Are we being forced to go electric?

[cougie uk]

The Guy Martin programme showed that the quoted mileages don't work out in reality . I can remember reading a post on another thread by an owner that in the winter the range could drop to 60% so that would be Leicester for a recharge.

Guy Martin's program was stupid. Lets drive an EV for 24 hours and see how far we can get. Who drives like that ?
You do have to learn a different way to drive and recharge though. You don't drain the battery and then charge - it takes longer. Charge when you're 30% or so. Grab a coffee. Go for a wee. It's more relaxed.

 

[CXRAndy]

The Guy Martin programme showed that the quoted mileages don't work out in reality . I can remember reading a post on another thread by an owner that in the winter the range could drop to 60% so that would be Leicester for a recharge.

What would be wrong with that. 180 mile journey is 3 to 3.5 hours. A couple of hours into the journey, stop, have cup of tea, pop to the loo. Car ready and more importantly you're refreshed to be alert

 

[figbat]

The Guy Martin programme showed that the quoted mileages don't work out in reality . I can remember reading a post on another thread by an owner that in the winter the range could drop to 60% so that would be Leicester for a recharge.

What you haven't read is all the people who have far better range than that, or at least far lower range loss, who aren't posting on forums about it. A 60% dent in range would, I suspect, be atypical and would require a number of factors to align.

 

[Electric_Andy]

If you live within 2 miles of your kids school. Then walking or cycling is eminently doable. My kids cycled to school 2 miles from the age of 7. Bus when they went to secondary school. Take them earlier let them play in the school grounds or wait patiently

Anything is "doable" but doesn't mean to say it's sensible or even remotely convenient. It is not safe for a youngster to cycle to school in my area, end of story. The school also do not allow bikes to be stored on site. And I can't take him in earlier becasue they are not allowed on-site any earlier, so no they can't play on site. Suggesting I'm inpatient by not doing things things you know nothing about is just silly

 

[Electric_Andy]

Maybe speak to your employer and shift your work hours ? Bike your kids to work ? Different house ? Different school ? There's lots of options available if you wanted to take them. Nobody drove to school back in my day.

BIking not an option (see above). So you're suggesting that anyone who takes their kids to school in car should move house or move schools just so they can walk

 

[CXRAndy]

BIking not an option (see above). So you're suggesting that anyone who takes their kids to school in car should move house or move schools just so they can walk

Well you maybe either priced off the road or barred due to emissions into certain areas in the future. Best to plan ahead

 

[Pale Rider]

And you don't think these poor kids wouldn't be abused if it was gold, diamonds, stripping circuit boards for precious metals contained in processors. There are many abuses around the world- yet let's all blame it all on lithium mining for all the atrocities -get real.

You'd better give up your Ebikes then

Two wrongs, of course, don't make a right.

I could give up my ebikes, but I'm not making claims to be super environmentally friendly.

It's a perfectly fair point that building any car damages the environment, and in the case of a battery car, actively harms children.

There's no way to compare kids in mines to kids breathing particulates.

For what it's worth, I reckon the particulates may cause wider harm, but that doesn't lessen the more concentrated harm done by mining.

I wonder how far electric cars would get if they were not being forced on us by legislation.

Very few of us can afford to add £10k - to £15k for a car to do the same job.

 

[Alex321]

Uhm, but fossil fuel car prices have been steadily, and plrapidly, going up and they have been around for decades and decades.
A Nbottom of the rang enissan micra cost £5k in the late 80s. Today it's £14k. Sure, it has more tech and a more powerful engine, but shouldn't the prices have gone down? I think once people get accustomed to paying higher prices, why would any company want to reduce prices?

That isn't all that much a of a change in real terms.

Taking 1988 as "late 80's", allowing for inflation, that £5,000 would now be £11,650

 

[farfromtheland]

You're being obtuse in understanding. The world is changing re vehicle transport.

Blaming aspects that virtually all of use take benefits from, then hypocritically sniping because its in a car doesn't wash

I think there is a point to be made that we are all obtuse if we think short term benefits from filthy technology are ok. E-bikes and scooters are small scale. The rare earth mining for magnet components and the aluminium smelting for giant wind turbines are more significant, as is the comparison between the environmental manufacturing costs of new cars versus the retro-fitting of better filters to old ones as they are phased out and even the return to train-based transport planning.

Consumer car use itself is a huge waste of resources, rationally considered, but we come from a society where luxury has become normal. 40 years ago Beijing was saturated with bicycles - a better model surely?
Perhaps the recycling of lithion batteries is improving, as some posters say, but perhaps this is wishful thinking... Please post the information, I'd like to know.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Well you maybe either priced off the road or barred due to emissions into certain areas in the future. Best to plan ahead

Not for a long time and hopefully by then there will be better choice than what’s currently on offer. If not there are going to be an awful lot of older cars still going around on the roads.

 

[Milzy]

I thought I’d like a model 3 but no. The new Cupra born looks amazing & does 325 miles a charge.

 

[MrGrumpy]

You drove there in a diesel, it matters not that you park down the road. The area will be polluted. You have openly admitted not wanting to walk your kid to school.

It’s now big bad diesel ?! Maybe EVs will be big and bad as well ! ? Nothing worse than the self righteous now telling us we are all evil because we choose to keep driving an ICE vehicle .

 

[MrGrumpy]

Maybe speak to your employer and shift your work hours ? Bike your kids to work ? Different house ? Different school ? There's lots of options available if you wanted to take them. Nobody drove to school back in my day.

Back in the day generally both parents didn’t work . Didn’t need too I’m guessing. That came later once everyone was encouraged to be their house. So now we have people driving and dropping off at school before work. All of my work colleagues partners all work full time. All drive , all have more than one car .

 

[CXRAndy]

I thought I’d like a model 3 but no. The new Cupra born looks amazing & does 325 miles a charge.

Its based on the VW id3 platform. Different dress. I'd wait till its has an EPA rating for range. 325 could be WLTP, ve ry much like the NEDC for ICE-no relationship to real driving.

Looks better than the ID3, more mainstream

 

[icowden]

I thought I’d like a model 3 but no. The new Cupra born looks amazing & does 325 miles a charge.

Looks good but hasn't got half of the functionality of a Tesla as far as I can see.