Which electric car to buy?

[andyinluton]

So, does anyone know what Electric Car I should buy….?

If you don't actually need to replace a car don't buy one yet. The technology is getting better, particularly the range day by day & prices should drop as they become more & more common.

 

[reserves]

If you don't actually need to replace a car don't buy one yet. The technology is getting better, particularly the range day by day & prices should drop as they become more & more common.

I was half joking, as this thread went a little off topic.

We’re settled on the Model 3, we had one for a month, we both absolutely loved it and our 5 year old loved it even more.

 

[Velma's Dad]

@clarinetbcn as you seem to be the expert on heating my Scottish holiday cottage......

Name me one affordable electric car that I could buy today, that comes with a handy plug that would would run my house for the nine days that the power has been off?

Don't forget, Ive got no way of charging it up & I still need to use it to get to the nearest shop, being in one of the isolated areas where the power is down, thats a 60 mile round trip.

I didn't buy any batteries for the house as some bloke on an Internet forum persuaded me I didn't need any, just buy solar panels & what you sell back to the grid pays for the stuff you use thats what he said!

Funny though I found when the sun rises at 10.30 and sets at 3pm ( but disappears behind a mountain at 1pm) I didn't generate enough energy to make the dial on the meter move , let alone any excess. I think the couple of inches of snow on the panels might have had an effect.

Of course even if the electric was working, no one told me that by the time it gets down to -10 Air source heat pumps are so inefficient that an old fashioned fan heater would be cheaper to run. If it gets down to -15 it will stop working completely.

I think I will stick to my £500 generator & a bit of stored petrol, along with my log burner.

Andy, of course you're right that some UK homes are less suitable for all-electric regimes than others are. In an earlier post you cited city flats, with no driveways and currently inadequate electricity supply infrastructure, and of course for PV fewer sunny days than (just to pick a city at random ) Barcelona.

However at risk of stating the obvious the general shift towards all-electric, including for cars, won't be blocked by those non-ideal use-cases - any more than the take-up of gas central heating for 85% of British homes was constrained by the 15% of homes that still can't access the gas grid.

Re EV charging, Google tells me that 88% of British households DO have a driveway. Admittedly they'll be skewed towards the more affluent areas - like Oxfordshire where I just read that one third of all new car registrations last month were EVs. While a lot of British households don't own a car at all, of the majority that do, nearly half have more than one so for them the range issues for 'edge use-cases' (like the occasional trip out to the sticks to see Granny) can still be catered for while the main weekly commuting/domestic mileage becomes EV-ised.

Like you we have a second property in rural Scotland but in our specific case a heat pump would actually be technically a good option there, versus tankered oil which is the present fuel source. We'll keep the pair of wood stoves for the very coldest days when heat pump efficiency drops off (and thanks to Arwen we've just acquired about a decade's worth of fresh fallen timber ) but, again, it actually only gets below freezing only a few days a year.

Just sayin'.

 

[starbug]

You need to look for another supplier. Air heat pumps are basically air conditioners which can run backwards in the winter, and have a slightly higher price than the same air conditioning equipment without the reverse function. These are ideal for flats. If you have a house, it’s worth it to look into ground heat pumps, which are even more efficient, but at a higher cost.

the quote was for a ground heat pump i think. 25000 worth of coal will last me long time. and the govement have been using it for years so it must be ok lol.

 

[clarinetbcn]

View attachment 87254

There’s no good translation of “pena ajena” in English. It roughly means cringing at the spectacle of someone else embarrassing themselves. You really “don’t get it.”

 

[Joker 1299]

Peace on Earth and good will to all

 

[WelshGas]

 

[Velma's Dad]

Peace on Earth and good will to all

Absolutely. It's the party season, after all.

 

[Amarillo]

Absolutely. It's the party season, after all.

Cheese and wine at a business meeting…

 

[Wildcamper]

Absolutely. It's the party season, after all.

Some have already had their party!

Absolutely. It's the party season, after all.

 

[Wildcamper]

Is hydrogen the long term answer? The Aerospace Technology Institute, under the Fly Zero heading, has just published a positive study for a long distance (London to Auckland with one stop) liquid hydrogen powered wide body passenger aircraft. If hydrogen were to be available on this scale (do not underestimate the challenge) then there would be plenty for automotive use. The great bonus of a hydrogen ICE engine is that it is almost identical to a petrol ICE engine. Could it be battery for inner city vehicles and hydrogen for longer distance or rural transport?

 

[kurienp]

Is hydrogen the long term answer? The Aerospace Technology Institute, under the Fly Zero heading, has just published a positive study for a long distance (London to Auckland with one stop) liquid hydrogen powered wide body passenger aircraft. If hydrogen were to be available on this scale (do not underestimate the challenge) then there would be plenty for automotive use. The great bonus of a hydrogen ICE engine is that it is almost identical to a petrol ICE engine. Could it be battery for inner city vehicles and hydrogen for longer distance or rural transport?

Based on the explanations that you read (not in newspapers, but scientific magazines (yeah, they are also newspapers), ), it seems that Hydrogen is the cleaner way to go. It seems that batteries develop more toxic waste and will become a long-term challenge on environment management.

I am waiting for the ICE to H2 conversion kit for the T6 in 2030 - by which time, based on the current mileage, I should have done another 135,000 sweet miles in my T6, and I would not mind messing around with the engine.

Batteries are starting from the lower end of the usage spectrum. it is faster when it is a top down approach (mining, aircraft, haulage), start to use Hydrogen and then it filters down to the common usage such as cars etc. I think, by 2030 Hydrogen will become more easily available and filter down to smaller vehicle usage.

PS: did anyone know that Swindon has always had a hydrogen filling station operating for the last 4-5 years or maybe longer. Either Honda or Toyota had built it to test out the H2 cars. I remember it as the Toyota Mira - by Swindon is know for Honda.

 

[Wildcamper]

Based on the explanations that you read (not in newspapers, but scientific magazines (yeah, they are also newspapers), ), it seems that Hydrogen is the cleaner way to go. It seems that batteries develop more toxic waste and will become a long-term challenge on environment management.

I am waiting for the ICE to H2 conversion kit for the T6 in 2030 - by which time, based on the current mileage, I should have done another 135,000 sweet miles in my T6, and I would not mind messing around with the engine.

Batteries are starting from the lower end of the usage spectrum. it is faster when it is a top down approach (mining, aircraft, haulage), start to use Hydrogen and then it filters down to the common usage such as cars etc. I think, by 2030 Hydrogen will become more easily available and filter down to smaller vehicle usage.

PS: did anyone know that Swindon has always had a hydrogen filling station operating for the last 4-5 years or maybe longer. Either Honda or Toyota had built it to test out the H2 cars. I remember it as the Toyota Mira - by Swindon is know for Honda.

I doubt there will be a hydrogen conversion kit for a T6 unless one has the TSI version. A hydrogen ICE is spark ignition not diesel. So for a Transporter type vehicle, unless TSI, one would need a new engine.

 

[kurienp]

I doubt there will be a hydrogen conversion kit for a T6 unless one has the TSI version. A hydrogen ICE is spark ignition not diesel. So for a Transporter type vehicle, unless TSI, one would need a new engine.

Hmmm ... valid point. OK, I shall prepare myself for an engine change as well then.

 

[WelshGas]

Hmmm ... valid point. OK, I shall prepare myself for an engine change as well then.

Possible - apparently. But who knows?

This company may have solved one of the hardest problems in clean energy

The “hydrogen economy” may be a thing after all.

www.vox.com

 

[willwander]

The great bonus of a hydrogen ICE engine is that it is almost identical to a petrol ICE engine.

And that’s a bonus?

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Gatwick partners with GRIDSERVE to build an Electric Forecourt - the net zero carbon equivalent of a petrol station

A partnership between Gatwick Airport and sustainable energy company GRIDSERVE will build the Gatwick Electric Forecourt – an electric charging, net zero equivalent to a petrol station - that will be available to millions of passengers, commuters, staff, local residents and businesses that pass...

www.midsussextimes.co.uk

 

[Wildcamper]

Possible - apparently. But who knows?

This company may have solved one of the hardest problems in clean energy

The “hydrogen economy” may be a thing after all.

www.vox.com

Interesting article. Would like to hear more from the company directly. It may be the way the article portrays the science but in several places it sounds like the unattainable "energy for nothing" circle. One aspect is almost completely wrong, they state that the system removes 100% NOx. The only way this can be done is either by some additive like Adblue or to significantly reduce the temperature of combustion. The NOx from any ICE arrises through reaction of nitrogen in the air with oxygen at high temperature, nothing to do with the fuel source. Any hydrogen ICE will produce NOx. Good luck to the company but as reported there are holes in the science and some of the thermodynamics needs verification. Would like to hear from "the horse's mouth".

And that’s a bonus?

Yes. No need to use expensive heavy batteries in vehicles as hydrogen ICEs are in pollution free. The challenge is to develop the required hydrogen infrastructure. With batteries one needs to develop both the battery and the charging infrastructure. With hydrogen ICE the engines are relatively easy to convert, just need the infrastructure. If decarbonisation is the aim both will work, neither easy. Maybe a mixture is the answer.

And that’s a bonus?

 

[BrugseB]

I will sit and wait - wanting one of these!

Volkswagen confirms ID. California camper for production | Electrifying

All-electric £70k Volkswagen ID. California camper gets green light for 2025 production . Read more on Electrifying.com

www.electrifying.com

 

[blondebier]

I will sit and wait - wanting one of these!

Volkswagen confirms ID. California camper for production | Electrifying

All-electric £70k Volkswagen ID. California camper gets green light for 2025 production . Read more on Electrifying.com

www.electrifying.com

Us too. It certainly has a lot of appeal.

However, I fear that 2025 will come and go and it'll be a long wait.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

ID Buzz Pick Up

 

[soulstyledevon]

I see someone has turned the Buzz into a day van…

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

I see someone has turned the Buzz into a day van…

View attachment 97860

Needs a G&T on that table.

 

[capt kirk]

We picked up a kia soul and have had it nearly a year, 298 miles per charge. With the cali for long trips its perfect for local or or medium trips.

 

[kurienp]

Owning an electric car for the last 2 months, it has been an eye opener and has required a rethink on many levels. Not a challenge, but it definitely requires a change in ways of thinking and planning. Sounds onerous, but it is not - once you change your mindset.

Our idea was also to have a car to use for long distance day trips (visiting family etc.). Around town it is usually a walk or cycle.

The Model 3 has proven to be a great vehicle and the best part of it is, where it plans the charging points for you. I, for one, appreciate that it has taken that one additional step of planning for chargers off the cards.

To be on the safer side, I have installed about 9 charging apps for the UK and subscribed etc, so that in case in a fix at any time, I know that I have backup options.

So far, it has been good. Done some very long distances and the car does make driving easy.

I have still not installed a home charger and rely on local chargers but considering one - which is a minefield in itself.

Our parking is in a detached area behind our row house so had to first put about 50 meters of underground ducting to get electricity to the parking location. This is now done.

I was convinced that a zappi charger is the best before someone on a forum mentioned that it looks like a urinal! And ever since I've been looking for an alternate one. Need solar as well as alternate battery storage charging to make it future proof.