EV Discussion thread

Grumpy_chap

Petriix said:

Given that the current economic paradigm is the most right wing in modern political history, 

Is it?

The current total taxation level is quite high based upon UK historicals, but fairly average compared to other developed countries with Capitalist economies:
https://www.oecd.org/tax/revenue-statistics-united-kingdom.pdf
That might indicate a centrist position.

There are a large number of payments currently being met by the state that would have been unthinkable under John Major, Tony Blair or Gordon Brown.

JKenH

EV services up to a third cheaper

New research has found that electric vehicles are up to a third cheaper to service than petrol, diesel and hybrids.

According to BookMyGarage, servicing an EV costs an average of £103, compared to £163 for diesel, £159 for hybrids and £151 for petrol cars.

Furthermore, overall average maintenance bills are up to 43% cheaper for EVs compared to other fuel types. 

https://www.bodyshopmag.com/2023/news/ev-services-up-to-a-third-cheaper/

JKenH

EV-owning MailOnline readers reveal what it is really like to own an electric vehicle and why some of them will never go back

More EV comment and feedback from the voice of Middle England.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/electriccars/article-11784125/Tesla-lovers-never-petrolheads-slam-EVs-MailOnline-readers-say.html

JKenH

Are EV drivers the strongest solar energy advocates?

A new survey shows that EV drivers are seven times more likely to have solar panels on their home.

The support for home solar panel installations is growing among electric vehicle (EV)drivers.

That’s according to new polling by the EV charging app Zap-Map which shows that nearly 29% of EV drivers have solar panels installed at home, seven times the 4.1% national average.

“As soon as you change the energy you use to fuel your vehicle you start thinking about the energy you use elsewhere in your life. Then you realise you can reduce your running costs with solar panels”

https://www.energylivenews.com/2023/02/24/are-ev-drivers-the-strongest-solar-energy-advocates/

Interesting, but I wonder how many got solar panels before they got an EV. 

JKenH

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-travel-attitudes-study-wave-7/national-travel-attitudes-study-ntas-wave-7

The most interesting statistic for me was about where we park our main vehicle. 

EricMears

JKenH said:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-travel-attitudes-study-wave-7/national-travel-attitudes-study-ntas-wave-7

The most interesting statistic for me was about where we park our main vehicle. 

Agreed !

If 71% of respondents normally park in a private driveway or garage that rather suggests that they'd all be able to charge an EV at home.

Grumpy_chap

JKenH said:

The most interesting statistic for me was about where we park our main vehicle. 

EricMears said:

Agreed !

If 71% of respondents normally park in a private driveway or garage that rather suggests that they'd all be able to charge an EV at home.

That is an interesting element of data, about driveways and garages.
It is a higher percentage that I would have guessed at.

I am not sure that the data suggests that 71% can all charge an EV at home.  I agree that would be a reasonable first read and first conclusion, but it is also possible that not all respondents with access to this provision would also be able to have electrical power at that space.

Importantly, we have to consider that the data was obtained from "an online and telephone survey ... drawn from people who have previously responded to the National Travel Survey" so it is a self-selecting rather than inclusive cohort.  This in itself may lead to a distortion compared with the total population / total housing stock.

Secondly, I suspect (no data to support my view, so just my suspicion) that individuals answering a questionnaire may tend to provide the answer that makes them feel better and that is the answer that makes their property sound better.  That answer is possibly also influenced by the order of the options (if this was the first presented) and also the broad scope of the option that secured the highest number of positives.

Thirdly, this is a very broad scope "space I own or that is allocated to me, such as a private driveway or garage".  This can encompass a large number of cases:

• I grew up in a 1930's semi with attached garage - in the category and simple access to power if desired
• I currently live in a mid-terrace with driveway immediately in front of the house - in the category and simple access to power if desired.
• I previously lived in a maisonette with garage en-block and allocated parking space in front of the garage - in the category but the garage and parking was remote from the property and with no simple means of providing power to the location.
• My first house (after parental home and University / shared accommodation) was a mid-terrace with allocated parking space.  That parking space was behind the rear of the property (beyond the garden) - in the category but no simple means of providing power to the location.

There are many more types of property that would fall in the category ""space I own..." but would not have easy access to electrical power.  I simply used examples from my direct experience for the sake of providing some genuine real life examples.

This ONS data is looking at attitudes (it's in the title) so a questionnaire data collection is appropriate.  I wonder whether the ONS have data on actual provision that is more granular?  I suspect they do via various Government sources (Land Registry being the obvious one).  I wonder whether there is an ONS data set comparing attitudes against other records of actual provision?

Anyway, I don't think that the data set presented at 71% can be interpreted to mean that 71% could conveniently have provision to charge an EV at home.

ABrass

It's also about a vehicle. Not necessarily that they have room for all the vehicles their family own.

silvercar

ABrass said:

It's also about a vehicle. Not necessarily that they have room for all the vehicles their family own.

I agree with Grumpy's points, but I would have thought that anyone owning 2+ EVs could manage to arrange their parking so that any car that needs to be charged could be positioned to do so for the time that is needed.

Grumpy_chap

ABrass said:

It's also about a vehicle. Not necessarily that they have room for all the vehicles their family own.

I have no data but suspect that any property with multiple EVs would be able to manage charging around a single charge point.

The number of households where multiple EV's need charging from empty to full regularly at the same time must be rather an edge case.  Even Mum, Dad and three adult children are unlikely to have multiple of them doing regular commutes of 150 mile  or more round trip daily.