Electric Vehicles - Where do I start?

  • Beki's Avatar
    If you’re anything like me then when you get something in your head, you have to explore all the avenues, find out all the information and then make a decision. Most of the time, I’m terrible and make a decision with my heart over my head but when it comes to EV’s, I want to ensure that I am making the best decision.

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    As a family of five, with a dog and a horse box (that’s another story for another day and no, I don’t have a horse) the decision to go electric is perhaps more difficult than most. I have to factor in seats, space and whether it can do the mileage that we need, as well as pulling a horse box.

    I want to take you on this journey with me because I believe there are more people out there just like me, who are conscious about their environmental impact as well as looking for ways to ultimately save money. I hope to answer some of those first few questions in this thread today.

    Charging
    The biggest question I had was how am I going to charge? What if I run low on charge, where can I charge, how long does it take and how much is it going to cost me?
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    One of the many advantages of owning an electric car is that you can ‘refuel’ from the comfort of your own home. If you are lucky enough to have a driveway, it is recommended to have a charging pod installed as these are usually faster and have built in safety features. You can use an EVSE supply cable for a 3 pin plug socket as an occasional back up. ESVE stands for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment and they provide for the safe transfer of energy between the electric utility power and the EV.

    Some of us don’t have the option of a driveway and it’s not safe to run a long cable over the pavement or lawn to charge your EV and so we would rely heavily on public charging networks. You’ve probably seen these in Tesco, at your local service station or perhaps in your local car parks - They’re everywhere these days! Let’s take an example, if you drive around 20 miles a day and your car has a driving range of 200+ miles, you could easily drive to work 5 days a week and then top up the charge in a rapid charger whilst you do your weekend shopping.

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    This is where the specs of the vehicle come in. There are so many options with electric vehicles and some of them can now be charged rapidly as standard and have a driving range of over 300+ so you’ll need to ensure that you’re choosing the right vehicle for your needs. Now, I’m not Jeremy Clarkson and I’m not trying to be TopGear, so I won’t get into the technical details, so check in with a dealership to get the specs for your chosen vehicle. For a rundown of the EV jargon that you’ll see floating around head to this handy list.

    Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology turns your car into an energy storage system and allows you to sell any excess energy stored in your EV’s battery back to the national grid. This not only makes you money but helps balance supply across the national grid when demand for energy is at its highest. You can turn off-peak priced energy into profit, by charging your car at night when costs are low and selling to the grid at peak times when prices are high. Again, you would need to check the EV specs out and look for a bidirectional battery.

    Cost
    Prices of electric cars are pretty expensive at the moment; for a standard sized family car it’s circa £35,000 - £50,000 which at first glance may entice you to scrap the whole EV idea. However, before you go back to the drawing board, there are a lot of financial gains to having an EV.


    Fuel
    Compare the Market claims average EV running costs are now up to £1,264
    This compares to £1,834 for the cost of owning a petrol, based on fuel, insurance, tax and maintenance throughout the year. The biggest cost difference is fuelling, with an EV said to be £424-a-year cheaper if you charge your vehicle from home.



    We do have a handy calculator over on our website too - check it out here!

    Servicing
    They might seem complicated, but apparently electric cars are actually very simple to maintain. There’s no exhaust pipe, clutch or engine oil and far fewer moving parts. In addition, the brakes aren’t worked as hard because the energy from slowing down is recycled back into the battery by using the motor as a generator. This could mean EV drivers would spend less at the dealer on servicing, with costs around half what you’d pay for a diesel. Some electric car service plans are less than £100 per year.

    Taxes
    The road tax on an electric car is free, which will be quite a change if you’re used to paying £500+ to keep your diesel SUV legal. The advantages if you can run an electric car through a business are even greater. Electric company cars attract a benefit-in-kind rate of just 1%, saving you thousands every year compared to an equivalent petrol or diesel car. It also means you can lease an electric car through a salary sacrifice scheme and have the money taken out of your pre-tax pay packet. That would mean a saving of at least 20% on the payment.

    Tolls
    Many towns and cities already have incentives for electric cars, including free or cheaper parking and exemption from tolls. Many more will follow London soon by starting to restrict entry to central areas for polluting cars in order to protect air quality. If you don’t want to get turned away or charged extra fees, you’ll need to go electric.

    ...And that is as far as I have got so far. I have heard that they are releasing a Ford Transit Custom (my current vehicle of choice with a large family - I know, not eco at all) in 2024. It's supposed to have a 250+ mile range on a single charge which is fantastic compared to the hybrids that have a current range of about 30 miles.


    Have you started your EV journey or even got one?
    Have you seen the benefits of owning one outweigh the initial cost?
    What are your thoughts on electric vehicles and what do we need to get everyone on them?


    Little pic from my recent family adventure in our van. We have converted the back into a little day van which even has a toilet! When we were away there was a serious shortage of EV charging points in public places because they were all being used. A car park that holds over 250 vehicles had 2 charging stations which doesn't seem like enough.
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  • 13 Replies

  • Andy65's Avatar
    Level 47
    There's an obvious omission from the running costs of an EV, and that's the minimum £8k and upwards on the purchase price.
    It's a bit like someone saying that they've got solar panels and don't pay anything for electric, when in reality they've paid their electric bill upfront for the next 10 years plus.

    I've just ordered a new petrol car, EV's are overpriced, particularly the hybrids that offer 30 miles of electric range. The car manufacturers are making these to make themselves look green (ish) and mainly for BiK reasons.
    I've driven an electric car, it's no different to my current car apart from regen braking and the limited range. Whilst most people do relatively short journeys, the problem arises when you want to travel further, and at speed. For example:

    A Peugeot e-208 has a range up to 225 miles, that sounds fairly good. Drive at 70mph and that drops to 130 miles, and don't forget it's not good to go below 20% of battery charge so that then takes you down to 104 miles of range. Then if you rapid charge you should only to 80% charge, so the next part of the journey at 70mph is only going to give you about 78 miles of range. Then, how much of a detour do you need to do to find a charger?

    I've read a few stories where those supposedly 'in the know' say that the price of EV's will plunge as Chinese manufacturers enter the UK market. I've heard this kind of thing before, they'll sell at a price that the market can take.

    Range will come with solid state batteries, Toyota are supposedly leading the charge and they've said they will only launch then in hybrids initially, around 2025. So solid state batteries are some way off in terms of full on EVs.

    I would like to see an EV / ICE comparison with charging costs based on public rapid chargers.

    The charging network (or lack of and reliability issues (Tesla is seemingly in a league of their own)) is the major stumbling block, along with the price of EVs.

    My thoughts on this are a bit all over the place so excuse the jumping about, but where and how do people think the Government is going to get the money it'll lose from fuel duty, VAT and VED? If you took fuel duty off and made VAT 5% to give a like for like comparison then the differences would be marginal.

    I'm not convinced that EVs are the answer to the problem that people think they are.
  • Janette's Avatar
    Level 5
    I’m happy to find this thread. We are just starting our journey. Currently have a petrol guzzling estate car to ferry our 3 retrievers around. Will not buy until 2023 when more suitable sized EV may be available, so I’m happy to follow your findings.
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    I’ve a Toyota auris hybrid. Because I bought it just over 5 years ago I pay zero VED. It delivers for me 56 mpg and does everything I ask of it. Apart from having the catalytic converter stolen ( get a tilt alarm fitted) it has been fine and will last me another 15 years at least.
    Cost comparisons are always problematic and here the uncertainties over the price of oil and electricity are key considerations- but impossible to predict given current factors.
    Range and ease of charging are also major considerations. I’m certainly not likely to change to a full EV in the foreseeable future.
    Current Eon Next customer, ex EDF, Zog and Symbio. Don't think dual fuel saves money and don't like smart meters. Chronologically Gifted. If I offend let me know by private message, but I’ll continue to express my opinions nonetheless.
  • Han_EONNext's Avatar
    Community Team
    Did you decide to go for an EV in the end @Janette ? How has it gone?

    That is a good point @Andy65 & @meldrewreborn. But with the current price hike for petrol & diesel I have seen more people opt for an EV as a sort of 'more expensive upfront cost, but will be cheaper in the future' gig. EV charging points seem to be everywhere now though - more or less every petrol station has one 🔌. We live pretty remotely and our closest petrol station now has a charging point 😯.

    What I wonder though is how the mechanic costs factor into this? (MOT, work etc.) I know that EVs have to pass an MOT after they are 3 years old rather than the 1 year and that there isn't an emissions or noise test - but do you have to pay more to have a specialised service?
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  • Janette's Avatar
    Level 5
    @Han_EONNext - I am sitting tight at the moment being rather offput by the current situation with energy supply problems. I'll review the situation in Spring.
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    @Han_EONNext

    servicing costs should be lower. But the speed of recharging is massively slower than filling up at a normal outlet for diesel or petrol. So a long journey requires more planning. EV may be OK for a second or city car but not for me.
  • Han_EONNext's Avatar
    Community Team
    understandably @Janette 🤔 - let us know if you decide to go for it! Ahh @meldrewreborn thank you for clearing that up 😊. We're hearing that quite a lot - great for a 30 min drive to the shops and see your kids, but no so good for a long distance trip.
  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    @Han_EONNext

    With many things in life, there is an 80:20 rule. Very few things in life are ever perfect, so if something almost fits the bill (the 80) it may not suit the other requirements (the 20). An electric car would suit me 80% of the time as a lot of my pootling around is pretty much local. A six mile round trip to the next village for odds and ends, or a 60 mile round trip to go shopping every week or so. For the other 20%, I'm making 300 mile journeys for business travel, working for a few days with a dozen miles of travel each day, and then a 300 mile journey home again. Or 'day trips' to customers a bit more local. Local being a 240 mile round trip to Bristol for instance, where I can't charge a car and do need to go, do the job, and get back same day.

    For that, an electric vehicle is not suitable. I'd still need a diesel capable of doing that 300 miles in one hit, with a coffee and sandwich and wee stop half way. I could spend a fortune on a car that covered me for the 80% but would then need to hire a vehicle for doing the longer trips. Or keep the existing diesel which I already own outright and use that for the whole 100%.

    The cheapest way to charge an EV is at home. Forget installing a special EV charger, getting your supply or fuse uprated or splashing out. Just plug it in to a regular 13A socket and charge it slowly. The damn thing is sat outside your house for more time than it's ever being driven so there's no rush.

    But at 34p per kWh on single rate at the moment and prices due to go up again in April, it's cheaper than diesel, but not as much as the hype will have you think.

    Round trip efficiency for even the best lithium technology is around 95%. For every kWh you put into the battery, you can only get 950Wh out at best so you need to add 5% to your energy cost which is simply wasted as heat during charging.

    A litre of diesel is equivalent to about 10kWh. At current prices round here, diesel is about £1.60 per litre, so works out at 16p per kWh. However a good turbodiesel engine is only around 33% efficient, so you need 3kWh of diesel to give you 1kWh of actual motive power. So your car actually costs about 48p per kWh, compared to about 36p for electric. But if you pay for the convenience of a public charger, the electricity is easily two to three times more expensive than domestic prices, so in actual fact the diesel pretty much breaks even or beats an EV on running costs.

    And how much more than a conventional car is an EV going to cost? My car cost me £500 almost five years ago. I'm not proud - i'm perfectly happy with the bells and whistles that come with a 2006 Skoda and never have to worry that putting the heating on in winter is going to shorten my range any. Total cost of ownership including maintenance, fuel and taxing it and insuring it for almost five years has been less than the cost of leasing a new EV for one year. Plus, the front-loaded carbon used in manufacturing it in the first place has been paid back almost twice over. Conventional cars take about 9 years of use to pay back front-loaded carbon. An EV is nearer to 13 years.

    Keeping an older diesel car on the road makes a lot more financial sense for me than buying an EV, but different strokes for different folks. Not as environmentally friendly perhaps, but the best I can do with the funds available.
    Last edited by DebF_EONNext; 10-04-23 at 07:31. Reason: updating featured threads
    Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player. I DON'T work for or on behalf of EON.Next, but am willing to try and help if I can. Not on mains gas, mobile network or mains drainage. House heated almost entirely by baby dragons.
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    @retrotecchie

    Perhaps you'd need an E7 tariff.

    Another forum member has posted that their night rate has gone negative!