EVs having to pay per miles driven

Chris

Forum DOG!
Staff member
The vast majority of my journeys are well within the range of an EV, and I have off-road parking so would have a place to charge one. The main things that put me off are the eye-watering cost to buy an EV, the cost of installing a charger at home and the fact that while most of my journeys wouldn't need a charge stop there are ones that definitely would and I'm not sure how confident I am about the availability of chargers.

When I buy a car I buy an older model for under £10K with the plan to get a small loan over 2-3 years and then keep the car for as long as it remains viable after it's paid off. I don't like the idea of incurring £30K in debt to get a new EV, and for me there's too much of a question mark over how healthy the batteries would be in a second-hand one.
 

Zorro

Forum GOD!
i am holding onto my ICE car until we get hybrids using alternative clean-burning fuels and next gen smaller and lighter batteries. I don't think that is many years off, given the vast research currently going on by the petro chemical companies and vehicle manufacturers. Toyota, for instance, is running test vehicles that use odorless Ammonia and produce little emission's.

Many seem to agree that EV isn't currently practical.

I am shocked by the number of people who think that their EV car is powered by some sort of "magic" electricity that is clean and plentiful. Governments are having to bring more and more coal fired power stations back on-line to cope with demand and our roads are being destroyed by these over-weight cars.

Current EV's are like first gen mobile phones and laptops were - bulky, heavy and short battery life.

Where we live, there is a big project ongoing to rip up all the pavements and "de-loop" shared electricity supplies from properties and rung a big cable into each property, which is apparently needed "for electric cars and heat pumps".

Coal or Nuclear ? and i haven't even factored in the electrical cost of the internet and all its data centres
 

Vacumatic

Testy
i am holding onto my ICE car until we get hybrids using alternative clean-burning fuels and next gen smaller and lighter batteries. I don't think that is many years off, given the vast research currently going on by the petro chemical companies and vehicle manufacturers. Toyota, for instance, is running test vehicles that use odorless Ammonia and produce little emission's.

Many seem to agree that EV isn't currently practical.

I am shocked by the number of people who think that their EV car is powered by some sort of "magic" electricity that is clean and plentiful. Governments are having to bring more and more coal fired power stations back on-line to cope with demand and our roads are being destroyed by these over-weight cars.

Current EV's are like first gen mobile phones and laptops were - bulky, heavy and short battery life.

Where we live, there is a big project ongoing to rip up all the pavements and "de-loop" shared electricity supplies from properties and rung a big cable into each property, which is apparently needed "for electric cars and heat pumps".

Coal or Nuclear ? and i haven't even factored in the electrical cost of the internet and all its data centres
That is also the advice I have heard, EVs are the way to go but not with the current generation of technology and one industry expert thought that the future buyer would think it was hilarious for us to carry around an electric motor and an ICE as a back up and/or to charge a battery.

Another industry expert took the view that work on synthetic fuels was the way which would produce zero harmful emissions and could be used in existing petrol engines.
 
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Twelvefret

Forum GOD!
The vast majority of my journeys are well within the range of an EV, and I have off-road parking so would have a place to charge one. The main things that put me off are the eye-watering cost to buy an EV, the cost of installing a charger at home and the fact that while most of my journeys wouldn't need a charge stop there are ones that definitely would and I'm not sure how confident I am about the availability of chargers.

When I buy a car I buy an older model for under £10K with the plan to get a small loan over 2-3 years and then keep the car for as long as it remains viable after it's paid off. I don't like the idea of incurring £30K in debt to get a new EV, and for me there's too much of a question mark over how healthy the batteries would be in a second-hand one.
Debt is a consideration. I remember people going into debt to purchase more mpg's per gallon in the 1980's.

I see making needed repairs and maintenance as money in the bank for the Tahoe. It will have been around for 28 years in 2026.

I am reading larger batteries equal longer charging times. For level one charging it is 24 hours. Also, as mentioned, it takes fossil fuel to produce the electricity. The cost of replacing the batteries was $3500 for a friend's Prius a few years back.

Not to change the topic, but I read a couple of weeks ago that Utah has two way electrical plugs which allows homeowners to install solar panels that will both produce electricity and return power to the grid, but they are the only state currently providing these outlets. I would love to have solar panels if this were possible here.
 
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Zorro

Forum GOD!
The other aspect is that all battery types have one thing in common.

The faster you charge them = the more they heat up = the quicker they degrade.

Same with phones and laptops.

These 15mins rapid charges at EV charge stations will eat away at the life of a battery. Slow overnight charges are what is needed for a long and happy battery life.

It going to take a whole new type of chemistry to move away from this issue which has plagued batteries for decades.
 

Chris

Forum DOG!
Staff member
I’m curious if indoor plumbing, electric lights, vacuum cleaners, tractors, pencil sharpeners, disposable blades, washing machines, canned food, electric stoves, lawn mowers, and leaf blowers met such resistance? :D
I doubt it. The problem with an EV is that they're more expensive and arguably less convenient than a car with an engine. Indoor plumbing has obvious benefits over an outhouse, but the benefits of an EV are less tangible especially if you live in a rural area, don't have traffic fumes anyway and have fewer options for refuelling.
 

Twelvefret

Forum GOD!
One aside, plowing and disking used to be the norm. Those process brought dormant weed seeds to the surface. Now, Roundup and seed drills eliminate the need for disturbing the soil. This modern practice also saves diesel fuel. There are trade offs with anything and unintended consequences abound.
 

HookUp

Veteran
EV owners are already paying a road tax surplus not being collect by gasoline use.

Wife drives a fuel efficient Subaru and we have to pay a surplus tax too
 

Chris

Forum DOG!
Staff member
One aside, plowing and disking used to be the norm. Those process brought dormant weed seeds to the surface. Now, Roundup and seed drills eliminate the need for disturbing the soil. This modern practice also saves diesel fuel. There are trade offs with anything and unintended consequences abound.
Nothing is clear-cut though, eliminating ploughing then introduces the need for chemical weedkiller.
 
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