Lodger wants a hybrid car - am I being unreasonable?

Ryan_Holden

Thanks for all the comments, I want to reply to them all individually but to redirect the conversation, he works about 3 miles from the house and rarely travels so he intends to run the car in almost entirely EV mode. So I imagine he'll be charging several times a week, if not leaving it on 'trickle'.

Access to the garage, which is not currently on his agreement, is an issue as that is the nearest 3 pin. And I really don't fancy making alterations to my house so he can have another new car.

Thank you for all the guidance and tips, a power meter would be good but again it means trusting that he doesn't bypass it. And it still means using the garage which, the more I write, the more I think this is a bigger component than I initially thought.

subjecttocontract

A PHEV would not be able to provide enough charge through e.g. regenerative braking to eliminate the need to plug in to the mains. It's called a plug in hybrid for a reason.....that's because you would need to plug it in.

RHemmings

subjecttocontract said:

A PHEV would not be able to provide enough charge through e.g. regenerative braking to eliminate the need to plug in to the mains. It's called a plug in hybrid for a reason.....that's because you would need to plug it in.

As per my links, some PHEVs charge from the ICE too. I've checked this, and am confident that it is correct. 

If the lodger is buying a PHEV, then they can select one that can self-charge from the ICE. They exist. 

BoGoF

You are talking about having issues on trusting him not to bypass a power meter - does that not tell you all you need to know about the dynamic in this situation? i.e. time for him to go?

subjecttocontract

But if the lodger wants to use the car just on the electric mode he won't have enough charge to power the car for anything but a very short range. Most people with a PHEV use the car just on electric mode for all of their local trips because it's cheaper than petrol or diesel. They only use the ICE for longer trips. If you don't make any longer trips you plug the car into a charger. The lodger is making journeys of 3 miles to work & back so he will want to use the car in fully electric mode.

MacPingu1986

OP - I don't think you're being unreasonable. You can't easily set up a charging point for him without changing the lodging dynamics in a way that you don't want to (ie: the garage is yours and off limits) and incurring costs setting up.

Saying sorry but no is, I think, pretty fair in the context of a lodging relationship.

EDIT: and if your lodger really wants the car, given the very low mileage they'll be doing they could easily charge it up at a nearby supermarket once a week/fortnight

Bigphil1474

For 3 miles each way, I'd give them a lift and charge them £2.70 a day - they'll save a fortune compared to running a car and it would cover the costs. 

user1977

For 3 miles he can get a bike…

ProDave

subjecttocontract said:

A PHEV would not be able to provide enough charge through e.g. regenerative braking to eliminate the need to plug in to the mains. It's called a plug in hybrid for a reason.....that's because you would need to plug it in.

A friend of mine had a Toyota Prius PHEV and that most definitely did charge from the engine while driving.  The point in his case was charging it from the mains at home meant it was able to do a lot of his local journeys as an EV and still have the benefits of a hybrid on longer journeys.

It seems madness to make a plug in hybrid that does not charge from the engine as well.  At least I now know some manufacturers are that stupid so it is another question to ask before buying.

ProDave

Bigphil1474 said:

For 3 miles each way, I'd give them a lift and charge them £2.70 a day - they'll save a fortune compared to running a car and it would cover the costs. 

Tell him to buy a bike.