Electric Cars. Real aternative or ego boosters?

[seafoid]

https://www.ft.com/content/6a84d754-7444-4645-a38f-f6a666581369

Asian battery makers are racing to develop new generations of "superfast charging" cells for electric vehicles that will make refuelling as fast as filling up cars with petrol or diesel. With the global EV industry seeking to win over sceptical consumers put off by long charge times and "range anxiety", China's CATL and Gotion High-tech are this year unveiling batteries that can be charged from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in under 10 minutes. The goal is to charge an EV in about five minutes, making the experience virtually indistinguishable from filling up a car using traditional fuels.

[illdecide]

I see on the news this morning the EC's are not going to be taxed from 2025

[93-DY-SAM]

I see on the news this morning the EC's are not going to be taxed from 2025

I think you meant "now going to be taxed". That was an inevitability. Governments pushing people to EVs which had no tax so they are losing out on millions. They've hooked people in and now they are sucker-punching them!

[tbrick18]

For me, EVs at the minute are a fashion accessory. Just like an iPhone.
Technology and infrastructure need to advance for it to be a realistic alternative.
2nd hand market for Tesla, for example, is through the floor. No-one wants a 2nd had Tesla that might need a 12k replacement battery at some point in the future.
Over time, I'm sure companies will emerge that can repair or replace batteries for much cheaper, but in the short term who wants to pay the price of a decent 2nd hand diesel to replace a battery on a 2nd hand tesla.

Where they can be beneficial right now, is public transport. Buses, trams and trains.

[93-DY-SAM]

For me, EVs at the minute are a fashion accessory. Just like an iPhone.
Technology and infrastructure need to advance for it to be a realistic alternative.
2nd hand market for Tesla, for example, is through the floor. No-one wants a 2nd had Tesla that might need a 12k replacement battery at some point in the future.
Over time, I'm sure companies will emerge that can repair or replace batteries for much cheaper, but in the short term who wants to pay the price of a decent 2nd hand diesel to replace a battery on a 2nd hand tesla.

Where they can be beneficial right now, is public transport. Buses, trams and trains.

Yup. I'd fully agree with that. An EV as a primary car for us is just not practical. And it's way too expensive to justify as a second car.

[Mario]

For me, EVs at the minute are a fashion accessory. Just like an iPhone.
Technology and infrastructure need to advance for it to be a realistic alternative.
2nd hand market for Tesla, for example, is through the floor. No-one wants a 2nd had Tesla that might need a 12k replacement battery at some point in the future.
Over time, I'm sure companies will emerge that can repair or replace batteries for much cheaper, but in the short term who wants to pay the price of a decent 2nd hand diesel to replace a battery on a 2nd hand tesla.

Where they can be beneficial right now, is public transport. Buses, trams and trains.

Yup. I'd fully agree with that. An EV as a primary car for us is just not practical. And it's way too expensive to justify as a second car.

Most owners of EV are getting them through work place salary sacrifice schemes. There are massive tax savings from leasing like that. If you are a higher rate tax payer and need a new car it's a very valid option. I wouldn't call it a fashion accessory.

[clonian]

For me, EVs at the minute are a fashion accessory. Just like an iPhone.
Technology and infrastructure need to advance for it to be a realistic alternative.
2nd hand market for Tesla, for example, is through the floor. No-one wants a 2nd had Tesla that might need a 12k replacement battery at some point in the future.
Over time, I'm sure companies will emerge that can repair or replace batteries for much cheaper, but in the short term who wants to pay the price of a decent 2nd hand diesel to replace a battery on a 2nd hand tesla.

Where they can be beneficial right now, is public transport. Buses, trams and trains.

Yup. I'd fully agree with that. An EV as a primary car for us is just not practical. And it's way too expensive to justify as a second car.

Most owners of EV are getting them through work place salary sacrifice schemes. There are massive tax savings from leasing like that. If you are a higher rate tax payer and need a new car it's a very valid option. I wouldn't call it a fashion accessory.

The price of them are coming down too, the new tesla model 3 had it's range increased and other improvements and it's 6k cheaper than the last variant. More smaller cars being produced too, tesla are releasing a model 2 shortly which will be a focus sized hatchback. They are going to become more affordable as the technology advances. Batteries have came down in price so the cars are getting cheaper to make. The Chinese cars entering the EV market are more going to effect the market too, pushing the prices down.

They'll never suit everyone everywhere but they will become more accessible. Some people won't change their opinions on them though, that's life.

[illdecide]

I see on the news this morning the EC's are not going to be taxed from 2025

I think you meant "now going to be taxed". That was an inevitability. Governments pushing people to EVs which had no tax so they are losing out on millions. They've hooked people in and now they are sucker-punching them!

I did...Typo

[tbrick18]

For me, EVs at the minute are a fashion accessory. Just like an iPhone.
Technology and infrastructure need to advance for it to be a realistic alternative.
2nd hand market for Tesla, for example, is through the floor. No-one wants a 2nd had Tesla that might need a 12k replacement battery at some point in the future.
Over time, I'm sure companies will emerge that can repair or replace batteries for much cheaper, but in the short term who wants to pay the price of a decent 2nd hand diesel to replace a battery on a 2nd hand tesla.

Where they can be beneficial right now, is public transport. Buses, trams and trains.

Yup. I'd fully agree with that. An EV as a primary car for us is just not practical. And it's way too expensive to justify as a second car.

Most owners of EV are getting them through work place salary sacrifice schemes. There are massive tax savings from leasing like that. If you are a higher rate tax payer and need a new car it's a very valid option. I wouldn't call it a fashion accessory.

Yeah the company I work for has that, and even with the savings unless you go for the equivalent of a peugeot 106 its still costly. At least more costly that I'd be prepared to pay monthly for a car.
Admittedly, I dont take on big HP deals for flash cars. I tend to buy what I can afford to at the time and then drive it to death. The 2008 Ford Galaxy is still going strong and I've no car payment. Think I paid 8k for it in 2012.
A-B as they say.
I do like nice cars, but I just can't bring myself to spend a small fortune on one.

[clonian]

For me, EVs at the minute are a fashion accessory. Just like an iPhone.
Technology and infrastructure need to advance for it to be a realistic alternative.
2nd hand market for Tesla, for example, is through the floor. No-one wants a 2nd had Tesla that might need a 12k replacement battery at some point in the future.
Over time, I'm sure companies will emerge that can repair or replace batteries for much cheaper, but in the short term who wants to pay the price of a decent 2nd hand diesel to replace a battery on a 2nd hand tesla.

Where they can be beneficial right now, is public transport. Buses, trams and trains.

Yup. I'd fully agree with that. An EV as a primary car for us is just not practical. And it's way too expensive to justify as a second car.

Most owners of EV are getting them through work place salary sacrifice schemes. There are massive tax savings from leasing like that. If you are a higher rate tax payer and need a new car it's a very valid option. I wouldn't call it a fashion accessory.

Yeah the company I work for has that, and even with the savings unless you go for the equivalent of a peugeot 106 its still costly. At least more costly that I'd be prepared to pay monthly for a car.
Admittedly, I dont take on big HP deals for flash cars. I tend to buy what I can afford to at the time and then drive it to death. The 2008 Ford Galaxy is still going strong and I've no car payment. Think I paid 8k for it in 2012.
A-B as they say.
I do like nice cars, but I just can't bring myself to spend a small fortune on one.

It's still more environmentally friendly to keep your old car and maintain it well than to buy a new one that has to go through the production process.

I like the idea of nice cars and something new but I don't like spending the money for them.

[PMG1]

Was in a city in China last year and they are light years ahead of us (as usual). Every vehicle in the city was electric. Cars, buses, motorbikes and scooters. I can't recall seeing or hearing a diesel engine, air as clean as if you were in the Connemara. There are chargers everywhere but they also have this concept where there is a booth that you pull your car into, something comes up under the car, takes out the battery and replaces it with a fully charged battery, whole process took less than 3 minutes and all automated. Obviously it was only certain type of cars (I think they were BYD) and owners must be signed up to a contract or something but technology like that when it comes in here
Will revolutionise the car market 

[Dag Dog]

Fewer than 18,000 new electric cars were registered in 2024, a decrease of 23.6% from the 22,852 registrations seen in 2023, according to year-end figures from The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).

    
https://www.techcentral.ie/new-ev-registrations-dropped-by-more-than-a-fifth-in-2024/

[thewobbler]

Was in a city in China last year and they are light years ahead of us (as usual). Every vehicle in the city was electric. Cars, buses, motorbikes and scooters. I can't recall seeing or hearing a diesel engine, air as clean as if you were in the Connemara. There are chargers everywhere but they also have this concept where there is a booth that you pull your car into, something comes up under the car, takes out the battery and replaces it with a fully charged battery, whole process took less than 3 minutes and all automated. Obviously it was only certain type of cars (I think they were BYD) and owners must be signed up to a contract or something but technology like that when it comes in here
Will revolutionise the car market 

Perhaps the advantage of youth rather than being light years ahead?

The road infrastructure in the USA was on a different level to Europe 40 years ago. The main reason being a lack of barriers in the form of infrastructure / planning, relocation, and tradition.