Are we being forced to go electric?

[Scottish Scrutineer]

Resale values is a guess right now I did put up a link that costs may come down for EVs but that’s a stumbling block right now !! I just could not believe the price though it’s silly .

That's one of the reasons we just went for ICE when we last purchased a new car, just over 2 years ago. The cost, and specifications of the available EVs was limited; this was prior to the likes of the iD3, Polestar, Corsa/208 etc. Tesla M3 is a saloon not hatch (and over the self-imposed £40k limit), eGolf was off the market, Leaf was not great for seats. BMWi3 was a possible option, but we ended up with the MINI Clubman which was delivered March 2 years ago. I happened to look at the mileage over the weekend an we've only done 8k miles in 2 years.
Hopefully when we look to change it in about 3 years, there will be more choice of EVs.

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

I had a drive of my mother‘s ID3 this week. Very weird not having a gear stick and the way you select drive, neutral, reverse. Disappointed it had manual seat adjustments and not electric. Certainly has plenty of torque.

I don't see electric seat adjustment as a deal breaker. We've had it on cars, but its not really a hardship to adjust the seat by lifting a lever and turning a wheel for the amount of times we swap over drivers. Once you get into the way of driving most automatics, all you tend to do is tell it whether you want to go Forwards, Reverse or Park.
As long as they're not in battleship/primer grey, the iD3 looks quite nice too.

Different, I agree. The butter like acceleration and regen are a delight.

I would never ever buy an ICE car again.

For smoothness and low noise EVs are in a different league

They had a few at the local dealer. Still don’t want one though

I've not yet seem one in the metal. My mate should get his fairly soon, so will make judgement then. Mind you, his last 2 cars have been Dacia Sanderos, so he is into fairly basic motoring needs.

 

[vickster]

Apparently Skoda were going to make a new Fabia estate, including an electric version...now they aren't as they are going to focus on SUVs and just do the Fabia hatch

 

[bonzobanana]

And very ugly.

I actually like the look of it very much but then I'm an estate car fan so perhaps I'm more forgiving. Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder though. I detest the looks of many Alfa Romeos but others say they look very stylish. Maybe again I'm thinking subconsciously about their appalling quality and reliability that is putting me off. I wouldn't buy one but love the look of many of the new Peugeots. I used to dislike their styling in the past but really like the look of them now. Styling is only a small factor for me though, I'm more interested in engineering quality and reliability and dependability so tend to look more towards Japanese brands like Honda, Toyota and Mazda.

 

[Rusty Nails]

Financially that decision makes little sense. We are on the edge of a massive inflation jump but its very unlikely we'll see wages/spending power keep up.

Consumers goods (like cars) will also remain supply-constrained for the foreseeable future. Governments are now building tanks again and global trade is very fragile.

All of this means only one thing for prices going ahead. If you need/have the means to make a big purchase, now is the time to do it. Otherwise things may well become totally unaffordable going fowards.

Remember money has no real value, its worth is decided by politics and human actions. Stuff/things (commodities) have real value and are not subject to the potential of becoming 'worthless' overnight like money can (Look at the Rubble).

On the whole consumer goods prices haven't seen their costs rise in line with everything else......yet, but you can be sure its coming. Its a matter of when not if.

He is not worried by the financial aspect, nor about green issues. He likes gadgets and fancied trying out an electric car, as long as it was not a Tesla, and liked the look of the MG.

He will have an itch to try one out in the future, possibly as a replacement for his wife's car, and will go for something smaller for use on local journeys.

 

[lazybloke]

Or you could look into it in a little more detail...

In a nutshell, this was a survey of 57000 cars of which 2184 were actually electric. A poll of actual EV users showed 83% considered their EV more reliable than their previous ICE cars.

I think EVs are fantastic, so much better than ICEs, but when I buy a new car I damn well expect several years of trouble-free motoring.
Yet you're telling me that 17% of EV owners concluded their OLD cars were more reliable. Oh dear....


Do you remember the JD Power reliability surveys about the turn of the millenium? I don't know the sample size, but one year the Honda Accord topped the table with not a single breakdown reported by their owners!

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

Do you remember the JD Power reliability surveys about the turn of the millenium? I don't know the sample size, but one year the Honda Accord topped the table with not a single breakdown reported by their owners!

Probably find that those owners never even realised what it was that they were driving, or just zoned out travelling from A to B in the Accord. So many cars are just anonymous "white goods" that move people from one place to another with little involvement in the driving process. Ideal candidates for autonomous vehicles, or car clubs.

 

[FishFright]

Apparently Skoda were going to make a new Fabia estate, including an electric version...now they aren't as they are going to focus on SUVs and just do the Fabia hatch

Ford in the US stopped making saloons/hatches etc a couple of years back as they didn't sell , not even the Police editions as they have moved over to SUV's too.

 

[vickster]

SUVs make a bit more sense in the US though, big roads, big spaces in carparks, most people at least outside the downtown areas have off street parking...and petrol is still much cheaper (even in California).
Don't they still make Mustangs though?

 

[FishFright]

SUVs make a bit more sense in the US though, big roads, big spaces in carparks, most people at least outside the downtown areas have off street parking...and petrol is still much cheaper (even in California).
Don't they still make Mustangs though?

I forgot about the Mustang ! doh

 

[yello]

We can get a grant of around €5000 from the govt for scrapping our old diesel 2005 Renault Scenic against a 2nd hand EV. It's very tempting, I must say, but I've no idea what we'd get.

 

[figbat]

I forgot about the Mustang ! doh

And the GT...?

 

[FishFright]

And the GT...?

Damn you all with your facts ! lol

 

[icowden]

We can get a grant of around €5000 from the govt for scrapping our old diesel 2005 Renault Scenic against a 2nd hand EV. It's very tempting, I must say, but I've no idea what we'd get.

The ID4 is a not dissimilar size if you don't need 7 seats. If you need 7 seats, then I think it's the Enyak or the Tesla Y (or X)

 

[icowden]

I think EVs are fantastic, so much better than ICEs, but when I buy a new car I damn well expect several years of trouble-free motoring.
Yet you're telling me that 17% of EV owners concluded their OLD cars were more reliable. Oh dear....

No I am telling you that 3% of those surveyed concluded that their old cars were more reliable. 14% felt reliability was the same. Which isn't the same as being unreliable. If my ICE car was very reliable and my EV is very reliable then "about the same" is a reasonable response.