OT EVs (I know it is done to death but coming from another angle).....

"****, he's got a point, how can I respond without losing face?"

 

Because they encourage people to disengage their brain while driving.

Because they assist people to do things they shouldn't be doing while driving, e.g. using a mobile phone.

Because I want to be 100% in control of my car. I don't want it to do my thinking for me. I don't even like having windscreen wipers or headlights set on "Auto".

But also, if I'm being honest, I'm a tight-fisted Yorkshireman who hates paying over the odds for over-spec'd cars. Heated seats? Parking sensors?* Just put a coat on and use your eyes.

* I know of three people who have managed to scrape their cars whilst manoeuvring in and out of car parks, despite having parking sensors.

 

Bum warmers, most important gadget ever. Fact.

 

My last 2 or 3 vehicles have had speed limiters on them. Actually very useful when you go through average speed camera sections.

Unless the legislation has changed, I thought it was mandatory to have a speed limiter on new builds from July... not that they are applied to your vehicle by default or that you are unable to override it.

 

I have cruise control which does exactly the same job but can be overridden or even cancelled if necessary . Don't know the new rules re speed limiters but seems pretty pointless if you can override them at any time.

 

I must admit, I am not keen on a lot of these new things. It does allow complacency to potentially creep in. I will only use cruise control for example when the motorway is almost empty.

 

I'm guessing they are able to be overridden because of your initial point, that sometimes you need power and speed to get out of a problem (say someone moving lanes without realising you're there) and to not have that ability would be dangerous.

 

In my defence, I did open with "I'm something of a dinosaur...".

 

I've never used cruise control, even though the majority of journeys I do are lengthy and mostly on motorways. The speed limiter, I have used a fair bit when going through long stretches of motorway roadworks, and as for lane assist, I think thats as bright an idea as getting rid of hard shoulders!

 

Blimey! No heated seats... Leather seats in the winter here without heated seats plus my wife as a passenger,,, No rear parking sensors and letting my wife take the car Seriously she is fine going forwards but spacial awareness really isn't her strong point.
That said some vehicles e.g. saloons with boots and poor rear visibility RPSs enable you to get into spaces with less judgement required but in most hatchbacks particularly mine where the rear is virtually vertical from the rear window down it isn't really needed. That said the sensor has sounded when I was reversing in a unlit car park (field at a fair) and there was a foot high tree stump hidden in the grass that would have caused a dent.

 

Never used cruise control in UK -apart from 50mph roadworks
too much stoppy starty traffic but here in Italy on the Autostrada with lighter traffic on a five hour drive to Milan or three hours to Rome it's a Godsend.

 

I looked into it recently as I too had no clue that was the general cost! As you say, people can spend their money on whatever they choose and however they choose, but I couldn't justify £500 per month on a car, especially on one that you don't actually own, the leasing company dictates how many miles you can cover per year and, in the case of my colleague's experience, pick up on every single 'flaw' (i.e. general wear and tear) when you hand it back in exchange for a newer model (they also have a buy-out clause, which is usually around 10k so most people just upgrade and keep paying the hundreds per month) and charge you extra for said 'flaws.'

I liked the idea of a BMW, but when I saw the pricing and factored in that I would only use it sporadically anyway, I weighed it up and decided I'd rather save the extra £500 towards the future. I think this EV narrative that I'm seeing is really wrong and discriminates against the poorest in society, and those people who prefer to buy their car outright and don't want a £500 lump sum expenditure per month. I think it will make it unaffordable for a lot of people, and I think that's their ultimate goal: a car will be seen as a 'luxury', and those that can afford it can pat themselves on the back because at least they drive an 'EV'. I don't even think they are that great for the environment, but there we go, my opinion. Those that currently pay hundreds per month will likely get an early incentive deal so they can switch to an EV and it will all seem marvelous for them, while those that don't want to or can't afford it will have to scrap their car (either because petrol/diesel cars will be banned or taxed through the roof) and make do with taking the bus or overpriced trains in their dystopian smart cities.

 

Most people don't buy cars new, EV or ICE. Within a few years there will be a vast and healthy second hand market fill of EVs at the kind of prices and age that most people buy, just like there are with ICE cars now.

 

I find the speed limiter to be essential for just those kind of scenarios - every time you enter a camera controlled section, set the limiter and it avoids having to spend half the time staring at the speedo.

Never use the cruise control.

 

It used to be. Now it's a heated steering wheel. Mmmm, lovely.

 

I think it will be a long time before we see second-hand EVs around the £2,000 mark, which is what we have now with old cars. I can see them hovering around the 10-20k mark for some time, especially as they will still be relatively new with low mileage.

 

The one I hate is the lane keep assist. Fine when on a motorway, that was I think the intention as to when to use it when it was first introduced. Nowadays, to get the tick in the NCAP safety rating box, it needs to be automatically engaged every time the car is turned on. It's part of my start up routine every time to turn it off. On minor roads, its positivily dangerous.

 

Just picking up on the latter part of your post. We're essentially in the world of market forces. We're beyond early adoption, but we're nowhere near critical mass and the infrastructure just isn't in place either. The upshot is that costs are going to be higher than later in the cycle. You've also got very fragmented subsidy, and as I understand it, most subsidy has been pulled or limited.

That's a government policy choice, and sadly just adds to their disjointed approach to transition.

I also believe that traditional vehicles will be allowed beyond the 2030 date, you just won't be able to buy a brand new one, it will be an EV or equivalent. I wouldn't be surprised to see a buoyant second hand market that runs well beyond 2030.

As for are EVs better for the environment. Compared with a petrol/diesel car. Absolutely yes. But as with everything mankind does, it evades the elephant in the room of all aspects of the vehicle that pollute, and in particular, the destruction and pollution that has occurred to get the vehicle on the road in the first place. But sadly this is where the world is at the moment, pretending to be net zero when in actual fact, when all things are accounted for, are nowhere near and are unlikely to be for a long time.

 

Yes, it will be a while before they get that low. But I expect that the number of people for whom their max budget for a car is 2k is fairly low. That is proper banger territory.

On the plus side, when they do get that low, apart from the degradation that the battery is showing, they should be more reliable that an equivalent 2k banger petrol car with all the issues they bring from their thousands of worn out moving parts. I wouldn't trust a 2k petrol car to see the year out myself.