Electric cars - so worried

[Northernlurker]

I keep worrying about being forced to buy an electric car when I change my car in a few years.
Reason being the long journeys and (mostly) self catering we love. In Scotland.
We need a range around 50% higher than the current max. It's no good saying charge it on the way if there are no fast chargers. Been looking at details today, even the fastest chargers need just over 30 minutes. Thousands of people drive UJ the Highlands and Islands annually. There won't be anything like enough chargers to cover that. We can charge overnight using an ordinary plug but it's not going to hit the max. Feel like we will spend the whole time worrying about finding a free charger in the middle of nowhere.
How is this ever going to work? It takes two Minutes to fill up a tank with petrol, electric is going to take hours!

Just buy a new ICE car when the time comes, we will get a new diesel for long journeys, I might get a plug in car when I change mine but I only drive about 500 miles a year so can just charge it on the drive, we wouldn't go on any long journeys in it though.

I'm also looking at electric cars and wondering how on earth this is going to work.

Visit the residential streets in the inner city. Residents never know where they will park that evening so can't guarantee they will be able to use a home charger and if its a set up where you use anyone's charger by means of an app, all the trailing cables over the pavements are going to be a hazard.

On a long trip and need a battery charge? 30 minutes sounds fine but what if there are 5 cars ahead of you. That's a 3 hour delay. Not fine.

An awful lot is going to have to happen in the next 13 years!

13 years ago, Netflix hadn't even started. iPhones only launched in 2007

We have an EV. And this is the exact point I make to the doubters.

Look at the TV, phone, computer that most people had 13 years ago. Look at the App Stores that sprung up to support Apple and Android phones. (When people moaned that what was an app and why would anyone want one)

Now extrapolate that change to EVs. If you don’t want one, don’t buy one, I don’t doubt there’ll be a booming secondhand market to keep the luddites happy. I would also suspect that you will be able to get grey imports of ICE cars too. The ban —it it happens— won’t make all other cars evaporate overnight.

And yeah, we’ve travelled in the highlands. And charged the car up a bloody mountain. It is brilliantly well supported for chargepoints.

I can’t get excited about it, come 2030, or before the Government will move the goal posts as there is no way infrastructure will be in place

@ShuffleCase

Scotland has a fantastic national charging network, better than most countries in Europe. I have taken my EV to multiple islands and several trips to the western highlands. There’s an abundance of chargers. Never been a problem.

Hahahahaha! Sorry, hate to be rude, but to use a Scottish favourite, this is just shite.

There are 2 public chargers in our local village, ( Cairngorm National Park) popular with holidaymakers , plus 3000 residents, and during recent storms, the nearest working ones were over 40 miles away.
I had an ev as a loaner when my car was in the shop, and it was unable to make my commute.

They always move the goalposts, weren't everyone meant to have a smart meter by 2021, that didn't happen. I doubt I will see 2035 anyway

So you want range of over 300 miles which, at the national speed limit of 70 mph, will take over four hours. The Highway Code recommends you take a minimum of 15 minutes break every two hours of driving. Time your breaks to be at a supercharger where a 20 minute break will give you 80% capacity.

Scotland isn’t a problem. Loads.

The M1 coming North is. Broken chargers, people waiting for a spare one, just 1 per side - unless you’ve a Tesla!

We’ve had the odd anxious trip down and back up from the NW.

But things are getting better.

Hybrid. No range anxiety. Great mpg
Low tax. Electric is not the future as it stands. It's a starting point and early adopters are pioneers on the journey to a different future. But it won't look like you think

I don't pay any tax on my petrol car for some unknown reason

Take a petrol generator in the boot. If you can't find a fast charger use that.

Realistically it won’t be a problem for you until 2040. Imagine how much tech will evolve in that time

*I disagree. What exactly do you predict the alternative to fossil fuel is then confused

Infrastructure is improving all the time. I wouldn't consider buying a new petrol only car now, we're looking at hybrid minimum but probably full electric.*

If you didn't just quote part of the post where I said I didn't know.

However I'd argue the manufacturing of many electric cars and the materials they use, creates a bigger carbon footprint than a lot of manufacture and running of a petrol car.

Also where do you think the power is coming from, most people will be charging overnight which would normally be a lull for power consumption.

What is the plan for recycling battery's oh there isnt one yet, and then the car is useless without a new one.

Also a lot of this assumes people can afford electric cars, this is out of reach for a lot of people.

My bf has an EV and so far it's been a total non-issue. Small period of adjustment and then it's been fine. Even with jumps in charging fees it is minimal cost compared to liquid fuels.

Remember that only a small proportion of people will be able to afford to buy a new electric car anyway, so I wouldn’t panic about lack of charger availability.

The only people who get range anxiety are those who don't own or drive electric cars

Another thing that is incorrect on this thread.

You could look at the 10 page plus thread on this from a couple of days ago. The only people complaining, stressing and naysaying where the ones not owning EVs. I have no problem with mine.

Yabvu and need to get a grip.

Electric Charging is good in Scotland. I assume you’ve not actually tried.

No one is going to force you to buy and EV. You won’t be able to buy a brand new fossil fuel car. Second hand they will be around until 2050 at least. Get a grip.

Damn, half an hour eh? Good job our children's planet isn't on fire already... Oh wait.

30 minutes to recharge is hardly the end of the world on a long journey. The average electric car can drive for more than three hours between charges. A HGV driver would be required to take a rest break shortly after that anyway. You shouldn't drive vast distances without proper breaks, it's not safe whether you're driving a car or a HGV.

I wouldn't worry. The next meteorite strike will have happened by then and the whole world will be burning

BP Pulse are advertising for staff to fit thousands of EV charging points across the UK this year. Although the infrastructure isn't there yet, in the future it will be. Before then you can keep buying second hand petrol or diesel.

The way electricity prices are heading, the range may well be the least of your worries.

We have an electric car and live down in Surrey. We went to Scotland last week (first week of Easter break for us) was fine!