Electric cars are NOT the future, are they?

[Isometimeswonder]

I am genuinely torn. I need want a new car but really don't want electric.
But so few smaller petrol cars are made now.
I haven't got a place to charge a car at home.
AIBU I should accept electric is the future.
AINBU I should get petrol. (Please recommend a small city car)

Agree

I think it’s obvious not all people will be able to charge at home or on a local streets
Petrol and diesel cars can’t now either
That’s why charge points are going up at other locations and people need to learn to plan ahead and adapt. Just as everyone does currently.

Yes, I know what you meant. Why does everyone assume people don't know their own circumstances? They say a car ‘at a convenient spot’ and ‘when you need one’. Well, that’s pretty much every day for me. And the spot wouldn’t be very convenient either. Your eg (I did look, despite not being the ignoramus you assume) doesn’t operate in Wales where I am. I’ve looked at Welsh ones before and they aren't convenient to me and are pretty expensive.
People know their own needs. If we are going to increase low/no emission driving (and we do need to) it needs to not make people’s lives worse or increase social isolation and exclusion. Car share clubs aren’t the way for many people in many places.

I don’t have access to on street chargers, so don’t worry. And nobody made you - they may very soon make me.
As I’ve repeatedly said I’ve gone hybrid as it’s the best I can do. I’m not anti EV. I just know it isn’t now, and will never be, a possible solution where I live.

To be clear. Plebs who can’t afford a drive shpuld plan ahead and accept inconvenience. That’s what you are saying, right?

@cardibach I can tell you feel attacked, that's really not my intention. I have no wish for you to do anything you don't want to do and it sounds like your hybrid car is the best option for you in the situation you are in.

I am just looking at this in a hopeful way that such schemes can be expanded, and while it might not work for you then if it worked for enough of your neighbours there will be fewer parker cars so more space on the roads for you to park nearer your home.

I'm also from a place of tightly packed terraced housing and it feels at breaking point, any glimmer of hope about there being more space and choice is something I want to grab.

I don’t ’feel attacked’ I’ve been attacked (not by you - your post was perfectly polite if a little condescending). It’s been suggested those of us who can see the issues with EVs in certain areas and types of housing are ‘paid shills’ for fossil fuel companies. And that’s been repeated specifically at me. This is not the way to get people on board.

If you won’t be able in the future to charge at home then yes you’ll have to plan ahead
That's obvious

Just as currently anyone wanting to charge at home but at the super cheap rate will have to stay up till midnight to charge.

Planning ahead is part of most of our lives. It’s really quite normal.

But you think it’s perfectly fine to ask one group of people to be more inconvenienced? And at greater expense?
It’s not on. These things need to be sorted or 100% EV just can’t happen.

Whilst I agree in principle EVs shouldn’t make peoples lives worse
unfortunately that’s not always how policies are considered

Consideration will be given to the wider benefit. As a whole country and not be focused on convenience alone

Whilst I agree in principle EVs shouldn’t make peoples lives worse
unfortunately that’s not always how policies are considered

Consideration will be given to the wider benefit. As a whole country and not be focused on convenience alone

For the greater good. Yes

We see whole communities inconvenienced by new road networks and housing
for the greater good. It’s a matter of considering the bigger picture which is what Governments have to do.

Faced with a new challenge or opportunity, people broadly fit into two camps: "I can't because..." or "I can if..."

The former group will, unavoidably, live their lives playing catch up and complaining the the latter group got all the opportunities. It never occurs to them that while they were sitting on the sidelines refusing to participate, the first group was the one that was got to set the shape of the future.

Reading this article by EVA England, "a non-profit member association representing current and prospective EV drivers across England, and advocating on their behalf to the government, media and industry", might be instructive.
https://www.evaengland.org.uk/2025/10/31/charging-divide-holding-back-fair-transition-to-electric-vehicles/

EVA England is not in any way, you will note, a shill for fossil fuel companies.

Not to mention all these people filling those narrow terraced streets with their parked cars - not much consideration for the greater good there!

Ride a bicycle then...

Your claims are wrong though. They are better than internal combustion engines. Just not as good as managing not to use a car at all.

ICEs may be better for some people in some situations, but as time progesses it will become obvious that EVs suit more people in most situations.

But if you think one pedal driving is like using one foot in an automatic no wonder you don't get anything out of the EVs you are trying to drive! Maybe you should get someone to show you what to do. 😂

In fact the difference is so stark that this statement makes me doubt you have actually driven an EV, unless your garage switches off regenerative braking on its courtesy cars so as not to scare the gasheads.

Got to ask though, is your ICE in the garage a lot then, to give you all that EV experience?

Well we are 18’months in to EV ownership with no home charging. Out 80 year old neighbours were early adopters and have had their ev for years now. It’s fine. We work round it.

No onstreet chargers here either.

Thats not how car share works

Got two evs now. Would never go back to petrol/diesel. Even if the eco-credentials are debatable, they are easier to drive, cleaner for the local environment, cheaper to run ...

Range is not an issue once you get your head round it.

I've not yet met one person thats regretted switching to an ev.

Meanwhile thousands of us continue to be 'inconvenienced' and have our quality of life lowered by the domination of car culture - but thats ok because it's the 'norm'?

Yes, brands definitely drive differently. Before we bought ours (Tesla M3 second hand) we hired a few, but our priority was range so tended to be the prestige hires which do run to larger cars so I don't know what the choice in small cars is like.

The Merc EQE (I think) was heavy, smooth and plush, kind of like a BA first class cabin (quiet and calm, but too much blue LED lighting 😂) . The Polestar was a really nice drive, devoid of personality but in a "not shouting, just gets on with it" way rather than a dull way. However I could not get on with a rear view screen instead of a phsyical mirror (obvs that is not an EV issue though). The M3 we have is smaller and nippier and better on corners because it's a sedan not an SUV, but it does still feel wide, not a small car.

I've also driven some small city car club EVs but hard to get a sense for their abilities other than one pedal driving and no "between the gear" spots makes 20 zones much less of a drag

Looks like Audio may be launching an all electric A3 soon though, so maybe a good one to try as a like for like comparison?

Body style is going to change the ride the same as it does with EVs, but with the lower weight making a difference as well.

"Engine size" as in cc isn't really a thing, but the electric motors in different cars certainly have difference performance specs and like an ICE these are deliberate differentiators so you pay more for performance. And like ICE you also have AWD, FWD or RWD. Finally, as well as range there is charging speed - some cars charge much faster for the same size battery, which makes a difference if you expect to drive beyond your range frequently which I do.

We got the M3 because it had best range in our budget (second hand teslas are really cheap right now cos Musk has tainted the brand) and the sedan body doesn't make DH carsick, which the EV SUVs did. But I do enjoy driving it. Not a fan of having no dashboard and not being able to use Android Auto with it, but again those aren't really EV issues so much as Tesla issues. One downside is it's so smooth it's easy for your speed to creep up so I really like the cruise control for long drives to keep me at a steady 70.

If you fancy hiring one to try, the big auto sites and youtubers are reviewing EVs all the time, though TBH chatGPT or Gemini is probably a good place to ask about good driver-focussed EVs.

So I’d be in ‘I can if…about 6 impossible things happen’. They won’t. There is no way overnight charging can ever work on my road. Dont tell me it can. I live here, you don’t.

Overnight charging for every car on every terraced street won’t work
Thats why there are alternatives

such as? Because there isn’t anywhere near enough to my house to be useable that wouldn’t be terraced house on street charging.
Edit: and I’m far from a,one in this. I’m glad you are admitting it isn’t possible. Others have tried to say I’m wrong. about my own street.