I've seen yet another interview with the "green lobby" where it was stated that electric cars will benefit the pockets of those owning one because they will be much cheaper to run (than petrol/diesel). One of the benefits of the green economy in 2035 to 2050.
Do these people really believe that the government are going to give up the income from fuel tax and not impose the equivalent on newer technology once the take up starts hitting the government coffers?
They believe anything GreenCentral? tells them
Even if the electricity was taxed the same per joule as petrol and diesel, and road tax was the same, they would still win:
- electric cars are more efficient at turning source energy into motion. In petrol terms they're equivalent to ~100mpg (100mpg = 0.3kWh/mile)[1]
- electric cars require less servicing - no oil changes, oil filters, air filters, spark plugs, clutches, timing belts, DPFs, exhausts, etc etc.
So yes, they are cheaper to run.
Theo
[1]
Exactly the same as happened with diesel.
That's because electric energy is low entropy like mechanical energy. A well designed electric motor should be nearly 100% efficient, the difference being heat loss. Whether the overall efficiency is more than internal combustion depends of how efficient the electric generation is and any losses in the power lines and chargers. Cost is an entirely different matter as power costs are artificial.
Modern ICE cars require very little servicing if they're treated well; in fact, since I started driving cars in 1974, my cars required very little. And EV batteries are expensive to replace.
And a huge amount of service costs on older vehicles are things like window regulator mechanisms, door locks, tyres, brakes electronics of one sort or another...common to BEVS as well
Of course they believe it. It's part of the religion. Like all things green, the true costs are glossed over or ignored, like the cost of providing back-up generation for renewables, or in the case of EVs, the cost of replacing the battery every few years.
But the brakes on an EV are scarcely used. As they use regenerative braking most of the time brake components last far longer that in ICE vehicles. After 12,000 miles I?m enjoying not having my alloys covered in brake dust.
Tim
Except for a £2000 replacement for an inverter.
What's they?
door locks,
Never had probs > tyres,
True of both car types.
brakes electronics of
Electronic brakes? Whatever next?
common to BEVS as well
>
Don't know - and dread to think. My best guess is that the government will try to tax electricity used for vehicle charging to more or less replace the income lost from fuel tax. This would be very gradual - ICE vehicles aren't going anywhere in a hurry.
How are they going to know? It would involve retrofitting meters to all the existing home charge points in existence. I could get by just plugging my car into a 13amp socket if I needed to.
Tim
£500 added to your annual council tax if you have a home charging point? £x tax per unit for public charging points.
Road pricing?
Road fund tax increased on all electric vehicles to, say. £700 per annum (you will not have the choice of an alternative _new_ car if manufacturers are not producing ICE vehicles)?
Extra sales tax on both new and used vehicles.
Which would push more people towards a less safe charging method (eg, a 13 amp socket).
All those are possible/probable.
Tim
which are never serviced because apart from changing brake fluid there is nothing serviceable. You invoice might shaoe some bullshit entries like "oil flush treatment" but absolutely nothing will have been done. Got this info from my retired MOT-tester/garage owner. spraying some spray grease on the door lock strikers takes 30 seconds. Whoopee.
The downside is your disks will acquire more surface rust which will affect the life of pads and disks through lack of use. This will come back to bite you at 3 years when an MOT is due.
EV's (and hybrids) have items that normal IC cars don't have, such as the cooling system for the battery and power electronics.
Err, that's what smart meters will be able do. Just another software upgrade, which SMETS2 meters should be capable of.
Zoe's, and all VW MEB platform vehicles (Audi Q4, Skoda Enyaq, VW ID3, ID4 and Cupra Born etc have rear drums to mitigate the lack-of-use problems. They all have rear wheel drive/regen braking.
Drums are a pain to service. The automatic adjusters are a weak link. The seals on the pistons seem to be a lot less reliable than the piston seals on a caliper.
Fine if you treat them like 'throwaway cars' and never keep them more than 7 years-ish
+1 A garage local to me lists all the things they will do on a service. They have different levels of service, each with a different cost.
Apart from oil and filter changes most of what they list as extra on the more expensive service are somewhat minor... check washer fluid level ... check operation of interior lights ... lubricate hinges/locks ... check mirrors ... check door locking etc. Many of the "extra" visual checks are probably covered cheaper with a MOT - a service they also provide.
The true running cost (including their green credentials) of a EV vehicles may not be known until a significant number appear on the "used car" market after, say, 10 years use.
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required