New Car Purchase: Petrol or Hybrid?

Herzlos

Goudy said:

Herzlos said:

Goudy said:
I can think of 100,000 drivers within a 15 mile radius of me that only do short local trips and would find one of these Springs worse than useless.

Why? If they already have EV's it's not about access to chargers.

Public hire vehicles.
There's close to 100,000 now in London, mainly EVs that do short trips, though a few still use hybrids.
130 miles for 4 hours charging and limited space, they'd soon be out of work.

Oh they'd absolutely be garbage for taxis and lots of flavours of commercial vehicles, because of the range, charging time and size.

But we're talking about private usage here, so social/domestic/pleasure and commuting, no?

fionaandphil

We've got 2 hybrids bought 2013 and 2017 both nearly new at about a year old with low mileage. Servicing and running has been cheaper than equivalent petrol cars and we would recommend them. We do a mix of short journeys and occasional longer journeys about once a month.

My mum also bought a hybrid in 2018 and loves it, she was originally going for petrol but took one for a test drive and was hooked. She is in her late 70s and likes that it is automatic and she can just concentrate on driving rather than being in the wrong gear, stalling etc.

Take one for a test drive and see if you like it first. I just think they are easy to drive and reliable. I don't think too much about how much we save on driving costs.

We will at some point move on from the 2012 model and are thinking about EV or another hybrid.

Goudy

Herzlos said:

Goudy said:

Herzlos said:

Goudy said:
I can think of 100,000 drivers within a 15 mile radius of me that only do short local trips and would find one of these Springs worse than useless.

Why? If they already have EV's it's not about access to chargers.

Public hire vehicles.
There's close to 100,000 now in London, mainly EVs that do short trips, though a few still use hybrids.
130 miles for 4 hours charging and limited space, they'd soon be out of work.

Oh they'd absolutely be garbage for taxis and lots of flavours of commercial vehicles, because of the range, charging time and size.

But we're talking about private usage here, so social/domestic/pleasure and commuting, no?

Looks like Dacia might not agree.
Dacia Spring Cargo unveiled as UK’s cheapest electric van | Autocar
It's based on the Spring 65 so the "beefy" motor and has 30kw charging.
I guess they see a gap left by the likes of the little Fiesta/Corsa van for small local drops.

PHV's are all based on private type vehicles that have to emit very low emissions targets, so there is some relevance in the "suitable to most" discussion, there's a whole sector of drivers it wouldn't be suitable for.

Not forgetting those that live out in the sticks, they need a vehicle that has a decent range.
I'm certain we'll hear more from them as they are forced into buying more expensive EV's with the range AND pay road pricing when that raises it's ugly head again.

Also if you need a car so little it can only do a few miles on a lengthy charge, could an Uber be just as suitable if most drivers do so little mileage?  
But we are back in the realms of people not wanting to give up options they have had for years even of they don't utilise them.

At the moment small EV's like this can do a job, I'm not denying that.
But small ICE/Hybrids can do lots more and if you want this ability, your only option in EV form is larger and more expensive.

The answer to this that seems to crop up is when you want to do more, hire a ICE/Hybrid.
But they will eventually go off sale and in the meantime, if the cost between the two is so minimum, why do it?

It doesn't seem like a lot of EV driving contributors do this, they seem to have two cars, one an EV and one not.

Herzlos

The faster charging would make it a lot more viable as a last-mile delivery vehicle. I'm sure I remember a local courier saying they only did about 70 miles a shift with about 150 drops, so the range is borderline and the load capacity might be the bigger deal. A van would help there but I'm not sure if the Spring Cargo would be much better than the car with seats down which is all it essentially is.

It's 1085l capacity as a van isn't far off the longer Berlingo car with the seats up (850l), albeit the Berlingo is double the price.

Leasing from £149/month doesn't sound bad at all given the running costs. If the load is big enough.

There's definitely a gap in the market where the Corsa/Fiesta van was though. Food delivery, some trades, couriers, florists, dog walkers, etc. Especially where parking and access is likely to be an issue. I like it.

trackrecords

Don't be fooled into thinking you're going to be saving the planet by buying an EV - they are more like saving the car manufacturers who are being penalised by the government if insufficient are sold each year.
Your main concerns are the increased Car Tax amount annually, if you have off-Street parking to allow home charging, and the position of your garage.
Not many buyers realise that the battery pack which is under the car is very susceptible to serious damage if you run over some debris.   In the worst-case scenario, hitting a rock, a piece of metal - such a a hammer falling of the back of a lorry - can puncture the battery and a few days later it suddenly burst into flames.  Charging them can also trigger a fire.   The fires are extremely difficult to extinguish - they produce their own oxygen - and emit some extremely toxic gasses.   Mainly, they are left to burn themselves out.
If your garage is part of the house, with a room above it, then you are taking a massive risk with parking an EV in it.
With a separate garage you aren't putting your own safety at such a risk.

WellKnownSid

You're right - I Googled it - turns out that electric vehicles are a magnet for things falling off a lorry.

Does it have to be a hammer?  I remember back in April 2004 I was joining the M1 from the M6 heading south and in this long queue.  Turns out that just before it curved around to join the motorway there was a fork-lift truck on its side in the middle of the carriageway.  Should I be worried?

Goudy

WellKnownSid said:

You're right - I Googled it - turns out that electric vehicles are a magnet for things falling off a lorry.

That's because heavier objects have a greater gravitational pull than lighter objects 
They emit more gravitons, it's that simple.

So drive along a road in a heavy EV and you are attracting all sorts of lighter, stray objects towards you.
Pass a field of hammers and you're in deep trouble.

Drive along the road in a super light Ferrari and you are actually repelling things, particularly the opposite sex.

WellKnownSid said:

Does it have to be a hammer?  I remember back in April 2004 I was joining the M1 from the M6 heading south and in this long queue.  Turns out that just before it curved around to join the motorway there was a fork-lift truck on its side in the middle of the carriageway.  Should I be worried?

Yes, obviously.
That fork lift might have been so heavy it's gravitons were so powerful that it actually pulled you towards it not matter what you did with the steering wheel.