Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

JKenH

UK: Poll Results Show Most EV Drivers Would Not Go Back To Diesel/Gas

“However, for a third (31 percent) of respondents, the longest trip was between 101 and 200 miles, while 15 percent said they had never driven more than 100 miles in their electric car. Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said the figures showed drivers were becoming more “confident” in electric cars and the charging infrastructure.”

https://uk.motor1.com/news/558053/electric-drivers-return-petrol-diesel/

Solarchaser

I wonder how many drivers of all cars have never driven more than 100 miles?
I know alot of women (and a couple of guys) in particular who never drive more than 20 mins from home and are very wary of motorways.

Seems like a small ev would work for them.

Superscrooge

Typical clickbait article in The Sun describing how their reporter drove a Tesla for a week, didn't bother charging it and nearly ran out of charge on the motorway!
  
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/17107726/electric-car-tesla-week-review/

An article describing how someone drove a petrol car for a week, didn't bother putting any fuel in it and nearly ran out of petrol on the motorway probably wouldn't generate as much interest  

Grumpy_chap

Superscrooge said:

Typical clickbait article in The Sun describing how their reporter drove a Tesla for a week, didn't bother charging it and nearly ran out of charge on the motorway!
  
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/17107726/electric-car-tesla-week-review/

An article describing how someone drove a petrol car for a week, didn't bother putting any fuel in it and nearly ran out of petrol on the motorway probably wouldn't generate as much interest  

When you read the article, it is really about scarcity and reliability of public EV chargers.  

It is really quite exceptional to arrive at a petrol pump and find it out of order.  When that does occur, the forecourt operator sees to it that the pump is returned to service swiftly.

It does not seem anywhere near as exceptional to find that case with EV charging.  I know that one example does not make a general case but the nearest on-street EV points to my home has three "pods" and one of those pods has been faulty for months - you'd think the operating company would have fault signals returned to a central control centre so that they can active repair within a timely manner and secure potential revenue.

Why is prompt repair of faulty charge pods not just an essential part of the EV charge point business model?

It likely does not help that the three pods are outside a newsagent and nearly always have ICE's parked - perhaps that means the revenue loss by being non-functional is insignificant.

Whatever the full reasons, the quality (scale, reliability, speed) of the public charging infrastructure does need to be massively enhanced to support and facilitate the massive roll-out of EV's.

JKenH said:

Tesla delivers 308,600 vehicles in Q4, beating estimates

That's around a million cars in the year.
From the brand leader in EV and (I believe) the largest volume EV manufacturer.
Numbers need to be so much higher before EV can be said to be the default.

I do very much hope that my next car can be an EV.  I am fortunate enough that I will be able to have a charge point installed at home.  Battery range is now sufficient that I'd be able to make an EV a practical option.  Together, that means my use of public charging would be low.  The challenge is the massive capital outlay:

• £50k for TM3 LR is horrendous.  Plus it comes with the issue that Clients would perceive obvious excessive fees if I rocked up in a £50k car
• £30k for an MG5 LR is a large outlay for a budget family estate competitor to a Dacia Duster

Fortunately, continued lock-down means the need for a new car is delayed and, hopefully, a solution will be along to close that challenge for when I need a car back on the road.

shinytop

Superscrooge said:

Typical clickbait article in The Sun describing how their reporter drove a Tesla for a week, didn't bother charging it and nearly ran out of charge on the motorway!
  
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/17107726/electric-car-tesla-week-review/

An article describing how someone drove a petrol car for a week, didn't bother putting any fuel in it and nearly ran out of petrol on the motorway probably wouldn't generate as much interest  

I left home with 0 miles on my (ICE) car display this morning.  I knew, with near 100% probability, that within 5 miles of my house, I could fill up with petrol at any one of 4 petrol stations.  (I also know that there is about a gallon left when the dial reads 0 miles).

The point of the article is that you can't be as tardy as that with an EV and you need to plan your refuelling better and also that charging infrastructure isn't yet good enough.  Yes, of course it's click bait and it's written in Sun-style but it's actually very positive about EVs - apart from the charging infrastructure.   

 

JKenH

Superscrooge said:

Typical clickbait article in The Sun describing how their reporter drove a Tesla for a week, didn't bother charging it and nearly ran out of charge on the motorway!
  
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/17107726/electric-car-tesla-week-review/

An article describing how someone drove a petrol car for a week, didn't bother putting any fuel in it and nearly ran out of petrol on the motorway probably wouldn't generate as much interest  

Yes it’s a click bait headline but the article is more balanced.

“I'd always been pretty sceptical on electric cars - mostly because I have the same concerns about costs and charging as everyone else.

A week with this Tesla very nearly converted me though.

Out for a drive with my husband, I started speculating about whether an EV could be in our future, with their smooth driving and no gear changes to worry about.

And then it was time to charge up.

Even if I hadn't left it until the battery was near empty, I would still have had to tour around three different charging stations to find a working one or make a major diversion to the nearest Tesla supercharge point.”

That pretty much sums up my experience of 2 years of electric car ownership. So much better to drive and perfect if you only charge up at home (so much more relaxing than standing in the cold at a petrol pump) but you just can’t rely on turning up at a charger and finding it unoccupied and working (unless you have a Tesla).

I was coming back from Manchester Airport the weekend before Christmas and was unable to get a charge at either of the two motorway service stations I tried and had to leave the motorway to get a top up to get home. Fortunately I had a passenger who could work ZapMap while I drove.

In the survey I referenced a couple of posts earlier, 46% of EV owners haven’t made a journey of over 200 miles and so a significant number of EV owners have probably never needed to charge at a public charger. I don’t doubt that the majority of EV drivers are overall happy with the experience but it isn’t perfect yet. When chatting at a charging point someone asked me if I would ever go back to a non electric car. I answered that a year ago, if someone had asked me, it would have been a definite no but now I’m not quite so sure. As EV penetration reaches past the first adopters and enthusiasts to those who are obliged to move to EVs (because of either national or local sanctions - tax, prohibitions and penalties) satisfaction levels are likely to fall. I am all in favour of EVs but more needs to be done to make using them more convenient. It’s easy to sell any new policy to those who support it (most of us on this forum) but less so to those who are negatively impacted by it and they can’t be ignored.  

JKenH

Electric car statistics - data and projections

Lots of interesting statistics on the UK electric car scene.

https://heycar.co.uk/blog/electric-cars-statistics-and-projections

thevilla

JKenH said:

Superscrooge said:

Typical clickbait article in The Sun describing how their reporter drove a Tesla for a week, didn't bother charging it and nearly ran out of charge on the motorway!
  
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/17107726/electric-car-tesla-week-review/

An article describing how someone drove a petrol car for a week, didn't bother putting any fuel in it and nearly ran out of petrol on the motorway probably wouldn't generate as much interest  

Yes it’s a click bait headline but the article is more balanced.

“I'd always been pretty sceptical on electric cars - mostly because I have the same concerns about costs and charging as everyone else.

A week with this Tesla very nearly converted me though.

Out for a drive with my husband, I started speculating about whether an EV could be in our future, with their smooth driving and no gear changes to worry about.

And then it was time to charge up.

Even if I hadn't left it until the battery was near empty, I would still have had to tour around three different charging stations to find a working one or make a major diversion to the nearest Tesla supercharge point.”

That pretty much sums up my experience of 2 years of electric car ownership. So much better to drive and perfect if you only charge up at home (so much more relaxing than standing in the cold at a petrol pump) but you just can’t rely on turning up at a charger and finding it unoccupied and working (unless you have a Tesla).

I was coming back from Manchester Airport the weekend before Christmas and was unable to get a charge at either of the two motorway service stations I tried and had to leave the motorway to get a top up to get home. Fortunately I had a passenger who could work ZapMap while I drove.

In the survey I referenced a couple of posts earlier, 46% of EV owners haven’t made a journey of over 200 miles and so a significant number of EV owners have probably never needed to charge at a public charger. I don’t doubt that the majority of EV drivers are overall happy with the experience but it isn’t perfect yet. When chatting at a charging point someone asked me if I would ever go back to a non electric car. I answered that a year ago, if someone had asked me, it would have been a definite no but now I’m not quite so sure. As EV penetration reaches past the first adopters and enthusiasts to those who are obliged to move to EVs (because of either national or local sanctions - tax, prohibitions and penalties) satisfaction levels are likely to fall. I am all in favour of EVs but more needs to be done to make using them more convenient. It’s easy to sell any new policy to those who support it (most of us on this forum) but less so to those who are negatively impacted by it and they can’t be ignored.  

JKenH said:

Superscrooge said:

Typical clickbait article in The Sun describing how their reporter drove a Tesla for a week, didn't bother charging it and nearly ran out of charge on the motorway!
  
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/17107726/electric-car-tesla-week-review/

An article describing how someone drove a petrol car for a week, didn't bother putting any fuel in it and nearly ran out of petrol on the motorway probably wouldn't generate as much interest  

Yes it’s a click bait headline but the article is more balanced.

“I'd always been pretty sceptical on electric cars - mostly because I have the same concerns about costs and charging as everyone else.

A week with this Tesla very nearly converted me though.

Out for a drive with my husband, I started speculating about whether an EV could be in our future, with their smooth driving and no gear changes to worry about.

And then it was time to charge up.

Even if I hadn't left it until the battery was near empty, I would still have had to tour around three different charging stations to find a working one or make a major diversion to the nearest Tesla supercharge point.”

That pretty much sums up my experience of 2 years of electric car ownership. So much better to drive and perfect if you only charge up at home (so much more relaxing than standing in the cold at a petrol pump) but you just can’t rely on turning up at a charger and finding it unoccupied and working (unless you have a Tesla).

I was coming back from Manchester Airport the weekend before Christmas and was unable to get a charge at either of the two motorway service stations I tried and had to leave the motorway to get a top up to get home. Fortunately I had a passenger who could work ZapMap while I drove.

In the survey I referenced a couple of posts earlier, 46% of EV owners haven’t made a journey of over 200 miles and so a significant number of EV owners have probably never needed to charge at a public charger. I don’t doubt that the majority of EV drivers are overall happy with the experience but it isn’t perfect yet. When chatting at a charging point someone asked me if I would ever go back to a non electric car. I answered that a year ago, if someone had asked me, it would have been a definite no but now I’m not quite so sure. As EV penetration reaches past the first adopters and enthusiasts to those who are obliged to move to EVs (because of either national or local sanctions - tax, prohibitions and penalties) satisfaction levels are likely to fall. I am all in favour of EVs but more needs to be done to make using them more convenient. It’s easy to sell any new policy to those who support it (most of us on this forum) but less so to those who are negatively impacted by it and they can’t be ignored.  

The writer in the Sun drove a Tesla and apparently only used GeniePoint Mobile.  Not much research there then!

In our experience it is rare to allow the EV below 30 - 40% and regular top ups are most likely.  Not common when we had an ICE.  Tescos  don't give away a free litre of unleaded when you visit.

Yes the infrastructure needs investment but proper research is needed and one week out of  an ICE mindset doesn't count.

JKenH

Tesla Model 3/1500 miles/24 hours

Interesting video on real world winter economy (368wh/mile) and the impact of battery preheating.

Also interesting comments including someone who had recorded charging losses over 3200 miles - 299kWh added 253 kWh to the car. Loss 15.4%


https://youtu.be/oahH8xdoOVE

JKenH

thevilla said:

JKenH said:

Superscrooge said:

Typical clickbait article in The Sun describing how their reporter drove a Tesla for a week, didn't bother charging it and nearly ran out of charge on the motorway!
  
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/17107726/electric-car-tesla-week-review/

An article describing how someone drove a petrol car for a week, didn't bother putting any fuel in it and nearly ran out of petrol on the motorway probably wouldn't generate as much interest  

Yes it’s a click bait headline but the article is more balanced.

“I'd always been pretty sceptical on electric cars - mostly because I have the same concerns about costs and charging as everyone else.

A week with this Tesla very nearly converted me though.

Out for a drive with my husband, I started speculating about whether an EV could be in our future, with their smooth driving and no gear changes to worry about.

And then it was time to charge up.

Even if I hadn't left it until the battery was near empty, I would still have had to tour around three different charging stations to find a working one or make a major diversion to the nearest Tesla supercharge point.”

That pretty much sums up my experience of 2 years of electric car ownership. So much better to drive and perfect if you only charge up at home (so much more relaxing than standing in the cold at a petrol pump) but you just can’t rely on turning up at a charger and finding it unoccupied and working (unless you have a Tesla).

I was coming back from Manchester Airport the weekend before Christmas and was unable to get a charge at either of the two motorway service stations I tried and had to leave the motorway to get a top up to get home. Fortunately I had a passenger who could work ZapMap while I drove.

In the survey I referenced a couple of posts earlier, 46% of EV owners haven’t made a journey of over 200 miles and so a significant number of EV owners have probably never needed to charge at a public charger. I don’t doubt that the majority of EV drivers are overall happy with the experience but it isn’t perfect yet. When chatting at a charging point someone asked me if I would ever go back to a non electric car. I answered that a year ago, if someone had asked me, it would have been a definite no but now I’m not quite so sure. As EV penetration reaches past the first adopters and enthusiasts to those who are obliged to move to EVs (because of either national or local sanctions - tax, prohibitions and penalties) satisfaction levels are likely to fall. I am all in favour of EVs but more needs to be done to make using them more convenient. It’s easy to sell any new policy to those who support it (most of us on this forum) but less so to those who are negatively impacted by it and they can’t be ignored.  

JKenH said:

Superscrooge said:

Typical clickbait article in The Sun describing how their reporter drove a Tesla for a week, didn't bother charging it and nearly ran out of charge on the motorway!
  
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/17107726/electric-car-tesla-week-review/

An article describing how someone drove a petrol car for a week, didn't bother putting any fuel in it and nearly ran out of petrol on the motorway probably wouldn't generate as much interest  

Yes it’s a click bait headline but the article is more balanced.

“I'd always been pretty sceptical on electric cars - mostly because I have the same concerns about costs and charging as everyone else.

A week with this Tesla very nearly converted me though.

Out for a drive with my husband, I started speculating about whether an EV could be in our future, with their smooth driving and no gear changes to worry about.

And then it was time to charge up.

Even if I hadn't left it until the battery was near empty, I would still have had to tour around three different charging stations to find a working one or make a major diversion to the nearest Tesla supercharge point.”

That pretty much sums up my experience of 2 years of electric car ownership. So much better to drive and perfect if you only charge up at home (so much more relaxing than standing in the cold at a petrol pump) but you just can’t rely on turning up at a charger and finding it unoccupied and working (unless you have a Tesla).

I was coming back from Manchester Airport the weekend before Christmas and was unable to get a charge at either of the two motorway service stations I tried and had to leave the motorway to get a top up to get home. Fortunately I had a passenger who could work ZapMap while I drove.

In the survey I referenced a couple of posts earlier, 46% of EV owners haven’t made a journey of over 200 miles and so a significant number of EV owners have probably never needed to charge at a public charger. I don’t doubt that the majority of EV drivers are overall happy with the experience but it isn’t perfect yet. When chatting at a charging point someone asked me if I would ever go back to a non electric car. I answered that a year ago, if someone had asked me, it would have been a definite no but now I’m not quite so sure. As EV penetration reaches past the first adopters and enthusiasts to those who are obliged to move to EVs (because of either national or local sanctions - tax, prohibitions and penalties) satisfaction levels are likely to fall. I am all in favour of EVs but more needs to be done to make using them more convenient. It’s easy to sell any new policy to those who support it (most of us on this forum) but less so to those who are negatively impacted by it and they can’t be ignored.  

The writer in the Sun drove a Tesla and apparently only used GeniePoint Mobile.  Not much research there then!

In our experience it is rare to allow the EV below 30 - 40% and regular top ups are most likely.  Not common when we had an ICE.  Tescos  don't give away a free litre of unleaded when you visit.

Yes the infrastructure needs investment but proper research is needed and one week out of  an ICE mindset doesn't count.

Not everywhere has Tesla Superchargers. I think there is only one Tesla Supercharger in Lincolnshire, that’s in Grantham so about 90 minutes drive from, say, Grimsby.

I don’t know which EV you have but if you aren’t going below 30-40% you could probably manage with a car with less range.

Tesco don’t give away petrol but frequently gave 5p a litre off vouchers which for my motorhome is worth about £3.50 compared to around 35p of electricity if you spend an hour shopping there. I usually top up at Tesco if there is a space and it just about covers the round trip.