Am I suitable for an EV....honestly?

isnottheword

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

EV will remain niche here until the likes of a Dublin Cork return spin is possible at motorway speed, without stopping, or the cost of alternates is prohibitively expensive. Range anxiety will remain a barrier and hold back mass uptake.

That shouldn't be niche. There are plenty that it would suit that simply don't do that journey. I've done some long trips on a 24kW Leaf - and whilst it's a bit cumbersome and not for everyone - i wouldn't stop me from making any journey.

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

I couldn't have a vehicle that couldn't take me on a long journey at top speed at short notice. Yes it's something I might never need, but it's better to have and not want than to want and not have.

Count up the number of trips you're talking about. Furthermore, all those in 2 car households, it's even more of a no-brainer to at the very least go EV wtih one of them.
For that privilege, diesel taxes on new cars should be increased and possibly the fuel itself.

Pkiernan

isnottheword wrote: »

Who said anything about shelling out 30k being a necessity? Consumers can buy in at a price point that suits them best. In any event, the same point can be made about buying ANY new car - i.e. it loses 20% minimum value upon driving it off the forecourt.

As regards returns on fuel savings....

Purchase price on gen 1.5 Nissan Leaf (2014) - €9,300
20,000KM travelled over 7 months - with a saving of €1,120 before tax savings and servicing costs (as I'd have had to do just shy of 2 engine related services with my old ICE).
That's a return of 12% of the initial outlay. Bear in mind also that the last ICE I had was a Ford with a 1.4 TDCi engine - which ran on fumes.

There's your real life case study on fuel savings using an EV.

Relax FFS.

The OP was talking about a new car. New Ioniqs are 30k for the spec he wants.
Unless he is planning on replacing his car anyway he won't save a penny by going electric.

Open your eyes to a mildly different point of view, and try reading before flying off the handle like a big blouse.

listermint

Pkiernan wrote: »

Relax FFS.

The OP was talking about a new car. New Ioniqs are 30k for the spec he wants.
Unless he is planning on replacing his car anyway he won't save a penny by going electric.

Open your eyes to a mildly different point of view, and try reading before flying off the handle like a big blouse.

Big blouses.
8 hours on a motorway.

Don't give up the day job of spouting silly stuff across the net.

unkel

Pkiernan wrote: »

The OP was talking about a new car. New Ioniqs are 30k for the spec he wants.
Unless he is planning on replacing his car anyway he won't save a penny by going electric.

It looks like it is you who hasn't been paying attention. I'm buying a brand new Ioniq and fuel + tax + depreciation on the Ioniq are €1,000 less than fuel + tax in my 14 year old banger with zero depreciation (because it's worthless )

So I'm saving a fortune buying a brand new car...

Calahonda52

Pkiernan wrote: »

Open your eyes to a mildly different point of view, and try reading before flying off the handle like a big blouse.

Take the log out of your own eye before you start poking at the splint in mine
Unkel 6:42:D

cros13

What those who haven't switched yet don't understand is the advantage of home charging. Your car is full every morning without you lifting a finger.

It's only a tiny tiny minority who would have any real use for more than 300km of range. I do 200-300km a day, over 60,000km/year and spend almost four hours a day in my car as it is. For exceptional trips, rapid charging is there and I've done trips of up to 4,000km on rapid chargers without issue or feeling that there's any delay over the same journey in an ICE vehicle.
I'd wager the average EV driver spends far less time in a year at rapid chargers than the average ICE driver spends at filling stations.

Almost every EV driver has owned a combustion vehicle... and the reverse is not the case.

peposhi

Calahonda52 wrote: »

Take the log out of your own eye before you start poking at the splint in mine
Unkel 6:42:D

Boom!

Unkel 6:42.... for the win hahshaha

Calahonda52

cros13 wrote: »

I'd wager the average EV driver spends far less time in a year at rapid chargers than the average ICE driver spends at filling stations...

Especially since the advent of the grocery store/coffee shop/sandwich bar masquerading as a filling station without dedicated tills: queuing with the "great unwashed" while they struggle to find the plastic toy that should have come with this month's edition of RSVP or Hello or Playboy!

oppenheimer1

isnottheword wrote: »

That shouldn't be niche. There are plenty that it would suit that simply don't do that journey. I've done some long trips on a 24kW Leaf - and whilst it's a bit cumbersome and not for everyone - i wouldn't stop me from making any journey.

Count up the number of trips you're talking about. Furthermore, all those in 2 car households, it's even more of a no-brainer to at the very least go EV wtih one of them.
For that privilege, diesel taxes on new cars should be increased and possibly the fuel itself.

There are plenty it would suit, I agree, but many more it wouldn't. Most people will take at least one long spin at least semi occasionally - say to the airport or to visit relatives and friends in the countryside. EV's are not suited to those journeys so the one car household had to have a second, or organise rental or other means. These are the hassles car ownership are meant to relieve you of.

EV - great as a second car doing the short trips or defined commutes, and now is the time to get in while the tax breaks make it worthwhile. That said EV isn't great as a primary vehicle where even occasional medium to long journeys are required or where short notice journeys might be required.

I did think about EV for myself, but the cost and hassle of having to have a second vehicle negated the savings.

There are a few EV owners who evangelise these cars, but they do have significant shortcomings, and these need to be acknowledged, not glossed over. A 40min delay for charging on a 2 and a half hour journey is significant.

unkel

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

There are plenty it would suit, I agree, but many more it wouldn't.

Kind of defined by how often would you do a trip exceeding the range of the car and how you feel about it. I would do a trip of over 200km maybe once or twice a year and on those very few occasions, I wouldn't mind a single 15-25 minute stop. For safety, you kinda need to stretch your legs / have a coffee every 2 hours anyway.

If I had to do a 200km trip once a week, I doubt I would have bought an EV. Never mind if I had to commute that distance every day without having work charging

I'd be interested in figures though and I'd say if you study driving patterns, I wouldn't be surprised that from the people living in or around Dublin (half the population of this country), 90% would not often drive more than 200km per day.

isnottheword

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Most people will take at least one long spin at least semi occasionally.

Like Unkel said, if that's only a handful of times, some people will put up with the inconvenience (it's not that you can't do the journey - it can be done - it will just take longer....or you can make other arrangements)....that's if your talking about a handful of times a year. If it's more than that, then sure, EV is not the way to go (right now).

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

There are a few EV owners who evangelise these cars, but they do have significant shortcomings, and these need to be acknowledged, not glossed over. A 40min delay for charging on a 2 and a half hour journey is significant.

Well, this is an EV forum - so absolutely, you are more likely to get an enthusiastic response. That said, if you read through all the in's and outs of it - the good, the bad and the ugly of EV driving experience is contained in these threads. I was castigated myself recently for asking a prospective EV newcomer to ensure that he knew what the downsides were to EV driving before making that decision (on the basis that what some people don't have an issue with, others are of a mind that they can't live with).

oppenheimer1

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

...say to the airport...

Our Leaf can do two return trips to the airport with one charge. Do I qualify?

BoatMad

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

There are plenty it would suit, I agree, but many more it wouldn't. Most people will take at least one long spin at least semi occasionally - say to the airport or to visit relatives and friends in the countryside. EV's are not suited to those journeys so the one car household had to have a second, or organise rental or other means. These are the hassles car ownership are meant to relieve you of.

EV - great as a second car doing the short trips or defined commutes, and now is the time to get in while the tax breaks make it worthwhile. That said EV isn't great as a primary vehicle where even occasional medium to long journeys are required or where short notice journeys might be required.

I did think about EV for myself, but the cost and hassle of having to have a second vehicle negated the savings.

There are a few EV owners who evangelise these cars, but they do have significant shortcomings, and these need to be acknowledged, not glossed over. A 40min delay for charging on a 2 and a half hour journey is significant.

Its always people that dont have an EV spouting this nonsense

"say to the airport or to visit relatives and friends in the countryside"

Neither of those types of visits are unplanned , hence its easy to make an allowance in the time needed if recharging is necessary

And remember, we are rapidly getting to 250Km usable range with the next iteration , thats virtually the length of the country for many many people.

Your arguments are defined by actually having any experience of what you are criticising , they are all " perceived " drawbacks

Last year of ICE ownership we did 35K Km in the car, first year of EV ownership 50k km

Sunday I did a 440km round trip day in our EV, Our EV is used for ALL our long journeys because its a more comfortable car to drive and (b) we save a shedload on fuel costs

There is only on single drawback and that is fueling time for a ICE is about 10 minutes , versus 20-25 minutes for a EV . we are arguing over a 10-15 minute event that may take place one or at most twice in a whole day of travelling !!!

put that into your pipe and smoke it

BoatMad

cros13 wrote: »

What those who haven't switched yet don't understand is the advantage of home charging. Your car is full every morning without you lifting a finger.

It's only a tiny tiny minority who would have any real use for more than 300km of range. I do 200-300km a day, over 60,000km/year and spend almost four hours a day in my car as it is. For exceptional trips, rapid charging is there and I've done trips of up to 4,000km on rapid chargers without issue or feeling that there's any delay over the same journey in an ICE vehicle.
I'd wager the average EV driver spends far less time in a year at rapid chargers than the average ICE driver spends at filling stations.

Almost every EV driver has owned a combustion vehicle... and the reverse is not the case.

excellant post

KCross

BoatMad wrote: »

put that into your pipe and smoke it

Your hiatus from the forum has certainly brought you back invigorated!

BoatMad

KCross wrote: »

Your hiatus from the forum has certainly brought you back invigorated!

I like to take a rest from forums from time to time.

oppenheimer1

BoatMad wrote: »

Its always people that dont have an EV spouting this nonsense

"say to the airport or to visit relatives and friends in the countryside"

Neither of those types of visits are unplanned , hence its easy to make an allowance in the time needed if recharging is necessary

And remember, we are rapidly getting to 250Km usable range with the next iteration , thats virtually the length of the country for many many people.

Your arguments are defined by actually having any experience of what you are criticising , they are all " perceived " drawbacks

Last year of ICE ownership we did 35K Km in the car, first year of EV ownership 50k km

Sunday I did a 440km round trip day in our EV, Our EV is used for ALL our long journeys because its a more comfortable car to drive and (b) we save a shedload on fuel costs

There is only on single drawback and that is fueling time for a ICE is about 10 minutes , versus 20-25 minutes for a EV . we are arguing over a 10-15 minute event that may take place one or at most twice in a whole day of travelling !!!

put that into your pipe and smoke it

I wouldn't smoke anything in my pipe, it causes too much PM2.5.

I don't own an EV, but a friend of mine does. I told him I I was thinking of making the change and he let me borrow his for a few days while he was on holidays (he says with the money he saved on fuel - so much for the environment says I). I had it for two weekends, and a full week at work.

So I get it on Friday, fully charged and I was looking forward to it. Typically at the weekend I head down country, so off we set. Tipping along the motorway at normal 120km/h and the battery is dropping like a stone. So first stop is Enfield, 35min stop all in. Continue on and then we have to stop again for another 35mins in Ballinalack. This is to ensure I have enough charge to get to my destination with decent charge another 50km away. The total journey which is usually 2hrs door to door in free flowing traffic was 3hr 15 in the same conditions. I was well hydrated though from the stops.

There is no proper charging facility at my parents house so what's left in the tank has to last until Ballinalack on the way back. It was fine for the short journeys around my parents locality but we had the same carry on on the way back another 3hr + journey. I live in a managed apartment block with no charging facility so when we returned home, of I went again to find a charger. Another 30 mins on it and I get to sit down at home 4hrs20 mins after setting out.

Work is a 70km round trip so half an hour extra into my commute every day except the time when there was someone else on the charger I normally use. The battery was low, so I had to suck it up and wait.

The following weekend was the Sammy carry on as the first, hanging around chargers waiting. I'm glad I did the trial and such with it for the 10 days as I thought I could love it but I couldn't. EV is not suitable unless you have great patience and charging facility at home.

BoatMad

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

I wouldn't smoke anything in my pipe, it causes too much PM2.5.

I don't own an EV, but a friend of mine does. I told him I I was thinking of making the change and he let me borrow his for a few days while he was on holidays (he says with the money he saved on fuel - so much for the environment says I). I had it for two weekends, and a full week at work.

So I get it on Friday, fully charged and I was looking forward to it. Typically at the weekend I head down country, so off we set. Tipping along the motorway at normal 120km/h and the battery is dropping like a stone. So first stop is Enfield, 35min stop all in. Continue on and then we have to stop again for another 35mins in Ballinalack. This is to ensure I have enough charge to get to my destination with decent charge another 50km away. The total journey which is usually 2hrs door to door in free flowing traffic was 3hr 15 in the same conditions. I was well hydrated though from the stops.

There is no proper charging facility at my parents house so what's left in the tank has to last until Ballinalack on the way back. It was fine for the short journeys around my parents locality but we had the same carry on on the way back another 3hr + journey. I live in a managed apartment block with no charging facility so when we returned home, of I went again to find a charger. Another 30 mins on it and I get to sit down at home 4hrs20 mins after setting out.

Work is a 70km round trip so half an hour extra into my commute every day except the time when there was someone else on the charger I normally use. The battery was low, so I had to suck it up and wait.

The following weekend was the Sammy carry on as the first, hanging around chargers waiting. I'm glad I did the trial and such with it for the 10 days as I thought I could love it but I couldn't. EV is not suitable unless you have great patience and charging facility at home.

ok lets dissect , this , MY counter arguments are based own real 1 year usage of a 30 kwh 6k6 kw leaf

Tipping along the motorway at normal 120km/h and the battery is dropping like a stone.

absolutely, its a stated drawback , and well understood, had you driven at 95-100kmph , your journey would have taken 10-15% longer, but you would have spent far less time charging .

fact (a) you didnt understanding the tradeoffs

. So first stop is Enfield, 35min stop all in.

other then voluntary time ( eating etc ) , or the queuing, which is a problem at weekends in dublin exclusively , Ive never spent more then 25 minutes at FCP
typically I spend 20 minutes or about the time it takes to get , drink and return a cup of coffee ( longer if theres queues at the till )

in many cases I will do 10 minute topups as thats all I need

( eg , Athlone to Carlow , on 100% , then 10 minutes FCP , Carlow to Gorey ) total enforced delays on a 220 KM journey - 10 minutes , I do this journey every week in the summer time , so I know it well )

obviously if I leave Athlone on less then 100% , I will stay longer at FCPS ( typically Kilbeggan to 95% , takes about 25 mins )

The journey is not motorway so my average speed is the same as other traffic

There is no proper charging facility at my parents house so what's left in the tank has to last until Ballinalack on the way back. It was fine for the short journeys around my parents locality but we had the same carry on on the way back another 3hr + journey. I live in a managed apartment block with no charging facility so when we returned home, of I went again to find a charger. Another 30 mins on it and I get to sit down at home 4hrs20 mins after setting ou

Again , you are a test driver. At present EVs need home charging and occasional granny cable

as a counter I visit my mother in waterford, I leave on 100% , if not I charge in wexford or gorey , and I plug in using the granny cable at her house ( or I can use the local FCP )

result, You have taken a single particular instance , and being both badly equipped and lacking key EV components , you seek to extend that " experience " to all EV journeys

Work is a 70km round trip so half an hour extra into my commute every day except the time when there was someone else on the charger I normally use. The battery was low, so I had to suck it up and wait.

The FCP network is not designed to support people that require charging every day. You need home charging for a commute

We do 130km round trip mon-fri commute . no issues

you cant simply make your specific single experience into a generalisation

you are guilty of min/maxing


In my case , I test drove for a week and like you could see " apparent drawbacks". However once equipped properly 30 kwh instead of test 24kwh, 6k6 charger instead of test 3kw charger, home 32A eVSE, plus 10 A granny cable ,all these " apparent " drawbacks vanished and only a few ones remain , motorway speeds being the single gripe !!

( but I drive the diesel at 100 Kmph on motorways too as its eats fuel at 120 )

KCross

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

I live in a managed apartment block with no charging facility so when we returned home, of I went again to find a charger. Another 30 mins on it and I get to sit down at home 4hrs20 mins after setting out.

Work is a 70km round trip so half an hour extra into my commute every day except the time when there was someone else on the charger I normally use. The battery was low, so I had to suck it up and wait.

IMO, if you dont have home charging the whole EV thing doesnt work. Being dependent on the public infrastructure everyday just leads to issues and compromises that are a step too far.

Buy EV if your normal daily driving is within the range of the car, i.e. no waiting at chargers. I rarely use the chargers or have to wait. I start everyday at 100% range.

Some people use the public infrastructure everyday and fair dues to them but it wouldnt be for me and I think its the same for you.

So, the question is, IF you had home charging would a 160km range car cover 99% of your daily driving with the 1% being the trip "down the country"?

cros13

KCross wrote: »

IMO, if you dont have home charging the whole EV thing doesnt work. Being dependent on the public infrastructure everyday just leads to issues and compromises that are a step too far.

Agreed. Though with an extensive public charging infrastructure and longer range vehicles.

KCross wrote: »

Some people use the public infrastructure everyday and fair dues to them but it wouldnt be for me and I think its the same for you.

I've met some people who don't have home charging and are charging regularly at rapids. Personally I think they're mad.

oppenheimer1

BoatMad wrote: »

ok lets dissect , this , MY counter arguments are based own real 1 year usage of a 30 kwh 6k6 kw leaf



absolutely, its a stated drawback , and well understood, had you driven at 95-100kmph , your journey would have taken 10-15% longer, but you would have spent far less time charging .

fact (a) you didnt understanding the tradeoffs




other then voluntary time ( eating etc ) , or the queuing, which is a problem at weekends in dublin exclusively , Ive never spent more then 25 minutes at FCP
typically I spend 20 minutes or about the time it takes to get , drink and return a cup of coffee ( longer if theres queues at the till )

in many cases I will do 10 minute topups as thats all I need

( eg , Athlone to Carlow , on 100% , then 10 minutes FCP , Carlow to Gorey ) total enforced delays on a 220 KM journey - 10 minutes , I do this journey every week in the summer time , so I know it well )

obviously if I leave Athlone on less then 100% , I will stay longer at FCPS ( typically Kilbeggan to 95% , takes about 25 mins )

The journey is not motorway so my average speed is the same as other traffic




Again , you are a test driver. At present EVs need home charging and occasional granny cable

as a counter I visit my mother in waterford, I leave on 100% , if not I charge in wexford or gorey , and I plug in using the granny cable at her house ( or I can use the local FCP )

result, You have taken a single particular instance , and being both badly equipped and lacking key EV components , you seek to extend that " experience " to all EV journeys



The FCP network is not designed to support people that require charging every day. You need home charging for a commute

We do 130km round trip mon-fri commute . no issues

you cant simply make your specific single experience into a generalisation

you are guilty of min/maxing


In my case , I test drove for a week and like you could see " apparent drawbacks". However once equipped properly 30 kwh instead of test 24kwh, 6k6 charger instead of test 3kw charger, home 32A eVSE, plus 10 A granny cable ,all these " apparent " drawbacks vanished and only a few ones remain , motorway speeds being the single gripe !!

( but I drive the diesel at 100 Kmph on motorways too as its eats fuel at 120 )

So EVs are not suited to those in apartments or private rented accommodation.

They are not suited to those who make long journeys and are time conscious.

They are not suited for driving at motorway speed.

The only advantage they have at the moment, and to be fair it is considerable - is they are much lower cost to drive. However if they do get significant market penetration the tax advantages are likely to wane considerable. The road infrastructure will still have to be paid for so an EV unit tax or other method of maintaining the same tax revenue fuel taxes generate.

Range is a real issue, it shouldn't be just dismissed

BoatMad

So EVs are not suited to those in apartments or private rented accommodation.

No, it means such dwellers have additional compromises, it doesnt mean they are unsuitable

They are not suited to those who make long journeys and are time conscious.

again , No, and yes , a business driver on a tight schedule cannot afford a queue at fast charger, is that an EV issue or a structural issue. hard to say

But EVs are entirely capable of long journeys , I and others have done so ( and my friend in a 24kwh leaf has ousted retuned from Scotland ( highlands)

Range is a real issue, it shouldn't be just dismissed

its generally a " perceived " issue and rapidly disappears when you actually own an EV . its more media generated then reality ( and its a snappy " sound bite " ), its rapidly disappearing with bigger batteries and more efficient EVs

I dont suffer from range anxiety at all , I more commonly suffer "infrastructure anxiety "

oppenheimer1

KCross wrote: »

IMO, if you dont have home charging the whole EV thing doesnt work. Being dependent on the public infrastructure everyday just leads to issues and compromises that are a step too far.

Buy EV if your normal daily driving is within the range of the car, i.e. no waiting at chargers. I rarely use the chargers or have to wait. I start everyday at 100% range.

Some people use the public infrastructure everyday and fair dues to them but it wouldnt be for me and I think its the same for you.

So, the question is, IF you had home charging would a 160km range car cover 99% of your daily driving with the 1% being the trip "down the country"?

160km range would cover 5 of 7 days, it wouldn't at the weekend where we travel outside the city. That would mean I would need a second car for which I would need to tax and insure or hire (which is a royal pain in the ass).

Range would need to realistically get to 500km before I'd go for it. More power to those that use EV now though as the savings are to be made now and not in the future.

BoatMad

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

160km range would cover 5 of 7 days, it wouldn't at the weekend where we travel outside the city. That would mean I would need a second car for which I would need to tax and insure or hire (which is a royal pain in the ass).

Range would need to realistically get to 500km before I'd go for it. More power to those that use EV now though as the savings are to be made now and not in the future.

what , IM sorry nonsense

where are you going at weekends to need 500km in one go and cant afford a few minutes to recharge

perhaps you dont sleep at nights or take meal breaks etc , seriously

what part of " I do a 480km trip at weekends every summer in my leaf " dont you understand , I remain baffled by your perspective

oppenheimer1

BoatMad wrote: »

what , IM sorry nonsense

where are you going at weekends to need 500km in one go and cant afford a few minutes to recharge

perhaps you dont sleep at nights or take meal breaks etc , seriously

what part of " I do a 480km trip at weekends every summer in my leaf " dont you understand , I remain baffled by your perspective

It's a Dublin-Cork return journey.

It's all well and great saying you need to plan but often the best made plans are undone by unforeseen events. It's not about using the range, it's about having it if I need it. It's a comfort factor that you don't seem to be getting. You might think unnecessary but I think vital and it is vital if mass adoption is going to happen.

KCross

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

160km range would cover 5 of 7 days, it wouldn't at the weekend where we travel outside the city. That would mean I would need a second car for which I would need to tax and insure or hire (which is a royal pain in the ass).

Range would need to realistically get to 500km before I'd go for it. More power to those that use EV now though as the savings are to be made now and not in the future.

For Cork-Dublin... The Leaf 30kWh and Ioniq would make that journey with one stop. I suspect the Leaf you had was a 24kWh which required two?

Is that too much of a compromise for you to stop once for 20-30mins on a 2+ hr journey? Fair enough if it is.

You are entitled to set the bar as high as you like. You will be waiting a very long time to get a 500km affordable EV though.

Would you consider that the "500km missing piece" alongside the many advantages and come to the conclusion that EV is better or is it simply... for you its 500km non stop or nothing. ?

peposhi

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

It's a Dublin-Cork return journey.

It's all well and great saying you need to plan but often the best made plans are undone by unforeseen events. It's not about using the range, it's about having it if I need it. It's a comfort factor that you don't seem to be getting. You might think unnecessary but I think vital and it is vital if mass adoption is going to happen.

Unless you have to go to Cork and comeback to Dublin in a space of 5 hours I seriously do not get where the problem is...
For people on a tight schedule EVs are not best suited if going out of the current range (only if you depend on the public CPs)
Other than that...
To wake up with every morning and have roughly 170km in the 30kw Leaf's "tank" without having to run to the petrol station brings a great feeling of freedom.

cros13

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

So EVs are not suited to those in apartments or private rented accommodation.

I had a chargepoint installed in a central Dublin underground car park with a rented apartment. Off the apartment meter too. It's more complicated than it needs to be, largely due to apathy and ignorance on the part of management companies... but that's not an insurmountable barrier.

In california, a home owners association / management company / landlord of a long term tenant can only block installation of a chargepoint with legitimate reason.

However due to our obsession with home ownership the majority of Irish people own their home and can install home charging.

For those using on-street parking or similar... longer ranges and quicker more widespread rapid charging will solve that inside the next 2-3 years.

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

They are not suited to those who make long journeys and are time conscious.

I do long journeys... Dublin to Berlin took roughly the same time as in my old diesel.

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

They are not suited for driving at motorway speed.

They are but it depends on the EV. The Leaf specifically does poorly at motorway speeds, the Ioniq and Model S have better aerodynamics and do better.

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Range is a real issue, it shouldn't be just dismissed

Range is sufficient for the majority of Irish drivers right now. A lot of the regulars on this forum (including me) are way beyond average annual mileage of a typical driver.

For the rest... well my i3 launched in 2013... the version launching in september has double the battery capacity in the same size and weight for a lower cost. Extrapolate those trends forward.

oppenheimer1

peposhi wrote: »

Unless you have to go to Cork and comeback to Dublin in a space of 5 hours I seriously do not get where the problem is...
For people on a tight schedule EVs are not best suited if going out of the current range (only if you depend on the public CPs)
Other than that...
To wake up with every morning and have roughly 170km in the 30kw Leaf's "tank" without having to run to the petrol station brings a great feeling of freedom.

I wake up every morning and there is between 500 and 1400 km in my tank which gives me even more freedom. I will concede that it costs a lot more though.

cros13

You build up confidence as you get used to EV driving. I'd have no trouble walking out to the car right now and driving to Stockholm or Milan on a whim.

But:
1. I'm prepared to certain extent, I have tags and cards for pretty much all the charging networks in europe.
2. I've got 250,000km of EV driving under my belt and I can figure out range and charger locations for most routes from experience and memory.

I concede that EVs are not suitable for everyone yet. But life is built of trade-offs. I enjoy the way EVs drive and they cost practically nothing to run. I'm willing to put up with an odd inconvenience, others may not be willing to make the trade... and the vast majority of people are almost totally ignorant of both the capabilities of modern EVs and their own needs in terms of range/charging.

For the remaining people.... time and the forward march of technology will eat away at this minority quicker than most realise.