The drawbacks of electric vehicles
Discussion
I hate them .I would maybe own one for commuting to work.Mainly because I hate going to work so It wont make me anymore miserable .Other than that I don't really see the point in having a vehicle with 40 to 80 mile range depending on factors.Also a few years back I got stuck in a bad snow storm overnight .I was able to run my engine and keep warm .If I had been in an ev I would have frozen to death.And even if I had managed to get through it I would still have been stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flat battery .Will they be fitted with some form of emergency back up or heat for people who live in remote areas ?
I'm a total petrol head and ran a Zoe for a year and a half. Loved it. Lovely car.
Half the problem is folks try to compare them to ICE cars and its apples with pears. If you have the right expectation and needs they are superb.
For myself, I have a drive and a charge point. I do loads of short start stop journeys (dads taxi) but rarely do more than 80 miles a day. So the Zoe basically saved me £200 a month for those 18 months. Easy to drive, quick off the mark. Irronically, perfect for cold mornings too as they have pre-heaters which don't use the battery as the car is on charge. You basically tell it to warm up and de-ice using your phone.
Of course if I had a 50 mile trip to work and another 50 back I'd have thought twice. Also the point about heat during travel is correct as well. They have heat pumps but it will drain the battery, you don't get heat as a side effect like you do with an ICE, but on the flip side you're not paying for wasted heat in petrol costs either. Also I found driving at 70mph on motorway hurt the range too. They are are best suited to urban cycle. Apparently the leaf fairs a bit better for this.
The technology needs to evolve more but it is getting there. Now, if they could only make one with a manual gear box....
Half the problem is folks try to compare them to ICE cars and its apples with pears. If you have the right expectation and needs they are superb.
For myself, I have a drive and a charge point. I do loads of short start stop journeys (dads taxi) but rarely do more than 80 miles a day. So the Zoe basically saved me £200 a month for those 18 months. Easy to drive, quick off the mark. Irronically, perfect for cold mornings too as they have pre-heaters which don't use the battery as the car is on charge. You basically tell it to warm up and de-ice using your phone.
Of course if I had a 50 mile trip to work and another 50 back I'd have thought twice. Also the point about heat during travel is correct as well. They have heat pumps but it will drain the battery, you don't get heat as a side effect like you do with an ICE, but on the flip side you're not paying for wasted heat in petrol costs either. Also I found driving at 70mph on motorway hurt the range too. They are are best suited to urban cycle. Apparently the leaf fairs a bit better for this.
The technology needs to evolve more but it is getting there. Now, if they could only make one with a manual gear box....
I was in my EV the other day and we got caught in an avalanche that entirely engulfed the car. Luckily the volume of the car provided enough oxygen and the heater kept me warm until help arrived. If I'd been in an ICE it would have been either the emissions from the engine or the rapid use of the available oxygen that would have killed me, a very unpleasant death. When will they start fitting oxygen tanks to cars so we can survive if this occurred?
Too Drunk to Funk said:
jjwilde said:
He hates them but has never driven one. Is it actually satire?
No need. Don't need to test drive one to know that they don't work for everyone. Also hideously ugly and stupidly expensive.As for the OP well I thought SImon enjoyed his work on LPG.
Edited by DapperDanMan on Tuesday 27th February 08:32
Heres Johnny said:
I was in my EV the other day and we got caught in an avalanche that entirely engulfed the car. Luckily the volume of the car provided enough oxygen and the heater kept me warm until help arrived. If I'd been in an ICE it would have been either the emissions from the engine or the rapid use of the available oxygen that would have killed me, a very unpleasant death. When will they start fitting oxygen tanks to cars so we can survive if this occurred?
Really? I wouldn’t have thought there’d be enough oxy.......oh, wait a minute, you’re making this up aren’t you? 
I have to say i totally agree with the OP.
I made the mistake of buying a second hand BMW i3 18 months ago. Since then it's proved to be awful. I mean, it takes a "lethargic" 7.3 seconds to get to 62 mph, and trails a M4 by as "much" as 0.6 seconds between 50 and 75 mph. It's also horribly quiet, comfortable, fun to drive, modern and incredibly convenient, what with remote cabin preheating and being able to be recharged at home. It also has "only" managed to average just over 175 eMPG over the last 18 months. Added to which, i now get free charging at some of my clients and because i'm self employed and bill the car to my company, it MAKES me money every time i drive it .
As one last insult, it also turns out it has actually appreciated in the last 18 months as i bought it just before most people wanted an EV.
So yeah, OP i'm with you, horrible things, they'll never catch on...............
I made the mistake of buying a second hand BMW i3 18 months ago. Since then it's proved to be awful. I mean, it takes a "lethargic" 7.3 seconds to get to 62 mph, and trails a M4 by as "much" as 0.6 seconds between 50 and 75 mph. It's also horribly quiet, comfortable, fun to drive, modern and incredibly convenient, what with remote cabin preheating and being able to be recharged at home. It also has "only" managed to average just over 175 eMPG over the last 18 months. Added to which, i now get free charging at some of my clients and because i'm self employed and bill the car to my company, it MAKES me money every time i drive it .
As one last insult, it also turns out it has actually appreciated in the last 18 months as i bought it just before most people wanted an EV.
So yeah, OP i'm with you, horrible things, they'll never catch on...............
This reminds me of the Facebook advert that sometimes appears on my timeline, where Mitsubishi are advertising the Outlander PHEV. The top comments are always along the lines of "This vehicle is useless, it won't tow my caravan 800 miles to the south of France on a single charge".
Some people seem to be incredibly proud of the fact that an electric car won't suit their lifestyle.
I.C.E. vehicles are still available, you can still buy one if you need one.
Some people seem to be incredibly proud of the fact that an electric car won't suit their lifestyle.
I.C.E. vehicles are still available, you can still buy one if you need one.
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