Are EVs the way forward?

Here's an anomaly I wasn't aware of until last weekend when we had the in-laws visit and realised that at £190 his 67 plate 3.0 litre 25 mpg Porsche Macan was cheaper to tax for the year than my 67 plate T6 camper at £335.:(
Off topic as ever but it's very difficult to point out the inequalities in society without the thread descending into partisan politics but I'm waiting to see the YouTube episode of Harry's Farm/Garage where he rails against the government betrayal of making farmers pay a reduced percentage inheritance tax on their country seats.
 
Limited sympathy for farmers.
Get grants for solar for their farm energy, then use it for their homes.
Red diesel abuse prevalent around here at least.....
Compensation for Foot and Mouth in the day......claimed for every bit of rusty useless machinery lying around the yard as contaminated.
Rip up the hedgerows in the 80's, then get grants to put in new ones.
Put up fences across historical footpaths and then abuse members of the public legally walking the routes.
Massive tractors screwing the road surfaces creating potholes and collapsed edge margins.


Talking from experience: the above is behaviour from farming relatives.
 
Limited sympathy for farmers.
Get grants for solar for their farm energy, then use it for their homes.
Red diesel abuse prevalent around here at least.....
Compensation for Foot and Mouth in the day......claimed for every bit of rusty useless machinery lying around the yard as contaminated.
Rip up the hedgerows in the 80's, then get grants to put in new ones.
Put up fences across historical footpaths and then abuse members of the public legally walking the routes.
Massive tractors screwing the road surfaces creating potholes and collapsed edge margins.


Talking from experience: the above is behaviour from farming relatives.
I see farmers at times for work and the ones I meet make me think I made the wrong career choice.
I guess we all moan we have it harder than the next person.
I also know someone that bought a working farm purely for the non-farming income it brings. He doesn’t grow crops or use it for cattle (it’s no longer a working farm except when he can be bothered he plant Fir trees for selling at Christmas) yet he makes more from it in one year due to access rights, utilities crossings etc. than I imagine most of us make in two. No doubt he doesn’t think he should pay inheritance tax on it (surely nobody does want to pay it though?).

As for nurses (as @DaveD touched on - oooh matron!) my sister-in-law is one and my brother teaches. They can only afford relative bangers. SIL gave up driving into work as although they can buy and run the car the parking at the hospital costs a fortune for employees and the queue to get into and out of said car park takes half an hour each way. Their ICE car - is currently off road awaiting a resolution regarding its wet belt).
Same problem (parking costs and drive time) for my friend who is a nurse so she happily cycles. I don’t think anyone here has said nurses don’t deserve to drive to work or that they must use certain fuel. In fact the only time I would say people don’t want to let nurses have a choice of travel to work is in my local rag where a few blokes argue. Cyclists shouldn’t be allowed on the road, aren’t allowed on the pavement and yet cycle lanes are a waste of time and money… the council built one to the hospital and a handful of our 350k residents are up in arms!
My wife has never driven - always been in full time employment but limits her choice to cycling distances. So it is a choice, not a need.
 
Cheers for the info @NicolasH: I reckon the 58 kWh would probably be adequate but with no experience of owning an EV I'm stuck in the mindset of thinking I need a 1,000 mile range, you know, just in case, even though I wouldn't dream of permanently driving around with 70 plus kgs of fuel onboard.
A 58 kWh EV opens up a much wider choice of my favoured cars and certainly some much better value for money options although some retailers still seem unsure as to what they're selling with the larger battery models at the same price as the smaller and rarely pushing the heat pump if it has one.
We love ours, and I can’t say that I’ve had range anxiety. I’ve also never queued for a charger. That said we mainly charge at home - it’s under a fiver to drive 200 miles - our T6 would cost £35 to do the same.

“Servicing” is around £125 a year from a main dealer and consists of pollen filter change, new brake fluid and a lot of time looking at the vehicle!!!

Absolutely love the driving experience too. Nick
 
I am surrounded by family run farms.
Do I think that the countryside will be better when it's all owned by big multi national corporations and farmed by whatever staff they can recruit, with no local connections or history? Err, no.
 
We love ours, and I can’t say that I’ve had range anxiety. I’ve also never queued for a charger. That said we mainly charge at home - it’s under a fiver to drive 200 miles - our T6 would cost £35 to do the same.

“Servicing” is around £125 a year from a main dealer and consists of pollen filter change, new brake fluid and a lot of time looking at the vehicle!!!

Absolutely love the driving experience too. Nick
Yep, it's a cheap service....but what is 'scoping' or 'scope'......yet to find out.
Our brake fluid change is every 2 years
 
So on our quest to replace our Passat and getting something slightly smaller, as our chicks have flown the nest, I test drove a ID3 (that we won’t be getting as MrsT suffers from battery range anxiety), and I must say it blew me away. So smooth, quiet, effortless and very very quick.
A bit daunting when I first jumped in but very simple on the face of it without getting too involved with all the gadgetry.

I get the gist with electric cars that the depreciation side of things falls off a cliff edge when the car approaches the end of the battery warranty period, around 7 to 8 years in VW’s case. With the cost of them new being stupid money (Aren’t they all now!,)that only leaves a smallish window when the optimum time to own a good low miles used/ex demo vehicle before you have to so start thinking about chopping it in.
So my question for all the EV owners out there, is how long do you intend to own your electric car? Replace every 3-4 years I guess is
how it’s looking as long term ownership could not only be problematic in terms of battery life but also an even lower residual value when compared to Ice.
Even though we are not getting one this time around it has been an interesting fact finding mission and is really hitting home how the car scene has/is changing very quickly in terms of financing ( having only ever bought outright and for long term) and ownership.
 
In the UK the average ICE car has a lifespan of only 10.5 years and people don't have deep and meaningful soliloquys about the optimum time to own a good low miles vehicle.
 
Where has that 10.5 year figure come from ?
I'd suggest it's getting longer as the tech improves.
I bought my EV at 3 years old, intend to keep it til it turns to dust, it's that good. The battery is warranted for 100k miles it's currently at 52k with battery state around 97% of original from delivery.
The best thing is, Mrs SMC loves it !
 
A ten year old Zoe or Leaf and that's like cold porridge but in six years time buying a 71 plate Kia EV5 or Model 3 for well below £10k, probably nearer £5k then that ten year old E class or Q5 will just be too expensive to feed in comparison.
 
So on our quest to replace our Passat and getting something slightly smaller, as our chicks have flown the nest, I test drove a ID3 (that we won’t be getting as MrsT suffers from battery range anxiety), and I must say it blew me away. So smooth, quiet, effortless and very very quick.
A bit daunting when I first jumped in but very simple on the face of it without getting too involved with all the gadgetry.

I get the gist with electric cars that the depreciation side of things falls off a cliff edge when the car approaches the end of the battery warranty period, around 7 to 8 years in VW’s case. With the cost of them new being stupid money (Aren’t they all now!,)that only leaves a smallish window when the optimum time to own a good low miles used/ex demo vehicle before you have to so start thinking about chopping it in.
So my question for all the EV owners out there, is how long do you intend to own your electric car? Replace every 3-4 years I guess is
how it’s looking as long term ownership could not only be problematic in terms of battery life but also an even lower residual value when compared to Ice.
Even though we are not getting one this time around it has been an interesting fact finding mission and is really hitting home how the car scene has/is changing very quickly in terms of financing ( having only ever bought outright and for long term) and ownership.
There was a recent study quoted in many sources showing EVs are now lasting as long as ICE vehicles.

Just one write up (one of the first I found as I’m lazy)… EVs Now Last 18 Years, Matching ICE Cars In Lifespan, Large Study Finds | Carscoops
 
A ten year old Zoe or Leaf and that's like cold porridge but in six years time buying a 71 plate Kia EV5 or Model 3 for well below £10k, probably nearer £5k then that ten year old E class or Q5 will just be too expensive to feed in comparison.
I had meant the Hyundai Ioniq 5 not the incoming Kia EV5 or existing EV6 which is their version of the Ioniq 5... that was head spinning brain fartdom as I juggle my EV wishlist and it didn't help when @NicolasH throws 200 miles for a fiver into the mix. :thumbsup:
 
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