How long will it be...
Discussion
...before someone manages to manufacture an electric car that will do over 100 miles on one charge at motorway cruising speed?
This is a hypothetical question, but one that I would be interested in hearing opinions on for a couple of reasons. Firstly, although this isn't a PH thing to admit, I kinda like the idea of a fully electric vehicle - save the puppies and quieten down the roads a little (I live near a noisy main road). Secondly, I drive about 100 miles a day, at motorway cruising speeds (generally....) and it costs me about £70 a week at the moment, and doubtless this will be up at £100 a week in the not too distant future. If I were to invest in an electric car to get me to work and back, it would save me enough to afford the mortgage on a rental property that could give me enough income each month to fund a V8 habit that I'm thinking of developing.
Apologies if this isn't really 'PH' enough for everyone, but it's a genuine question!!
This is a hypothetical question, but one that I would be interested in hearing opinions on for a couple of reasons. Firstly, although this isn't a PH thing to admit, I kinda like the idea of a fully electric vehicle - save the puppies and quieten down the roads a little (I live near a noisy main road). Secondly, I drive about 100 miles a day, at motorway cruising speeds (generally....) and it costs me about £70 a week at the moment, and doubtless this will be up at £100 a week in the not too distant future. If I were to invest in an electric car to get me to work and back, it would save me enough to afford the mortgage on a rental property that could give me enough income each month to fund a V8 habit that I'm thinking of developing.
Apologies if this isn't really 'PH' enough for everyone, but it's a genuine question!!
The question is really: "when will it be affordable to produce such a car".
The tech is there right now. Simply shove more batteries into it!
Mitsubishi dropped the price of an I-mev from £38,000 to £28,000 in 12 months, so that should tell you something about the rate at which this will become affordable - it's all down to economies of scale and any future battery tech improvements.... the next one is always just around the corner.
The tech is there right now. Simply shove more batteries into it!
Mitsubishi dropped the price of an I-mev from £38,000 to £28,000 in 12 months, so that should tell you something about the rate at which this will become affordable - it's all down to economies of scale and any future battery tech improvements.... the next one is always just around the corner.
You're probably right actually. Ultimately, a lot of people (myself included) would buy one purely because of the cost saving, but it's that cross-over where it becomes more economical to keep shelling out for fuel instead of spanking £30k on one.
Would be interesting to find out, at an average mileage (12k p.a?), how long it would be before electric started paying for itself over standard fuel. I would hazard a guess that the answer would be somewhere in the 'fekkin ages' category!
Would be interesting to find out, at an average mileage (12k p.a?), how long it would be before electric started paying for itself over standard fuel. I would hazard a guess that the answer would be somewhere in the 'fekkin ages' category!
There are other ways of generating electricity!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-131...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-131...
PoleDriver said:
There are other ways of generating electricity!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-131...
I've just stared saving!http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-131...
The problem is, a 100 mile range is just not convenient. An electric car will only be viable when it has a range of 300 miles minimum (not necessarily all driven on the same day) & a charge / battery replacement time of less than 5 minutes at all petrol stations within a region (and by region, I mean Europe, ME, Africa etc).
This is what people have got used to with the IC engine & until alternative fuels offer the same convenience, then they are really a non-starter as a viable replacement for the IC engine. People just won't give up the convenience of jumping into their car & driving wherever they like, whenever they like, with nothing more than a 5 minute stop every so often to fill up.
This is what people have got used to with the IC engine & until alternative fuels offer the same convenience, then they are really a non-starter as a viable replacement for the IC engine. People just won't give up the convenience of jumping into their car & driving wherever they like, whenever they like, with nothing more than a 5 minute stop every so often to fill up.
schmalex said:
The problem is, a 100 mile range is just not convenient. An electric car will only be viable when it has a range of 300 miles minimum (not necessarily all driven on the same day) & a charge / battery replacement time of less than 5 minutes at all petrol stations within a region (and by region, I mean Europe, ME, Africa etc).
This is what people have got used to with the IC engine & until alternative fuels offer the same convenience, then they are really a non-starter as a viable replacement for the IC engine. People just won't give up the convenience of jumping into their car & driving wherever they like, whenever they like, with nothing more than a 5 minute stop every so often to fill up.
Add the word "some" in there and your anwser is correct. SOME people won't ever find electric a suitable alternative, but lots already do find it more than suitable. This is what people have got used to with the IC engine & until alternative fuels offer the same convenience, then they are really a non-starter as a viable replacement for the IC engine. People just won't give up the convenience of jumping into their car & driving wherever they like, whenever they like, with nothing more than a 5 minute stop every so often to fill up.
Lease prices on a Nissan Leaf are about £370 if I remember rightly... that's the same as a bog-basic BMW 1 series and a tank of diesel. Throw into that any other perks you might get like free parking permit/congestion-charge/company car tax etc, and it is a very attractive prospect.
Mr Gear said:
schmalex said:
The problem is, a 100 mile range is just not convenient. An electric car will only be viable when it has a range of 300 miles minimum (not necessarily all driven on the same day) & a charge / battery replacement time of less than 5 minutes at all petrol stations within a region (and by region, I mean Europe, ME, Africa etc).
This is what people have got used to with the IC engine & until alternative fuels offer the same convenience, th
en they are really a non-starter as a viable replacement for the IC engine. People just won't give up the convenience of jumping into their car & driving wherever they like, whenever they like, with nothing more than a 5 minute stop every so often to fill up.
Add the word "some" in there and your anwser is correct. SOME people won't ever find electric a suitable alternative, but lots already do find it more than suitable. This is what people have got used to with the IC engine & until alternative fuels offer the same convenience, th
en they are really a non-starter as a viable replacement for the IC engine. People just won't give up the convenience of jumping into their car & driving wherever they like, whenever they like, with nothing more than a 5 minute stop every so often to fill up.Lease prices on a Nissan Leaf are about £370 if I remember rightly... that's the same as a bog-basic BMW 1 series and a tank of diesel. Throw into that any other perks you might get like free parking permit/congestion-charge/company car tax etc, and it is a very attractive prospect.
£176 per month for a Leaf! That's bloody impressive if it's true.
EDIT: not showing that price now for some reason
Edited by Mr Gear on Thursday 6th January 14:53
schmalex said:
People just won't give up the convenience of jumping into their car & driving wherever they like, whenever they like, with nothing more than a 5 minute stop every so often to fill up.
The first company that can make and sell a Focus sized car for Focus money that can do what you suggest won't be able to make them quick enough.Petrol engined cars will still exist, but will be driven by enthusiasts, just like horses are now. I believe this is what Leno pointed out on Top Gear a year or two ago. He's right.
More and more people will take up small electric cars for day to day stuff and rent bigger things for family holidays though. Maybe BMW and Audi could use this as a business model for the future...
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