Clitheroekid wrote:Like virtually everyone I know I'm perplexed by the pro and anti EV arguments, feeling that I can't really trust any of them, as they all seem to emanate from people with vested interests.
But I found this video from the excellent Harry Metcalfe to be one of the most useful sources of information I've come across in a long time, and as it's the product of actual experience, not just theory, it carries a lot of credibility -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZysvgm2_Aw
We have had a KIA BEV for three years - due for its MOT in a couple of weeks.
It’s a sample of one. No vested interest as I drive a nice ICE!
A second car, low mileage, it costs less to lease than the 1.4 VW petrol Golf it replaced. It is more refined than the Golf, better Satnav, slightly more spacious, nice head up display. Simple to drive. Mrs H took about two minutes to understand the controls when it was new. Apart from the touchscreen Satnav the controls are all switches just like an “old” car.
We are lucky that we were able to fit a charger in the garage so it’s ridiculously cheap to run on Octopus Go off peak tariff (which we use for the tumble dryer etc as well). Fuel cost per mile is just over 2p.
It has a range of 300 miles driven carefully in the summer (it is wonderful to drive in city centre traffic - every time the car in front slows the BEV matches its speed and the battery charges, so slow moving traffic jams are a joy!) and around 200 miles driven fast on a motorway in rain with the heater on in winter. We have only had to charge it away from home a couple of times when we’ve used it for a long journey. The longest trip took a little planning and included a free (slow) top up when we had lunch at a restaurant plus a trip to a Morrisons car park for a very fast, expensive charge.
We are lucky to have two cars and the BEV is brilliant as a second car especially for short journeys when it is freezing cold as it literally warms the seats and steering wheel within 200 yards of setting off. (I could pre-warm but don’t bother.)
I guess the proof that we like it is that I negotiated to extend the lease to five years and was pleasantly surprised that the monthly cost (including maintenance, tax etc) went down a little to £238 a month, which implies the leasing company is relaxed about the residual value.
I do take some long journeys and we always use my petrol engined motorway cruiser. Which incidentally was much more complicated to set up initially than the BEV.
I have driven a number of other BEVs - Tesla (Irritating touchscreen), Polestar (very nice), BMW i4 (wonderful), KIA EV6 (nice), Nissan Leaf (nice), Fiat 500 (fun but a joke!) BMW i3 (ok). However, in my view, none of them would be as convenient as a similarly priced ICE car for someone who fairly regularly drives long distances and appreciates a car with a 500 mile plus range.
So verdict for sample of one - if you have off road parking and seldom drive more than 180 miles a nice BEV would be fine. And as a second car - brilliant.
regards
Howard