It's weird how polarising Tesla are. Myself and Wiley own the same model. I think it is the best car experience I've ever had (and I come from Range Rovers, Audis etc) and he absolutely hates his (I think he also comes from German car background etc).
Just shows how people view the same thing very differently. Don't get me wrong, Elon Musk is a tool of the highest order but I'd really be loathe to move away from Tesla in future unless there was a really compelling alternative in that mid range segment and as yet there is not.
I got caught up in deal, not the car.
During covid my GLC went from a WBAC valuation of 18k to 28k so I wanted to cash in. All traditional OEMs stopped offering discounts in effect increasing their prices. Tesla were the only company where the price in late 2020 was the same as in 2018.
Our Qashqai was better than the Tesla. Tesla is second worse only with the smart car behind it.
What exactly is it that makes the Tesla so good? I just spent 28K on a Skoda Enyaq and that sort of money would have netted me a decent low mileage model 3. But I didn’t even consider it.
The UK charging network is rapidly catching up with Tesla in terms of how many chargers in one location. Other manufacturers are making cars with ranges that will match the Tesla. There are (IMO) far better looking EV’s out there.
What is the main advantage that Tesla have over other marques that’s drew you to it?
For me it is a mix of performance, minimalist interior but still very roomy, over the air updates, software, interface etc. Yes charging networks elsewhere are catching up but they aren't as easy as Tesla's plug in and walk away approach as there are various Apps, credit card payments to make and so on with the non Tesla network.
I've not tried an Enyaq so can't make the comparison. I have however been in the Merc EQA/EQC for a drive and sat in a BMW i4. All nice and plush but I prefer the Model 3 for its simplicity and legroom.
Have been in a Taycan before also. Strangely I didn't think performance was significantly better than the Tesla despite the price difference but the Taycan had a lovely cabin. Different price category of course!
Would like to try out the Etron.
Shame Elon Musk is an utter bell end as it would make the decision to stay with Tesla when I next buy a car all the easier.
The etron is just a Taycan in different clothes so probably very similar.
I would have a taycan estate tomorrow if I could afford one. Beautiful.
We went for a Volvo C40 as it's basically a small, electric version of the XC90 we already have. Brand loyalty (or comfort at least) I guess.
Would happily try a Tesla in future although there should be plenty of Tesla competitors by the time we need to move on.
Are there any words that don't translate as "turd" in French? ;-)
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Do they make the Taycan in Audi factories? Same question too on that Lamborgini SUV which is an RSQ8?
The Taycan and e-tron GT share the same platform, but that's where the similarity ends.
Having driven both, I can tell you they drive very differently from each other.
Both good in their own way, but personally I much prefer the Porsche.
On the news this morning regarding Electric charging. A survey carried out last year to establish how many charging stations per number of cars exist in different parts of the country. Last years survey in the North of the country calculated 45 cars to one no charger, this year its 85 cars per charger. All other parts of the country surveyed the results were poor. Does not fill you with confidence for 2030 does it.
Sales are ramping up of EVs. Sadly as we all know the infrastructure isn’t keeping pace for public charging
It's not ideal, but remember that chargers are getting much faster and ranges are getting longer - so fewer top ups needed and for shorter periods.
I've used public charging only a few times; my car is essentially a commuter and gets charged either at the office or at home. There will be many others in the same position. All that said, I'd like to see a big investment in public chargers - we need to have far more, particularly in areas of high density where you simply cant charge at home.
It’s tabloid sensationalism really; a more telling figure would be the percentage utilisation of those chargers.
The beginning 2021 that by the year 2030 we would need 350,000 public chargers to meet the expected demand, apparently the amount commissioned last year was 3500 you do the maths.
What is the ratio of petrol stations to petrol and diesel cars?
There is a good % of EV’s that are charged at home or at the workplace and therefore very rarely rely on public charging, thus freeing up those chargers for others who might need them.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Anecdotal I know, but it’s never felt better for rapid charging hub provision on my regular long distance journeys, and I’ve been driving electric since 2014.
The irony is that I now have a 77kWh battery EV, so my demand for public charging is the lowest it’s ever been.
I still think we need more though, to give people the confidence to make the switch at an appropriate time for them.
How many of these new electric cars actually rely on these chargers? Ive had mine 4 months now and used one once and that was only because we had an unscheduled trip and we didn't quite have the range. 15 minutes was enough to get us home and then to work where we have the chargers.
Im guessing a lot of people will home charge and never see a station.
Agree with that re not needing charging. I have the base model Tesla Model 3 and did a return drive today from London to Poole (about 220 miles) and still had 10% battery remaining. Doubt most people are doing 200 miles in a day.
used prices/values seem to have dropped like a sone
Because of the initial/current high cost of electric cars, most on the roads now belong to people who have a bit more money to spend on a car - which means they are more likely to have a home with a private drive for home charging.
I’d also assume that - given the lack of charging points around the country when electric cars first appeared - it would have been daft to buy one back then if you didn’t have access to a home charger.
Once Darren in his council flat wants to buy/is forced to buy an electric car, and city dwelling kids pass their tests and want to buy/ are forced to buy a third hand electric car (because of crippling taxation/congestion charges imposed on ICE cars) with depleted battery range, we will really see what a lack of public chargers means!
Last edited by RobDad; 31st May 2023 at 21:28.
Very good! :)
That is really the main point also…how many of us on a regular basis do 200-300 plus miles…not many id guess. For most it’s likely to be 20-30 miles a day and some running around at the weekends. A full charge on my ID5 lasts 2 weeks. It seems that most people who shout the loudest about BEVs all come up with scenarios id bet they ever hardly encounter.
You know what I’m actual quite a cheerful soul really and very much a glass half full bloke, it’s just something about people’s blind enthusiasm for deeply flawed and ill thought-out gadgetry that really irritates me! - especially when many of those on this forum don’t really have much of an idea of the actual cost of living (myself included to a degree, but I can have a bit of empathy for those less financially blessed). I just can’t see how on earth electric cars will ever be viable for vast swathes of the population who currently happily drive, park and fuel an ICE vehicle?
I’m a delivery driver for Dominos (knocked 17 years of taxi driving on the head last year as I’d had enough) and I use my car for delivering. I was using a 16 year old 1.8L petrol civic which only cost me a couple of grand but was costing me about £320 a month in petrol.
I part exchanged my Merc (had 6K for it) for my Enyaq and the monthly payment is coming in at £300 per month and it’s costing me £40-50 per month in electric. So £30 a month more to run than a 16 year old civic. Except it isn’t. Factor in the road tax, I think the civic was £220 per year, and a yearly service on the civic and the true cost is probably close to the same amount.
I’m on minimum wage plus delivery money and I can afford to run this 28K EV, because the truth, when you run the figures, is that it costs me no more per month than a 16 year old Civic.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people rushing to judgement over what car I choose to drive today since I started driving a diesel car back in 1987 when it was only the French doing it in significant numbers!
- especially when many of those on this forum don’t really have much of an idea of the actual cost of living (myself included to a degree, but I can have a bit of empathy for those less financially blessed). I just can’t see how on earth electric cars will ever be viable for vast swathes of the population who currently happily drive, park and fuel an ICE vehicle?[/QUOTE]
Yeah, so this thread can be summarised as "No, not yet".
[/QUOTE]
I’m not rushing to judgement over anyone’s personal choice of what car they drive. I just think most blokes love a gadget and let’s face it electric cars - in fact cars in general - are the ultimate gadget for many (and watches too I guess!) - so even in the face of a few obvious (current) flaws we have a tendency to say how brilliant our new gadget is and take it personally when other people aren’t quite so enthusiastic. I’m just not that into modern gadgetry that’s all, so I need a bit more convincing. I’m not sure your decision to go Diesel (as I did) a few years ago was all that wise in retrospect, but I made the same mistake too :)
I hadn’t quite finished my reply to you when I fumbled my phone and accidentally posted! I might love a gadget, but clearly I’m not competent to use them all the time! :-)
I was going to say that the reality of living with an EV is a lot less scary than the idea, and the main barrier to ownership is starting to lower as used prices are getting more realistic.
One thing I think everybody agrees on is the need for more public charging of all sorts, especially for those who park on the street.
I fully accept that EVs aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, but they’re certainly viable now
One of the neighbours campaigned the council to get some chargers on the street thinking they'd go for the lamppost option they've done in the rest of the borough. He wants a company EV for tax but work won't let him have without the means to charge.
Council have dug up a quarter of the road to get power from a different street and will be putting in two bays with bollards to protect the chargers.
4 hour max stay, no overnight charging allowed. He won't even be able to get a full tank. Chargers not in yet but looks like they've gone with the most expensive provider too. After all this he said he probably won't even get an EV now.
Horses for courses I guess.
We love our Tesla it does the job it is supposed to do. As an only car in the house we may have felt differently but as a runaround, school run and the odd longer journey for work it is just right.
Bought Tesla vs others due to the charging infrastructure but in reality haven’t once used it since having a home charger (3 weeks into ownership).
We are well used to the charging at home aspect and plugging in the night before a long trip. It’s easy. Otherwise just about once a week is all that is needed.
If we were replacing the Tesla now we would probably go Tesla again. The tech is also great and I think still unmatched on other brands but I suspect they are catching up quickly. It is not as well put together maybe as a high end German car but not that much in it these days even those are value engineered. It’s smooth and comfortable over surface imperfections.
Recently we replaced our other car. I looked at another Tesla and also a BMW iX3. The BMW was just not for us and in any case the infrastructure would also have come into play given then both cars would have been electric. Range was also poorer on the BMW.
In the end, went for one last hurrah and bought a V8 petrol!
Last edited by Boss13; 1st June 2023 at 11:28.