EVs

[Oma]

As you know we bought a electric car and so far it’s been great ,
We get good mileage on it
We had a charge point fitted to the house so it can be plugged in there and it’s cheap but there is a problem with the battery not getting full power quick as it should so it has to go in for a replacement next month .

At the top of our estate there is 8 quick charging points and they get very busy , first thing on a morning it’s all the DPD vans then a steady stream of cars , so they are very popular,

We we’re reading though that although there are hundreds of charging points around the country , Stations who have them are reporting they are not getting the required power, the power grids are not set up for them, and there has been reports of only certain points working.

Luckily we haven’t had to try them
When we went away last month the hotel we stayed in had charging points and we used them before we come home.

What puzzles me is the government want us all Electric by 2030
That is never going to happen if they can’t sort supply out .
People with electric cars will revert back to petrol or Diesel if they continue having trouble charging them.

We are lucky to be able to have a charger right next to the car so it doesn’t interfere with pathways etc but people who live in flats or people without drives have to take the chargers across paths etc ,
Accidents waiting to happen I think .

The infrastructure needs to be upgraded quickly if the government wants to hit targets but I think they are being unrealistic about this.
plus there are people who are adamant they don’t want Electric cars my DD is one of them,
She loves her Dads car but doesn’t want one.

[Daisy]

Oma, that makes interesting reading. We've often talked about how the National Grid would cope if people do switch to EV wholesale. I think the short answer is - it won't be able to meet demand.

Quite a few of our friends are saying how heavy EVs are ( around 200-300kg more than petrol) and how there will be so much more wear on our already potholed roads. Also (very scary) multi-story car parks built in the 60s and 70s aren't built to carry that sort of weight. Tyres will wear out more quickly, and how do you dispose of the batteries when the car reaches the end of its life.

I really don't know how enough charging points are going to be made available for those without their own charging point, or how much time people will have to spend recharging on a very long journey.

Another accident waiting to happen is the fact you can't hear them when you're crossing the road. Eva and I had a narrow escape a couple of weeks ago when an electric car came speeding round a corner on the wrong side of the road.

There are a lot of problems, but on the other hand we need to cut down on fossil fuel use and pollution.

[Oma]

We have a button to turn noise on Daisy so people can hear us, but yes they are scarily quiet.
I find it a bit bizarre when hearing them reverse its not the usual beeping sound it's a sort of Metalic thunk like when they use the pile drivers on metal supports on building sites .
B loves it but although I like it and it's very comfy ride I'm still not 100% convinced .

I do think there is a long way to go yet but i suppose progress throughout the ages has had stumbling blocks till new things were the norm.

[Plantaholic]

Electric cars must be lovely to ride in but I worry about the fact that they are so silent pedestrians are at risk of not hearing them coming. Also, why didn’t they worry about all the batteries needing to be disposed of. I hope you can get your charging point sorted Oma

[Lizzie48]

Friends of mine have one, it has been called back to the garage 3 times already and now has to go in again, as soon as possible it said in the letter, the friend phoned the garage, 25th September! The problem is that the car could just stop whilst moving, which wouldn't be handy if you are on the motorway, or any road come to that.

There have also been quite a few fires with them here. As for the travelling, this isn't such a big country so there seem to be enough charging points, I have heard that it you travel to France etc you could have a very long wait to get charged. I can see in the UK that it will be a problem.

The same with living in an apartment or block, how can everyone get their car charged?

I did read, another story, about sun panels, it is going to be very difficult when they have to be replaced, I agree with you Plant, the same as batteries etc.

[Oma]

Plant
it’s the car battery that’s faulted but they are changing it , will take two days as it has to be in a special unit they can’t just use normal garage bay apparently.

Lizzie
I heard about other makes being recalled, thankfully so far Nissan is not included.

[Nanto2girls]

Hubby has always said there isn't enough charging points.
Other than that,he hasn't really commented much about electric cars.

[Daisy]

Someone I know recently had a problem. They couldn't get into their electric car at all. Eventually they managed to get the tailgate open and were able to crawl through to the inside. Although the battery was charged it seems they don't use it often enough to keep the charge on (I think) the locking mechanism. They're going back to a petrol car now.

[Gemini]

I would worry about running out of power on journeys if we had one.

The silence of them bothers me too! It's quite alarming I think.