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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think Electric cars just aren’t practical yet?

332 replies

Youngatheart00 · 01/06/2021 09:09

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?

OP posts:
Horst · 01/06/2021 16:07

I’m sure cars that can tow plus hold a large family and all their camping gear and fully charge in 20 minutes are rather costly.

We spent 5k on a preowned 7 seater diesel capable of towing and carrying a decent load on its roof. When we can buy an electric car that packs all that and charges as fast as a refuel for 5k then sure but until that point we shall stick with what we have.

megletthesecond · 01/06/2021 16:12

Yanbu.
I'm going to be asking our council where they expect people without driveways or parking spaces to park their cars. Our estate doesn't haven't enough spaces so it'll be a fight to the death if they install a handful of charging points. and then I expect they get vandalised as we have some right grotty families around here.
I walk to the supermarket and work so that's not an option for charging.

DeathByWalkies · 01/06/2021 16:18

As a renter I know that I currently have off street parking, but
a) I'd have to get permission from my landlord to install a car charging point, and there's a good chance they'd say no
b) I couldn't guarantee that the next rental property would have off street parking, or a landlord amenable to a charging point. I am renting with pets so choice is exceedingly limited at the best of times; off street parking would be the first thing I'd sacrifice anyway.

Perhaps in future streets where a high % of homes don't have off street parking will have charging points installed on the pavements?

SquirmOfEels · 01/06/2021 16:19

How long are these journeys that people are going on that an electric car won't do and you definitely won't be stopping on??

Nearly 200 miles, at least 4 times a week. It's usually getting on for 4 hours (more if getting out of London is being a PITA) without allowing for road closures (M4 is having a whole series of them) and diversions.

Adding 45 minutes or so charging time (assuming you don't have to wait for a spot) was just a step too far, plus latter part of journey charging points are few and far between, and not superfast. And I have a (possibly irrational) horror of being stuck in a long hold up and not making it to next charging point.

shakingstevensfan · 01/06/2021 16:50

@flapjackfairy

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 don't want to stop for a coffee for 20 minutes every time my car needs charging. At the moment it takes very little time to fill my car with petrol.
FooFighter99 · 01/06/2021 17:01

[quote Youngatheart00]@Twoforthree yes!! I totally agree about the danger of not hearing the car engine. I wonder what the solution is there.....[/quote]
My EV (eGolf) has fake engine noise you can turn on and off

IME, an EV is perfectly practical so long as you have access to a charging point (either at home, or at work) and the range meets your needs

My EV has a range of approx. 160miles in summer and 90miles in winter, which is fine for me as I only work a 10mile round trip from home and so I only charge the car once a week (less if I work from home a few days)

We did struggle with the charging point being installed though, as we live in a rented mid-terrace with parking at the rear of the house, but because our electricity supply comes in at the front of the house, it wasn't practical or cost effective to install a podpoint

My DH instead fitted an outdoor 3 pin plug, and it takes roughly 10 hours to charge the car, which I do overnight once a week

It works for us, and I LOVE my eGolf!

EV's are definitely the future, but the infrastructure needs some serious work

shakingstevensfan · 01/06/2021 17:03

Everyone I know who has one has it as a second car. It can work then for shorter journeys.

shakingstevensfan · 01/06/2021 17:04

But I also remember when we were told petrol cars would be phased out and we would all have to go diesel. Then they realised diesel was worse. So I would wait and see.

bemoretiger · 01/06/2021 17:05

I'm in a Victorian terrace, same position as you. We have an electric car. Yes, there's more thought required than if we had a driveway, but it's worth it. Sometimes it's much easier to find parking too :)

HotChocolateLover · 01/06/2021 17:06

The main reason we don’t want one is that the range isn’t good enough yet. Every fortnight DH does a 200 mile round trip to collect DSS on the Friday and then the same on the Sunday. If the car ran out of battery then he’d be stuck. He also doesn’t want to be stuck in DSS’s home city charging for ages as he just wants to get home.

Bumpsadaisie · 01/06/2021 17:09

OP - what sort of mileage do you do?

If it's a run around is perfectly practical to charge it once every couple of weeks at a charge point. Do look at zap map app.

1Morewineplease · 01/06/2021 17:12

We have a Toyota hybrid that doesn't need plugging in. This will keep us going , as a half way measure, until builders, town planners etc... realise that electric cars are the way forward.

ErrolTheDragon · 01/06/2021 17:17

YANBU.
EVs may be practical as an urban second car, or in a few locations such as the western isles or Orkney where the distances are geographically constrained and they've put in quite a few charging points.

For us, it seems as though a hybrid is the best interim option. We got a Corolla last year, to replace a VW Golf estate, we needed something that could carry a reasonable load and do longer distances than EVs can as yet.
It's fuel consumption for urban driving is excellent, and it's good for other driving too.

MiddleParking · 01/06/2021 17:39

Jesus, I wouldn’t be concerned about lack of oomph. Our Tesla turns my stomach, it just lurches forward really fast like a rollercoaster and you don’t get the ‘warning’ shifting feeling a second before that accompanies a gear change, my stomach can’t get used to it. It’s a lovely car though, but my DP did a lot of research on it weighing up all the costs vs his previous lease car which was a diesel one that he was going to get hammered with tax on, and we wouldn’t have considered it without off-road parking and a charge point. (Also, it makes me terrified that our house will be targeted to steal it, which is possibly irrational but really bothers me.)

ErrolTheDragon · 01/06/2021 17:52

Doesn't the Tesla have an 'insane' mode? Grin

GameSetMatch · 01/06/2021 18:00

I’ve got a hybrid Ford jugs vignale I have found most Charging point are broken it’s pointless. We might as well have bought pure petrol, the tax is cheaper though and when you break it harvests the power back to th3 battery. I think it’s 30miles per charge.

cupsofcoffee · 01/06/2021 18:01

YANBU - they're totally impractical where I live, too.

I live rurally and we have three public charging points within a 20 mile radius. That's it. I live in a terraced house and can rarely get a spot outside or home - we have a drive at the rear of the house but it's often blocked by other people so we can't necessarily park there either.

I can imagine they're great in a city with loads of charging points or for people with big houses with drives and garages, though. Sadly that doesn't apply to huge parts of the country.

Cost is also a major factor - I simply can't afford to buy an electric car.

Frazzled2207 · 01/06/2021 18:09

@Xoxoxoxoxoxox

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.
Depends enormously. Some rapids now do them in 10-20mins. For a home chargepoint typically 2-3 hours.
Frazzled2207 · 01/06/2021 18:13

We have an ev as our only car, but have a garage with a chargepoint which makes all the difference. 150 mile range which we only exceed in a day a few times a year so we’ve only ever accessed public charging about six times.

Agree if you don’t have parking within cable distance it makes it a lot harder. However an awful
Lot of supermarkets are installing them now. Some people definitely do get by with just charging them at their local supermarket twice a week!

There seems to be so much negativity about them the truth is you have to change your mindset a bit but actually it is doable. And once you have the thing enormously cheaper. We have swapped £100 a month fuel bill to about £4 a month electricity.

As for the noise thing I believe all new ones have a legal requirement to make a noise. Older ones can switch on a “noise” setting.

Frazzled2207 · 01/06/2021 18:15

@HotChocolateLover

The main reason we don’t want one is that the range isn’t good enough yet. Every fortnight DH does a 200 mile round trip to collect DSS on the Friday and then the same on the Sunday. If the car ran out of battery then he’d be stuck. He also doesn’t want to be stuck in DSS’s home city charging for ages as he just wants to get home.
Surely he needs to fill up on petrol on that journey? There will almost certainly be rapid chargers on that journey which are almost as quick.
Phineyj · 01/06/2021 18:16

We have one and don't have a home charging point (although we can get a cable out to it if necessary). However, we rarely need to do that as DH charges it for free at Waitrose while doing the weekly shop. He says it's the most middle class thing he's ever done Grin.

cupsofcoffee · 01/06/2021 18:22

And once you have the thing enormously cheaper. We have swapped £100 a month fuel bill to about £4 a month electricity.

But isn't that the point - that they're still only accessible to people who have thousands of pounds to spend on them in the first place.

It's the whole poverty trap thing. A rich person can afford to spend £100 on a great pair of shoes that will last them five years, but a poor person doesn't have £100, so they have to buy the cheaper £20 pair that falls apart within weeks.

Over the five years, the rich person has only spent £100 but the poor person has no choice but to spend £400.

Frazzled2207 · 01/06/2021 18:26

But isn't that the point - that they're still only accessible to people who have thousands of pounds to spend on them in the first place.

Arguably that is A point but I agree to some extent. Leasing one is comparable to leading an ICE. As for buying outright they are currently not significantly more expensive than ICEs. The second hand market is small but rapidly growing. Baby steps but things are moving in the right direction.

Frazzled2207 · 01/06/2021 18:28

@shakingstevensfan

Everyone I know who has one has it as a second car. It can work then for shorter journeys.
Not just short journeys. Many have 200 Miles+ range. Not many people do that every single day. We have an EV only household and it’s totally fine.
cupsofcoffee · 01/06/2021 18:31

@Frazzled2207

But isn't that the point - that they're still only accessible to people who have thousands of pounds to spend on them in the first place.

Arguably that is A point but I agree to some extent. Leasing one is comparable to leading an ICE. As for buying outright they are currently not significantly more expensive than ICEs. The second hand market is small but rapidly growing. Baby steps but things are moving in the right direction.

I can't afford to lease a car OR buy one outright Grin

My car is 3rd or 4th hand and the same applies to DH. I do think some people on here live on another planet when it comes to the affordability of things!