MSE Forum Poll: Will you be driving an electric car within the next five years?

hugheskevi

Yes, it will be in the next five years

I changed to a EV in May of this year. Drawing on comments above, my experience is:

(1) Charging - I didn't bother installing a home charger, and just use a granny charger overnight. This has always been sufficient to get car up to whatever I want for next journey. On the odd occasion I can't charge at home (eg replacing driveway), super-fast charging at a nearby Sainsburys would charge car to whatever I wanted during the time of a normal shopping trip. The charge was faster than 1 percentage point per minute. It is extremely expensive however. If I did not have off-street charging at home, I would not consider an EV.
(2) Range anxiety is not an issue. The car will comfortably do 200 miles on a single charge, and will recharge very quickly at numerous super-fast charging points on the odd occasion that 200 miles might not be sufficient. If I regularly travelled in very remote rural areas however this could be a serious concern.
(3) The battery comes with a 7 year manufacturer warranty. I don't expect battery to be an issue as we are in a position to be very gentle on the battery due to our useage, eg, rarely charging to 100% and never leaving it in a high state of charge.
(4) The purchasing cost was not prohibitive - £17K for a 74 plate MG5
(5) The weight (1,500kg) and width (just over 1800mm) are not noticeably different to a typical ICE car
(6) Driver aids, which are the same as an ICE car would have, are extremely good once you get used to them. Adaptive cruise control in particular ensures you don't inadvertently speed or drive too close to the car in front, both reducing risk and enabling you to focus more on the areas of greatest risk. However, in severe weather (eg heavy rain, fog, etc) they will shut down as the sensors become unreliable - I think this could be a very big issue as more people become used to driving with them, and then they shut off when most needed in the worst conditions. Being used to driving without aids anyway it is no big issue for me, but it could be very disconcerting if all you have ever know is driving with aids.
(7) Efficiency at high speed is an issue. This comes about due to aerodynamic drag which inevitably increases inefficiency. It is an issue for ICE cars too, but is both far more noticeable in an EV as you are more focused on charge than you are on petrol/diesel usage, and also ICE cars have more sources of inefficiency so the single feature of aerodynamic drag has a higher relative impact on EVs than ICE cars. Going above about 60mph disproportionately reduces range (and so increases cost). Driving at 80mph+ is a huge drain. That also places more stress on the battery increasing degradation.
(8) Policy change risk - the introduction of VED, and now mileage tax, index-linked, is a matter of concern - tax is going to be ramped up on EVs, probably in unpredictable ways. It looks like the tax strategy, to the extent a strategy exists beyond opportunism, is to subsidise purchase of brand new vehicles but then hike tax on usage. That could disadvantage second hand buyers in particular.

I'm very happy with my EV, but it definitely isn't for everyone, especially those without their own off-street charging available.

silverwhistle

hugheskevi said:

I'm very happy with my EV, but it definitely isn't for everyone, especially those without their own off-street charging available.

I think this is the critical issue for many. I've an EV and my mileage fuel costs are a minor issue as I can charge at home: ~ 3p last night - and even use my car battery when my tariff hits peak time. Over the last 15 months only two had an average price of over 15p (15.04 and 21.85) and the rest were low teens or single figures down to 6.93p a unit.

Mileage charges aren't really something to be worried about, and fuels will be going up in price too. My battery doesn't use rare earths, although oil refineries do, nor is it bigger than the large ICE SUVS I see around me, so most objections are based on the early days of EVs. Experience has shown that some people's concerns really aren't a problem.   

Rob5342

Hammer56 said:

Like others I’m not convinced by the green claims for EVs owing to the massive mining of rare earth minerals and the higher levels of brake and tyre dust produced by heavier vehicles (on average). Range is less of a concern for me as I don’t often travel more than in range distances. 

Don't forget that electric cars use regenerative braking which may reduce the amount of brake dust produced.

mark_cycling00

No, it won't be in the next five years

Also worth mentioning cold winter days!

You might have a basic family sized electric car with a quoted 300 mile range. But if the temperature goes below freezing over night the range might be only 150 miles the next day.

If you need to go on a motorway then the range might drop to 100 or less. 

So every 80 miles or less you'll need to recharge at a service station paying an extortionate 80p kWh. 

I would be very nervous doing a long journey over the just Christmas period in a ln electric car due to the limited charging points available. 

Some newer models have heat pumps which burn even more electricity trying to keep the battery warm which adds to the cost. 

PJZ

No, it won't be in the next five years

MSE_Daniel said:

There's already a lot of people driving a fully electric or hybrid(s) car in the UK. 

But for those drivers that haven't already made the change, there can be reluctance. 'Range anxiety', lack of charging infrastructure in your area and concerns about future changes like pay-per-mile which is currently in consultation may be putting you off.

So, for those of you who haven't yet moved over to an electric car, when do you think you might?

I would never buy a hybrid - its the worst of all.   They are 3x+ the opportunities for a problem = high cost of ownership.    I will only start looking at electric if forced.... a key feature would be an easily replaceable battery.    

officewalla

No, it won't be in the next five years

If and until electricity prices drop and charger availability becomes as easy to access and use as a petrol station, there is zero chance of even considering an electric vehicle.

Stonkape1

Undecided / Like to know more first

I currently have a plug in hybrid and was going to go full electric next year, but with the new tax per mile I'm considering another plug in hybrid with a little more range, to reduce the pay per mile tax, as I generally do shorter journeys and could still run solely on electric.

subjecttocontract

There seems to be a serious lack of public chargers outside of the motorway system. I couldn't drive to any of the towns near me and charge the car. I haven't found a single town car park with an EV charger. The infrastructure just doesn't exist yet. The millions of people living in flats and terraces currently have little to no opportunity. It will come, I think, but it's a long, long way off. Not everyone in the country is fortunate enough to have the money to buy the car and the facilities to install a home charger.

silverwhistle

subjecttocontract said:

There seems to be a serious lack of public chargers outside of the motorway system.

Have you used an app to see what is local to you? The chargers aren't always in the most obvious of places, although there are some areas of the country which aren't particularly well provided for. There are certainly more chargers than petrol stations though, and that trend is only going to continue.

silverwhistle

mark_cycling00 said:

Some newer models have heat pumps which burn even more electricity trying to keep the battery warm which adds to the cost. 

I'm not sure where you have sourced the information for you post, but I'd be very surprised if it were an actual owner. There is an impact with colder weather, just as there is with ICEs, but most of what you wrote is somewhat inaccurate.