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monkie

Long Term Forum Financial Supporter
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Everything posted by monkie

  1. One of the best cars I ever had for just everyday running about in was a little 2004 Renault Clio 1.5dci. It was cheap to service, cheap to tax, cheap to insure couldn't manage to get it to do less than 60mpg. It was quite nippy and comfortable on longer runs.
  2. You could probably take any polical movement, push it to the extreme and come to the conclusion it is criminal. Even considering our lot of incompetent politicians here in the UK; when you take a look at what is happening in the world, we aren't doing too badly.
  3. I see, I was curious. How about some sort of eco camper (if there is such a thing, and it starts to steer the conversation back towards cars/vans)?
  4. What is it that you want to do but can't because of regulations?
  5. Agree, so you can only conclude from that that we are a really stupid species walking into a disaster of our own making. Continually making the wrong choices even though warnings are being given.
  6. I think, accelerated by the war in Ukraine and the damage we are continuing to do to our environment, our hand is forced if we like it or not. Sacrifices are going to be made one way or another as I see it. Either we choose which sacrifices we make and adjust or sacrifices will be forced upon us as a consequence of ignoring warnings.
  7. I agree totally with stopping as much plastic as possible getting into the oceans and also the ability to repurpose things rather than dumping them where ever possible is great and I think we should be doing this... But, do we not all agree that burning things is ultimately not sustainable in the long term? I don't think it is, which is why I wanted to highlight that statement. Surely as a species, we ultimately need to go down a path that leads to the ability to source our energy from not burning resources and releasing the waste poducts into the atmosphere?
  8. But that doesn't demonstrate that ICE is sustainable. Its proven again and again that extracting stuff from the ground and burning it is not sustainable. Even IF fuel were to be sourced from plastic, it is still ultimately coming from oil which is a finite resource. Yes EVs have their own issues to be addressed, but this is a completely separate question to the sustainability of ICE.
  9. How? Considering fuel has a lot of carbon associated with it before you even burn it and it is often sourced from politically unsavoury parts of the world?
  10. Yes, I did state when I mentioned a colleague in Sweden with an EV that you have to be careful comparing different countries with each other. My experiences and comments are limited to the UK. I have absolutely no idea what to infrastructure is like in your part of the world.
  11. Also as more and more people like me who are company car drivers switch to EVs will put a lot of higher mileage second hand ones in the market in 3 or 4 years which will help to drive down costs on the second hand market.
  12. Here's something else I might be wrong about... I think for a few years yet commercial vehicles that do need to tow heavy loads or carry bulky items will be diesel for the points you raise. But not cars / small vans.
  13. I'm not trying to be obtuse here or pick any arguments. I'm just trying to put my hand up and say I too held all these views and I would be the first to back you up just a week ago on all these points, until I actually gave an EV a proper go to gain some real world experience. I quickly realised I was completely wrong on all accounts. If for example I needed a long wheelbase transit van 1 day a year, I'd hire one for the day rather than keep one all year for the 99% of the time I didn't need it. Same with towing 3.5 tonnes. Stops on a 600 mile journey.... You'll be making them regardless for toilet, drinks, snacks and just a rest. An EV will be recharged before you are. Charging for hours is a misconception. You are not attempting to fill a battery from nearly empty to full as you would a tank of fuel. You just top it up as you take a quick break from the road. My current car, a petrol 2018 BMW is mostly controlled by a touch screen. The Tesla screen is just an extension of that replacing multiple knobs and switches. It is completely different to picking up a mobile phone and looking at it whilst driving. I admit the screen is alien at first and I didn't like it. My mind was changed before I left the M4 as everything you need is just one click away!
  14. I thought that, but in reality it's no different to glancing down. It is just a glance to your left.
  15. Because if you opt out of a company car scheme your company will give you the cash equivalent each month provided your car meets certain criteria such as must be less than 5 years old to qualify (a lease is an easy way to get a new/nearly new car). They add the cash equivalent to your monthly salary so it will be taxed at what ever % income tax your salary is taxed at. So you can enter a salary sacrifice scheme where you sacrifice the monthly value of a lease and don't pay the income tax. You will have to pay a BIK tax of you go for an ICE car. So if you get £700 a month allowance, you would be taxed at say 40% meaning you would only actually get £480 a month after tax. Instead if you lease an EV for £700 a month and sacrifice the £700 allowance you will not pay any tax on the £700.... I think (don't take your tax advice from me, consult a professional!)
  16. The whole flat screen thing in the Tesla model 3 was really alien to me at first and I didn't like it. However I very quickly got used to it and have come to like the uncluttered interior. Here's a pic of the dash of the model 3 I'm using at the minute. Not everyone's cup of tea, but then again most car interiors are an acquired taste.
  17. That is an interesting observation. One of my colleagues who has driven ICE Audis for a few years tested out a Q4 E-tron and said it was very basic and bland compared to the ICE equivalent. He opted for a spec-ed out Kia EV6 instead. Also, I guess people's view will differ. Do you want your EV to be familiar and built on what you know and trust from driving an ICE equivalent, or do you think that a car purpose designed as an EV with no ICE equivalent or evolutionary hang overs is the way for you? Personally I'm in the latter category, but it's subjective. I have have heard and seen some build quality issues with Tesla. I thought the model 3 I have got on loan has no quality issues, except for the damn drivers side floor mat keeps flapping about on the foot rest which is annoying...
  18. Yes, but this situation is rapidly changing. Both in terms of range available and the number of chargers being installed. I live rurally and I have not had an issue. I would have agreed with this point before I tried driving an EV.
  19. ^^^agree. Just to add (keeping in mind we are on a 4x4 forum)... To put this in perspective, a new Defender, Range Rover, Discovery are well beyond most people's means too. As they age they trickle down to the second hand market, a lot of us on here (I have a 1989 110) own older Land Rovers. As company car drivers like me ditch ICE and hybrids for EVs, in a few years time they will end up in the second hand market ever more trickling down to those who can't afford the new prices displacing ICE.
  20. I agree, but it is horses for courses. In reality, not many people tow 3.5 tonnes on a regular basis. Paying 70p a KWh is like filling up with premium diesel at a motorway service station. You do it if you have to, but not on a regular basis. Not having a home charger is absolutely not the barrier people seem to assume it is. I wouldn't be buying an EV (or any new car come to that) with my own money. I'm a company car driver for work. The days of driving round in a diesel car are going fast. The BIK tax and the fact that most companies now (like it or not) have to have sustainability policies to bid for public tenders mean it just makes sense to move quickly away from petrol and diesel. With a huge tax reduction and cheaper personal miles an EV is a no brainer. If you do personal leases, then it too makes sense to seriously look into getting an EV. If you buy secondhand cars more than 3 years old, then yes sticking with petrol or diesel is what you'll have to do.
  21. I've done some maths based on prices you can expect to pay right now. Assume you have a diesel car and pay £1.80 a litre for diesel and can achieve 45 miles a gallon. You will be paying about 18p a mile. (similar figure for a petrol car paying less per gallon but not achieving 45 mpg). An EV if you pay 60p a KWh at an expensive public charger and achieve 4 miles per KWh will cost you 15p a mile. But I think on balance you will be using a mix of home charging, free charging and expensive charging. Let's say is balances out at 30p a KWh, then it will cost you on average 7.5p a mile. Based on those figures, a 300 mile journey will cost you £54 in a petrol car or £22.50 in an EV. Obviously costs of electricity and petrol will be changing all the time.
  22. I think so. Also one of them (the Volvo owner) is Swedish, so I also appreciate that we must be careful comparing experiences in different countries as there will be differences. That said, they all do several hundred miles a day and will often have to stay over in hotels, some of which have EV charging facilities and some don't. All have said they will never go back to petrol, diesel or even hybrid.
  23. No. I have colleagues who have Hyundai's, Kia's, Volvo's and Audi's. All of whom do a lot of daily miles with no issues at all. For company car owners the tax benefits are massive. You can also lease an EV as a salary sacrifice with zero BIK tax. So this neutralises the cost argument if you use the car for your job.
  24. That has simply not been my experience at all over the past week doing motorway miles. You can even see what chargers are available before you arrive. I work to tight deadlines and have to be in places for appointments at specific times. I have not had any issue whatsoever in making any of my deadlines. ... And this has all been with no home charger, so totally reliant on chargers out and about. Honestly, my experiences have shown me that there are so many myths and misperceptions out there.
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