Reply With QuotePerhaps a bit retro , but loved the Scalextric approach. Probably not much help , but , they had a lovely smell about them .....
Hi all,
Sorry couldn't spot a thread on this.
I don't do a great mileage each year and am contemplating replacing my petrol car with electric.
Anyone here have experience of electric cars?
Currently (lol) I'm looking at the Renault Zoe or the Nissan Leaf.
Any views from the hive mind would be welcome.
Adrian
Perhaps a bit retro , but loved the Scalextric approach. Probably not much help , but , they had a lovely smell about them .....
I work for a company that make automotive parts. We set up a big cell to make bits for the leaf, it now sits idle, leaf is a flop.
Expensive to buy. Where will you charge it? Is the mileage range good enough?
After a couple of years the batterys will be knacked, budget a few grand for a new set.
Top gear did a thing on them a while back, not unbiased i'm sure, but they ran the numbers and it was cheaper to run a vw Polo diesel blue motion, with none of the downsides. Nowadays you'd probably do even better with a Fiesta with the 1l turbo petrol eco boost engine, over 60mpg on cheap unleaded. Our cell for those runs 24hrs
Just my 2p worth
Brighty
Last edited by Brighty; 22nd November 2014 at 02:37.
See honestjohn re the Ford 1litre engine. If I recall the article correctly you simply couldn't make back in the lifetime of the car what you shell out in buying that engine. The quoted figures are way off.
We have a Leaf, it is ideal for the small journeys we do around the area. We worked out that over five years it will save c.£6k in fuel, tax etc.
Only once have we used it for a long journey where we needed to factor in a charge. It was quite the faff, and we don't have the patience to plot and plan journey's that way. Far easier to take one of the other cars.
Given the improvements in battery technology, there was a 13% increase in range between the mark 1 and 2 models, we've leased the car rather than buy it. It still leaves us in a better financial position, but means we don't need to worry about any battery issues. The battery is guaranteed for five years as standard.
We have a charging point at home, and also free access to the Ecotricity rapid chargers at motorway services and Ikea.
Thanks all for the comments.
The 'real world' mileage range for both the Leaf and Zoe are good enough for me.
My longest journey in the past 3 years was a 50 mile round trip and I have a suitable charging point at home.
Leasing the battery pack is probably the best way to go, on balance. Nissan now offer this on the Leaf.
I usually buy my cars on PCP, but one thing worries me. Resale value is much less when compared with petrol/diesel cars.
Need to give this some more thought!
Just buy a pre-owned hybrid – Lexus Ct or IS
Tesla .
They are are even being used as Taxi's in Amsterdam.
Not cheap.
I'm in a similar position.
I currently commute to work on a Vectrix VX-1 Electric motorbike and am looking to switch to something with a roof.
My thoughts are to go with a 2011 Nissan Leaf. The owners reviews are good, and the support for them from the dealer network is good. Plus with the earlier models you own the car outright and don't have to lease the battery.
I've heard the support for the Renault Zoe is woeful even by Renault standards.
Volkswagen e-Up is perhaps an alternative?
IRL, cars like the Mitsubishi PHEV are not clean and on fully electric mode, they only last 20 or so miles... Lots of critisism from Dutch owners on various sites.
Menno
Any truth in the Yorkshire only limited edition Ey-Up?Originally Posted by thieuster
Or the Yorkshire alternative, the Aye-up.
Sorry...
I would love a Leaf, but a hybrid is a better compromise. I get 70mpg in my Prius. But as the septics say, "YMMV".
Thanks again for the comments.
The VW e-Up! is tempting, well specced and gets good reviews.
Not interested in a hybrid as I can get similar consumption from a small efficient petrol engine.
The thing that worries me is the depreciation on electric cars.
If I'm buying on a PCP, I don't want to enter negative equity.
Much to ponder, thanks all!
I got 60 mpg from a Smart MHD (micro hybrid) even on short runs.
If your'e doing a lot of long trips then hybrids don't make much sense, lots of extra weight and expense for very little gain.
I considering a Mitsubishi PHEV as I'm moving to Shropshire where owning an SUV makes sense because of the higher driving position and 4 wheel drive. Most of my journeys will be less than 25 mile round trip so its all-electric range, coupled to a load of PV panels to charge it with should work out well. Be interested to know what the issues the Dutch owners have had.
I still be keeping the Smart Brabus for fun even though it only does 48-52 mpg depending on how its treated.
Thanks for your input.
On balance, I think the higher initial price of electric cars is too much.
Maybe I'll go down the pre-owned route next year when I replace my current car.
There are no current, cohesive arguments for buying an electric car based on economics or practicality. Some of them are good, some excellent (BMW i3) BUT you buy one of these as an ethical choice. If you're looking for a cheap runner, look elsewhere.
I don't get the 'ethical' argument either. People seem to think that as it's electric it's clean and free, but where does that electricity come from? 2/3rds of UK generation is from burning fossil fuels (mostly coal, plus gas), most of what's left is nuclear. With the losses in generating, stepping up voltage, transmitting, stepping down voltage a few times till its at 240V in your house, then using that to charge a battery, then using that to run an electric motor, I just don't know how that could be considered 'clean' compared to a combustion engine. I'm sure most buyers of electric cars would protest at the building of a new nuclear power station near their home that had to be built to power all their little clean electric cars.
Brighty
It's marginally better than cities full of diseasels belching out soot and cancer, I suppose.
There's parallel threads of research and development going on in cleaner electricity generation (and distribution) and electric vehicles. We're never going to get to a position where electric cars "are any good" (by whatever definition you want) if no one builds them, sells them, uses them and disposes of them. I guess ideally where we want to get to is clean/renewable/micro-generation of electricity and all electric cars and I'd argue we are definitely making steps in the right direction but it has diverted the thread somewhat I suppose.
I agree with this. I also accept that whether my next car is electric, a hybrid or an old V12 Jag it's not going to significantly affect the planet's ecosphere one way or the other.
Transport for London's site on the proposed ultra-low emissions zone makes interesting reading, the key vehicles that have to change are HGVs and public transport (including taxis), after that the worst vehicles are diesel cars and motorbikes (pretty ghastly per tailpipe but low in number).
There are, I read, a whole new generation of efficient diesels emerging to tackle emissions and the EU's strict controls.
^^
Mercedes have invested heavily in Diesel Hybrids
Diseasel's fit only for taxis, trucks and tractors. It's not the fuel of gentlemen.
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