EV and advice from any users please!

[mjheathcote]

After looking into an electric car as my company car I have decided it isn’t the way to go. I really do not see how they are the future until they can increase the range to get 400 miles plus out of these cars. The best range seems to be the Polestar or ugly Tesla but then the quotes range is no where near what drivers are getting. Polestar quote 299 miles but most get around 200 to 220 in the summer and a miserable 170 in the winter and that is before you decide to enjoy the rapid performance as it if even worse. I do 80 miles a day so would need charging every two days and with a three pin charge at 5 miles an hour and the wall charges at 18 miles an hour it takes an age. These new chargers stations being set up that we rapid charge can be really quick but they cost around 25p a mile when my diesel car is costing around 18p a mile. A friend has a Polestar and he drove from London to West Wales with the family and said it was a nightmare as he had to plan the route to take in chargers…He drove 53 miles more than the journey should have taken. Sounds a nightmare to me…Then add the fact if you have to stop and charge it isn’t like fuel taking 10 minutes to fill up you have sit there hours. Something just isn’t right and while I understand the green credentials electric doesn’t seem to be the the right future unless you only drive local. I am sure th et will get better but when the the UK are saying jo more new ICE cars by 2030 and trucks by 2040 they have a very, very, very long way to go before they makes sense for all drivers.

For sure if you have to rely on public charging the cost per charge can be no better than fueling a diesel car.
I watched a YouTube video only a few days ago when a £20 charge in a Tesla compared to £20 diesel in an old Passat TDI, the Passat went further.
You have to be charging at home ideally on a cheaper overnight tariff.
Therefore the range has to be then there, and back home for savings.
My employer is rolling out tesla/polestar incentives. However for true company car usage with the miles we have to drive, can't see how it can work presently.

 

[Jamin]

I have a Long Range Tesla model 3 for my company car, previously I had the cash alternative and ran a private BMW 525d as my daily but even with its frugal real world 50mpg, after tax and the recent hike in diesel that only just covered my commuting mileage cost. I’m very lucky in that I can charge my tesla at work and charge twice a week at around 30miles/hour (0p/kw), plugged in at home to the garage socket charges at 9miles/hour (21p/kw) so even without a dedicated wall charger I can charge 90miles a night so enough for my daily commute. The BIK for all electric is an absolute no-brainer financially but you do have to want it to work.
In the last year I’ve taken the Tesla from Kent to Aberdeen and Newcastle and the car plans the route around superchargers and preconditions the battery as it approaches to speed up the charge. An average supercharge takes around 30 minutes (40p/kw) and the real-world range of the tesla is about 280miles but in all honesty you wouldn’t drive to empty because you can’t walk to the nearest charging station with a jerry can and buy some electricity when you run out so it is a genuine 250miles range. Stopping after 4 hours driving is about right as the range matches my bladder.
The newer tesla has a heat pump and battery technology is improving all the time. With over the air updates, 0-60 in 4.2s and all the technology you could wish for it is a great work / commuting / company car.
However, it is not a Maserati.

 

[MrRMB]

For sure if you have to rely on public charging the cost per charge can be no better than fueling a diesel car.
I watched a YouTube video only a few days ago when a £20 charge in a Tesla compared to £20 diesel in an old Passat TDI, the Passat went further.
You have to be charging at home ideally on a cheaper overnight tariff.
Therefore the range has to be then there, and back home for savings.
My employer is rolling out tesla/polestar incentives. However for true company car usage with the miles we have to drive, can't see how it can work presently.

I also watched the Passat test and was reminded just how many cars with many years left in them will be scrapped as politicians pursue an agenda. The Tesla - which I would love incidentally - attracts no VED tax and the electricity is also taxed at a lower rate. In a level playing field it would be a lot more expensive to run. I'm comfortably off and can afford the 600 tax on the Maser and the fuel bill, but I feel for people like care workers on minimum wages, who have to provide their own cars. These are the people getting hit by fuel hikes and trundle around in older cars that are milked by current system. And politicians wonder why the public despise them.

 

[Ewan]

After looking into an electric car as my company car I have decided it isn’t the way to go. I really do not see how they are the future until they can increase the range to get 400 miles plus out of these cars. The best range seems to be the Polestar or ugly Tesla but then the quotes range is no where near what drivers are getting. Polestar quote 299 miles but most get around 200 to 220 in the summer and a miserable 170 in the winter and that is before you decide to enjoy the rapid performance as it is even worse. I do 80 miles a day so would need charging every two days and with a three pin charge at 5 miles an hour and the wall charges at 18 miles an hour it takes an age. These new chargers stations being set up that we rapid charge can be really quick but they cost around 25p a mile when my diesel car is costing around 18p a mile. A friend has a Polestar and he drove from London to West Wales with the family and said it was a nightmare as he had to plan the route to take in chargers…He drove 53 miles more than the journey should have taken. Sounds a nightmare to me…Then add the fact if you have to stop and charge it isn’t like fuel taking 10 minutes to fill up you have sit there hours. Something just isn’t right and while I understand the green credentials electric doesn’t seem to be the the right future unless you only drive local. I am sure they will get better but when the the UK are saying no more new ICE cars by 2030 and trucks by 2040 they have a very, very, very long way to go before they makes sense for all drivers.

A colleague here has a Jag I-Pace as a daily car and typically gets a real-World range of about 260 miles. Last weekend he did a trip from Bournemouth, to Oundle, to Birmingham, to Portsmouth and then back to Bournemouth. Needed one 30 minute (£20) top-up at a rapid charger station while having a coffee and a sandwich. So, perfectly practical and useable, and way cheaper (to run) than an equivalent ICE. And of course, the charging network and battery life are improving all the time.
Having a proper home-charger is essential though, as just plugging into a wall socket is not a realistic long-term option.

 

[drellis]

I also watched the Passat test and was reminded just how many cars with many years left in them will be scrapped as politicians pursue an agenda. The Tesla - which I would love incidentally - attracts no VED tax and the electricity is also taxed at a lower rate. In a level playing field it would be a lot more expensive to run. I'm comfortably off and can afford the 600 tax on the Maser and the fuel bill, but I feel for people like care workers on minimum wages, who have to provide their own cars. These are the people getting hit by fuel hikes and trundle around in older cars that are milked by current system. And politicians wonder why the public despise them.

Agreed, is cheaper at the moment, In process of getting used i3, but as you say only because of how much tax is on petrol and diesel.

 

[Andyk]

A colleague here has a Jag I-Pace as a daily car and typically gets a real-World range of about 260 miles. Last weekend he did a trip from Bournemouth, to Oundle, to Birmingham, to Portsmouth and then back to Bournemouth. Needed one 30 minute (£20) top-up at a rapid charger station while having a coffee and a sandwich. So, perfectly practical and useable, and way cheaper (to run) than an equivalent ICE. And of course, the charging network and battery life are improving all the time.
Having a proper home-charger is essential though, as just plugging into a wall socket is not a realistic long-term option.

He is doing well then Ewan as that is better than most get. We are Jaguars distribution partners and had a very good conversation with there technical department when looking at the options and they said with the miles I do a year and the 80 miles a day I would probably get 220 in summer and 150 in the winter. Saying that when we get chargers in work that is when it would make more sense for me. Hoping that will be this year. The Jaguar Ipace not an option though as it looks like they started designing the car from the front with great flare and got bored by the time they got to the back, went on a tea break and just gave up….

 

[drellis]

just ordered used i3 for the business , but my daily distance is only 30 miles tops, so as mentioned will be charged at night on the cheap. Am doing a distance sale without even seeing the car, but decided buy from a bmw main agent so has uk wide 12m bmw warranty. Im not doing a spoon, i guess shows this is just a business cost decision and not a car im buying with heart as not even test drove an i3, just the maths is daft not too.

 

[Alan Surrey]

Let us know what you think once you have driven it for a while

 

[zagatoes30]

The Jaguar Ipace not an option though as it looks like they started designing the car from the front with great flare and got bored by the time they got to the back, went on a tea break and just gave up….

Are they not all like this? Other than that nutty top of the range Porsche thing I think all EVs lack any sort of style or flair

 

[Andyk]

Are they not all like this? Other than that nutty top of the range Porsche thing I think all EVs lack any sort of style or flair

Yes, I don’t disagree Andy. Most seem to have lost design flair when they got to the back. The only one that seems to have made an effort is the Kia EV6 and as you say the high end stuff like the Porsche.

 

[Jamin]

At least the tesla tried and didn't stick on a fake face, admittedly it is still a face that only a mother could love

 

[Andyk]

At least the tesla tried and didn't stick on a fake face, admittedly it is still a face that only a mother could love



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No….It’s just face less. At least the others are trying to give it some character at the front….I don’t think I could bring myself to buy anything that cock head Musk has anything to do we either….Oh, lovely Maserati by way….

 

[Ewan]

No….It’s just face less. At least the others are trying to give it some character at the front….I don’t think I could bring myself to buy anything that cock head Musk has anything to do we either….Oh, lovely Maserati by way….

Agreed. When I chose the E-Tron, the brief was to get an electric car that wasn’t to do with Musk.

 

[Ewan]

He is doing well then Ewan as that is better than most get. We are Jaguars distribution partners and had a very good conversation with there technical department when looking at the options and they said with the miles I do a year and the 80 miles a day I would probably get 220 in summer and 150 in the winter. Saying that when we get chargers in work that is when it would make more sense for me. Hoping that will be this year. The Jaguar Ipace not an option though as it looks like they started designing the car from the front with great flare and got bored by the time they got to the back, went on a tea break and just gave up….

Well the good news is, those Jag figures are way off. The worst we’ve got in winter in the E-Tron is 180 miles, and the Jags‘ range is always significantly better. I think maybe 220 would be a safe minimum for the Jag. As a company, we’ve now run these as daily cars for 18 months, so am confident in their abilities (as well as being aware of their limitations!).
Other observations. The Jag is significantly quicker than the Audi. But I prefer the simplicity of the Audi’s design.

 

[Ewan]

At least the tesla tried and didn't stick on a fake face, admittedly it is still a face that only a mother could love



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What a beautiful Maserati! Love it.
The other one - not so much.

 

[mjheathcote]

I must admit I've been drawn to the i3 (and i8!!) but my business travel is usually approx 250 miles round trip in a day, and I don't wish to factor in charging before driving home after a long day on a customers site.

 

[dickygrace]

Factor in depreciation and I don’t think they’re cheaper to run that a well-chosen ICE car. It never ceases to amaze me how much people talk about fuel costs, the main cost of motoring is depreciation (and interest payments for those that buy on finance).

 

[bigbob]

Factor in depreciation and I don’t think they’re cheaper to run that a well-chosen ICE car. It never ceases to amaze me how much people talk about fuel costs, the main cost of motoring is depreciation (and interest payments for those that buy on finance).

Yep re finance. I suspect that many people with PCPs don’t realise that interest can easily make up a third of their monthly payments.

Regarding BEVs I accept that my next daily will be electric but I am not in a company scheme and will put off the choice for 3-4 years yet. I was on a ferry yesterday behind a Mustang electric. When they were announced it did nothing for me but I liked the look of it. As long as I keep my two fun cars as ICE powered then the other changes are fine.

 

[Tallman]

Factor in depreciation and I don’t think they’re cheaper to run that a well-chosen ICE car. It never ceases to amaze me how much people talk about fuel costs, the main cost of motoring is depreciation (and interest payments for those that buy on finance).

Yes that may be the case, but cost alone is not the only deciding factor for some people - I would dare say that for the average Maserati driver that would go as well. For me the emissions are importent too. Certainly given I’ve got a Maserati which isn’t so good on emissions. The EV balances it out a little at least. I guess the man maths extends to EV’s

 

[rockits]

Factor in depreciation and I don’t think they’re cheaper to run that a well-chosen ICE car. It never ceases to amaze me how much people talk about fuel costs, the main cost of motoring is depreciation (and interest payments for those that buy on finance).

Agreed.....will be even more so if some bought in the last year and the market drops off in a couple of years when they go to sell or move on.