To not get the hate thrown at EVs?

[EngineStart]

We have an EV. We didn’t get it for environmental reasons, we got it because I have access to an EV lease scheme via work and it was the most cost effective way for us to get a new car. I don’t think I’m morally superior for having one. It serves us well, is nice to drive, and cheaper (for us) than running a petrol car.

What I don’t get is the visceral hatred some people have for them. I understand they aren’t for everyone, there are definite logistical challenges with on-street parking and long journeys particularly. However, I expect range and logistics to improve as time goes on. I also get that some car fans might find them a bit sanitised. But I don’t really get why some people are so viciously against them?

AIBU?

So I agree re: the first part of your post, and I have mine for all the same reasons as the OP.

but I genuinely don’t get this Long Journey argument.

i can be at the top of Cornwall from the midlands with a charge around Bristol or Exeter that’s shorter than the time it takes to Pee and grab a sarnie. 🤷

Re EV in same model - check out Peugot 208, Corsa E, Volkswagon E Up!, Mini Electric - there are lots

The issue for me isn't necessarily the range, it's being able to get access to a guaranteed working charger when I need it.

We live rurally with very, very few public chargers. I could have one on my property, but as we have no private/off-road parking and no guarantee of being able to park outside the house, there's every chance I wouldn't be able to use it when needed.

If there were more public chargers, or if I had private parking and 24/7 access to my own, then that would change things drastically.

Agree about lower road tax. Should be higher for all heavier vehicles.

Ok thank you. I stand corrected. Vw don’t make the e up anymore. I loved the name.

I did look at corsa e- I’m sure they’re bigger than a petrol corsa.

You can still buy the Kuga as a petrol engine though so it’s not that the EV is specifically bigger, I think it’s cars in general that are bigger.

A few examples I can think of - Vauxhall Corsa, VW UP and Polo, Fiat 500, Mini, MG ZS, most of the Volvo range - there are loads with both options.

I do, but its not necessarily about it being in one go

OH has an 80 mile commute so you might think he only needs a range of 160 miles.

At the other end his day can range from the car being parked on a side street all day, unpredictable where that will be, or he may need it to do site visits, at various places, with tight timescales and without knowing where he will be parked. He might do around 20 miles while at work

He then comes home again. Fairly regularly, say weekly or perhaps fortnightly the route home is diverted due to motorway issues, that can add around 30 miles on the trip home

He therefore needs to make sure that on any one day he has at least 300 miles in the tank to avoid unpredicable issues. We looked into an EV, trying every which way to see how this could work for us, the range needed means the car is much more expensive and it needs to take account of heating, the cold, hills, passenger weight and having enough leeway to not need to charge during the day. He could charge overnight but it would be slow or add in the cost of a charger.

We couldnt make it work financially or practically. The cost he would save on the petrol just couldnt compensate for the amount the car would cost, it would have to be the very top end range and then theres the insurance on top. It would limit us so much in terms of the type of vehicle we would get.

We regularly do 150-180 in one trip so 200 isn't out of the realm of possibility. If we're driving that distance (taking into account we're two people) it's for no more than 10 minutes for a quick loo stop then we'll just swap drivers and the other person (Who has spent the last 1-2 hours resting) will do the rest

Tomuchfaff- I agree.

Peugeot 208 comes in petrol, hybrid and full electric. Hardly a massive car.

Actually, only 1% of the UK electricity grid comes from burning coal (on average) and a bit more comes from gas, so you’re wrong on the coal point. Renewables are on average about 40% of the grid supply.

There’s an interesting website that shows real time generation; right now (tea time on a Sunday) nearly 70% is powered by renewables.

https://grid.iamkate.com/

@soupfiend we have similar issues re. diversions.

A road here is closed overnight for the next three weeks. The diversion is 40+ miles over steep fell roads with no access to public chargers whatsoever. If you'd "budgeted" say 70 miles to get you home and then all of a sudden your journey more than doubles, you're fucked.

I think a lot of people don't realise how dire the roads and transport systems are in many parts of the UK.

Is that Ford Focus / vw golf sized?

i was after small city car. Think there’s Nissan Leaf. Possibly corsa e. But that looks like lease only. Work do a leasing scheme but choice of cars dictated by salary.

People go out of their way to spout off crap and complete nonsense about EVs. We have a tesla. We have 400 a month better off so a no brainer. They are amazing cars!

Its the same size as a Corsa-e. I love mine.

If you really want a small car have a look at the Renault 5.

Lots of car manufacturers have signed up to ethical sourcing. Not great but odd how nobody cares about petrol and diesel car production. Evs don't claim to be perfect, but it's headed in a better direction.

We have both. A 7 year old petrol car (which we had had from new) and an EV 9 months ago from a work lease scheme, as it was a cost effective way to get a second (new) car while the second hand car market is/was expensive. The other factor for us was that I get free charging at my work so it’s been very cheap for us to run.

I genuinely have mixed feelings on the EV agenda. There are problems with the batteries in particular longevity and recycling - they take an awful amount of lithium to produce which is a non renewable and currently non-recovered resource (plus child Labour for mining etc).

The performance of the car summer to winter is quite a big deal - needs charging weekly in winter, can go 2-3 weeks in summer. And long journeys are a pain still.

but, as a cyclist and runner, I do prefer to follow an WV over a ICE. I like what they offer for high pollution areas like towns and cities.

the main thing is that they will completely change the model of car ownership, owning your own car will become less common, and EVs are more problematic for people who don’t have a driveway (so most people in fact). There are socio economic constraints.

The largest category of government spending is all about social injustice (Social Protection, £321B).

The EV incentive wasn't about balancing social injustice, it was about promoting the use of electrical vehicles as one part of a package of measures to reduce CO2 emissions to avoid climate breakdown. The cost was £300m.

Also, this incentive no longer exists.

Likewise, the free vehicle excise duty was to incentivise the buying of electric vehicles. This too is ending in April 2025.

I'm sure they are, but they're also completely un-affordable for the vast majority of people.

Nissan Leaf, Peugeot 208 e, Volkswagen ID3 are all small(ish) hatchbacks. Also a Renault Zoe, which has a really impressive range for it's size.

If you want something smaller you are looking at a Fiat 500e or Smart Forfour electric.

It's a big shame that Volkswagen stopped making the E Up! It's a brilliant little city car.

People being conned into buying big SUVs and trucks (electric or otherwise) is becoming a big problem. They use so much more materials to make, are far more dangerous to pedestrians and destroy the roads faster. Road tax really needs to change to reflect weight as well as emissions. But that's a whole other thread.

They are generally bought as company cars and through work schemes, we are retired so very unlikely to buy one.

That's a really off thing to say.

Most of them are no more computer than most petrol cars these days. Pretty much all new cars are computers on wheels.

Unless you're on about the self driving stuff in Tesla's, which is completely separate to the fact it's an EV

To those criticising EVs does the air pollution from the diesels not bother you? No criticism I have a diesel but feel guilty about it.

I do feel that this thread has gone a bit off point (or maybe just evolved?)
But the point OP first made was why the hatred not why are they great or not?
If you think they are a bad idea and/or dont want one then fine but I believe that OP was asking why people go out of their way to tell EV owners how stupid they are for having one.

Just stay off Twitter @EngineStart