With our boys being older now we’re looking a buying a smaller (EV) car to replay our much loved Skoda Yeti. My wife has a salary sacrifice scheme for buying EVs right now, so seems like a goot time to go electric.
We hired a Fiat Cinquecento in Italy and absolutely loved it, but there really isn’t enough room in the back for the occasions when we do need to travel as a family for more than a few miles.
So we’re looking at the currently available EVs: Volvo EX30 Mini ? Citroen ë-C3 Fiat 600 Renault 5 Renault 4 or the soon to be available: Hyundai Inster (cheaper and smaller than the above, but quite interesting). https://youtu.be/WT7swFbkdV4?si=lbwErSJTLy6_-Unx
Haven't really done much research yet, so this is the long list.
I think the elephant in the room is that buying a car and keeping it for 10 to 11 years as you have done, maybe even longer is a decent eco option. The cost of production, replacement of batteries and ultimate disposal is not adequately explained to my satisfaction and why do electric cars need to be so big? Surely there has to be a change in how we think about cars in that they are not an item to show off our status, not something we should gain great pleasure from using but a necessity that gets us to and from where we want to go.
I don't understand your point. EVs started as smaller cars. It is only in the last couple of years that larger EVs have become available. Our Volvo XC40 is a smaller SUV, certainly not a status symbol.
It is rare for a radical change of product to be cost/environmentally more efficient immediately. Take those light bulbs that the power companies were forced to distribute many years ago. They were hardly the answer to climate change (before it was famous) but a necessary milestone along the road to much better environmental solutions. EVs are part of a process not the final solution.
With our boys being older now we’re looking a buying a smaller (EV) car to replay our much loved Skoda Yeti. My wife has a salary sacrifice scheme for buying EVs right now, so seems like a goot time to go electric.
We hired a Fiat Cinquecento in Italy and absolutely loved it, but there really isn’t enough room in the back for the occasions when we do need to travel as a family for more than a few miles.
So we’re looking at the currently available EVs: Volvo EX30 Mini ? Citroen ë-C3 Fiat 600 Renault 5 Renault 4 or the soon to be available: Hyundai Inster (cheaper and smaller than the above, but quite interesting). https://youtu.be/WT7swFbkdV4?si=lbwErSJTLy6_-Unx
Haven't really done much research yet, so this is the long list.
Any other suggestions for a smaller EV?
VW ID3. Mrs Hex sat in one while we were in the decision process. She immediately felt at home. It was just like the Jazz.
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks? The smaller ones I understood/understand.
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks?
Some people have larger families or extended families and all that goes with that.
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks?
There are golf-sized EVs and smaller !!!!!! Most are smaller !!!!!
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks?
Some people have larger families or extended families and all that goes with that.
And some people don't. I know a few in that category.
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks?
My daughter has a family of 5, a 6,3 husband, two teenage sons both approaching six foot and a younger one. Not gonna fit in a Golf!
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks?
My daughter has a family of 5, a 6,3 husband, two teenage sons both approaching six foot and a younger one. Not gonna fit in a Golf!
With petrol cars there are people carriers, why not have electric people carriers for people who need the space.
I've never had a problem with the charging infrastructure here in the UK, other than how much extra it costs vs charging at home. That being said there's no getting around the range. I travel from the South to Scotland every now and then and it's an extra 1.5 hours to the journey to charge
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks?
My daughter has a family of 5, a 6,3 husband, two teenage sons both approaching six foot and a younger one. Not gonna fit in a Golf!
With petrol cars there are people carriers, why not have electric people carriers for people who need the space.
100% I was just referring to your “Golf” comment. As an aside my daughter does not have a garage or any off road parking so whilst living at this house she would need to leave a trailing power lead across the pavement which is not allowed.
So the notion electric cars will be the norm anytime soon is fantasy.
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks?
My daughter has a family of 5, a 6,3 husband, two teenage sons both approaching six foot and a younger one. Not gonna fit in a Golf!
With petrol cars there are people carriers, why not have electric people carriers for people who need the space.
100% I was just referring to your “Golf” comment. As an aside my daughter does not have a garage or any off road parking so whilst living at this house she would need to leave a trailing power lead across the pavement which is not allowed.
So the notion electric cars will be the norm anytime soon is fantasy.
Bexley Council have started to convert lamp posts into charging points, there's one about 50m from my house. Not sure how much they will charge to use it.
We’ve got a Renault Megane Etech, and before a Renault Zoe, and it’s absolutely fine, drove to the Netherlands in May and it was great, and the amount of utter shite none EV owners talk about them in funny
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks? The smaller ones I understood/understand.
I don’t know what you mean about people ‘following the fashion of cars that are too big.’
Big cars isn’t an EV thing at all. I just posted a list of some smaller EVs. There are loads of them.
Big cars are a trend generally, not just in EV's. I read an article recently which says that cars are, on average, getting wider by 1cm every 2 years. This explains why parking spaces seem to be so much tighter these days.
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks?
My daughter has a family of 5, a 6,3 husband, two teenage sons both approaching six foot and a younger one. Not gonna fit in a Golf!
With petrol cars there are people carriers, why not have electric people carriers for people who need the space.
100% I was just referring to your “Golf” comment. As an aside my daughter does not have a garage or any off road parking so whilst living at this house she would need to leave a trailing power lead across the pavement which is not allowed.
So the notion electric cars will be the norm anytime soon is fantasy.
It is allowed, I believe. ‘There are no legal restrictions in place but, under the Highway Act, councils do have the power to remove any cables they think are in unsuitable locations. The Local Government Association advises that electric car charging cables should only run over pavements or footways when the vehicle is charging and that they should be removed as soon as possible.’
There are five or six EVs in my street and no off street parking. All of the lampposts have charging sockets.
I think the data is clear that EVs will dominate in four or five years, as the technology improves and prices come down, and in 2035 production of petrol & diesel cars will end.
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks?
My daughter has a family of 5, a 6,3 husband, two teenage sons both approaching six foot and a younger one. Not gonna fit in a Golf!
With petrol cars there are people carriers, why not have electric people carriers for people who need the space.
100% I was just referring to your “Golf” comment. As an aside my daughter does not have a garage or any off road parking so whilst living at this house she would need to leave a trailing power lead across the pavement which is not allowed.
So the notion electric cars will be the norm anytime soon is fantasy.
Bexley Council have started to convert lamp posts into charging points, there's one about 50m from my house. Not sure how much they will charge to use it.
All of the ones in my street are charging points, and have been for about a year. I don’t think the council supply the electricity do they? I believe the cost is higher than using overnight home charging on the cheap rate. But still relatively cheap.
My point is they are a vanity exercise for a lot of people and follow the fashion of cars that are too big. Why not have golf sized electic cars? Why have tanks?
My daughter has a family of 5, a 6,3 husband, two teenage sons both approaching six foot and a younger one. Not gonna fit in a Golf!
With petrol cars there are people carriers, why not have electric people carriers for people who need the space.
100% I was just referring to your “Golf” comment. As an aside my daughter does not have a garage or any off road parking so whilst living at this house she would need to leave a trailing power lead across the pavement which is not allowed.
So the notion electric cars will be the norm anytime soon is fantasy.
My car will be replaced sometime in spring 2025 and I’m certainly considering an EV. I definitely have reservations though. I’ll be able to charge at home on the drive and these days the vast bulk of my journeys will be covered by the range of a new EV. However. I do make the journey to London and also to Devon and it will really irk me that when visiting both, neither will be able to offer me access to a charge without me disappearing off to find a supermarket or available street charger. It’s just not convenient and there will no doubt be other occasions I find myself in a similar situation. The charging infrastructure is without doubt the biggest put off for me. Quite how people in terraced, semi detached and flats even consider opting for an EV is beyond me. Yes I’ve also heard that lampposts are being converted into charging points but looking at the parking in your average street of terraced houses that’s also going to be insufficient and will still entail cables on the floor causing trip hazards. I’ve also heard of poles attached to houses allowing for the charge cable to be held above the pavement. I’m sorry but this all sounds like pie in the sky to me. The charging infrastructure thus far in the U.K. is woefully inadequate.
Being reported that a number of EV's have exploded after the batteries being submerged by flood waters in Florida.
No thats e bikes and e scooters that blow up the cars a perfectly safe supposedly.
Not every EV flooded by storm surge goes up in flames but it’s become
frequent enough that insurers, car makers, fire chiefs and politicians
have all issued warnings to EV owners in advance of the expected
devastation of Hurricane Milton. And it’s not just cars that are a
concern.
Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer and state fire
marshal, issued a statement on Monday detailing a string of fires in the
wake of Hurricane Helene, which flooded much of the Gulf Coast just two
week ago. The state found 50,000 EV and hybrid registrations in the
path of Hurricane Milton’s storm surge and counted at least 64 lithium battery fires after Hurricane Helene.
EVs accounted for 17 of those but the rest were devices like scooters,
hoverboards and golf carts. One fire was even sparked by an electric
wheelchair.
Geico, a major insurer of cars in Florida, sent an email on Wednesday
citing Patronis’ statement to its policyholders warning them about the
threat for EVs and suggesting looking for protected parking areas. Tesla
also sent a push notification to cars warning owners to move to higher
ground.
The threat of lithium battery fires, which are difficult to
extinguish, could worsen damage to homes and buildings after floods, he
said.
“The average citizen I guarantee you does not realize they have a
liability in their house with the salt water flooding,” Patronis told
the Miami Herald in an interview on Wednesday. He called flooded
lithium-ion batteries “ticking time bombs” that could cause worse damage
than the storms that damaged them.
Is it is it right that to have a charger installed at home is on the ball park of £750/£1000 ?
To my mind not sure that level of cost gets payback compared to supermarket / lamp post charging especially if your mileage is relatively low.
I also suspect (any) government will inevitably ‘load’ EV charging in the future as pump levies decline.
Buy a new EV and you’ll often get a free home charger inc installation. Home charging can be up to 80% cheaper than public charging if you charge overnight.
Is it is it right that to have a charger installed at home is on the ball park of £750/£1000 ?
To my mind not sure that level of cost gets payback compared to supermarket / lamp post charging especially if your mileage is relatively low.
I also suspect (any) government will inevitably ‘load’ EV charging in the future as pump levies decline.
Buy a new EV and you’ll often get a free home charger inc installation. Home charging can be up to 80% cheaper than public charging if you charge overnight.
That’s my point really. Not sure any are completely free. Discounted yes.
Still ponder if that cost achieves absolute payback. I accept however convenience has a value.
Is it is it right that to have a charger installed at home is on the ball park of £750/£1000 ?
To my mind not sure that level of cost gets payback compared to supermarket / lamp post charging especially if your mileage is relatively low.
I also suspect (any) government will inevitably ‘load’ EV charging in the future as pump levies decline.
Buy a new EV and you’ll often get a free home charger inc installation. Home charging can be up to 80% cheaper than public charging if you charge overnight.
That’s my point really. Not sure any are completely free. Discounted yes.
But also will that 80% be maintained as government flex tax/duties?
Still ponder if that cost achieves absolute payback. I accept however convenience has a value.
The residuals on EV cars are still poor. There are Porsche Taycans going at CRAZY low prices (relatively) at the moment. Perhaps driven by the incredible deals company car buyers have got over the last 2-3 years and now the market is saturated by second hand ones.
Comments
Volvo EX30
Mini ?
Citroen ë-C3
Fiat 600
Renault 5
Renault 4
or the soon to be available:
Hyundai Inster (cheaper and smaller than the above, but quite interesting).
https://youtu.be/WT7swFbkdV4?si=lbwErSJTLy6_-Unx
Haven't really done much research yet, so this is the long list.
‘There are no legal restrictions in place but, under the Highway Act, councils do have the power to remove any cables they think are in unsuitable locations. The Local Government Association advises that electric car charging cables should only run over pavements or footways when the vehicle is charging and that they should be removed as soon as possible.’
To my mind not sure that level of cost gets payback compared to supermarket / lamp post charging especially if your mileage is relatively low.
I also suspect (any) government will inevitably ‘load’ EV charging in the future as pump levies decline.
Not every EV flooded by storm surge goes up in flames but it’s become frequent enough that insurers, car makers, fire chiefs and politicians have all issued warnings to EV owners in advance of the expected devastation of Hurricane Milton. And it’s not just cars that are a concern.
Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer and state fire marshal, issued a statement on Monday detailing a string of fires in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which flooded much of the Gulf Coast just two week ago. The state found 50,000 EV and hybrid registrations in the path of Hurricane Milton’s storm surge and counted at least 64 lithium battery fires after Hurricane Helene. EVs accounted for 17 of those but the rest were devices like scooters, hoverboards and golf carts. One fire was even sparked by an electric wheelchair.
Geico, a major insurer of cars in Florida, sent an email on Wednesday citing Patronis’ statement to its policyholders warning them about the threat for EVs and suggesting looking for protected parking areas. Tesla also sent a push notification to cars warning owners to move to higher ground.
The threat of lithium battery fires, which are difficult to extinguish, could worsen damage to homes and buildings after floods, he said.
“The average citizen I guarantee you does not realize they have a liability in their house with the salt water flooding,” Patronis told the Miami Herald in an interview on Wednesday. He called flooded lithium-ion batteries “ticking time bombs” that could cause worse damage than the storms that damaged them.
Home charging can be up to 80% cheaper than public charging if you charge overnight.