Electric Cars

[Courier]

Totally agree.

Of course, the environmental impact of cars would be lessened if the British public stopped buying the things so often and ran cars on to big miles like the Americans do.

300,000 miles is quite achievable following manufacturers service schedules, or shorter, for the engine.
Auto gearboxes benefit from a couple of oil changes through a vehicles lifetime even though the manufacturers suggest that they have a "Lifetime" warranty, simply because the manufacturer knows that nobody is going to expect their involvement with a 7 + year old vehicle....

 

[ollie989898]

300,000 miles is quite achievable following manufacturers service schedules, or shorter, for the engine.
Auto gearboxes benefit from a couple of oil changes through a vehicles lifetime even though the manufacturers suggest that they have a "Lifetime" warranty, simply because the manufacturer knows that nobody is going to expect their involvement with a 7 + year old vehicle....

Totally agree.

American vehicles endure far harsher weather than UK cars and are kept to much higher mileages. Many Americans would not know themselves if they owned a car with less than 100,000 miles on it.

Engines and transmissions generally ready to go to big mileages in the UK without much complaint provided they are serviced.

 

[Highland Mule]

300,000 miles is quite achievable following manufacturers service schedules, or shorter, for the engine.
Auto gearboxes benefit from a couple of oil changes through a vehicles lifetime even though the manufacturers suggest that they have a "Lifetime" warranty, simply because the manufacturer knows that nobody is going to expect their involvement with a 7 + year old vehicle....

300k miles would take 40 years at the average annual mileage.

Do engines really wear out that much these days? Most I hear of getting scrapped are for body damage, rusty suspension and the likes - same fate as can fall an electric car, if I think about it.

 

[Highland Mule]

American vehicles endure far harsher weather

Not sure I agree. Many states have no issue with salt on roads and marine air, which is a big cause of rust here.

 

[Muck Spreader]

300k miles would take 40 years at the average annual mileage.

Do engines really wear out that much these days? Most I hear of getting scrapped are for body damage, rusty suspension and the likes - same fate as can fall an electric car, if I think about it.

I would say the electronics and overly high MOT standards particularly on emissions are the biggest killers of cars today.

 

[Highland Mule]

I would say the electronics and overly high MOT standards particularly on emissions are the biggest killers of cars today.

Really? Never had any issues with that - must be lucky.

 

[Muck Spreader]

Really? Never had any issues with that - must be lucky.

You probably don't keep them long enough. Some of the emission standards are now so high that they exceed some engines original as new specs.

 

[sjt01]

Really? Never had any issues with that - must be lucky.

The last fossil car we had was a Corsa diesel with about 140k on the clock, egr valve failed, but only accessible after taking the engine out. With that and the electronics on the blink, repairs would have been more than the car was worth. Same with our Astra van at 80k, when it lost a piston crown. It is the labour costs that kill the job.

 

[Frankzy]

We've gone full circle, there were kits available years ago where you plugged your car etc into the electric and a heater would warm up the coolant, and even heat the cabin ,on a timer , ready for your morning drive, used to say there was a big fuel saving for running with a prewarmed engine.

Used to be? It's still very much an included accessory by standard..

 

[Still Farming]

 

[Lincsman]

Fair comment.

Interestingly we have just taken delivery of 2 new vans in the past 6 weeks and on both of them the GPS mph is less than 2 mph different from the dashboard - I am wondering if they are using GPS for the dashboard display rather than a mechanical link ?

Check again when tyre tread is at minimum.

 

[teslacoils]

What make? Our Podpoint has been running nearly 5 years now. Rolec have had a bad reputation but seem to be improving.

Rolec. Three years old.

 

[sjt01]

Rolec. Three years old.

Can't say I am surprised. Rolec may supply a new circuit breaker FOC, they have been for some of their early installs. I cannot remember whether it is the blue or the green handled ones that cause the trouble.

 

[teslacoils]

Mine is green. Circuit breaker all brown and melty. Innards unhappy. Replaced it.

 

[rollestonpark]

Mine is green. Circuit breaker all brown and melty. Innards unhappy. Replaced it.

yours a single phase version?
Mine 3 phase version, but wondering if it'll break, like the 1-phase ones ...?
Or are the 3-phase OK?

 

[warksfarmer]

Well thought I’d give electric the benefit of doubt and look into it as I’m in the process of changing one SUV and two pickups that are finishing leases.
The pickups are a none starter because there’s nothing available basically.

The SUV however does have electric offerings. The figures though don’t stack up.

3 year lease
15k miles per year
Diesel version £380/month + vat
Electric version £911/month + vat

The outgoing SUV does 35-40mpg so total fuel cost over 3 year lease is about £7,300 which if added into the monthly’s is £202/month give or take taking the total cost to £580/month + vat.

Servicing costs for both diesel and elec can be fixed (Merc) at 3p/mile + vat.

So the elec version is £331/month or £12,000 more expensive over the 3 years before the cost of the electricity is added in as well as the inconvenience of waiting for 30 mins if you need to charge at a service station.

Elec is going to have to be cheaper lease price per month than diesel for us to bother. We’d also have the cost of putting in chargers are home and running cables through the yard to the house for 3 phase charging. Cable is £40/metre on top of all this extra cost of the vehicle.

I’ve also this last week had the misfortune of trying out an electric 360 digger. What a totally pathetic machine. It was supposed to be 8t machine but worked no differently to a 1.5t mini digger.

 

[Flyingscotsman]

Well thought I’d give electric the benefit of doubt and look into it as I’m in the process of changing one SUV and two pickups that are finishing leases.
The pickups are a none starter because there’s nothing available basically.

The SUV however does have electric offerings. The figures though don’t stack up.

3 year lease
15k miles per year
Diesel version £380/month + vat
Electric version £911/month + vat

The outgoing SUV does 35-40mpg so total fuel cost over 3 year lease is about £7,300 which if added into the monthly’s is £202/month give or take taking the total cost to £580/month + vat.

Servicing costs for both diesel and elec can be fixed (Merc) at 3p/mile + vat.

So the elec version is £331/month or £12,000 more expensive over the 3 years before the cost of the electricity is added in as well as the inconvenience of waiting for 30 mins if you need to charge at a service station.

Elec is going to have to be cheaper lease price per month than diesel for us to bother. We’d also have the cost of putting in chargers are home and running cables through the yard to the house for 3 phase charging. Cable is £40/metre on top of all this extra cost of the vehicle.

I’ve also this last week had the misfortune of trying out an electric 360 digger. What a totally pathetic machine. It was supposed to be 8t machine but worked no differently to a 1.5t mini digger.

servicing for electric and diesel the same....this is what I found and couldn’t understand why . Surely electric must be cheaper to service - no oils & filters ,no clutches, no coolant..... I think manufactures are loading the service element due to the relative unknowns of electric futhrr down the line - residuals and battery disposal .

 

[teslacoils]

yours a single phase version?
Mine 3 phase version, but wondering if it'll break, like the 1-phase ones ...?
Or are the 3-phase OK?

Single. My wife's leaf is domestic only, so the charger is attached to the house rather than in the shed.

 

[teslacoils]

servicing for electric and diesel the same....this is what I found and couldn’t understand why . Surely electric must be cheaper to service - no oils & filters ,no clutches, no coolant..... I think manufactures are loading the service element due to the relative unknowns of electric futhrr down the line - residuals and battery disposal .

I'm pleased we got ours when they were "new" and inexpensive. I'd not get a new one simply as the price is ludicrous. Why they can't make a basic electric car I don't know. But then I've no reason to think this car will not do 200k miles or more - if we have to put a new battery in then that's still cheap motoring.

 

[warksfarmer]

servicing for electric and diesel the same....this is what I found and couldn’t understand why . Surely electric must be cheaper to service - no oils & filters ,no clutches, no coolant..... I think manufactures are loading the service element due to the relative unknowns of electric futhrr down the line - residuals and battery disposal .

That’s what I said when I spoke to Merc service and the reply was ‘it’s not as simple as that’.