public chargers when driving further than your range. For most people (yes I appreciate not all), that’s not that common experience.
When I have used public charging I’ve found that by enlarge there are plenty about. The apps like Zappmap and better route planner really help.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Although I see your concerns you have to remember the vast majority of charges will occur overnight on your drive. So if you have a 200 mile plus EV you will only need to charge in the (more expensive) public chargers when driving further than your range. For most people (yes I appreciate not all), that’s not that common experience.
When I have used public charging I’ve found that by enlarge there are plenty about. The apps like Zappmap and better route planner really help.

It may not be common to all on the daily commute but I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I travel more than 200 miles maybe 20ish times a year. I drove to Sheffield and back on Wednesday in a day which was 8 hours of driving. I wouldn’t have wanted to be adding to that 14 hour day by including additional hours to charge a car. I didn’t have to stop for fuel thankfully. I know those of you with EV’s are adapting to the routine of managing trips etc, but I’d rather it improved before my time comes. I’m not planning on getting an EV until 2030 at the least and am hoping to be using diesel for as long as I can. By the time I go electric I hope prices have come down and charging technology has been improved. As I’ve said before, you guys are very kindly testing this technology for the rest of us, so please give your feedback lol.

We just need to get more nuclear power stations now!

 

[Apple fanboy]

It may not be common to all on the daily commute but I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I travel more than 200 miles maybe 20ish times a year. I drove to Sheffield and back on Wednesday in a day which was 8 hours of driving. I wouldn’t have wanted to be adding to that 14 hour day by including additional hours to charge a car. I didn’t have to stop for fuel thankfully. I know those of you with EV’s are adapting to the routine of managing trips etc, but I’d rather it improved before my time comes. I’m not planning on getting an EV until 2030 at the least and am hoping to be using diesel for as long as I can. By the time I go electric I hope prices have come down and charging technology has been improved. As I’ve said before, you guys are very kindly testing this technology for the rest of us, so please give your feedback lol.

We just need to get more nuclear power stations now!

I’m assuming you are travelling for work. If I was doing a four hour drive I’m having a stop. So even if I only stop for a 20 minute comfort break it’s a good chunk of charge in that time. Then when you get to your destination there is probably a charging point nearby.
Personally my days of 8 hour drives are behind me. If work needs me at one of our other sites, I book a hotel and stay overnight. Ones with charging stations will get my custom. Those that don’t adapt, can go without.
Probably safer people are having to take regular breaks than trying to drive tired etc.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I’m assuming you are travelling for work. If I was doing a four hour drive I’m having a stop. So even if I only stop for a 20 minute comfort break it’s a good chunk of charge in that time. Then when you get to your destination there is probably a charging point nearby.
Personally my days of 8 hour drives are behind me. If work needs me at one of our other sites, I book a hotel and stay overnight. Ones with charging stations will get my custom. Those that don’t adapt, can go without.
Probably safer people are having to take regular breaks than trying to drive tired etc.

Exactly my point, you’ve adapted your mindset because you’ve got an EV which is great. I stop on long drives too for toilet breaks and avoid overnight stays where I can as I want to be home. Unfortunately the place I visited was remote and didn’t have parking with charging that I could see. It was a long day that I was glad wasn’t any longer.

 

[VictorTango777]

The infrastructure certainly needs to improve at this point before many of us as able to go electric. Obviously this is getting better all the time. Again though the cost needs to come down too for EV’s and right now, this is looking unlikely with the cost of manufacturing remaining high. I’ll never be taking out a £40k-£50k loan just to get a car that suits my needs and right now the big EV’s are huge sums of money. It’s a difficult time to promote this sort of technology while electric bills have tripled and about to quadruple. People where I live are worrying about affording to put the heating on let alone charge an EV on the drive. I think this promotion will be on pause for the foreseeable future and hopefully by then we start to see a serious solution to get more people into EV technology.

People who claim that now they have to pay more for electricity in addition to the higher gas prices seem to forget that full EVs don't have gas tanks to fill.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

People who claim that now they have to pay more for electricity in addition to the higher gas prices seem to forget that full EVs don't have gas tanks to fill.

Thankfully, or that would be an additional cost on top again.

 

[VictorTango777]

Thankfully, or that would be an additional cost on top again.

So do you think people who make the claim about EVs owners required to pay more for electricity on top of the already higher gas prices made an honest mistake or was it intentional? Certain anti EV members of Congress tried to use the same argument on Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg in a recent hearing.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

So do you think people who make the claim about EVs owners required to pay more for electricity on top of the already higher gas prices made an honest mistake or was it intentional? Certain anti EV members of Congress tried to use the same argument on Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg in a recent hearing.

I don’t know enough about those people or why they claim what they claim to pass comment.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

In Germany the ratio between chargers and battery-cars got worse not better. I rode an VW electric cab the other day the driver said he would like his old Passat Diesel back because the new e-car's range is way too short for a cab drivers shift. He needs to recharge every noontime but because charging takes so long he needs to use a more expensive and rare fast charger with a charge time limit of one hour. The car is not fully charged after one hour for the second half of the shift so he pays hefty charging overtime fees on top and is close from getting banned from using it.
He said the only cars with significant better battery range are Porsches.

Sounds to me that cab driver doesn't know their own car. This summer alone I've driven through 9 European countries doing about 5,000 kilometres. Literally came back from another trip today....The concept is ABC; Always Be Charging...Don't just run it down from full to zero and then try and get it to 100%. That is just not efficient, not for the batteries, not for the time, and not necessary...Most cars have a charging curve, for a taxi driver just stick in the fast/efficient bit and you'll likely never have to charge longer than it take you to go to the wc and grab a coffee and have a smoke...

As a professional driver he should know his vehicle...

 

[Mega ST]

He certainly knows his vehicle very much and in detail and he told me he talks to the manufacturer (who is interested and listening) about his daily use experiences. How can he always be charging when he needs to drive to earn money? What sort of advice are you trying to give? "Don't just run it down", seriously?

 

[cyb3rdud3]

He certainly knows his vehicle very much and in detail and he told me he talks to the manufacturer (who is interested and listening) about his daily use experiences. How can he always be charging when he needs to drive to earn money? What sort of advice are you trying to give? "Don't just run it down", seriously?

A professional driver needs to take breaks by law. I thought it would be obvious to then always be charging during those breaks. Going by your response clearly not. So yes, charge during a break when you go to the WC, grab a coffee, sandwich etc.....

Which vehicle does he have?

 

[Mega ST]

VW ID4 and as mentioned in my post above he needs fast chargers that are not available everywhere and not always ready to accept somebody.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

VW ID4 and as mentioned in my post above he needs fast chargers that are not available everywhere and not always ready to accept somebody.

Maybe his city is not ready for it then. Looking at the charging curve of the ID4 it is typical of most such that it is optimised between 20-80% for the fastest charging speed. Keep it within that range and your maximum charging time is 31 minutes...Hence ABC....

Yet if you look at London where even the iconic black cab has gone electric, or Amsterdam where nearly every taxi when you arrive at Schiphol is a Tesla, it really is possible.

We've had ours since March this year, done 17K Km across 9 countries. No issues whatsoever getting a charge...Heck our Polestar is charged quicker than I can eat my lunch and go to the wc

 

[jagolden]

People who claim that now they have to pay more for electricity in addition to the higher gas prices seem to forget that full EVs don't have gas tanks to fill.

But the other people haven’t considered that most countries don’t have electrical grids that can handle the extra load.
Everyone’s talking about infrastructure in terms of charging stations, but most need to restructure and rebuild their basic electrical grids before adding countless charging stations.
Electricity is going to take a huge jump in price, then chargings not going to be so cheap.
Get a hybrid. So much better and you don’t need an app to find charging stations.
I have a mid size, AWD SUV. It’s rated 28 mpg. I average 38.5 to 41.9 mpg with a 500 mile range. I fill the tank every 16-17 days.
Again, get a hybrid.

 

[BeatCrazy]

I've had my 2020 Tesla Model 3 Performance since Dec '19 and love it. I will never buy another gas car again.

It also helps I'm on a time-of-use electricity plan which is 100% free on the weekends. In the past 2.5 years, I've paid exactly $14 total to refuel my car, and that was only on a recent road trip after my free SuperCharging credits ran out.

 

[Apple fanboy]

But the other people haven’t considered that most countries don’t have electrical grids that can handle the extra load.
Everyone’s talking about infrastructure in terms of charging stations, but most need to restructure and rebuild their basic electrical grids before adding countless charging stations.
Electricity is going to take a huge jump in price, then chargings not going to be so cheap.
Get a hybrid. So much better and you don’t need an app to find charging stations.
I have a mid size, AWD SUV. It’s rated 28 mpg. I average 38.5 to 41.9 mpg with a 500 mile range. I fill the tank every 16-17 days.
Again, get a hybrid.

Hybrid. Worst of both worlds. Inefficiency battery due to the weight of the ICE. Inefficient ICE due to the weight of the battery. Plus twice as much to go wrong.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I've had my 2020 Tesla Model 3 Performance since Dec '19 and love it. I will never buy another gas car again.

It also helps I'm on a time-of-use electricity plan which is 100% free on the weekends. In the past 2.5 years, I've paid exactly $14 total to refuel my car, and that was only on a recent road trip after my free SuperCharging credits ran out.

Great isn’t it? I charge mine at work free of charge. I love free mileage!

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Hybrid. Worst of both worlds. Inefficiency battery due to the weight of the ICE. Inefficient ICE due to the weight of the battery. Plus twice as much to go wrong.

I think they’ve come a long way since 2006. I think hybrids will be the bridge we need in order to go fully electric as I can’t see the UK being ready for 2030. We may need a decade of hybrids first.

 

[xaqt93]

I will say this, I got an EV last year and I have loved every second of it. The only down side is that if I am low on battery, I have to wake up about an hour early just to go to a super charger. I drive a Nissan Leaf, so I am more limited than Tesla owners. I live in an Apartment, so I don’t have a way to charge my car over night, however, I will say, the upkeep on the car and the ability to charge pretty much everywhere I go, is pretty awesome.

The only downside to this is that I live in the Bay Area and when I try to take a trip, it is really hard in the Leaf because of the range. However…I am also a pilot, so if my car can’t make it somewhere, I usually rent a plane and just fly to wherever I am going.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I think they’ve come a long way since 2006. I think hybrids will be the bridge we need in order to go fully electric as I can’t see the UK being ready for 2030. We may need a decade of hybrids first.

I only hear non EV owners say this to be honest. Those that have made the switch find it’s a good experience. I’m glad I’ve made the switch. When I’ve done longer trips, the charging infrastructure is more than able to meet my demands.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Great isn’t it? I charge mine at work free of charge. I love free mileage!

I’ve charged mine free at hotels, restaurants and holiday villas. Never ever found such a place with a free petroleum pump 😂

 

[BeatCrazy]

I think they’ve come a long way since 2006. I think hybrids will be the bridge we need in order to go fully electric as I can’t see the UK being ready for 2030. We may need a decade of hybrids first.

I've had a hybrid. Basically the worst of both worlds. Heavier than ICE-only, still needs gas.

I've taken my Tesla on road trips all over the US. In the UK, you don't need to cover nearly the amount of roads with charging infrastructure as America does.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

But the other people haven’t considered that most countries don’t have electrical grids that can handle the extra load.
Everyone’s talking about infrastructure in terms of charging stations, but most need to restructure and rebuild their basic electrical grids before adding countless charging stations.
Electricity is going to take a huge jump in price, then chargings not going to be so cheap.
Get a hybrid. So much better and you don’t need an app to find charging stations.
I have a mid size, AWD SUV. It’s rated 28 mpg. I average 38.5 to 41.9 mpg with a 500 mile range. I fill the tank every 16-17 days.
Again, get a hybrid.

Which are those “most countries”? I’ve travelled through nine countries in the last few months. Never ever have I encountered that the grid can’t charge a car.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I only hear non EV owners say this to be honest. Those that have made the switch find it’s a good experience. I’m glad I’ve made the switch. When I’ve done longer trips, the charging infrastructure is more than able to meet my demands.

Not everybody. I do know people who have had EV’s like the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Ioniq trade back after not being impressed with the range. It’s obviously different on the cars that most average earners can’t afford like Tesla’s and BMW’s etc. I’ve not heard too much said about hybrids being unreliable, inefficient yes in some cases.