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Would you buy an electric car?

113 replies

poppyart · 30/05/2022 08:01

DM has just found out she is entitled to a mobility vehicle which will be driven by my DF and probably myself as she doesn't drive, to get her to appointments and help out with shopping etc.
I've had a look and seen there are electric vehicles available but I honestly don't know the first thing about them, is there anything I should be looking for? When looking for a petrol or diesel car i was looking at MPG and the shape/size for the practicality of getting her in and out so not to low or too high.
Has anyone went electric and been converted?

OP posts:
toastedbagiel · 30/05/2022 08:05

DD has one and she loves it. She can charge it at work easily though and we have a local free charger about half a mile away where she will plug it in if it needs doing otherwise. For me it's totally impractical because we don't have a home charger and if we did it would cost whereas the local one is free. The car itself is really good to drive etc, but unless you can charge it easily I would t bother. With limited mobility the most important factor will be getting in and out of the car, then the economics. That said electric motors are more expensive and cheaper to run so if you can get one on the motability scheme it does make perfect sense

Ohheythereitsme · 30/05/2022 08:11

We have an electric car, no complaints 300+ mile range. Installed a home charger, yes small cost to do so but it’s easier knowing you can charge at home.

Charging infrastructure is great for the brand of car, fast 20-40 mins depending on the charger. Usually 20, tech is getting better all the time as well. The car routes itself to chargers if needed on journeys, they are located places which are like service station stops.

All good things, the car has comfortable, it’s fast, it’s got all the tech in it you’d want. Downside, cost of the actual car

QueenOfThorns · 30/05/2022 08:17

You need to look at very similar things - obviously the shape/size question is exactly the same (in my experience, small electric cars tend to be higher off the ground than their conventional counterparts, because the battery is underneath, so maybe easier to get in), and you need to consider the range rather than mpg.

If your DP have a drive where they can park the car to charge it, they should be able to get a charger installed (I think the government pays something towards this). I switched to electric a couple of years ago and never intend to go back!

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DockOTheBay · 30/05/2022 08:19

Do they have somewhere that they can install a charging point i.e. driveway or garage with electricity? If so I would definitely get one!
Unfortunately we live in a terrace with no drive so its not possible for us.

TheVolturi · 30/05/2022 08:20

We've had electric cars since 2016. They've come on so much over that time. Far more places to charge now. Around here most supermarkets have chargers and most are free, Tesco are. However we have a home charger and I only charge it every two weeks, I just top up when I'm out and about, but only if I'm parking near one anyway.
My car is only used for school runs and to nip about really, however I have been to visit in laws 100 miles away and can get there and back with no faffing.
Amazing to drive and so simple
Couldn't go back to a fuel car now.

easyday · 30/05/2022 08:40

I opted for a petrol one a couple years ago as I was moving to a terraced house in London and was worried about keeping an electric car charged up. Now I've moved and see that they have added three charging points at the end of every block and the occasional post mid block. If I knew they were going to do that (I had looked at the stats of how many charging points in the area but at the time didn't know exactly where I was moving to and it didn't seem that high) I winks have gone electric. I did test some self charging hybrids but didn't like any.
So if there are nearby charging bays or she can get one outside her house then go for it.

KangarooKenny · 30/05/2022 08:40

No, not until they last longer on a charge.

megletthesecond · 30/05/2022 08:44

No. We have no home parking or residents charging around here.

TargusEasting · 30/05/2022 08:46

Can't tow with an electric vehicle, so the answer is no.

NightmareSlashDelightful · 30/05/2022 08:55

I’m open to it in principle but I live in a flat with on-street parking, so charging at home would be impossible. Where I am (Edinburgh) is a bit patchy for public chargers at the moment.

poppyart · 30/05/2022 09:49

Getting a charger installed through a grant is something I really didn't consider so i will definitely look into that to see if anything is available.

Are all charging stations free?! I mean I understand that supermarkets would charge (except tesco which is good) but do the on street chargers take hours?

Did you notice a huge increase in your electricity bill when charging from home?

Also if the government want us all to have electric cars by 2040 then surely they will have to charge us to use the charging ports at some stage in the future?

OP posts:
SlightlyGeordieJohn · 30/05/2022 09:59

Yes you can.

BarbaraofSeville · 30/05/2022 10:02

No, not all chargers are free and some at the service stations cost nearly as much per mile as petrol, so no good if you're relying on saving on fuel to justify the extra expense of an electric car.

They're good if you can charge at home and do a decent amount of mileage in short to medium length journeys where you don't need to charge while out and about.

However if you need to do long journeys and don't have time to hang around at service stations buying coffee you wouldn't otherwise have bought, need to tow, or don't do enough mileage to justify the extra outlay, they're either not very practical or an expensive luxury, that may or may not stack up financially.

Plus remember that electricity has a carbon footprint, so while the car itself doesn't pollute, it doesn't mean that it isn't without an environmental downside in the pollution produced due to the electricity generation, and the production of the car itself including the batteries.

I wouldn't get one now because I have a small 3 YO petrol car and I only do about 5000 miles a year. When that needs replacing in 10-15 years time, I'm hoping that there will be a very favourable incentive for me to switch to electric plus the ranges, costs and charging times will be better than they are now.

ilovemyelectriccar · 30/05/2022 10:20

Yes, of course the electricity bill has gone up since we bought our electric car, but we are not paying for petrol/diesel so that more than compensates for it. As we have an electric car, we qualify for the Octopus Go rate for electricity, 7.5p per kWh between 00:30 and 04:30 (granted around 31p per kWh during the day but we run washing machine, dish washer, car charging etc on a timer so..)

Toddlerteaplease · 30/05/2022 10:24

I'd love one, just too expensive to buy. But if I was getting one on motorbility I'd grab it with both hands!

Zazdar · 30/05/2022 10:28

I would but, at the moment, there is nothing on the market that meets my quite specific needs. Also, I expect that when there is, it will cost far more than I can afford.

poppyart · 30/05/2022 10:29

Yes I suppose i was thinking even if charging from home it would benefit financially compared to paying for petrol/diesel but the price of electricity has obviously went up so probably not worth it in that respect.

I won't need it to tow but I would like to do long journeys like day trips with her so at the moment i think I'm going to have a look at what it available, also i know there's issues regarding the availability of car so I'm not prepared to wait 6 months for a specific car and may just pick from what is immediately available

OP posts:
pussycatlickinglollyices · 30/05/2022 10:32

No.

TargusEasting · 30/05/2022 10:35

SlightlyGeordieJohn · 30/05/2022 09:59

Yes you can.

If this was directed to me, then just to be clear the car I need to tow what I need has yet to be invented let alone available in the U.K. The Rivian models looked hopeful but are now saying the towing weights are going to be reduced. Even then, not much choice so diesel will be around a lot longer.

Pyewhacket · 30/05/2022 10:36

Far too expensive, to buy and repair. Build quality on Tesla is sketchy. Charging network is unreliable. They're not that green , google battery production and disposal. Batteries only last 7-10 years and replacements are £4k+.

Highlyquestionablehoumous · 30/05/2022 10:37

Ohheythereitsme · 30/05/2022 08:11

We have an electric car, no complaints 300+ mile range. Installed a home charger, yes small cost to do so but it’s easier knowing you can charge at home.

Charging infrastructure is great for the brand of car, fast 20-40 mins depending on the charger. Usually 20, tech is getting better all the time as well. The car routes itself to chargers if needed on journeys, they are located places which are like service station stops.

All good things, the car has comfortable, it’s fast, it’s got all the tech in it you’d want. Downside, cost of the actual car

This is presumably a Tesla, which is out of range for a lot of people.

OP, is a plug in hybrid an option? I feel like that is thr best of both worlds at the moment. The benefits of electric but without driving around worrying that you are going to run out of power because the nearest charging point is ages away, or getting to the charging point and seeing that someone has just plugged theirs in!

Roselilly36 · 30/05/2022 10:38

I would not buy one outright, but on lease and covered by warranty possibly. The batteries only last for so many cycles, and cost a fortune to replace.

AlwaysLatte · 30/05/2022 10:40

I've got one and I love it! We charge it over night on cheap rate electricity. We have another car for long journeys, but when the mileage increases a bit more we'll get a second electric.

7weekandcounting · 30/05/2022 10:45

Check the boot space especially if you need a Walking frame or similar to be put in. Our battery is in the boot and takes up a lot of space.

somebody upthread said you can’t tow anything. That’s not true as we tow using hours (admittedly it’s not a huge caravan )

Bramshott · 30/05/2022 10:46

Yes I suppose i was thinking even if charging from home it would benefit financially compared to paying for petrol/diesel but the price of electricity has obviously went up so probably not worth it in that respect.

It's definitely still much cheaper to charge an electric car than buy petrol/diesel for the same mileage, even with increased electricity costs. Of course you also have to factor in the fact that the electric car will cost more upfront.