Fly Fishing Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Electric cars, not yet?

Jump to Latest
521 - 540 of 2,261 Posts
#523 ·
Vintage Badger said:
This begs the question, would buying a 4 year old, low mileage, EV (and hoping the previous owner hasn't cooked the battery) be a good buy? If it's already lost a huge chunk of value it probably puts it at around the same cost as a diesel or petrol car of the same age and type, and if it's cheaper to run it might then make financial sense. So that's perhaps one to ask the chap next time you see him.
Click to expand...
I leased a 1 year old BMW i3 in 2015 and ran it for local duties combined with a 2003 Subaru Forester which we had bought from new. Lease cost + electricity + servicing + insurance was about the same that I'd have spent doing the same miles in the Subaru (petrol + servicing) so it was a great deal. At the time there was big depreciation given the limited range + worries on battery life. At the end of the lease the car wasn't worth much less than when I had got it.

I believe in the UK you can pick up ex-company electric cars for good prices. The tax incentives when new have resulted in a glut of second hand cars.

After my experience with the i3 I'd certainly consider an EV if I was buying new now.
 
#525 ·
bobmiddlepoint said:
There was a time when flash or sporty cars were known as fanny magnets.
Today EVs are known as fanny magnets because only a fanny would buy one!
Click to expand...
My friends son has a Tesla, he sells them, the bit that does it apparently is the 0-60 in 3 seconds, for those into performance cars the costs that make us diesel drivers baulk is not the same consideration, if you can afford to change your ÂŁ70k car every year or so what it runs on isn't such a big deal.
 
#526 ·
bobmiddlepoint said:
There was a time when flash or sporty cars were known as fanny magnets.
Today EVs are known as fanny magnets because only a fanny would buy one!
Click to expand...
Na, the proper fannies are those like there are at work, we get free charging, yet they still take a 50k Beemer on PCP, hand it back after 2 years, nothing to show for it but a big petrol bill.
And they don't leave the county, so can't even moan about range 🤣
 
#527 · (Edited)
bobmiddlepoint said:
There was a time when flash or sporty cars were known as fanny magnets.
Today EVs are known as fanny magnets because only a fanny would buy one!
Click to expand...
I think one of the problems EV's have in that respect is image. So many of them look really, really dull. The fact that some make fake engine noises in the cockpit to make them sound more sporty is all a bit 'meh' to serious petrolheads.

And whilst some may be quick off the line (kiddies stuff), their weight puts them at serious disadvantage when going for a spirited drive on twisty stuff. Then there's the fact that their range drops massively when driven quickly too...
 
#528 · (Edited)
MobyJones said:
I think one of the problems EV's have in that respect is image. So many of them look really, really dull. The fact that some make fake engine noises in the cockpit to make them sound more sporty is all a bit 'meh' to serious petrolheads.

And whilst some may be quick off the line (kiddies stuff), their weight puts them at serious disadvantage when going for a spirited drive on twisty stuff. Then there's the fact that their range drops massively when driven quickly too...
Click to expand...
The good news is that they seem to be coming along technology wise (albeit slowly), so maybe worth thinking about in 10 years time once those who have been sold the dream have paid for the R&D and product testing required to deliver a practical and affordable car for the rest of us?

Selfish and unfair? Well, I've paid into the NHS and the state pension system since leaving school and starting work at the age of 15 and I've now been waiting for over 2 years for a back operation to restore my mobility (my body wearing out being one of the downsides of working since I was 15) and a previous government added two years on to my age of retirement before I can claim my state pension (I don't recall either of those clauses being mentioned when they gave me that little PR talk before presenting me with my National Insurance Number!). So I think it's only fair that some other bugger picks up the tab for developing a cheap and environmentally friendly private light good vehicle for me.
 
#529 ·
Vintage Badger said:
The good news is that they seem to be coming along technology wise (albeit slowly), so maybe worth thinking about in 10 years time once those who have been sold the dream have paid for the R&D and product testing required to deliver a practical and affordable car for the rest of us?

Selfish and unfair? Well, I've paid into the NHS and the state pension system since leaving school and starting work at the age of 15 and I've now been waiting for over 2 years for a back operation to restore my mobility (my body wearing out being one of the downsides of working since I was 15) and a previous government added two years on to my age of retirement before I can claim my state pension (I don't recall either of those clauses being mentioned when they gave me that little PR talk before presenting me with my National Insurance Number!). So I think it's only fair that some other bugger picks up the tab for developing a cheap and environmentally friendly private light good vehicle for me.
Click to expand...
I posted on here a few weeks ago that I'd leave it around 10 years before taking a look at EV's.

As they become more popular there's a lot more negativity being highlighted in the motoring press. I mentioned my mate had an issue with his ID3 a couple of weeks ago. It's still with VW awaiting repair! Then I see this video which backs up his experience.....

So yeah, I'm happy to be a late adopter too!

 
#530 ·
Reported on the BBC news website today, a ÂŁ7 billion new investment jointly for the UK by Renault with Geely for a new engine making plant. They will be making low pollution petrol, diesel and hybrid engines.
Also annnounced recently the Toyota engine plant in north Wales is to be upgraded, again for making hybrid engines.
 
#531 ·
Bobfly2 said:
Reported on the BBC news website today, a ÂŁ7 billion new investment jointly for the UK by Renault with Geely for a new engine making plant. They will be making low pollution petrol, diesel and hybrid engines.
Also annnounced recently the Toyota engine plant in north Wales is to be upgraded, again for making hybrid engines.
Click to expand...
One could, but I won't, what boardroom thinking and planning list behind both corporate investments.
 
#532 ·
Full disclosure: 1. I am a natural contrarian.
2. We have winter here. Winter winter.

That being said I just had luncheon on a terrasse overlooking my beloved Châteauguay River with a former student, her husband and her mother. My former student and her husband had arrived from California on a vacation road-trip in their Tesla. I don't know how many kilometres that is, but it's a significant endeavour. It was done without incident or problem.

I got to sit in the driver's seat and was impressed by the control system - all on-screen. It also performed a light show with the headlanmps going on and off, the windows up and down and the boot lid opening and closing in time to music.

I don't think I'll live long enough to learn how to master such a creature, but I was impressed.
 
#533 · (Edited)
Well, I'm off shortly to pick this up from it's annual service and MOT... and as I drive back from the garage I'll think of Greta Thunberg's happy smiling face every time I change from 3rd to 4th at 3,500 rpm and hear the Vulcan bomber-like howl from its 4 litre V8 engine. :giggle:

Image


Oh, and before any Just Stop Oil protesters start to gather on my front lawn with pitchforks and burning torches , I do less than 500 miles a year in that classic car, I don't holiday abroad and I've never flown anywhere in my life and travel by train if I need to go to a large city, so my travel carbon footprint is something most of them can probably only aspire to.

As for an EV, I don't think they'd currently last long enough for me; I tend to buy a low mileage two-year old car (to minimise depreciation loss) then keep it as long as possible before replacing it when it eventually wears out and/or becomes unreliable. I've had my current 'every day' vehicle for 16 years now, and I'm pretty sure an EV wouldn't last that long without major outlay to replace the battery pack and/or the motor (with the associated environmental impact that entails). I don't do a huge mileage so I doubt, all things considered (including the environmental impact of manufacturing a new vehicle), that I could lower my impact on the planet by switching to an EV as they currently stand.
 
#537 ·
Vintage Badger said:
Well, I'm off shortly to pick this up from it's annual service and MOT... and as I drive back from the garage I'll think of Greta Thunberg's happy smiling face every time I change from 3rd to 4th at 3,500 rpm and hear the Vulcan bomber-like howl from its 4 litre V8 engine. :giggle:

View attachment 84810

Oh, and before any Just Stop Oil protesters start to gather on my front lawn with pitchforks and burning torches , I do less than 500 miles a year in that classic car, I don't holiday abroad and I've never flown anywhere in my life and travel by train if I need to go to a large city, so my travel carbon footprint is something most of them can probably only aspire to.

As for an EV, I don't think they'd currently last long enough for me; I tend to buy a low mileage two-year old car (to minimise depreciation loss) then keep it as long as possible before replacing it when it eventually wears out and/or becomes unreliable. I've had my current 'every day' vehicle for 16 years now, and I'm pretty sure an EV wouldn't last that long without major outlay to replace the battery pack and/or the motor (with the associated environmental impact that entails). I don't do a huge mileage so I doubt, all things considered (including the environmental impact of manufacturing a new vehicle), that I could lower my impact on the planet by switching to an EV as they currently stand.
Click to expand...
Nice looking vehicle. It does amuse me how much envy they attract from people.

Land Rover driver baffled as rude note stuck to windscreen of car - Glasgow Live
 
#538 ·
521 - 540 of 2,261 Posts
About this Discussion
2.3K Replies
86 Participants
Last post:
The_Exile
Fly Fishing Forum
posts
3M
members
82K
Since
2006
A forum community dedicated to fly fishing and sporting enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about safety, licenses, tips, tricks, rivers, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Fly Fishing Discussion The Lodge - non fishing chat Fly Tying Forum Tackle Talk Trout and Grayling Fishing