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If you lot are right. Why are all the main car manufacturers spending billions on developing electric cars?
I don’t think electric cars are the solution but I think they will be a common sight on our roads for many years to come. Obviously many people will more information than we have think the same thing, otherwise they wouldn’t be investing.
Put simply it’s been forced on them. They are having to meet strict guidelines on the emissions they’re vehicle ranges emit.
By having a ‘zero emission’ vehicle in they’re range it offsets some other vehicles that are seen as ‘less clean’.
The zero emission title is a misnomer as there is no such vehicle, other than a bicycle (if you don’t include the co2 and methane emitted by the rider). The power has to be produced by a power station so you are just taking the problem of emissions from it’s source and taking it elsewhere.
I think it’s best to say we all have different view points and to leave it at that.
They are being forced to do it to meet future emission requirements.
BMW are taken the view that BEVs are being developed due to regulatory requirements, rather than consumer demand:
Continental are saying much the same thing, noting that EVs are needed for car makers to avoid tax penalties
With BEV, you will either have an enormously high turnover of technology, rendering models obsolate, and worthless, after just a few years, or, at most, 3-4 model cycles before they are replaced by something else. Thats not enough to see a complete turnover of ICE cars, so there will still be petrol cars on the road by the time a successor to BEV comes along.
My own green credentials; I spent the first quarter of my career successfully identifying the missing link in James Lovelock’s CLAW Hypothesis, leading to successful attempts to demonstrate the late John Martin’s CO2 fixation theory, the so-called Geritol Climate Engineering idea. After that, I spent 5-10 years in microbial ecology, then seqwayed for 10 years in biological warfare defence R&D, culminating in the LRT deployment.
Makes me wonder why jaguar are planning an electric xj.They have the I pace,who’s sale figures are poor surely smaller lighter electric vehicles are the best way forward.Electric could be totally radical designs,lighter,batteries that can be swapped for charge batteries.vehicles that weigh 2 tonnes are ridiculous.
Their plans include adding a petrol variant during mid-life. I suspect they are hoping to get a USP over BMW and Mercedes; most of the XJs seem at times to be sitting outside the merchant banks opposite my office these days.
I-Pace has only been on sale for a few and already its pulled 50% market share from the Tesla X.
Jaguar’s ambitions might be tied in with their bid to buy out Addison-Lee from Carlyle. Addison-Lee is a London minicab firm. Why is Jaguar wanting to spend £300m on a cab company? The same reason why Mercedes and BMW have invested in car clubs.
I think cars like the Jaguar I pace and even the BMW i3 were more statements than anything else, they wanted to show the world that they can create a good electric car that works and is fun the drive. But they knew that the price and the short range that they were never going to sell many of them, they are niche cars. You could even include the Tesla model S and X with that.
The Nissan Leaf and the Tesla model 3 are serious propositions. They are an affordable everyday car that will easily do 100k miles or more on the original battery.
In Leeds I frequent see leafs and old model S taxi’s. If taxi drivers can rely on them to make their living then they are totally suitable for most journeys that people make.
There isn’t a single solution for the energy to power cars, everyone knows that. Electric cars will find their place.
BMW have it pretty much well summed up, there is simply no demand.
Cabbies also depend on creaky old PSA van conversions. Doesn’t mean I should buy one as my next ride.
Phew, a Nissan can do 100k on a battery. That 400k Mazda is getting worried.
Tesla Model 3. From £41,550. Apparently that’s affordable in Leeds. Things are better off up North than I thought.
BMW i3. From £34,445. Apparently that’s BMW not being serious, and its a niche car no one is going to buy…
BTW, you might have noticed London is full of shiney new Chinese electric cabs. Eventually the used ones will end up in Leeds, with that scratched up perspex-mesh wall that stops the passengers from attacking the driver on a bad saturday night. The ones that have a sign warning the passengers from soiling the seats.
So when are you converting your MX5 with junkyard Tesla mechanics?
The model 3 is competitively priced in it’s class. In many tests, it’s come top of it’s.class. it’s an option for BMW 3 series and Audi A4 buyers.
I have an open mind, my model 3 performance version is on order, it won’t be replacing my mx 5.
Life is good in Leeds, we say hello to each other.
For information and a partial response to SAZ’s post. Leeds has a perfectly acceptable HACKNEY carriage licensed operation which is not predominantly ex London black cabs. In fact we have very few black cabs at all, we have black and whites operating in that sector. To ‘infer’, that in Leeds, we will be buying up the used fleet of London cabs speaks volumes about misconceived views held by certain folk. I, obviously live in Leeds, I don’t knock ‘southerners’ though, why should I? But I will defend my status as a Leeds Loiner. Anyway, I digress and I hope that this thread gets back in track ASAP
Barrie
Convinced by the “pro” arguments here and elsewhere, we recently bought a small EV for a family member who only does short trips in the local area.
He says it’s great but would really have preferred the Batman version.
You’ve got to smile
Barrie
even with everything that has been said on here, I would still have one for my daily drive if I had the choice (work won’t let me have one)
I regularly do 200-mile journeys but would not have an issue stopping to recharge
I don’t see it as being green or saving the planet I see it that we are going to run out sooner or later of petrol and i would rather save that for my 5 
plus i would make a shit load of money on my expenses
An interesting thread this one. Often going off piste subject-wise, and as usual with any discussion between human beings, occasionally getting fractious along the way, but a good read anyway.
The common consensus seems to be that even the motor manufacturers are not particularly interested in developing electric cars, and only do so for tax reasons. In my opinion, battery technology has not advanced enough to make it a truly viable proposition, so to answer the original poster’s question - no I would not be interested in buying one. Probably too much of a dinosaur anyway !
Those tax and emissions reasons don’t stack up. Why are the main manufacturers still continuing to invest?
Why is Mr Dyson investing £2 billion into his new electric car company? So he can write that money off as R and D? Don’t think so.
Sales in the UK are stagnating because of the uncertain times that we are in. In most other countries they are on the up.
It’s another type of vehicle for enthusiasts to enjoy. I like driving my mx 5, I like driving my diesel land rover off road, I like driving my Nissan leaf in the city, I like riding my mountain bike, I know I’m going to love the Tesla model 3. They all offer a different experience.
Chris, many would say the Nissan leaf is for the more mature driver.
Best of luck and I hope you have a very understanding employer, as you waste time looking for a re-charge point that is not occupied and is working and then sit around while you charge.
My mate in his i3 does make a fortune on his expenses but also has an engine to charge the batteries
The crappy Eurocab that collected me from Leeds Station was minging inside. It might have been an ex London, Edinburgh, Belfast etc cab, or maybe its been in Leeds all that while. A lot of the privincial towns are like that. A Leicester mini-cab firm was found to be still running a 1972 Avenger. My local cabs (Bedfordhire) are certainy ex-Edinburgh, because they say so down the side.
For sale in China, hence built in Singapore.
But business men aren’t infallible; look at Mr Art of the Deal Trump; lost billions in sure fire gambling ventures. Clive Sinclair; he thought the C5 was going to change the world.
Jaguar; billions invested in a diesel plant just as diesel sales fell off a cliff.
Someone making hoovers might find that making cars isn’t easy. Musk found this out with his cup and ball car company.