smeghead wrote: Thu Aug 25, 2022 3:54 pm
Data wrote: Thu Aug 25, 2022 11:54 am
Just an aside note. Bro has been to Edinburgh & back in the EV. He meandered to various cities on the way up & on the way back. He covered 835 miles. Total cost to charge the EV was £10.40 for the entire journey. This was the cost to fully charge it before leaving home. All other charging was free. His best range from 100% down to 5% was 289miles travelling mostly at 60mph. I must say he was travelling light, by himself. No shortage of charging facilities on the main routes he said. Sounds pretty good to me!
You said he meandered to various cites. Herein lies the problem. If you don't have the time nor the inclination this would be a massive pain in the arse. Some people just want to get where they are going without fuss. EV's can't really do that. When you find a charger you're plugged in for ages compared to topping up the fuel tank. A simple trip to Whitby for me, for example would be around 200 miles. The smaller EV cars that are ''affordable'' would struggle to do this without recharging which would be a pain. For now I'm well and truly out of the EV loop. In fact I've ordered a brand new small petrol car to see me to my dotage. I'm hoping for c55-60 mpg, that'll do.
I think the issue here is two fold. 1. Lack of knowledge concerning current ev charging times & rates. 2. How far we all tend to drive in one go without a quick break. Let me explain.
Firstly, bro's car goes on average 283 miles on a near full charge. That includes mixed motoring. If you stick with a steady speed it can go further. It goes 400 mile's on one charge around town & in urban conditions. At a continuous steady 70 it'll go around 255-260 miles but that can vary slightly like in any ice car. But here's the thing. A 10 to 15 minute free fast charge puts anywhere between 140-160 miles in the tank. The exact mileage depends to some extent on ambient temperature at time of charging. But in this country it doesn't vary much.
Secondly, generally few people drive more than two hours or 150 miles non stop these days. It's not recommended & frankly we all need a coffee & a wee. That takes anywhere from 15 to 30 mins for most of us to have that break. In that time the car has fully recharged again because after 150 miles & 2hrs driving you've added those 150 recharge miles to the remaining 140 miles already in the tank. So it's no wonder the biggest buyers of EVs are high mileage long distance drivers & firms.
We have to get over this old money way of thinking & making direct comparisons with ice cars. It's the wrong way of thinking about EVs. It's clear too that most folks still lack knowledge of so many things EV. But it's understandable as most folks have never driven one, don't understand the considerable advantages of EVs, don't understand the charging regimes, & often don't actually know anyone who owns one.
There is one other point to make. Some folks make the mistake of thinking you must buy an EV with huge range. When in fact most folks don't require or need a huge range. The smaller EVs are very capable. An EV with a 200 mile range is more than adequate for 90% of people. They charge up very quickly, faster than bigger battery longer range models which can give them a considerable advantage even on long runs. Charging points are expanding faster & faster across the country making smaller EVs even better value & very useful. But make what you will of it.
PS. I respect everyone's opinion on this but can see some flaws in some ideas being presented.
I'm currently having fun writing this from my hospital bed. I had a heart attack yesterday! Currently loaded with free drugs & feeling a little strange, but ok I think. Thanks guys.
