Day 1: Who has an Electric Vehicle, either Electric Car for home, or Electric Van for Work?

[Dan]

Day 1: Who has an Electric Vehicle, either Electric Car for home, or Electric Van for Work?

I thought I'd post my threads in the forums that I hope to grow a bit more, so I'm trying to steer my threads towards those ones.

So my first question / thread is this.

Now electric vehicles are leaving their mark all over the country, the charging station network is growing, a friend has a Tesla, another has a Nissan Electric Van, another a Kia electric something or other. And they're working I think. They say they're charging over night at home, sometime in a day if they go far they may need half an hour on a high-capacity charging station before heading home.

I went to pick up a Land Rover with a friend, who has a tesla and wanted the land rover for the long distance runs (he delivers super-computer parts to Pinewood Studios in London and various other companies) but he said 75% of the runs he does in the tesla.

He put it through his VAT-registered business which there are still subsidies for if you hunt around a bit.

So I think I've asked this before and it wasn't a brilliant response. But I wonder now its been a few more years, whether things have changed.

Has anybody got an electric car for home, or electric van for work? - And if so, how are you finding them? What model is it? Where are you charging it?

This is my day 1 of 5 threads. I will reply to every single one of yours. You please do the same for everybody who's helping with this.

Thanks lads and ladies.

 

[DPG]

Haven't got one myself, but a friend of mine is in his 4th year of Tesla ownership and loves them. No problems so far, and like you said he charges it overnight at home.

Performance is amazing.

 

[pirate]

Won't have one, can't have one cos can't charge it at home, and I sometimes do longish runs where it's almost impossible to find a charge point.
May be ok for business users if you can get incentives, but the you will have to lease it somehow because many dealers won't take them in as part-exchange.
My research tells me the market for Evs has tanked, new and used...just not the right solution for a problem that doesn't exist...IMHO.

 

[Dan]

Thanks for your replies so far peeps.

Yeah performance is mint he has the performance model which has insane mode and it's flipping mental nearly snapped my neck and I'm used to fast cars I have 2 mini cooper s and a focus st (the first model - the fast one). And it wipes the floor with them.

 

[SJD]

Agree with Pirate, apart from charging difficulty on long runs, I'd continually have range anxiety. Plus the market has indeed tanked, second hand values have plumeted, and insurance is expensive. Then there is the danger of a minor dent writing the vehicle off because the battery might be damaged and catch fire. I don't ever want one.

 

[7029 dave]

Know a few people that have them, not my cup of tea am 100% petrol head and hope to keep driving them till I give up .

 

[Dan]

I'm a petrol head also. I wonder if labour will change anything to help kick start it off again. Might take them 6-12 months sort othet things out first (migration and riots)

 

[littlespark]

My in laws have 2 (yes, 2) hybrid Volvos… but it’s down to having too much money, and an overzealous salesman.
My own parents would never have one… still trying to convince them to get an automatic in their old age.

Myself? I would have one of I could afford one. Not as a van, because of the miles I can clock up in a day, and not as a family car as I don’t think there’s a good enough one to pull our caravan. Maybe a hybrid SUV for that.

We’ve got a little old hatchback for the girls. Youngest one will be getting her provisional next month.
If I could get a hefty contribution to replace that with an EV, I would.


My Day 1 thread is in the Tools and Products section.

 

[DPG]

Agree with Pirate, apart from charging difficulty on long runs, I'd continually have range anxiety. Plus the market has indeed tanked, second hand values have plumeted, and insurance is expensive. Then there is the danger of a minor dent writing the vehicle off because the battery might be damaged and catch fire. I don't ever want one.

To be fair, most vehicles are written off after even fairly minor collisions these days due to cost of parts and bodywork repairs. But I take your point.

 

[Steve-S]

I'm a petrol head also. I wonder if labour will change anything to help kick start it off again. Might take them 6-12 months sort othet things out first (migration and riots)

Starmer said he will drop gas and elec energy charges - we have the highest in Europe. That will put EVs back in the lead. Solar is going in at a healthy pace, so this will be an impetus to EVs in having free charging. Even in winter solar panels can bang out the electrity if a clear day. Also some EVs are now competitive with ICE cars in purchase price.

To be fair, most vehicles are written off after even fairly minor collisions these days due to cost of parts and bodywork repairs. But I take your point.

Fist I have heard of that.

My in laws have 2 (yes, 2) hybrid Volvos… but it’s down to having too much money, and an overzealous salesman.
My own parents would never have one… still trying to convince them to get an automatic in their old age.

Myself? I would have one of I could afford one. Not as a van, because of the miles I can clock up in a day, and not as a family car as I don’t think there’s a good enough one to pull our caravan. Maybe a hybrid SUV for that.

We’ve got a little old hatchback for the girls. Youngest one will be getting her provisional next month.
If I could get a hefty contribution to replace that with an EV, I would.


My Day 1 thread is in the Tools and Products section.

Some vans have good range. If you have a home charger the fuel bills will plummet.

 

[littlespark]

Some vans have good range. If you have a home charger the fuel bills will plummet.

I’ve got PV and a small battery storage system as well, so I think EV would be good… but it’s the cost of a new vehicle just now.

 

[DPG]

Fist I have heard of that.

You'd be surprised how a car can look to have fairly superficial damage but be written off. Then someone makes a decent profit when they buy it off the insurance company and fix it themselves.

 

[Risteard]

Although I'll always love Diesel, I've had an electric van for the past 11 months (Citroën ë-Dispatch Driver Pro 75kWh) and I love it. Obviously predominantly charge at home, but will stop off at an odd rapid for a few minutes the few times I need to (and add just enough and no more). I get they're not everyone's cup of tea though. The truth is I was installing that many EVSEs that it just looked better if I replaced my Diesel Dispatch with an electric van rather than another Diesel.

 

[westward10]

I don't have an EV but there are several in the village they sound like tumble driers coming down the road.

 

[plugsandsparks]

Bought a damaged Cat S Leaf, 12 months old 2400mls, threw some body panels at it and been driving it for 12 months now, done 12500mls. Its my primary vehicle but still have the big BMW Estate when i need to carry the kitchen sink on a job. Fuel costs down by 2/3rds ish as i can charge at clients premises, zero tax and insurance is the same as BMW estate. Very easy to drive.
Today i did a bit of a survey treck around yorkshire for some jobs and stopped at M1 Services jnc 38 for a top-up, by the time i had run into Greggs and got my sausage roll and cheese and onion bake with large white coffee i had enough charge to get home easily.
I charge at home but dont have Solar (yet)
TBH i wont be returning back to ICE for running around, need the BMW to tow the trailer and my rallycar for fun.

 

[Steve-S]

I’ve got PV and a small battery storage system as well, so I think EV would be good… but it’s the cost of a new vehicle just now.

When its new van time it has to an an EV with such a setup. By then the prices will be more competitive.

 

[woodster92]

Day 1: Who has an Electric Vehicle, either Electric Car for home, or Electric Van for Work?

I thought I'd post my threads in the forums that I hope to grow a bit more, so I'm trying to steer my threads towards those ones.

So my first question / thread is this.

Now electric vehicles are leaving their mark all over the country, the charging station network is growing, a friend has a Tesla, another has a Nissan Electric Van, another a Kia electric something or other. And they're working I think. They say they're charging over night at home, sometime in a day if they go far they may need half an hour on a high-capacity charging station before heading home.

I went to pick up a Land Rover with a friend, who has a tesla and wanted the land rover for the long distance runs (he delivers super-computer parts to Pinewood Studios in London and various other companies) but he said 75% of the runs he does in the tesla.

He put it through his VAT-registered business which there are still subsidies for if you hunt around a bit.

So I think I've asked this before and it wasn't a brilliant response. But I wonder now its been a few more years, whether things have changed.

Has anybody got an electric car for home, or electric van for work? - And if so, how are you finding them? What model is it? Where are you charging it?

This is my day 1 of 5 threads. I will reply to every single one of yours. You please do the same for everybody who's helping with this.

Thanks lads and ladies.

I don't have an EV yet but my electrics are primed and ready Once our existing old car fails, it will be replaced with an EV which we will charge for free from surplus solar. I follow this industry closely, here's an insight and I dare to make a prediction.

First though I will offer an analogy to use for when you encounter EV naysayers: when combustion engine vehicles were new: the tech was awful and took decades to become useful. The range was <50 miles, the cost was only something the mega rich could afford, the infrastructure to refuel them was shocking - you had to carry jerry cans of fuel around with you. Technology is relentless though, it found a way to make the tech better and it took a very long time but we now have over 8,000 filling stations in the UK with vast underground pressurized tanks full of volatile flammable highly combustible fuel tanks and a vast network of super heavy tankers rolling around the roads 24/7 to keep the supply going. We take all that for granted but we love to moan about it when the forecourts run low on supply. Reports from insurance companies have shown that combustion engines are more likely to catch fire / explode during collision than EVs (now that EVs use LFP rather than the old Lithium ion tech). EV tech and infrastructure is new, its going to get better and its going to become more affordable.

Insight: Last month (July 2024) in China, for the first time in any country anywhere: more EVs were sold than petrol/diesel. They buy a lot more cars than we do and their emissions from all forms of road transport dropped by 4% - that might seem small but its significant.

Prediction: the cost of LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate - the safe chemistry which cant overheat or catch fire) battery prices are in free fall. As soon as next year, we might start to see EVs starting to cost less than petrol and diesel cars.

Having said all that: van EVs need a boost - come on tech you can do it!

 

[nicebutdim]

Starmer said he will drop gas and elec energy charges

Saw in the news earlier that energy prices are expected to go up by 9% this autumn.

Politicians make all manner of promises - few are ever fulfilled.

 

[Steve-S]

Saw in the news earlier that energy prices are expected to go up by 9% this autumn.

Politicians make all manner of promises - few are ever fulfilled.

Wait until Autumn. Media do say some tripe.
"This is according to forecasts from Cornwall Insight, an energy consultancy"

HMG may think differently. They have only just got their bums in the seats.

 

[nicebutdim]

Wait until Autumn. Media do say some tripe.

They most certainly do, but energy companies are usually true to their word where price increases are concerned.

 

[Steve-S]

They most certainly do, but energy companies are usually true to their word where price increases are concerned.

We have a different HMG, who will not be bulldozed by rip off private companies! Wait and see what they do. Use some common sense and look at the big picture.

 

[nicebutdim]

We have a different HMG, who will not be bulldozed by rip off private companies! Wait and see what they do. Use some common sense and look at the big picture.

They seem to be doing really well so far. Lots and lots of great decisions and sticking to every promise made - at least that's what the media tell me.

 

[Risteard]

We have a different HMG, who will not be bulldozed by rip off private companies! Wait and see what they do. Use some common sense and look at the big picture.

Seems very näive to me...