E-cars are fine and I have no issues with them apart from how they look. Designs seem to want them look like petrol cars which had evolved because of the engine they were using. The Model 3, to me looks like a Mondeo or Focus clone externally.
It seems like most manufacturers are moving towards an electric only product range. The trouble I see iwth this is that they will be alienating a lot of their customers. Say you buy a Tesla Model 3 for about £32k, you the either have to lease the batteries or look to buy replacements at some point. Replacement batteries for the original Tesla roadster is $30k.
For me, currently, a car is almost essential. Because my knees are fecked using public transport is an issue. Not because I don’t like using but but because of the difficulty. Our nearest bus stop is about 500m away. For me that is 500m of pain (unless I get drugged up beforehand
) and then standing waiting a for the bus and so on. Not impossible but certainly not pleasant.
We can afford to buy a petrol car and run it because the initial outlay and running costs are within our budget. There is no way that we could afford to get a new electric car or even a pre-owned and have the cost of battery replacement in the future. I know running costs are much lower but affordability is a mixture of factors. If electric only is the only choice in the future then many people will be isolated because of the initial outlay for the vehicle.
At this time the longer term running costs of electric vehicles isn’t really known. A mechanically driven vehicle is easy to predict service intervals and part replacement because of decades of experience. There is little experience with high volume complex electric vehicle production and use yet. How long will the motors last and so on. Our first washing machine lasted 25 years, the second one lasted 6 before it wasn’t cost effective to repair. Design are chaging to make manufacturing cheaper but that also has an effect on the life of the item. I don’t think they are designing in obsolescence but things don’t last as long.
Another thought is houses, towns and cities haven’t been designed with the infrastructure to cope with the increased demand for electricity. Yes, most cars would charge overnight when there is less overall demand. But that is going to change if relatively quick there is a need for power to charge cars. I am disappointed that new houses here don’t have or are required to have solar panels. Even if there was a modest amount then that would help environmentally.
I had originally put a couple of comments in the chat but it would have become a Heikki epic so moved it here. I think Tesla cars are desirable but are still out of many people’s budget and are a rare sight on the roads. I would have thought that small vehicles like the Renault Twizzy would become more popular for short commutes and local use but again battery costs and leasing adds to the initial low purchase price.
I think we have a long way to go yet before they are affordable mainstream vehicles.
It seems like most manufacturers are moving towards an electric only product range. The trouble I see iwth this is that they will be alienating a lot of their customers. Say you buy a Tesla Model 3 for about £32k, you the either have to lease the batteries or look to buy replacements at some point. Replacement batteries for the original Tesla roadster is $30k.
For me, currently, a car is almost essential. Because my knees are fecked using public transport is an issue. Not because I don’t like using but but because of the difficulty. Our nearest bus stop is about 500m away. For me that is 500m of pain (unless I get drugged up beforehand
) and then standing waiting a for the bus and so on. Not impossible but certainly not pleasant.We can afford to buy a petrol car and run it because the initial outlay and running costs are within our budget. There is no way that we could afford to get a new electric car or even a pre-owned and have the cost of battery replacement in the future. I know running costs are much lower but affordability is a mixture of factors. If electric only is the only choice in the future then many people will be isolated because of the initial outlay for the vehicle.
At this time the longer term running costs of electric vehicles isn’t really known. A mechanically driven vehicle is easy to predict service intervals and part replacement because of decades of experience. There is little experience with high volume complex electric vehicle production and use yet. How long will the motors last and so on. Our first washing machine lasted 25 years, the second one lasted 6 before it wasn’t cost effective to repair. Design are chaging to make manufacturing cheaper but that also has an effect on the life of the item. I don’t think they are designing in obsolescence but things don’t last as long.
Another thought is houses, towns and cities haven’t been designed with the infrastructure to cope with the increased demand for electricity. Yes, most cars would charge overnight when there is less overall demand. But that is going to change if relatively quick there is a need for power to charge cars. I am disappointed that new houses here don’t have or are required to have solar panels. Even if there was a modest amount then that would help environmentally.
I had originally put a couple of comments in the chat but it would have become a Heikki epic
so moved it here. I think Tesla cars are desirable but are still out of many people’s budget and are a rare sight on the roads. I would have thought that small vehicles like the Renault Twizzy would become more popular for short commutes and local use but again battery costs and leasing adds to the initial low purchase price.I think we have a long way to go yet before they are affordable mainstream vehicles.
