Anyone else driven an ALL electric car?

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    Topic
  • #77167
    Anonymous

      I have driven an iOn and 2 Leafs, and it’s broken me? I just don’t want an ICE car anymore. I nearly got a Hybrid but I hated it every time the engine cut in. I don’t want to risk my life any longer falling about in a diesel and petrol soaked filling station any longer. I actually don’t go out because of that.?

      In recent months I’ve been so ill that my wife has had to fill the car,but she has problems of her own. Suppose I am lucky that I never had a Leaf on the scheme because I wouldn’t have been able to give them it back given that there is nothing available now that’s any good or the right price.

      I’ve put off getting my own car now as there are so many BEV’s coming surely something must turn up.  So I must face another MOT and a service and cambelt change. Remember thinking last year this will be my last MOT ever?

    Viewing 21 replies - 1 through 21 (of 21 total)
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    • #77177
      Brydo
      Participant

        Shawn drove a Leaf a while ago and thought it was a great car. Anyone who thinks its like driving a milk float needs to try one ASAP.

        The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
        Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.

        #77240
        Avatar photoMike 700
        Participant

          I borrowed the 40w. Launch model Leaf (for a Day) late in 2017, and it was roomy, comfortable, with adequate performance and so so quiet, with a range of around 240 miles they said, so I took it on a 104 mile each way trip down the the M4 to Cardiff , and back, but just to be safe, on the way back, I gave it a short 45 minute boost /top up charge at Magor Services , whilst the wife walked the dog and I bought a new Welsh rugby top.

          As I understand it, If you buy a Leaf, but then need a car for a longer journey, Nissan guarantee to lend you a petrol or diesel car, for up to 14 day’s, free of charge during the first 3 years .

          There is no doubt that electric is the future, but it will take a few years yet for everyone to get on board, and in the meantime i will enjoy 4 cylinders of VW?

          #77252
          Anonymous

            When you think of the money the likes of Rolls Royce and Mercedes must have invested in a quiet car and all they had to do was make it electric.?

            When they are readily available the secondhand market for ICE cars is going to go into free-fall (those old cars you have to fill up)?

            #77256
            Brydo
            Participant

              Mike when I started posting here, last January, the information I had was that within 5-10 years half of all cars would be EVs. That may be a bit optimistic but won’t be far away.

              Unfortunately demand for new EVs is such that motability won’t get a look in, they demand massive discounts and the manufacturers won’t give discounts as they don’t need to.

              I fear we will be offered older models that have been overtaken by new technology and more efficient batteries.

              It is likely I will buy privately in a year and a half when our extension runs out unless things change significantly.

              The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
              Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.

              #77276
              Avatar photoMike 700
              Participant

                Hi Brydo,

                I forgot to mention, in my reply to Shaw’s post, that I have also driven the BMW all electric in Copenhagen where it is used as a rental,  type of car, which you arrange over the Internet and pay by card, then walk up to one of the cars out charging in the street, drive to where you want and drop it off again, either where you picked it up, or at another drop off point.

                I also drove my son’s boss’s Tessla , just up and down the airport perimeter roads in Copenhagen, whilst we waited for his plane to arrive!

                Regards

                 

                 

                 

                 

                 

                #77280
                Brydo
                Participant

                  My goodness Mike spill the beans what were they like to drive.

                  The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
                  Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.

                  #77282
                  BigB

                    I have driven a Leaf, in good weather it is fine, nice smooth acceleration and very quiet. Had an occasion to use it on a cold dark winters morning the gauge indicated it was good for 80 miles, my trip was only 32 miles and I had a charging facility at my destination. En route I had to take a detour because of road works I was using lights, wipers and the air con was automatic and I couldn’t find a way to switch it off the detour added another 8 miles to the journey and I only just made it I had less than 3 miles of power left.

                    The Leaf was bought by my employer for employees doing an 80 mile return trip between two work locations. In the summer this was fine but traffic hold ups in cold dark conditions the mileage often tumbled necessitating a recharge to complete the trip with confidence.

                    I personally would like an electric vehicle but I feel I suffer from range anxiety and the charge point availability coupled with charge time means I must wait until technology advances.

                    #77286
                    Avatar photoMike 700
                    Participant

                       

                      Well, Brydo, the BMW was a brand new with about 200 km on the clock, Drive Now “ instant “ rental, small, very quiet , couldn’t judge performance , but great for short journeys within the City etc., especially as they park a bunch of them at the charging points within 50 mtrs of my family ‘s apartment!

                      The Tesla was an S model, with four wheel drive, and it is unfair to judge it on 5-10 minutes around the airport, but it was , very well put together, superb to look at, very roomy, sit in ( infinitely adjustable electric memory’ sports seats ) and once again silent, extremely comfortable, full of kit, and a bit futuristic, not that I tried anything really, and except for one short burst of acceleration, which came in silently & immediately , the rest of the time was in traffic, but the handling and auto parking were superb- apparently it cost around £75000, after EV discount, but a change of government wiped out the EV discount , so sales have dropped drastically, and my son’s company currently use Audi, with the Tesla replaced by an Audi S 7 – there are several Tesla taxis now in the City!

                      Btw It was far too low down for me to use regularly, I banged my head getting in (- on the wrong side of course L.H.D. ) not for most disabled drivers I’d say, but the X model with 7 seats ( 0-60 in a leisurely 3.2 seconds and a range of 300 miles ) well, that’s the one for us I think?

                       

                      #77289
                      ChrisK
                      Participant

                        Hi BigB

                        Its not only the range anxiety as you’ve pointed out but like petrol and diesel MPG statements, there made in a fairytale world and even with WLTP mileages are only an average estimate and can’t take into account a very long cold winter with heater and fan on full blast or a long summer with A/C on full blast.

                        Then there’s the one big thing that’s always overlooked even on this site surprisingly and that’s being an actual disabled driver of which 25% of us on Motability are and that’s the chore of refuelling, a simple thing to do with two fully working hands and legs but some of us have not got that or never even had that luxury and with myself and many others here its a nightmare having to refuel once every month no matter once at each end of every journey or, and its hard to take in, but refuel while making a journey, what a joke.

                        Of course some of us are lucky to have folk with us who look over us 24/7 and can rely on them but my carer wife does not drive and will not touch anything in the car with the exception of the volume control on the radio although lucky for me she does go to the kiosk to pay for fuel because I cant do that but I do put the fuel in the car and thankfully its only once a month or once every 450 miles but once every 30, 50, 70 miles and I’m a prisoner in my own home again, something I add the DWP failed to achieve last year.

                        Charging at home would not be such a problem as there wont be anyone behind me giving perishing looks but I charge my phone every other day but I add Ive broken many a phone trying to connect cables to the phone but there relativity cheap.

                        #77293
                        vinalspin
                        Participant

                          Hi ChrisK

                          Given that most electric vehicles on the scheme are hybrids of one form or another then the refuelling issue would still be there, when some of the newer(I use that word with tongue in cheek) come on the scheme they will be older technology so will still have the range problems plus most of us have no way of charging at home anyway!

                          I, like you will have to stay with conventional fuel for now until a real alternative is made available to us instead of the rubbish that’s being rushed out to meet the ever demanding green laws that seem to get passed on a weekly basis.

                          #77296
                          Brydo
                          Participant

                            Chris this might be the tech that can help you in the future.

                            BMW Introduces Factory-Fitted Wireless Charging

                            https://insideevs.com/news/338083/bmw-introduces-factory-fitted-wireless-charging-for-530e-iperformance/

                             

                            The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
                            Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.

                            #77297
                            Brydo
                            Participant

                              Chris you make the valid point about disabled people having different and varied problems and that is why i have been banging on about autonomous vehicles on this site for months. These type of cars will make getting out and about, freedom as you rightly put it, much easier. They will allow the majority of disabled, including blind people, to get out on their own.

                              If there was a wireless charging autonomous car with a range in excess of 400 miles, i think all of us would be happy, yes?

                              The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
                              Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.

                              #77304
                              vinalspin
                              Participant

                                I had read about the wireless charging and I think it could be the way to go, pull up into a disabled bay in a supermarket and all have these wireless charging pads fitted so you just go do your shopping and come back to a charged car, unfortunately these are still unable to be fitted in the street where you park and would only work if you have off street parking.

                                #77305
                                Brydo
                                Participant

                                  Just keep going to the supermarket lol

                                  The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
                                  Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.

                                  #77307
                                  Brydo
                                  Participant

                                    The exact location of where they can be fitted is a bit vague, it states  “which can be installed either in a garage or outdoors,”.

                                    The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
                                    Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.

                                    #77308
                                    Avatar photoMike 700
                                    Participant

                                      Well Brydo, the BMW was virtually brand new with about 200 km on the clock (Drive Now “ instant “ rental) small, very quiet , couldn’t judge performance , but great for short journeys within the City etc., especially as they park a bunch of them at the charging points within 50 mtrs of my family ‘s apartment!

                                      The Tesla was an S model, with four wheel drive, and it is unfair to judge it on 5-10 minutes around the airport, but it was , very well put together, superb to look at, very roomy, sit in ( infinitely adjustable electric memory’ sports seats ) and once again silent, extremely comfortable, full of kit, and a bit futuristic, not that I tried anything really, and except for one short burst of acceleration, which came in silently & immediately , the rest of the time was in traffic, but the handling and auto parking were superb- apparently it cost around £75000, after EV discount, but a change of government wiped out the EV discount , so sales have dropped drastically, and my son’s company currently use Audi, with the Tesla replaced by an Audi S 7 – there are several Tesla taxis now in the City!

                                      Btw It was far too low down for me to use regularly, I banged my head getting in (- on the wrong side of course L.H.D. ) a car not for most disabled drivers I’d say, but what about the X model with 7 seats ( 0-60 in a leisurely 3.2 seconds and a range of 300 miles ) now, that’s the one for us I think?

                                      #77367
                                      Slambo
                                      Participant

                                        Despite the british government wanting to ban all diesel and petrol cars by 2030 or whatever fantasy date they have I must admit, I will never drive an electric car most probably. I like the classic car shows and everybody I have ever met will tell you in most cases where the british government can shove it with the petrol and diesel car ban haha. Until they can make it where it charges the battery the same time as filling up with petrol I honestly believe that most people like me will never go electric.

                                        #77369
                                        vinalspin
                                        Participant

                                          I have driven electric and I did love the immediate and thumping power & torque at any speed but until they can offer a suitable way to charge for everybody every day, home or away then how can they stop ICE cars in the UK, the loss in tax income alone would scare the living crap out of them, not to mention the virtual shutdown of the workforce nationwide as the majority of people couldn’t get to work, nice idea but just pipe dreams spouted to keep the EU happy.

                                          #77387
                                          Abercol
                                          Participant

                                            There will be no loss in tax revenue – if you think there will you grossly underestimate the governments need for motorists your cash.

                                            Taxation will merely change, either to road pricing or flat rate costs if you own a vehicle (or, and hey, its tax, so why not, BOTH). Road pricing is probably the favorite as it will levy fees similar to your fuel tax, i.e. the more/further you drive the more you pay. Expect that to come with Uber-like surge pricing….busy rush hour? That’s extra £££’s.

                                            The Govt is very wary of bringing this in as public will go ballistic, its one thing to pay £70 a week to fill your car, you see the transaction as I spent £ and got X litres of fuel. Bit different when the Govt demand for £250 drops on your mat every month as the massive tax on fuel is not hidden in the transaction.

                                            In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found out.

                                            #77399
                                            vinalspin
                                            Participant

                                              How will they tax you if you don’t own an electric car because you can’t charge it? That’s my point.

                                              #77408
                                              Brydo
                                              Participant

                                                I think there will be a battalion of number crunshers in Whitehall working out a way to get the same amount of money they get just now. How they finally agree on a way forward is anyone’s guess. If I had to guess the likely solution it would be some sort of pay per mile, no matter what kind of car you drive. This would mean gradually removing all tax on diesel and petrol of course.

                                                But its only a guess.

                                                In a state in America they are proposing a 1000 dollar per year tax on BEVs.

                                                The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
                                                Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.

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