To think Electric cars just aren’t practical yet?

[Youngatheart00]

Car is due for replacement (4 year PCP cycle) this autumn.

I love the idea of getting an electric vehicle in theory, I’m trying to make clean choices and also worry about the future value / obsolescence of petrol cars as I’m hearing more and more about manufacturers going electric only well within the next decade.

But our home is a Victorian terrace with no parking. More often than not we are not even parked outside our own home. There isn’t charging infrastructure at most petrol stations. I see some at motorway service stations but clearly it’s not practical to go there each time you need a charge (and there is a greater cost I think?)

I’m drawing the conclusion I’m going to have to go for another petrol vehicle and revisit at the end of the next 4 year cycle, when I’m hoping the electric car infrastructure will be much better developed.

I’ve thought about a hybrid but models from my preferred manufacturers seem limited (and v expensive) and I’m concerned about power as I do like a bit of ‘oomph’ for confidence!

What do others think?

Have you looked on Zap Map to find charging points near you?

I wouldn’t get one in circumstances where you can’t charge it at home though. We have one but we have a charging point so we only need to rely on infrastructure when we go on long journeys or away on holiday.

Don't get an electric car as a main car. They are suitable for people who own multiple vehicles because the electric can be used for short journeys and the ICE for long ones. But if you don't have offroad parking at your home they are completely impractical. Things may change, with more charging points being made available, but that will coincide with more people getting electric cars so there will still be competition for them.

Remember too that electric vehicles are not a silver bullet for environmental concerns. There is no plan for dealing with the mountains of scrap batteries at the moment. From an environmental point of view, an efficient petrol car is still the best option. (Presumably you may not be that bothered about the environment of course, if you're replacing a car every four years - by far the greatest impact is done in the creation of the car, not its running, however it is powered.)

I agree. My house isn't even on the road but tucked away down a long path, so I'd be completely reliant on third party charging points.

Completely agree! It worries me greatly that the government are so determined to push us onto electric that they're talking about banning the sale of petrol cars in just a few years with no thought to the fact not everyone lives in huge houses with driveways and garages plus the cash to spare to have charging points ect installed - for large amounts of the population who live in areas with on-street/limited parking electric cars just aren't viable and I can't see how they ever would be.

Thanks for the comments and noted re Zap map.

We are unlikely to move home anytime soon so off road parking won’t be an option for the foreseeable.

Neither do we really need two vehicles.

Also re charging obviously the electric isn’t necessarily ‘clean’ - as it depends on what is powering the national grid which I know is on its own ‘journey’ to green.

That’s a v good point re the 4 year replacement cycle. For me, that’s driven by the finance structures the manufacturers offer, and my 4 year old car then goes onto the second hand market rather than scrapped. But I do accept that I am creating more demand for new cars and therefore there is an environmental impact. Something to think about for sure.

Maybe it’s worth buying the car at the end of the PCP term and using it for a couple more years, and then reconsidering electric?

I agree. I have a hybrid which has been fabulous but I have a drive and charging point. Until decent kerbside charging is introduced it’s a no go.

Technology is changing so fast that any current electric car will be just as obsolete as a petrol one in a decade. If you can’t charge at home it’s a non-starter (literally). I’d go for a hybrid (Toyota, or Lexus if your budget stretches to it), or at most a plug in hybrid.

I think that the eventual trajectory is vastly reduced car ownership - networked electric cars, leasing, uber and driverless car technologies, combined with greater and greater disincentives to private ownership will eventually converge into cars being something that isn't owned but borrowed.

But until then, buy the car that suits your circumstances.

Sorry for the daft questions but how do the non plug in hybrids work? Do they charge as you drive with your petrol engine? Is there a real benefit? How much time do you use the electric vs your petrol engine?

Thanks for reassuring me - I am feeling real guilt about looking for buy another petrol car. I’m not sure refinancing my existing one is going to be cost effective as looking at the monthly payments on a 3 year loan id be paying the same as what I pay now, plus greater risk of repair bills now the car is getting older. Guess this is what the PCP schemes are designed to do, trap you!

I thought the long term plan was to build the equivalent of petrol stations with lots of fast charge points . So you would do a bit of shopping or grab a coffee whilst your car charged in 20 min or so. At least that was the utopian vision I was reading about. Also car manufacturers are looking to develop batteries that can be removed for charging. So you would charge one battery whilst using the other and then swap them.
No idea when all this technology will be in place and I think stopping manufacturing petrol cars by 2030 is a scary prospect as things stand.

I'm sorry, but "making clean choices" and buying a new car every 4 years do not make sense

My dd has just got a hybrid Toyota on PCP. Cost the same as a petrol one.

They are bloody dangerous as you can’t hear them. They need some sound put in them.
I saw someone nearly step out in front of one this weekend, as they moved right to the side of the pavement to let someone pass. Fortunately the car coming up behind them, was going slowly to avoid the parked cars, but they were mm from the arm of the person. Had they actually put a foot into the road, as many of us do to make room on the pavement, they’d have been hit.

They're perfectly practical... for rich people with their own homes and driveways.

I'm like you, I'm open to the idea quite fancy a Porsche Taycan Turbo S in my dreams but I live in an Edwardian flat in a terrace with on-street permit parking, and there are historical restrictions in this area which mean no on-street chargers. (I appreciate that this is an unusual set-up!)

Meh. The sale of new petrol and diesel cars might stop in 2030 although I have heard mutterings that this date might get pushed at some point but there will still be thousands of used cars around, and the sale of petrol and diesel fuels will continue.

Also a relative of mine works for a company that is developing synthetic fuels. It's looking more suitable for aircraft initially but there could be applications for private cars at some point in the future. So the pumps might not be going away just yet.

We are currently leasing an electric car to see how we would get on with one. There is no lack of 'oomph' I assure you! We have solar panels and a charger on our drive, so it's very cheap and easy. I don't think we would consider it if we couldn't park outside the house. There is talk of more chargers on streets and even networks of people who would share their charger at cost price, but at the moment unless you can charge at work it's not practical.

They didn’t realise the car was there as you would have done with a normal car!

How long do they take to charge?
I have started to see them in service stations and large city centre car parks but wondered what the charging time would be.

@Shitfuckcommaetc I entirely accept that, and that’s why discussing here is a good idea. I am very open to challenge. I don’t profess to be making all the right choices now which is why I’ve opened the discussion.

@Twoforthree yes!! I totally agree about the danger of not hearing the car engine. I wonder what the solution is there.....

@Shitfuckcommaetc

I'm sorry, but "making clean choices" and buying a new car every 4 years do not make sense

You could argue that buying new keeps the manufacturing industry going, so generates employment across many industries. It’s more complex than just the environmental impact of manufacturing new cars. Older cars are less energy efficient and produce more toxic emissions than newer cars. The longer a car is in use, the more this becomes an issue. Buying new releases cars that are still relatively decent and reliable at a price that others can afford. Otherwise, they would have to run unreliable, unsafe vehicles for longer.

I’d like to see an environmental and financial impact assessment on the purchase of new cars over running older cars for longer, then people would see it’s not a simple as we think.

I have one and wouldn't get one living in a terrace with no charging point. The way things are going there should be on street chargers and chargers at petrol stations in a few years. I agree with a pp that individual car ownership is not necessarily the anticipated future of EVs.

This makes for interesting reading
www.greencarreports.com/news/1093657_buying-a-new-car-is-greener-than-driving-an-old-one-really

@Soontobe60 I agree and that’s why ‘green’ or ‘clean’ is only part of making sustainable choices. It’s so often a trade off which is why I find it all fascinating, but a bit overwhelming trying to do the right thing.

They are making new ones with sound I heard. I agree they can be dangerous in that respect and the new trend since lockdown for people walking on roads without looking doesn't help.

We have the same issues. We live in a terraced house but we aren't on a street. At the front of our house is a private, residents only car park so on street charging wouldn't be available to us either. Also we only have one car so petrol just makes more sense for us.