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[Misc] Electric car/hybrid car or other?
- Thread starter essbee1
- Start date
Have been told the price of new EVs will plummet over the next eighteen months as they move into mainstream production.
D
Deleted member 2719
Guest
Hi all good people of NSC,
Current car is starting to go wrong a bit too often for my liking.
Any experiences (bad/good) of new electric/hybrid etc cars?
Any info would help me with this morass of decisions I have to make.
When you say has started to go wrong, what sort of stuff are we talking about
Raleigh Chopper
New member
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Most important question is what is the budget. I am no expert on this as I am kicking against it at the moment. Am I right in thinking the cheapest hybrids are about 19k for a very small one and electric quite a bit more?
This might help the OP
https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/hybrid/cheapest-hybrid-cars/
This might help the OP
https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/hybrid/cheapest-hybrid-cars/
- Thread starter
- #7
When you say has started to go wrong, what sort of stuff are we talking about
Hi Mouldy,
Engine electrics symbol flashing amber warning....going in next week for a check. Car is 20
years old mind.
D
Deleted member 2719
Guest
Hi all good people of NSC,
Current car is starting to go wrong a bit too often for my liking.
Any experiences (bad/good) of new electric/hybrid etc cars?
Any info would help me with this morass of decisions I have to make.
There's a lot of variables in whether or not a full electric will be suitable for you. Do you have off-street parking and a convenient wall to fit a home charger? If so - full electric could definitely be an option. If not, you'll need a reasonably priced electric charging location near you. With that in mind, Tesco are installing EV charge points nationwide, and the 7kW option will be free to use (but given parking time restrictions you won't be getting much more than a useful top up from that). Or if you have a rapid charge car, they'll have a 50kW option that costs standard market rates (not looked into exactly how much - I have a home charger for my Zoe). The other possibility is if you work in an office, and the office has parking with EV chargers: do your charging at work.
After that ... how many miles are you expecting? EV's aren't there yet as a long range option (eg holiday to Cornwall), largely due to infrastructure limitations and charge times, but they're absolutely fantastic for short range commuting and the like. Given I have solar panels on my roof, the majority of the miles I've done with my Zoe so far have been "free" miles.
If you need high miles, then I'd suggest looking at Plug-in Hybrids. Don't get sucked in by the self-charging hybrid marketing. As much as my self-charge Prius has been a wonderful servant for the last 4 years, the benefit is minimal and shrinking over time.
Also: when you do your research don't forget the winter-effect on electric cars. Your range will drop significantly in winter. My Zoe has a range of a little over 200 miles at the moment - it's warm, long days so minimal head light usage, etc. In winter it'll be more like 160 miles. Also keep in mind how much running you'll do on motorways. Once you're cruising at 70mph, range again drops.
And just quietly: I've "only" got a Zoe. But even the Zoe will give you a kick in the pants if you plant your foot. I keep mine in Eco mode most of the time, which tames it significantly, but when needed for overtaking or getting out of a junction in a hurry, the standard mode provides more than enough acceleration.
Not sure if they'll plummet, but yes prices are going to go down significantly over the next 3-5 years or so. Partly due to new battery tech (better range and faster charging) and partly due to reduced cost of producing the batteries (as new battery factories come on stream). And then also partly due to increasing competition in the market - VW are entering in a big way, Tesla have plans for an entry-level EV (they've talked about a $25k US price point), Toyota are finally committing to full EV, etc.
Which is why when I got my Zoe I got it on a 4 year lease. Just over 3 years left to run on that lease, and when it expires I'm expecting the options available in the market to be far better than they were when I chose the Zoe.
Base model Zoe's start at around £27,500. Renault have announced a new full-electric supermini hatch (Renault 5) that will use new battery tech. Expected to release 2024, priced around £19k, and claimed range 248 miles (it'll be more like 220 based on my experience with the Zoe). Given that full electric cars tend to come with free extras that are paid-for add-ons for non-electric, the Renault 5 will still be expensive for its size class in terms of up-front cost, but once you calculate in reduced running costs over the lifetime of the vehicle it'll almost certainly prove to be the cheaper option.
That was what drove my decision to the get the Zoe to replace my Prius. The Prius was a company car (which we bought at contract end), but when it came time to replace my company had discontinued allowing us to take a car and instead started paying a cash equivalent (which gets taxed more heavily
). I did my sums, and using the cash allowance + savings on fuel a leased Zoe worked out cheaper than doing a like-for-like replacement of the Prius, especially given I didn't include servicing costs (which are less for the full electric). In my case that calculation was substantially helped along by the fact I already have solar panels, and my work provides free chargers.
I've been thinking of going Electric for some time. I drive a Mini SD, which is 9 years old and has 130k on the clock. I've done loads of research (and test driven the new Mini Electric), but decided to wait. The main reasons are (a) cost, and (b) range. The Mini Electric is great to drive, but the range is pathetic - around 140 miles max. It's fine for day-to-day stuff (nipping to the shops), but we drive to London fairly often (from Somerset), and obviously during a normal footie season I'm driving to the Amex 15+ times a year (circa 250 mile round trip). These journeys would get get considerably less convenient with an Electric car, despite the various apps that tell you where the charging points are, and help you plan a journey. Obviously the Tesla is a great solution to the range problem, but I'm not yet ready to spend £40k+ on a car!!!
We'd love to get a small electric to replace the Mrs' ageing runabout as it'd be perfect in terms of usage, range, size etc but simply can't justify the eye-watering cost for a few 000 miles a year..............and we'd still need another car with a better range (can't do a decent awayday in an electric without a stop). Savings over current runabout would come nowhere near covering the depreciation on a new EV.
LamieRobertson
Not awoke
Slightly off topic …currently considering a high end Husqvarna battery mower to replace my Commercial 4 wheeled Toro ..high initial cost to invest in there eco system of a charger and batteries …already in it with Sthil ..but they don’t do commercial grade mowers
Butch Willykins
Well-known member
I've got a Tesla Model 3 (so full EV). I can' t recommend it highly enough.
It's like driving an iPad.
It's like driving an iPad.
Stumpy Tim
Well-known member
I have a BMW i3, which I absolutely love. I believe they've dropped it now, but mine also has a very small petrol engine that gives me an extra 60 miles range when needed. It's a shame if they have dropped it as it's extremely useful from a piece of mind perspective. Having said that, I've only needed to use it once or twice.
[MENTION=33374]Audax[/MENTION] gives a very good rundown on what to think about. I won't be going back to a petrol car though. I'm fortunate enough to have a drive and hence have my own outdoor PodPoint there. My lease runs out in 15 months and I'll definitely be sticking with electric.
[MENTION=33374]Audax[/MENTION] gives a very good rundown on what to think about. I won't be going back to a petrol car though. I'm fortunate enough to have a drive and hence have my own outdoor PodPoint there. My lease runs out in 15 months and I'll definitely be sticking with electric.
Arthur
Well-known member
I'm not a car person as you'll be able to tell, they are a method of transport to me but......I have a Toyota Auris Hybrid and found it very useful if you spend a lot of your time travelling stuck in traffic as I did pre covid (going through the blackwall tunnel twice a day). It runs off the battery until about 30 mph unless you floor it. Above that unless you are in a high gear it'll run off the petrol engine. I did a lot of motorway travelling and certainly didn't drive it economically but was still getting 55-60mpg. I've no idea if that is good or not but it is certainly more economical than the BMW I had before it. You can put it in to full EV mode put the range is pitiful 2-3 miles maybe before it switches back to petrol to charge.
Driving economically I was getting 65mpg winter and up to 83mpg summer (High 70s easily) with my Prius. That was for my commute between Uckfield and Uxbridge, so included a large chunk of M25.
Excellent cars , had 2 and enjoyed owning and driving both . Only traded in to a petrol motor due to them being highly prized by catalytic converter collectors
https://mag.toyota.co.uk/catalytic-converter-theft-how-to-protect-your-car/
severnside gull
Well-known member
Considering a hybrid. At least for the next couple of years I do a 300 mile round trip from West Country to the midlands once or twice a week and the occasional 400 miles to London and back. No time or place for recharging an electric car without extending to a night stopover so electric still not under consideration.
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
Funnily enough my second car is also 20 years old and the amber engine light came on yesterday and stayed on. I started the car and the engine started then died, leaving the amber engine light on. It started on the second go and drives fine. But clearly I have an issue to deal with too as I don't want a big expense. Only done 51,000 miles.
Butch Willykins
Well-known member
You can supercharge a Tesla from 10% to 80% battery in about 35 mins. By the time you've had a pee and grabbed a coffee you're juiced up and good to go for another 250 miles or so. I'm amazed at how easy it is to live with on longer journeys.