Are we being forced to go electric?

[Scottish Scrutineer]

Anyone got info on whether the interest free loans are stopping for EVs with the Scottish Government? The website suggests loans referrals must be in by this Friday ?

You usually find that the Govt interest free loans pause in March until the next financial year.

 

[vickster]

Anyway EV chargers was the question , I suspect I would not be alone in this scenario .

Do they all need to be charged every day? I thought some had a range of hundreds of miles which presumably you're not all doing every day?

 

[MrGrumpy]

You usually find that the Govt interest free loans pause in March until the next financial year.

Yep further reading it’s this Friday for referrals and following Friday for applications

 

[MrGrumpy]

Do they all need to be charged every day? I thought some had a range of hundreds of miles which presumably you're not all doing every day?

I’m guessing not ! Don’t have any just now but the future will involve charging . Fingers crossed by the time we all have an EV , they will have moved out

 

[figbat]

I did wonder if daisy-chaining EVs would become possible, with the charger and cars intelligently managing and sharing the charge current. Some cars have peer-to-peer charging capability so maybe it is already possible?

 

[icowden]

Anyway EV chargers was the question , I suspect I would not be alone in this scenario .

Oh, I know you aren't alone. There are two families in my street that have 5+ cars. I just think it's insane. I have never seen their driveways empty of cars. This to me suggests that they have cars they don't need. How they afford to run them all I just don't know.

We used to have two cars - one was only really ever used to go to the station. So I started cycling instead. I suspect that once my children become of driving age, we may return to two cars, but there is no way we are going down the one car per person route. With two cars, you can just alternate the charging as needed - it's unlikely that two cars will be doing most of their mileage each day. I'd have thought it even less likely with four cars.

These days, it would be useful occasionally to have a second car but for the most part, we just adapt our schedules. I drop the kids and my wife at school / work, then come home to do my work, then go and pick them all up again, except on days when my wife does the picking up and dropping off. If she needs the car, I use the bike. I can get to most places (including the train station) by bike, so I don't really need the car.

 

[vickster]

Why can’t the kids get themselves to school? Are they tiny (ie someway off driving?)

 

[MrGrumpy]

Oh, I know you aren't alone. There are two families in my street that have 5+ cars. I just think it's insane. I have never seen their driveways empty of cars. This to me suggests that they have cars they don't need. How they afford to run them all I just don't know.

only one car on the drive just now and he doesn’t start till this afternoon . If work was different and I worked from home of course I would rethink things . I’m hoping to get back on my bike after nearly a year off not really cycling . My car will stay though on the drive . Unfortunately work these days involves travel for a lot of people and quite frankly public transport integration is just not good enough. An hour or more using a bus for me each way or 20-25 mins by car…. Or……… 60 mins by bike. Trains quicker than the bus but that’s it !

 

[Alex321]

Oh, I know you aren't alone. There are two families in my street that have 5+ cars. I just think it's insane. I have never seen their driveways empty of cars. This to me suggests that they have cars they don't need. How they afford to run them all I just don't know.

As of last week, we now have three vehicles for the two of us.

The third is a motor caravan, which will only be used probably a dozen or so times a year (even though it cost a fair bit more than either of the cars).

We are thinking about whether we can use that instead of my car, but it would be tricky, as it is too tall for multi-storey car parks, or any others with a height restriction. And it really wouldn't be good to use my wife's Micra for things like trips to Scotland to see our daughter, so we would have to use it for that sort of drive.

 

[vickster]

I had a look at current EVs...not one of them appealed to me in terms of practicality or more importantly aesthetics! They're all huge, fugly or both!! Once there is a small, good looking estate with decent range at a sensible price, I may consider!

 

[SpokeyDokey]

As of last week, we now have three vehicles for the two of us.

The third is a motor caravan, which will only be used probably a dozen or so times a year (even though it cost a fair bit more than either of the cars).

We are thinking about whether we can use that instead of my car, but it would be tricky, as it is too tall for multi-storey car parks, or any others with a height restriction. And it really wouldn't be good to use my wife's Micra for things like trips to Scotland to see our daughter, so we would have to use it for that sort of drive.

I wonder what will happen to the value of Motorhomes nearer to cut off time?

Many are low mileage and have historically held their value well.

 

[tyred]

My local national park has always had a bus service between the car park and the castle and gardens which is the main attraction.

In 2020 a big fuss was made about them getting some electric minibuses and all the good it would do.

In the past month or so I have gone there a lot for walks while I recover from injury and I don't use the bus service but can't help noticing that the fancy new electric buses sit there and rarely seem to be used while the ancient Mercedes minibuses that they always had to do all the work.

It just seems strange to me. The electric bus must be either horrible to drive or unreliable. Why else would the drivers shun a nice shiny new bus for a rattling, smokey, diesel-drinking old Merc?

 

[MrGrumpy]

I wonder what will happen to the value of Motorhomes nearer to cut off time?

Many are low mileage and have historically held their value well.

Well considering they are based on base vans , they will carry on building them but with batteries ? However the value of existing stock I think will be fine . Fuel is going to be around for a long time yet …….. well assuming current issues are addressed.

 

[Alex321]

I wonder what will happen to the value of Motorhomes nearer to cut off time?

Many are low mileage and have historically held their value well.

I suspect it won't make all that much difference at first, since you will still be able to drive them.

But once fuel stations selling diesel start to disappear, then it will make a big difference. I'm not sure how many of them can use the truck pumps.

 

[cougie uk]

I had a look at current EVs...not one of them appealed to me in terms of practicality or more importantly aesthetics! They're all huge, fugly or both!! Once there is a small, good looking estate with decent range at a sensible price, I may consider!

Are you sure you have seen them all - quite a few are just EV versions of existing cars ?
Mini, Fiat 500, Corsa, Peugot 208, Zoe, Honda E - they're all small.

Small and estate car is an interesting choice too. Have you seen the MG estate ? Its about what you'd expect for an estate.

There are huge EVs I agree - they are copying the ICE fashion and I'll be avoiding those like the plague.