Electric cars, the green solution?

[papasmurf]

That's easily solved — don't use public fast chargers unless it's an emergency...

With current range of electric cars and lack of public access fast chargers that actually work, the best of luck with that.

[papasmurf]

There's plenty around. 

Really? 6-12kilowatts output at 240 Volts, you must have a lot of money to spare.

[patman post]

Stop making stupid comments that need challenging then.


https://news.sky.com/story/cost-of-charging-an-electric-car-surges-by-42-caused-by-rise-in-energy-costs-12705528#:~:text=back%20to%20home-,Cost%20of%20charging%20an%20electric%20car%20surges%20by%2042%25%20%2D%20with,diesel%2C%20according%20to%20new%20figures.


Monday 26 September 2022 04:32, UK

The cost of charging an electric car using public charge points on a pay-as-you-go basis has risen by 42% in just four months, according to the RAC.
The motoring group said the average price for using the chargers has increased by 18.75p per kilowatt hour (kWh) since May, reaching 63.29p per kWh.

The latest figures show a driver exclusively using rapid or ultra-rapid public chargers pays around 18p per mile for electricity, compared with roughly 19p per mile for petrol and 21p per mile for diesel.

That's easily solved — don't use public fast chargers unless it's an emergency...

[patman post]

Best of luck with that.

There's plenty around. Seems to be a question of selecting the correct one. 

If I go ahead, I'd like to set it up so it could also power the house during an outage. Complicated stuff for an interested amateur. But then I've also considered ground-source heat pumps and solar charged battery supplies.

By the time all the investment's been made it might be cheaper to take the whole family, plus in-laws, on a full winter cruise each year...!

[papasmurf]

Stop making stupid replies to my posts then.

Stop making stupid comments that need challenging then.


https://news.sky.com/story/cost-of-charging-an-electric-car-surges-by-42-caused-by-rise-in-energy-costs-12705528#:~:text=back%20to%20home-,Cost%20of%20charging%20an%20electric%20car%20surges%20by%2042%25%20%2D%20with,diesel%2C%20according%20to%20new%20figures.


Monday 26 September 2022 04:32, UK

The cost of charging an electric car using public charge points on a pay-as-you-go basis has risen by 42% in just four months, according to the RAC.
The motoring group said the average price for using the chargers has increased by 18.75p per kilowatt hour (kWh) since May, reaching 63.29p per kWh.

The latest figures show a driver exclusively using rapid or ultra-rapid public chargers pays around 18p per mile for electricity, compared with roughly 19p per mile for petrol and 21p per mile for diesel.

[patman post]

Electric cars are fine if you dont want to travel too far too often and have access to a viable charging point at home. But their range is far less than a full tank of fossil fuel. And whereas a near empty tank can be filled in a couple of minutes it takes a lot longer to recharge a battery. And publicly accessible charging points are far less widely available than petrol filling stations.

There is also the problem of people living in terraced housing with no reliable parking outside, or who live in blocks of flats. If you do not have a drive or garage - and millions don't - charging an EV at home is going to be very difficult.

Then there is the simple matter of purchase costs which are far too high for many, with little in the way of a viable second hand market. If combustion engines are banned millions would be priced off the road. This might sound great to those who can afford to buy an EV and have reliable home access to a charging point, and faced with the prospects of millions of others forced off the road. Far less congestion for them in an I'm alright jack kind of way. But governments beware. The lower income plebs who face being driven off the road all have votes too.

I myself couldn't possibly afford to buy an EV. And even if I could, living in a second floor flat as I do, how could I charge the damned thing at home?

Prices have to eventually drop. I've been briefed on how an ICV is far more intricate to manufacture than an EV.

It's the current world economy and newness of the manufacturing material and techniques needed that are helping to keep EV prices high. ICVs are also suffering from component shortages, and some new vehicles are reported to be in such short supply that their used models are commanding higher than new prices.

Round here (London N16) on-street charging facilities are visibly increasing. Plenty of streets use lampposts fast charging points. Not useful if all residents want to charge at once, but I doubt that would really happen.

[Nick]

Fixed rates are finite. (The world does not revolve around you.)

Stop making stupid replies to my posts then. 

[papasmurf]

I am considering getting a generator 

Best of luck with that.

[patman post]

Internal combustion engines are only about 30% efficient, electric cars are 90% +.
My electric car costs £15 to charge at home where as my wife's 4 litre diesel costs £160 to fill.

I've heard proposals for differentiating car charging from normal household consumption — I assume a smart meter would be needed to identify different usages, coupled to a requirement to notify an authority (the energy supplier?) if a car charger is installed. That will only be to get extra revenue, of course.

I'm using an EV and Mrs has a hybrid. Her vehicle keeps flashing the message to add ad least 15 ltr of fuel because what's in the tank is old! She can charge from a normal 13A outlet. I use a dedicated charger. I've yet to master the various apps for street and public charging schemes and systems. Rationalisation must come soon, surely?

I am considering getting a generator in case we get power cuts and I need to charge the EV — but I guess noise and security could be problems as we're in a terrace house...

[srb7677]

Electric cars are fine if you dont want to travel too far too often and have access to a viable charging point at home. But their range is far less than a full tank of fossil fuel. And whereas a near empty tank can be filled in a couple of minutes it takes a lot longer to recharge a battery. And publicly accessible charging points are far less widely available than petrol filling stations.

There is also the problem of people living in terraced housing with no reliable parking outside, or who live in blocks of flats. If you do not have a drive or garage - and millions don't - charging an EV at home is going to be very difficult. 

Then there is the simple matter of purchase costs which are far too high for many, with little in the way of a viable second hand market. If combustion engines are banned millions would be priced off the road. This might sound great to those who can afford to buy an EV and have reliable home access to a charging point, and faced with the prospects of millions of others forced off the road. Far less congestion for them in an I'm alright jack kind of way. But governments beware. The lower income plebs who face being driven off the road all have votes too.

I myself couldn't possibly afford to buy an EV. And even if I could, living in a second floor flat as I do, how could I charge the damned thing at home?

[cromwell]

Internal combustion engines are only about 30% efficient, electric cars are 90% +.
My electric car costs £15 to charge at home where as my wife's 4 litre diesel costs £160 to fill.

The diesel is expensive because the govt makes it so,once the majority  have electric vehicle they will invent ways to replace the lost revenue by any means be it a road levy or whatever.

I don't know why the hydrogen option isn't being pursued more,meanwhile tossers will continue to glue themselves to whatever surfaces they can pour milk over posh and maybe not so posh shop floors and demand we all eat  insect burgers.

The days of the plebs enjoying the freedom of travel as Jog mentioned and so many other things I expect to be short lived as the idea of this or that emergency is rammed down our throats.

Meanwhile many of said road gluers and milk wasters will eschew their youthful beliefs (and insect burgers) enter parliament or become city high fliers and enjoy all the freedoms they deny the plebs.

[papasmurf]

Do you ever get sick of making yourself look a fool? How the hell do you know what fixed rate I'm on?

Fixed rates are finite. (The world does not revolve around you.)

[Nick]

Not for much longer.

Do you ever get sick of making yourself look a fool? How the hell do you know what fixed rate I'm on?

[papasmurf]

My electric car costs £15 to charge at home

Not for much longer.

[HDQQ]

Internal combustion engines are only about 30% efficient, electric cars are 90% +.
My electric car costs £15 to charge at home where as my wife's 4 litre diesel costs £160 to fill.

Agreed.  - Within that statistic, petrol and diesel fuel contains roughly 3 times as much energy as it takes to refine it, but about two thirds of that energy is wasted as heat from the engine and only one third (or less) actually drives the wheels.