Drivers and petrol - tea shop

Simon E wrote:

That has always been the case but people are so blasé about the cost. Far easier to moan about fuel being £1.60/litre than doing something constructive about the amount of it they use.

As witnessed by the number of drivers who leave their engines idling when they are parked to keep the car warm/cool when the weather is cold/hot. This alone proves that car fuel is too cheap.

How many years is it now that the car fuel price escalator that used to ratchet up the cost of petrol/diesel every budget has been zero? 

David9694 wrote:

In 6 months' time, the cost of fuelling EVs will likely have doubled from what it is now - are you sure about that? 

https://insights.leaseplan.co.uk/electric-vehicles/ev-news/electric-vehi...

these figures are slightly out of date te 3p/mile is probably now 4p/mile, but even doubled to 8p/mile this is far cheaper than a desiel engine at £1.50/l or 16p per mile. (42mpg) anyone looking for an evan is most likely doing short trips around twon between jobs, rather than transporting goods long distances. these trips are where electric is most efficient and ICE is least efficient

E vehicles also need less maintenance, being just electric motors and brakes. The only reason to shy away from them is if you routinely do journeys beyond the range of the vehicle or you have nowhere off road where you can charge your vehicle at night. or if the up front cost is too high.

I think the point though is that the 'golden age' of super cheap electric motoring is coming to an end.

Energy prices are set to double again by the end of the year, which will bring mileage costs up to 9p a mile - but that's assuming that the cheaper night charging tariffs remain. I can't see that being the case as more people make the switch. As demand increases so will the price.

Oh, and electric vehicles are paying excise duty as of this / next year, so that little win has gone out the window too.

But then there is also the issue with the batteries. These are currently good for a claimed 80000 miles. Now applying the same rule of thumb that all charge times / battery life etc. every claimed for an electric product is based on optimum conditions, I'm guessing that 80,000 miles is based on super economical driving, in warm weather only, and careful, optimised charging (no quick charges). In the real world, just like you struggle to get the quoted range possible on a charge, you're probably not going to get 80000 out of those batteries. Or more accurately, you are not getting anything like the advertised range on these vehicles for anything like 80000 miles.

I'd love EV's to be the answer, but I'm currently very cynical. 

I think it will be interesting and separate the wheat from the chaff. 

Teslas have some of the oldest batteries still running and they are showing 100k before losing 10%. 
Others with less experience Im not so sure about. 

"Energy prices are set to double again by the end of the year, which will bring mileage costs up to 9p a mile - but that's assuming that the cheaper night charging tariffs remain."

But with oil prices also increasing it will always be cheaper per mile. If electric goes from 4p/mile to 8p/mile  but diesel goes from 16p/mile to 20p/mile there is still the same p/mile saving which still funds the more expensive capital cost.