Another long tow with an EV
Comments
-
Were they towing far?
0 -
Ah, sorry, I thought you were going to tell us about their towing experience.🤷🏻♂️
0 -
The Audi E-tron 50 or 55 can tow 1800Kg.
You can now get one of the 55 model (longer range) for just over 40k used.
0 -
I note that there is no mention in the above discussion of the initial cost of the vehicle which will be well beyond the means of many. How long and over what mileage before these supposed fuel savings take to cover the extra cost of the vehicle, not forgetting extra servicing costs. I note that in one case 1 hour is added to a 7 hour trip, an increase of 14% in journey time. Further, with almost every charging point it would appear to be necessary to unhitch the 'van and leave it somewhere in order to access the charger and this assumes that you are able to even access the car park in which it is often located.
It is for all these reasons that I continue to drive a tow car which covers 300 miles before I even start to think about filling up, a process which adds 5-10 minutes to my trip!
1 -
Just had our EV serviced, a two year requirement so at just under £400 that's our outlay for another two years. How much does it cost to service a big tow car nowadays? I'm out of touch. Our EV is 6 years old we've recouped the initial costs awhile ago, a pre-reg part x purchase .
0 -
Just two points - the cost of EVs is falling and will soon be much the same as equivalent ICE cars. Also, there are no 'extra' servicing costs and the cost of servicing an EV is very much less than for an ICE car as there are far fewer moving parts. The annual servicing cost of my EV averages at less that £100 so that’s an immediate saving.
0 -
Batteries are cellular so only duff cells need be replaced. However, within warranty it's not a cost issue to the owner. My battery has an 8 year guarantee so it’s not something that concerns me in the least and I’d not listen to second hand scare stories if I was you.
0 -
The MOT was included in the price I quoted and the insurance I can't remember just now but not overly expensive. We get a free MOT next time as the garage was late doing the work today, their offer not our demand.
Battery replacements are nowhere near the cost you mentioned, in fact if ours ever need replacing it will be much cheaper than buying a new car.
You know, it's very odd but sometimes I think those who haven't run an EV seem to know more than I do but there you go, we're happy with ours.
3 -
We opt for the main dealer due to the electronics and computer systems involved with the EV although OH will go away and sort any mechanical replacements/repairs either doing it himself or using a local garage we use for the motorhome.
We've had tow cars in the past, still run a motorhome so costs are nothing new to us and it's not really possible to do a like for like comparison. Generally the fuel costs of running the motorhome are high compared to the EV.
0 -
Yes that's true plus habitation checks. So generally the EV is the cheapest to run after initial costs, the motorhome is 10 years old and cost a similar part x secondhand amount to the EV.
So although the motorhome has held it's value well the EV is still cheaper to run.
The recent question was about EV tow car running costs.
0 -
I was just quoting what our neibough on site was telling us about his sons Merc company car so it was not my figure and how much is a Merc EV?
He also said it was very heavy kerbweight so to give any range the batt is very big
Ps our Kia Sportage 2ltr auto diesel was £230 on its last service with mot thrown in , at local independent in the village
0 -
Some might find this interesting, this is the latest Andrew Ditton YouTube video on the pros and cons of towing with an EV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2F62ejnvqk
I don't tow and whilst I would like to have an EV I can't really justify the extra cost for the small number of miles we do annually, that might change if we ever decide to give up motorhoming? Perhaps an observation but I reckon the majority of drivers using EV's currently do so because they want to not because its been forced on them. OK company car drivers might have some tax advantages but private buyers don't have the same incentives.
David
0 -
Have a look at page 12 of the Tow Car of the Year supplement in the October club magazine.
Bottom left - There are two Hyundai's in the 1500kg - 1700Kg bracket. One is £47,150 and one is £48,760. The electric one is cheaper...
Now - admittedly I cherry picked that particular pair from the line up, but that Ioniq 5 is only £2k more new than the Skoda Superb on the previous page.
The simple fact is that all cars are expensive now, and yes EV's are more expensive in general, but in many cases, they will be cheaper to run over the course of their life.
Over the last 16 months I have done about 20,000 miles in my EV - about 2000 towing. I think its cost about £1450 in electricity costs mixed roughly 1/4 public and 3/4 home. My previous diesel would have cost about £3,900 (at 160p a litre) for the same distance and towing mix.
If you can charge at home, can put up with the faff of charging while towing, and can work with the towed weight, then an EV can probably be cheaper today - even without factoring in the residual value for the car - which right now is higher for EVs.
But each to their own. If you don't fancy one, or it does not suit your purpose - don't get one.
0 -
As & when we replace EmilysMum's car, we might very well consider an EV .... she drives very few miles a year, but there's no reason to replace her current car just to buy an EV. Charging it at home wouldn't be a problem. But I couldn't justify the cost of an EV that was capable of towing our caravan ..... I don't buy new cars, I let someone else take the initial depreciation.
I like the idea of EVs but don't think they are the complete answer to motoring/transport.
2 -
The batteries do make EVs heavy, in fact that's why they are heavy but if like ours the chassis is aluminium and the body is carbon fibre you have a circa 95% recyclable car that isn't going to fall apart for a v long-time. Some joints will go, bits of rubber will wear out etc but as there is no engine there's no weight from that. A big group of batteries is needed to propel the car for a maximum distance, greatly improving too since the first EVs emerged.
As said it's a choice people can now make.
0
