To think there are no real perks to driving an electric car?

One would hope they would see you, although one can generally hear bicycles and electric cars

Of course. We’re not far from you and it surprises me how many there are in the relatively small rural area around us compared to where DH works which is prime commuter belt around London and there are fewer chargers as close to his office.

My point is that Tizer has tried to make themselves the voice of all things anti EV on this thread with sweeping statements, whereas most people commenting that they like their EVs are commenting with personal experience and from their own perspective. Some posters are posting with the expectation that they can make sweeping generalisations without providing any evidence, anecdotal or proven fact, to back it up.

I live in the centre of town, in a network of Victorian terraces. These houses were built before anyone had cars. No one has a drive and there is not nearly enough parking for those who live here. We commonly have to park one or two streets away. There are no lamp post chargers and even if there were, they couldn’t possibly fit enough in to accommodate everyone’s electric car. I can’t foresee a time when we will ever be able to have one.

2 in our town of over 20k people

It depends on the area. In Powys in Wales there are 151 chargers - the county covers 2,000 square miles.

Edited to add - these are DfT figures.

Where does your info come from?

We live in a rural county in a village 7 miles outside of the nearest small town. There are more rapid and other public chargers closer to our home than DH’s office in north London.

They don't need to offer incentives because they are forcing people to but EVs through government policy.

Indeed. A study published in the British Medical Journal found that EVs are 3 times more dangerous to pedestrians than ICE vehicles in urban environments.

https://jech.bmj.com/content/78/8/487

All I can say is that's not my actual experience. But I don't mind if it doesnt work for you. I only do around 20,000 miles a year, and even when I am in location where I can't charge off-road (which I am for around half the year) it is still the most cost effective way of running the sort of car that I do. It is a lot cheaper and more convenient than petrol, but then I only do around 20,000 miles a year nowadays.

I am sure there are some places with fewer chargers where it might be more of an issue, but in over 10 years of driving an eV I haven't encountered them :)

I’m 50/50 on these OP. But was does disturb me is that you don’t hear them coming & could easily get run over by them.

@Tryingtokeepgoing In cities - yes. In the countryside and small towns - no. It’s a massive issue if you cannot charge at home. Also street chargers are way more expensive so not cost effective for many now.

Well, I am in that position in one of my homes, and I use kerbside chargers - just plug the car in overnight when it needs charging. Maybe once every couple of weeks. There are 20 or so within a 10 minute walk, and more being installed all the time. This is in a large-ish market town/city in the south. Round me they vary from in cost from 30p to 60p kWh, so between 8p and 16p a mile. But they could charge up to 70p a kWh and they'd still be cost neutral with petrol, for me. Other cars / usage patterns might vary :)

What about if you have no charger at home, cheap or not

Has @TizerorFizz said which EV they have? I’m most intrigued to know which one is so awful!

I agree, we currently have a Tesla and before that we mostly had BMW's and do still have one now.
We won't be selling The Tesla despite agreeing that Musk is indeed a Cunt as I like the car and we would loose too much money on it now
But as for saying electric car owners have never driven a nice car thats stupid, we always had nice cars

We have a Porsche Cayenne and a Tesla X. We're getting rid of the X because Elon's an unbearable cunt, but we both very definitely prefer driving it to the Porsche. It drives like a dream.

Actually planning on getting rid of the Porsche in the next year or so and going to a Polestar (unless a much better option comes along).

They are much more likely to catch on fire than an electric

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/20/do-electric-cars-pose-a-greater-fire-risk-than-petrol-or-diesel-vehicles

😂

Or if you live in an on street terrace or any other property where you have no parking or easy reach of a socket.

the other downside is the initial expense. My neighbour’s 5 year old EV cost more than triple my 3 year old ICE. if you don’t have the money for the initial purchase that’s a pretty big downside.

neighbours are already considering changing it as things are starting to go wrong. They had calculated they would recoup the cost of the initial purchase within x years, but it hasn’t lasted that long. The cost to repair whatever sensor is alarming is astronomical.

Thank you for that well thought out and logical argument
I will sell mine immediately

The only downside is charging if you live in a flat. Otherwise, EVs are great.

Evidence?

You’ve obviously never driven one. They’re a game changer.

One huge benefit, though depends who is/how they’re buying it, is it’s 100% tax deductible. And the BIK rate is very low compared to other cars.

I wouldn't have an electric car if you gave me one for free.

Dreadful things. Hideous. You can keep them!