Reality of EV...

davyk31

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Maybe with all the money that is saved by driving an EV and not buying fuel for 50 weeks of the year an owner can then afford to fly somewhere for the other two weeks rather than need to drive 300 per day as a “holiday” 😂😀
 

Coog

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Agree most won't need long range, especially with home charging. And will be better off without the weight and bulk of all those batteries. Horses for courses and all that. A shorter range does mean likely needing a second car or a rental for occasional long trips or weekend fun. But running multiple cars doesn't seem to be an issue for anyone who can afford an EV to start with, lol :innocent:

As for the "just plan around charging", "don't use heater/aircon", etc. Yes, all that's possible, but it's hardly progress... Horses for courses again. Time to spare, and don't mind adding 45mins in some dreary service station per 100-150 miles or so to a journey? Or at the end of a journey? Work away. It's definitely cheaper for sure. But time and convenience are also worth something. Each to their own and all that.

To be fair if you’ve got kids with you you’re not going to be doing 150 - 200 miles without a half hour break anyway. I’m not even sure I’d do that many miles on my own without a pit stop, but maybe I’m a bit of a lightweight when it comes to long drives.

I even remember doing it as a kid with my parents on the way to Fermanagh. We always stopped half way for a break when we were young. Let the dog out for a break, let us go to the loo, etc.

Heading somewhere far away and arriving with say 30% of battery remaining is my only gripe. That’s a pain in the arse because you then need to either stick the granny charger on or go find a charger. You’re also limited to what you can do at the far end.

In saying that as more folk get EVs the chance of finding a handy charger at your destination increases so maybe that air bnb with the EV charging point will allow you to fully explore your destination.
 

Coog

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Maybe with all the money that is saved by driving an EV and not buying fuel for 50 weeks of the year an owner can then afford to fly somewhere for the other two weeks rather than need to drive 300 per day as a “holiday” 😂😀

Best pick a flight that’s not leaving from Dublin airport then 😂
But the environment..............

What about it?
 

Burt2000

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My other car is a 90’s Impreza with a with a full decat exhaust and loves SUL 😂
(And a diesel work car😬)
 

Captain Starlet

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Serious question, what is the point of an EV for most people. Is it to save money, reduce their carbon footprint, different driving experience, better performance or just something different?
 

mk2driver

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Serious question, what is the point of an EV for most people. Is it to save money, reduce their carbon footprint, different driving experience, better performance or just something different?
For me - saves money and for 90% of driving it’s simply better than an equivalent ICE car due to the linear instant torque and ability to one pedal drive
 

Boydie

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Personally it would be to save money on fuel costs. Same as @big_pete, I couldn't give a hoot (maybe a bit) about environment with regards to cars but in reality, I cannot afford to personally own a Tesla MP3 and to spend that money on one would be pointless for the return in economy.

I wouldn't even consider changing to a Leaf or Zoe - it would have to be fast to be interesting
 

Burt2000

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For us it’s a mix of those reasons. We are lucky that my wife can get NHS deals so it’s a no brainer given what the deal includes and the monthly price (insurance, tyres, warranty, no MOT or maintenance to worry about). We can have a pretty nice brand new family car at the door, easy to run compared to an ICE car, safe, good spec, no extra costs involved, except what it might be to charge it a couple times a month.

As a daily they are a nicer driving experience than most ICE cars, smooth, quiet, punchy performance, great in traffic. I can see that they don’t suit everyone though and if it wasn’t on the NHS fleet scheme we couldn’t afford to lease one as they are expensive otherwise.
 
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Deezer-D

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Our Mini SE is the wife’s car. It’s used for the school run, shopping, cutting about Belfast, visiting family etc. Costs £4.20 of an average of 100 miles. She’s a fan of Mini having owned 4 and 6 between us. Slightly dearer than the equivalent petrol Mini but it’s a much nicer drive in traffic and around town. Are we any better off financially? Probably not but I like it so much we’ll have one EV between us instead of 2 cars. Will need something with a bit more range and space for the pup but we can see what’s available in 2 years time. Will hang onto the 107 for our daughter though as she needs something small, cheap to run and insure.
 

big_pete

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Serious question, what is the point of an EV for most people. Is it to save money, reduce their carbon footprint, different driving experience, better performance or just something different?

Honestly I just wanted one. I loved the tech, the driving experience and the performance.

When I stacked it up against other performance cars at the same price they didn’t have half the spec and the performance doesn’t compare at all.

The silent one pedal driving and auto pilot make it the perfect daily and keeps the fun stuff for the weekend or whenever the notion takes me, it makes you also appreciate them more for that they are too.

As for saving, I am saving an absolute fortune on fuel too. I was putting £150 a week (would probably be nearer £200 now with the fuel increase) so that saving has been massive.

The make a lot of sense through a business as an extra added bonus.

But my main reason was really that I just wanted one as it was a much better car than every other new car at its price point
 

Coog

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Saves us money and it's better for squirting about town which is 90% of our travel. Instant torque is great. The car itself is cheaper to lease than a TDI Tiguan (which was absolutely f***king awful to boot).

You might guess that environmental concerns aren't my thing. Financial ones are.

IMG_7501.jpg
 

hutchy_belfast

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Thought I'd go the other end of the spectrum as a hire car to see if it sparked any love for burning petrol again.
5.7l V8 allegedly 370bhp, must be lazy 3 legged horses as it feels dead. The noise is kind of funny in multistorey car parks but it just feels like a throw back to a different era. I'll never own an ICE car as a daily driver again.
IMG_20220409_193020.jpg
 

richie_mck

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I'm looking forward to getting our family car changed to an EV but it'll be another couple of years down the line and hopefully by that stage there will be more options for something fast (tesla performance fast) and an estate for the dogs
 

NickR

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I'm looking forward to getting our family car changed to an EV but it'll be another couple of years down the line and hopefully by that stage there will be more options for something fast (tesla performance fast) and an estate for the dogs
Dibs when you're selling the F31 👀🤣
 

Burt2000

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The thing I find about them is even though they are quick and some are mental fast they seem to make me drive more relaxed just by the nature of how they drive.

The traffic light Grand Prix is always fun though, there’s very little that will sit with a fast EV to 30/40mph with the instant torque. Even our etron which is a big 2.5 ton machine with around 320bhp feels sharp, no gear change or having to launch with a clutch makes them real world quick too. Ours does run out of puff though and probably “feels” quicker than it actually is.
 

mk2driver

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The thing I find about them is even though they are quick and some are mental fast they seem to make me drive more relaxed just by the nature of how they drive.

The traffic light Grand Prix is always fun though, there’s very little that will sit with a fast EV to 30/40mph with the instant torque. Even our etron which is a big 2.5 ton machine with around 320bhp feels sharp, no gear change or having to launch with a clutch makes them real world quick too. Ours does run out of puff though and probably “feels” quicker than it actually is.
100% agree - I very very rarely use anywhere near the full 400ps in the I-Pace but it’s brilliant for overtaking as it’s instant
 

big cyril

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Oops, hope this works…
 

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