Why Did You Buy an EV?

[JFDIT]

I drive around 18k pa, live in rural Lincolnshire, many of my single journeys are over 300 miles and there are no private charging points at my family destinations.

I notice quite a few forum members run EV's and wondered how they cope with the charging issue. And what benefits they see given the increased initial cost.

Your feedback welcomed.

[qrt31]

I have had my P8 for 6 weeks. So far no issues with it being an EV. I installed a charger at home, and none of my journeys have created issues. Went away for a few days after Christmas and found a charger very near where we were staying in Perthshire. Going up to Lewis and Harris this summer will bring its own anxiety, but I expect that to fade as I get used to the actual range and day to day experience of living with the car. I bought an EV because I think we all have an obligation to do our part to address the climate crisis. I needed a new car and this seemed the right time to switch over. I did not want to significantly expand my CO2 emissions (previously had an Audi A3 which had much lower emissions than the ICE XC40). While some still try to argue that EVs are not any more climate friendly than ICE cars, I think the evidence is clear that they are over the lifetime of the car. And the fact that it is not spewing other contaminants into the air for people to breathe is another added bonus. Yes, the initial cost was more. But, looking at the miles I will do (perhaps 10K/yr) plus no road tax, lower servicing costs, etc., in the end over the period of ownership of the car (perhaps 10 years) it will likely not be any more expensive to run and may save a bit of money. And, if none if these other things convince you, it is so smooth and fun to drive I would never go back to ICE.

[Chris John]

I didn’t and I won’t until chargers are more readily available and battery technology has improved.

[JFDIT]

@qrt31, Thanks for your detailed reply.
Are you typically driving more than say 250 mile journeys? I'm interested in how you cope stopping somewhere to recharge en-route.
If you're keeping the car 10 years do you know how much replacement batteries are which I guess will be end of life around that time or will you scrap the car?

[qrt31]

I have not had any 250 mile single journeys yet. I have had one trip which was that in total. I charged up near where I was staying, and had no issues. This summer when we head up to Lewis and Harris via Skye, I have mapped out fast chargers along the way to Skye on ZapMap. Should only need to charge once and there are backups if one of the chargers is out of commission. Would stop anyway at some point, so not really an issue of time. On Lewis/Harris, the chargers are spread out thinly. One a few miles from where we are staying. Will only be an issue of charging up part way at any one time I think. The travel times on the islands will be significant but the actual distances are not, so hopefully will not present too many issues for range. I think it will be a matter of getting used to and trusting the range - just as we do with ICE cars, although obviously the range without charging will be less. Everything I have read indicates that range becomes a non-issue after you have used an EV for a while. I would jump on ZapMap and see what chargers there are in the areas of Lincolnshire you drive in - probably more than in Scotland! With regard to what happens at the end of 10 years (or whenever I get rid of it), I don't know. No idea how much replacement batteries will be. I have recently read about Tesla owners who have gotten 400,000 miles - with a battery replacement along the way - so seems like a potentially feasible strategy if I wanted to do that. More likely would sell. I don't think we know what the battery is going to be like after 10 years, but the initial assumptions that they would not hold up for long periods of time are proving to be too pessimistic. Even if the battery was too far gone to work in a car, it will still have another life - perhaps in domestic storage or something - so the car would likely still have some residual value. But I am not worrying about that - more focused on enjoying the car now.

[ChrisLF]

Enjoy the cheap running costs whilst you can! Once EV form the majority of cars on the road I want to know how the government is going to recoup the massive amount of income lost that is currently generated from fuel duty.

[qrt31]

Enjoy the cheap running costs whilst you can! Once EV form the majority of cars on the road I want to know how the government is going to recoup the massive amount of income lost that is currently generated from fuel duty.

Yes, although any change is probably not imminent. And by the time it happens, EV prices will likely have at least reached parity with ICE cars, if not being even cheaper. So if EV road taxes are brought in, it is still likely that they will still be cheaper run than ICE.

[blastpipe]

Enjoy the cheap running costs whilst you can! Once EV form the majority of cars on the road I want to know how the government is going to recoup the massive amount of income lost that is currently generated from fuel duty.

Changes are already underway...I believe legislation is coming that will mean any EV chargers will have to be separately metered by a smart meter. It will then allow taxation on the 'fuel' and control of supply both in times of day how much you can have.

[eugen61]

Those worried about long term battery degradation should check this 5 min video:

[qrt31]

According to this article from South Africa, a full battery replacement would be R300,000 - maybe £15K, although I would think likely less in the UK. And there may be possibilities for partial replacement of individual cells or blocks of cells if some go bad sooner - who knows, just speculation since Volvo, like I suppose most other manufacturers, is not particularly forthcoming on this issue. But: 'it is highly unlikely for an EV to require a replacement battery, however, and... owners will generally not need a replacement for the lifetime of their vehicle as long as they follow correct charging procedures.' So, as supported by eugene61 above, battery degradation is not a big concern.

https://topauto.co.za/features/34798/ex ... th-africa/