EV Discussion thread

JKenH

1961Nick said:

It'll take several years for the public to change it's perception that a BEV will only do 100 miles on a charge, is likely to burst into flames & will need a new £15K battery every 50,000 miles. 

I doubt if that perception is as widespread as has been made out. It’s a myth that is being perpetuated and peddled as an excuse for the poor sales of EVs largely by EV YouTubers and members of EV communities who are generally intolerant to the idea that someone can logically decide that an EV isn’t the best car for them. Generally you will find in most discussions it is the EV owners/promoters who bring this up not those arguing against EVs. 

MikeJXE

JKenH said:

1961Nick said:

It'll take several years for the public to change it's perception that a BEV will only do 100 miles on a charge, is likely to burst into flames & will need a new £15K battery every 50,000 miles. 

I doubt if that perception is as widespread as has been made out. It’s a myth that is being perpetuated and peddled as an excuse for the poor sales of EVs largely by EV YouTubers and members of EV communities who are generally intolerant to the idea that someone can logically decide that an EV isn’t the best car for them. Generally you will find in most discussions it is the EV owners/promoters who bring this up not those arguing against EVs. 

I totally agree. None of the reasons posted come into my head regarding an EV

I do not have an EV and the reason for that isn't just the price difference. I tend to buy a 3 year old low milage, there is a big difference in depreciation of 30% on an ICE at £30,000 and an EV at £60,000. I have owned my current car for over 4 years with no repair bills.

What I prefer about ICE is I can go where I want when I want, 400 miles without stopping if thats how I feel,  no worries where or when to fill up, most journeys I never feel I have to look at the fuel gauge. 

silvercar

Until recently, there was a lack of older EVs available that stopped people considering them. The ones that did come to market had relatively high mileage. As time goes on there will be more older EVs with more varied mileage and this will fuel demand.  There will also be people who have had an EV as a company car/ salary sacrifice just for the tax benefits, who then decide to own an EV for themselves as (a) they like their car and (b) the tax benefit is gone.

1961Nick

JKenH said:

1961Nick said:

It'll take several years for the public to change it's perception that a BEV will only do 100 miles on a charge, is likely to burst into flames & will need a new £15K battery every 50,000 miles. 

I doubt if that perception is as widespread as has been made out. It’s a myth that is being perpetuated and peddled as an excuse for the poor sales of EVs largely by EV YouTubers and members of EV communities who are generally intolerant to the idea that someone can logically decide that an EV isn’t the best car for them. Generally you will find in most discussions it is the EV owners/promoters who bring this up not those arguing against EVs. 

Try reading the comments section on any DT article about EVs. This is a socioeconomic group that can afford an EV & probably have off street parking, but their hatred of EVs is irrational.

JKenH

MikeJXE said:

JKenH said:

1961Nick said:

It'll take several years for the public to change it's perception that a BEV will only do 100 miles on a charge, is likely to burst into flames & will need a new £15K battery every 50,000 miles. 

I doubt if that perception is as widespread as has been made out. It’s a myth that is being perpetuated and peddled as an excuse for the poor sales of EVs largely by EV YouTubers and members of EV communities who are generally intolerant to the idea that someone can logically decide that an EV isn’t the best car for them. Generally you will find in most discussions it is the EV owners/promoters who bring this up not those arguing against EVs. 

I totally agree. None of the reasons posted come into my head regarding an EV

I do not have an EV and the reason for that isn't just the price difference. I tend to buy a 3 year old low milage, there is a big difference in depreciation of 30% on an ICE at £30,000 and an EV at £60,000. I have owned my current car for over 4 years with no repair bills.

What I prefer about ICE is I can go where I want when I want, 400 miles without stopping if thats how I feel,  no worries where or when to fill up, most journeys I never feel I have to look at the fuel gauge. 

I agree, it is that flexibility that appeals with an EV - you stop when you want to stop but more often you don’t need to stop at all if you don’t want to. In February I set off for a funeral in Wales having already driven 140 miles since I last filled up on our supermarket shop. I made the Wales trip (330miles) quite comfortably on the same tank full (I knew I would) and filled up again next time I went to Asda. No planning needed, no diversion to find a charger, no time wasted, no uncertainty about whether I would find a charger, no stress. Who needs that on a 300+ mile round trip? Yes, it probably costs me about £600 more to fuel per year than if I drive an EV, but I probably save that elsewhere and if I didn’t then it’s not the end of the world for the convenience I enjoy. 

I am always thinking about getting an EV as a runabout, because I want one, but as I still want to keep my Golf for longer trips and my wife loves her Picanto, it doesn’t make any financial sense to run a third car. 

JKenH

1961Nick said:

JKenH said:

1961Nick said:

It'll take several years for the public to change it's perception that a BEV will only do 100 miles on a charge, is likely to burst into flames & will need a new £15K battery every 50,000 miles. 

I doubt if that perception is as widespread as has been made out. It’s a myth that is being perpetuated and peddled as an excuse for the poor sales of EVs largely by EV YouTubers and members of EV communities who are generally intolerant to the idea that someone can logically decide that an EV isn’t the best car for them. Generally you will find in most discussions it is the EV owners/promoters who bring this up not those arguing against EVs. 

Try reading the comments section on any DT article about EVs. This is a socioeconomic group that can afford an EV & probably have off street parking, but their hatred of EVs is irrational.

There is a growing tendency among groups of EV owners on social media to label anyone who doesn’t subscribe to the view that EVs are the only rational option as being “EV haters”. What appears to be happening is that EV owners are so committed to EVs that they cannot understand why any one could possibly have a negative view of them, hence, the only possible explanation is irrational hatred. In fact, whatever hatred there may be seems to be coming from the EV community rather than being directed at it. 

This seems to have become more of a problem once EV sales started levelling off. It’s a combination of denial and paranoia in parts of the EV community . All this talk of FUD and misinformation being behind the fall off in sales such that Quentin Wilson went crying to the government. Everyone is picking on us and trying to derail the just cause we are fighting for - because they hate EVs. 

No, the hype about EVs had just got too far ahead of itself, and reality has yet to catch up with expectations. It seems though when someone points out the reality, practically the whole EV community gets upset and starts calling names. 

So do you actually believe that BEV sales to company car fleets are stalling because of a “perception that a BEV will only do 100 miles on a charge, is likely to burst into flames & will need a new £15K battery every 50,000 miles” . No, of course not, but it’s a useful tactic to distract us from why sales are flat lining.

JKenH

Has Europe’s EV market lost momentum?

Charging and service infrastructure is an integral part of the EV experience and a critical part of the decision-making process. More needs to be done to change EV car buyers’ perceptions and help reinvigorate the appetite for electric cars. EV manufacturers and others will need to better communicate that EV infrastructure is maturing.

If governments want car buyers to invest in EVs then they need to demonstrate investment too. To accelerate EV adoption, national, regional and local governments will need to keep pace with charging infrastructure needs—if not taking direct responsibility, then facilitating others to provide imaginative and reassuring solutions. Very few buyers in any consumer product category are willing to pay more for an inferior experience. Why would car buyers want to sign themselves up for a few years of pain and inconvenience now when they are not yet obliged to do so until 2035?

https://www.automotiveworld.com/articles/has-europes-ev-market-lost-momentum/

Martyn1981

1961Nick said:

JKenH said:

1961Nick said:

It'll take several years for the public to change it's perception that a BEV will only do 100 miles on a charge, is likely to burst into flames & will need a new £15K battery every 50,000 miles. 

I doubt if that perception is as widespread as has been made out. It’s a myth that is being perpetuated and peddled as an excuse for the poor sales of EVs largely by EV YouTubers and members of EV communities who are generally intolerant to the idea that someone can logically decide that an EV isn’t the best car for them. Generally you will find in most discussions it is the EV owners/promoters who bring this up not those arguing against EVs. 

Try reading the comments section on any DT article about EVs. This is a socioeconomic group that can afford an EV & probably have off street parking, but their hatred of EVs is irrational.

You may enjoy this article that came out at the very start of the month:

EVs are to blame for absolutely everything, according to new research

MeteredOut

JKenH said:

1961Nick said:

It'll take several years for the public to change it's perception that a BEV will only do 100 miles on a charge, is likely to burst into flames & will need a new £15K battery every 50,000 miles. 

I doubt if that perception is as widespread as has been made out. It’s a myth that is being perpetuated and peddled as an excuse for the poor sales of EVs largely by EV YouTubers and members of EV communities who are generally intolerant to the idea that someone can logically decide that an EV isn’t the best car for them. Generally you will find in most discussions it is the EV owners/promoters who bring this up not those arguing against EVs. 

My experience is that it is very common.

Find any thread on facebook where an EV is mention, even if not an EV/car related group, and I'd wager there a >50% chance someone will mention either astronomical insurance or charging costs (partly warranted), EVs costing twice equivalent ICE cars, batteries needing replaced every few years, bursting into flames, or only going 100 miles on a single charge.

I just scroll on - not worth engaging with people who don't want to educate themselves on something that might work for them.

MacPingu1986

There are absolutely *tonnes* of "EVs are to blame" articles & clickbait in the right wing press & media.

Obviously just anecdotal but in the small office I work in - the person who bangs on about EVs the most by far is a colleague who doesn't own one, doesn't know much about them, doesn't want one, but constantly repeating the latest Daily Mail rant against them to the rest of the office. 

Going back to the ability to drive 400 miles without re-fueling... OK, sure - if you are in the *very* tiny percentage of the population where this is important, but journeys of this length are *very* rare. DfT stats show us the average UK driver only drives a journey above 200 miles once every couple of years (and as repeatedly noted its advisable to take breaks on a journey of that length regardless)