February Magazine - Nick Lomas EVs

I was talking about the future, at present EV ownership is limited by general viability and costs. Even if everyone had charging access I doubt that EVs would be the purchase choice at the moment. 

ET, it is your choice👍🏻. It isn’t about right or wrong it’s about choice. I love the idea of EV’s but right now they too are not for me. I support the move away from the ICE wholeheartedly. One thing is guaranteed-it’s coming, the death of the ICE vehicle is unstoppable just like the ICE replaced the Horse in the early 20th century.

It is not the availability of EVs that is the problem as many  companies are developing models, although some, when tested in the real world  independent  tests did not live up to the manufacturers marketing depts miles per charge?

It is the lack of infrastructure that is the problem  it seems as noted in last nights TV programme ,that LAs when questioned have far more important things to cope with on. their finances ,  even with the  gov grants that could go some way help with the set up of charging points 

As posted before,  the costs of getting really viable infrastructure would make what the pandemic has cost  so far,  be minor

And as the emails that both cyber and I received yesterday , apart from the criminal side , seems with other parts ,a way of road pricing that could overcome   more costly methods ,

HMG will very soon be introducing other methods of getting  more from motorists to fill the Black hole left from lack of vat and fuel duty , the treasury must be rubbing their hands even now as the cost of oil goes higher 

But it is far easier   to spend five minutes to fill  an ICE vehicle that will probably do at least 400miles solo  before  the next five minute  stop or not much longer if pumps are busy, that at least on a very High  charge rate 15 minutes for an EV to travel 200miles then another 15minute min wait if points are busy

+1👍🏻, I can see ‘pay per mile’ coming soon(Govt soon). Every other form of road use taxation amalgamated into one weekly/monthly payment👍🏻

Me too, I’ve just replaced my pickup for another👍🏻. Even in the future I’ll need an EV that is an estate version or SUV🤷🏻‍♂️

The over riding consideration in all this is dwindling fossil fuel stocks and dependency on non uk providers for fuel. The idea was to get as many domestic users onto alternative power whilst leaving avavilable fuel stock to keep the economic and social structure going. Another proposal was to tax according to usage, this can be relayed back via computer systems. (We can press a ceiling button in our car if we need emergency contact with BMW that's the level of contact built into these vehicles at present and our is four years old.) It maybe that alternative renewable power sources come along in the next few years so this discussion isn't fixed, it's ongoing.

We made a decision to try out the EV, we felt that it had reached a viable point in development. What it lacks is towing capability, a major consideration for us as our trailer now stands empty and we have to ask a family member to take stuff away etc. The system also lacks charge points and more importantly, ones that work when you need them! Somehow we've overcome these difficulties but it won't work for the majority until major upgrades take place.

I'm not interested in the "no can do" attitudes of some as this always stands in the way of progress and going back to the OP the running costs are very low compared to fossil fuelled cars some of which cost far more to buy than the more basic EVs. So great savings after the initial outlay. We were looking for a run around not a motorway goliath and it's always a shock now when we fill up the motorhome, it's an expensive way to travel (our year old motorhome purchase cost more than our EV.) 

It will be great to see new developments coming along, they'll probably be unexpected and just as thought provoking.

One "Blue sky thinking idea?" Is to use lamp posts? that our local  CEGB retired engineer advises unless a higher power cable supply in installed would not work as many present supplies are upwards of 60yrs old and would not cope with power required

Insofar as the environment the ICE age(see what I did there👍🏻) was a retrograde step🤷🏻‍♂️☹️

David, we top up charge on some days, we don't charge at all on others and every now and then we run it right down to give it a "big" boost. This week the computer screen let us know that we needed to give the REX (range extender) a run. We get various messages via the car computer to keep everything running well. As well as the charge we get regeneration when out on the road and this can add extra running miles, sometimes we end up with more than we started with! 

I've seen charging points on lamp posts in Putney, round the corner from my daughter's house.