EV only tariffs, battery storage, and the current unfair advantage

chris1973

QrizB said:

cypher007 said:

ive recently noticed suppliers doing very attractive rates for over night use. but when ive enquired they say this is for EV owners only? this strikes me as very unfair in the current crisis as it essentially benefits people who are able to afford expensive EV's

Buy an EV as well as a home battery; problem solved.

Ironically, if I was in a position to afford both of those, I wouldn't be worried about energy prices and so wouldn't need them in the first place...........

wild666

Verdigris said:

don't know if used Leafs still start at £4k (the car market is funny at the moment)

I was shocked how much 2nd-hand EVs had gone up, in the past year or so, when I had another look, recently. You could pick up a Zoe, with an owned battery, for under £5k. I sort of regret not trekking from Devon to Norfolk to have a butchers, now.

And there was a story in the papers, it was either the mail or express, even both, that a Merc. driver was quoted more than his vehicle was worth for replacement batteries. I think the price was around £16,000.

EssexHebridean

wild666 said:

Verdigris said:

don't know if used Leafs still start at £4k (the car market is funny at the moment)

I was shocked how much 2nd-hand EVs had gone up, in the past year or so, when I had another look, recently. You could pick up a Zoe, with an owned battery, for under £5k. I sort of regret not trekking from Devon to Norfolk to have a butchers, now.

And there was a story in the papers, it was either the mail or express, even both, that a Merc. driver was quoted more than his vehicle was worth for replacement batteries. I think the price was around £16,000.

The price of replacement batteries is going to come as a real shock to a lot of folk who've decided that a second hand EV is a good thing to buy over the past few years I suspect. 

Verdigris

I think it is mainly early EVs, that didn't have liquid cooling for the batteries, that are most prone to shorter battery life. Improved battery chemistry and cooling systems, have largely dealt with the problem. You can put a battery from a written-off current generation Leaf into an old Leaf. I'm sure people will find other ways to prolong the life of earlier models.

The life of batteries, in the current generation of cars, is expected to be as long as the life of the car.

EssexHebridean

Yes - things are certainly improving for those able to buy new, now, although I imagine a lot of the depreciation issues of buying brand new also still apply. I was amused to see that Tesla are working on a million mile battery though - can't see too many consumer-model cars achieving that sort of mileage! 

Verdigris

EssexHebridean said:

Yes - things are certainly improving for those able to buy new, now, although I imagine a lot of the depreciation issues of buying brand new also still apply. I was amused to see that Tesla are working on a million mile battery though - can't see too many consumer-model cars achieving that sort of mileage! 

I can only see the million mile battery being of use for hot swaps, but that seems to be a bit of a dead-end with the fast charging rates that are becoming available. Possibly useful for commercial vehicles, though.

Petriix

EssexHebridean said:

wild666 said:

Verdigris said:

don't know if used Leafs still start at £4k (the car market is funny at the moment)

I was shocked how much 2nd-hand EVs had gone up, in the past year or so, when I had another look, recently. You could pick up a Zoe, with an owned battery, for under £5k. I sort of regret not trekking from Devon to Norfolk to have a butchers, now.

And there was a story in the papers, it was either the mail or express, even both, that a Merc. driver was quoted more than his vehicle was worth for replacement batteries. I think the price was around £16,000.

The price of replacement batteries is going to come as a real shock to a lot of folk who've decided that a second hand EV is a good thing to buy over the past few years I suspect. 

You're perpetuating a myth. EV batteries rarely need completely replacing, they are modular and can have the damaged cells swapped out for a relatively low cost.

The £16k bill was for a Mercedes hybrid battery replacement from a main dealer. Do you know how much a similar engine replacement would be?