Experiences with Electric Cars Post Reply

[SW11er]

Thinking about biting the bullet and going fully electric so just wondering on locals experience.

How is BTC (directly off northcote rd) for charging points? Do you always find one.

Any direct experience of Audi Q4 E-tron?

What are the experiences with battery life - do they tend to deteriorate? All very well having a range of 200/300 miles to start - but does this stay the case?

How have you felt residual values have held up. I know lately they have been very good because of the supply chain issues but has that always been the case. Slightly worried of course that you invest a lot in an electric car only for technology to advance so much that it is worth nothing in 2 years.

Thanks for any pointers.

[pkmang]

I would install your own charger if you have a house. Either off-street or get a plastic hazard cover and string the cable across the pavement if a terrace.

The convenience of having your own and not worrying about it being blocked or taken is high. The cost on specialist night time tariffs is cheaper (5p per kwh).

[Whittjac]

Dear SW11er
We bought a hybrid as our home is now inside the ULEZ. If we are able to park outside our house it is fine as we string an extension lead out of the upstairs window (!), down a parking pole or a tree and cover the 18 inches of cable on the pavement with the rubber hazard mat. However, if that isn’t possible there isn’t a charging point nearby. It’s about an 8 minute walk in any direction, which is impractical when you have to drive to work (like I do) and have heavy bags to carry back and forth. Also I am unclear what happens if they are in a different parking zone.

We are praying that the Council installs some more chargers with dedicated spaces as last Sunday I drove around Battersea (using petrol!) for 30 minutes trying to find a free charging point in vain. The lamppost ones were barely in use for charging but people were (quite understandably) parked in the spaces.

Our Audi hybrid took only 30 miles of charge when we got it second hand in Jan, but already we get only 25 usually. This could be due to the extension lead and not a proper fast charger. But we are reluctant to trail a wire across the whole pavement for safety reasons.

We all need to lobby the Council to sort this out. We completely support the move to electric, but the infrastructure is not yet there.

In other cities / towns / countries there are free charging points too, to encourage people. But here you have to pay a significant mark up on the electricity from the charging points to what you would pay at home - even now!

Good luck!

[SouthLondonDaddy]

Isn't it a bit odd to buy a green electric cars, and then choose an SUV which has the bulk and the weight of a WW1 tank? Does it not kind of defy the point? Those things are so heavy they will require more energy to charge and the greater weight means they pollute more, in terms of all the particles generated by the tyres.

That aside, I think plug in hybrids only work if you can install a charger at home, because their range is limited.

With fully electric vehicles, you need to consider your typical usage (range is longer in city traffic) and the mileage between range, eg if the range is 300 miles you probably want to charge every 240 miles or so.

Don't know what your usage is, but we don't use the car that much and typically do 240 miles every 4 weeks or so. Walking a few hundred yards from the car home every 4 weeks wouldn't be the end of the world (if a charging point is not outside your home).

On charging points, you need to understand what type are nearby. There are basically two types: those where you pay by the minute, but can charge even if outside your parking zone, and those where you pay by energy, not time, and ordinary parking restrictions apply. The former works well if you drop off the car in the evening and pick it up in the morning.

[atbattersea]

To avoid the Ulez charge you can buy any petrol car registered after 2004, any diesel registered from 2017 (some from 2015), or any car registered before 1981 (plenty of people in my locale seem to be doing the latter, which seems antithetical to TFL’s intention).

Electric cars are not “green”, you are just moving the emissions from one place to another (from the street to the power generation network), and generating a whole slew of emissions (and polution) in the creation of a new car. Most of the emissions/resource use in a vehicle’s lifetime occur during its manufacture.

[dudette]

Electric cars are much less polluting of urban environments so that has to be a good thing as it’s the air millions of people breathe.

If you get one I would suggest getting it on a two or three year lease rather than buying it outright. Then when the three years are up you can just hand it back and get a new one with better battery life. We have done this and are now on our fourth! We love them.

[atbattersea]

Electric cars are much less polluting of urban environments so that has to be a good thing as it’s the air millions of people breathe.

If you get one I would suggest getting it on a two or three year lease rather than buying it outright. Then when the three years are up you can just hand it back and get a new one with better battery life. We have done this and are now on our fourth! We love them.

Ha! Four times over you have manufactured a new car, with all the allied pollution and emissions this causes (much of it in unregulated places like China), and you think you are a green champion. Absolutely delusional!

[chorister]

@at battersea - we don't have an electric car - but they are greener because a great deal of electricity is now green generated.  And the direction of travel in generation is in one direction only, towards lower and lower emissons.

@SouthLondonDaddy - we don't have an SUV either, and basically think they are ridiculous in an urban environment.  But there is a real problem with the battery size for a decent range - for example one third of the the weight of the new electric Audi SUV is the battery!  The long term solution with probably involve hydrogen.

[Burnbane]

Have had two electric cars….. they are brilliant - would never drive an ICE again. Buy the longest range you can afford. The Tesla Superchargers are excellent and make a MASSIVE difference to using electric. 350 miles minimum range if you can get to that will make a big difference

[SouthLondonDaddy]

Electric cars are not “green”, you are just moving the emissions from one place to another (from the street to the power generation network), and generating a whole slew of emissions (and polution) in the creation of a new car. Most of the emissions/resource use in a vehicle’s lifetime occur during its manufacture.

Producing an electric car is probably not much 'greener' than producing a petrol car.
BUT an electric car generates zero emissions. In the ideal world coveted by Extinction Rebellion loonies, we wouldn't need cars. In the real world we live in, it's better to have 10 electric cars than 10 petrol cars.

Obviously that electricity needs to come from somewhere, and it won't all be from renewables. But, at least in the UK, it won't all be from coal, either.

[dudette]

Electric cars are much less polluting of urban environments so that has to be a good thing as it’s the air millions of people breathe.

If you get one I would suggest getting it on a two or three year lease rather than buying it outright. Then when the three years are up you can just hand it back and get a new one with better battery life. We have done this and are now on our fourth! We love them.

Ha! Four times over you have manufactured a new car, with all the allied pollution and emissions this causes (much of it in unregulated places like China), and you think you are a green champion. Absolutely delusional!

At what point did I say I was a green champion? I’m not at all. Electric cars are much nicer to drive and much easier to refuel, don’t contribute to urban air pollution and allow you to drive in the congestion charge area for free. If you think people are going to stop buying cars then you’re the delusional one.

[mymyherewegoagain]

I have a Q4. Have had it since September 21.
I’m happy with it. Definitely worth taking it for quite a long test drive.
The dashboard is very deep - I’m 5’6 and have to work around blind spots, my partner who is 6’ doesn’t have any blind spots.
Seat maybe not as comfy as Bmw or merc.
Overall I’m very happy with it. Lots of space in the back seats.

[CalmandQuiet]

I sold my car 15 months ago, bought a cargo bike (which cost more than my car), but has been used far more than my car was ever used. I am faster than any car journey when I cycle through London because there are just too many cars making unnecessary short car journeys, causing causing major congestion and getting in the way of those that need a car to get around. Yet car owners will be in uproar when my choice of transport is made safer with protected cycle lanes. Why? Do I as a cyclist have less right to be safe on the roads we all share?? Please please can people stop using cars for short journeys in London, it is unsustainable and causing major issues. If you are able bodied, please use your body to get from A to B rather than relying on a motorised vehicle!

[joetaylor]

Having not owned a car for years I'm currently doing a monthly rental of an EV (Renault Zoe) from Onto due to family fear of covid. From an environmental point of view I want to emphasise this is bad, but better than a petrol or hybrid, and significantly better in air pollution terms (although even EVs cause air pollution through tyre and brake dust).

I must say the car is really nice to drive - I much prefer it to any petrol car I've driven. Put it in eco and battery charging mode and it cruises along at 64 MPH on the motorway and slows right down the minute you take your foot off the accelerator. It's kinda relaxing and safe. I feel like all cars should do this automatically.

Charging is hit and miss to be honest. Be prepared for the first few chargers you try to not be available or not be working. There are tonnes of lamppost chargers round our way but not all of them work (the ones on Wroughton Road mostly work). And they're slow - you'll need to leave it charging overnight to fill it up.

The range is over 200 miles when it's warm, and you get used to breaking up long journeys by stopping for a charge along the way (there are loads of 50w chargers and 30 mins on one of those will get you close to full).

[Shaftesburymum]

To avoid the Ulez charge you can buy any petrol car registered after 2004, any diesel registered from 2017 (some from 2015), or any car registered before 1981 (plenty of people in my locale seem to be doing the latter, which seems antithetical to TFL’s intention).

Electric cars are not “green”, you are just moving the emissions from one place to another (from the street to the power generation network), and generating a whole slew of emissions (and polution) in the creation of a new car. Most of the emissions/resource use in a vehicle’s lifetime occur during its manufacture.

atbattersea - from a CO2 point of view, as others have said here, electric cars have a lower impact. The Road to Zero estimated that in 2018 an EV car in the UK currently has total associated greenhouse gas emissions 66% lower than a petrol car and 60% lower than a diesel car. From a pollution point of view, the impact is starker. Remember our children are regularly breathing in illegal air pollution, and we are learning more and more about detrimental health impacts of small particulates on brain and lung development to name just two worrying factors. Please check your facts before posting.


https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/electric-ca ... vironment/

https://www.london.gov.uk/press-release ... -toxic-air

https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/di ... ble-killer