How do ordinary people make the switch to electric vehicles ?

Jenni_D

Pedant-alert ... it was Datsun.  

Grumpy_chap

Jenni_D said:

Pedant-alert ... it was Datsun.  

I remember the choices my Dad had to make between the Sunny and the Cherry.  The later won the day by virtue of my Mum instructing the hatchback.

Nebulous2

Jenni_D said:

Pedant-alert ... it was Datsun.  

I remember some of the battles they provoked.

One man I knew claimed the door skins were made of beaten out oildrums. He had apparently 'seen' one being repaired and it said Texaco inside the door. 

Two men I worked with almost came to blows when one turned up at work in one, because of how the other's grandfather was treated during the war. 

Ectophile

If the European car makers don't get their act together soon, and start offering sensibly priced EVs, then the Chinese are going to move in and walk all over them.  They are already buying up factories in Europe.

The Chinese manufacturers are churning out thousands of EVs, running from the ridiculously cheap (Wuling Mini EV) through to luxury models.

Herzlos

BOWFER said:

Herzlos said:

People are more likely buying based on cost, since the MG 5 EV is incredible value for an all electric estate, and the MG ZS / MG 3 were pretty cheap compared to their peers too.

Do you honestly think they'd sell just as many badged SAIC?
Really...?
We'll never know now, but knowing how (kind) jingoistic and (unkind) downright racist Britain is right now, I doubt it.

Far Eastern cars sell pretty well now; particularly the Koreans which were unheard of years ago - Kia, Hyundai. So I don't see why SAIC would be much different beyond no-one having heard of it.

I also suspect that the jingoistic car buyers who may be tempted by an MG of old are the ones who thing electric cars are the devil on wheels. To at least an entire generation of drivers, MG has either been non-existant or Chinese, and those that did know it was British probably associate it with the strikes and terrible cars from the 70's.

It had a good reputation for small sports cars, but even the last MGTF would be 10 years old now.

I certainly didn't consider the badge/lineage when I was looking at a ZS (turned down because the towing capacity was crap) or the 5 EV (turned down because the roof rails weren't rated). As I mentioned, I was a big MG fanboy 10 years ago, having had pretty much nothing but MG/Rovers through my driving career

ontheroad1970

Hyundai have been around for donkeys years.  The Accent was a drab run of the mill car, but the Coupè was reasonably well thought of.  Kia have been around not as long but still a fair amount of time as were Daewoo who still exist in Korea making buses and plant vehicles, though they sold the car division to Chevrolet.  Far more Hyundai cars around (in Korea it is pronounced Hi un day not Hi un dye) now of course, and not as cheap as they used to be.  Same with Kia.

Marvel1

What outs me off EV is charging, cannot install at home.

Leaves me with public places, what am I suppose to while charging? Stand around.

Recently visited Mcdonald got a space next to EV charger, noticed 2 cars parked in the available - none were charging.

DrEskimo

Marvel1 said:

What outs me off EV is charging, cannot install at home.

Leaves me with public places, what am I suppose to while charging? Stand around.

Recently visited Mcdonald got a space next to EV charger, noticed 2 cars parked in the available - none were charging.

Really depends on your use case (how often you travel, where you go, etc.) and the infrastructure around you.

I've had my EV for nearly 3-yrs and it's only been in the last year that I've moved to a house with a drive to install a charger. Before then, I used a combination of a charger at work, a charger in the car park and had a charger installed at my parents. In all cases, I never sat around waiting. I just fit it in during my usual routine. Obviously at work I am working, at parents for a few hours eating sunday roast, or when I used the car park, I would park up, then go for run/gym, go home, then return after doing the weekly shop and drive back.

It was possible though as I have chargers in those locations, and was suitable given my mileage/range of the car. It needs a massive improvement before that would be viable for everyone, but there are certainly ways of making it work. I personally think workplace charging is the most feasible. Even if it was just a host of 3kW posts. Given you are there for so many hours, it would likely cover most peoples commute.

Herzlos

Marvel1 said:

Leaves me with public places, what am I suppose to while charging? Stand around.

You don't need to supervise it, so you can do literally anything you want.

For the average motorist, you can probably just charge whilst doing the weekly shop since the cars parked outside the supermarket for 30+ minutes anyway doing nothing.  Or when you're at work, near a train station, shopping center, cinema or whatever.

Of course, it relies on there being decent infrastructure where you are, and not everywhere is the same yet. Here in the middle of nowhere I've got access to 4 chargers at each of the supermarkets near me, 4 chargers at the train station, and 12 in the town center (~10 minutes walk), so could quite comfortably run an EV without needing to charge at home.

Advocado

Herzlos said:

Marvel1 said:

Leaves me with public places, what am I suppose to while charging? Stand around.

You don't need to supervise it, so you can do literally anything you want.

For the average motorist, you can probably just charge whilst doing the weekly shop since the cars parked outside the supermarket for 30+ minutes anyway doing nothing.  Or when you're at work, near a train station, shopping centre, cinema or whatever.

But this is assuming there will be charging points available when you go to do your shopping or whatever.

I have a colleague who doesn't have a home charging point. He often has to spend his lunch break sitting at a charging point to top up enough to get home.