Listening to the news and in particular news about energy prices going up or rather remaining up it made me consider what is the impact on EVs.

So EVs are:
1. expensive to buy
2. Need charging facilities (? at home) though charging infrastructure not in place for street houses such as terraces
3.Not suitable for those who like to tinker with their vehicles to keep servicing costs down
4.Now average utility bills are expected to increase by around £600 per year per household so using electricity to charge the EV may increase your perception of being conned by conglomerate electricity companies who love the fact that even the government is backing EVs so their profits will become obscene.

Therefor i conclude that you need to sell your soul to obtain one and keep it running which leads me to believe only the well heeled can afford them

Anyway as a non environmental extinction rebel I'm off the light the log burner to smoke out the locals

The Gov wants people to drive less - pricing people out is one way to do it. Jules

Given how much tax we pay on diesel and petrol, it does make you wonder if the “energy crisis” is real or is being created to serve a purpose (extra tax to replace fuel duty?). I still haven’t heard a plausible explanation as to why it is suddenly so much more expensive to buy gas and/or electric. Unprecedented demand post COVID sounds a little lame to me. Production of most goods is lower now than pre-COVID levels due to supply chain problems. Given successive governments have been warned that there would be a potential energy shortage in this country, why can’t our politicians plan and invest for the future?

Current cautious optimism that the flipping of supply vs demand should be kicking in on wholesale markets soon(tm), which will see its way to the pumps.... possibly.

https://www.iea.org/reports/oil-market-report-december-2021

Global oil price for the last 12 months on the chart below. Note that's global, not UK - everyone is feeling this squeeze.

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It's really simple, the Russians increased the price of gas to the west in a fit of pique, everyone else upped their prices to either cash in or couldn't supply the demand so spot prices increased, if the demand is high the freight costs would go high as charter prices for gas tankers increase, we don't produce enough gas, most power stations run on gas, the rest oil or nuclear which are both high at the present.
Just to create another problem the wind has either been too strong (gales) or no wind to run wind generators and even now wind power is expensive due to capital costs, the Green Tarff covers the the reduction in retail price for customers, so though you don't pay full price for electric power on paper, you do via the Green Tariff
Nuclear power is cheap but de-commissioning costs are high and we haven't built a nuclear power station for decades due to the Green and anti nuclear lobby, if we had done 25 years ago we wouldn't have a problem now, but successive governments preferred not challenge the lobby.
So basically the Wilson and Callaghan governments killed the nuclear and the lead time for the Thatcher government if they did plan was either if they did, would or was cancelled by the Blair government, so they were too expensive and we had lost the lead and skill to design them economically except for PWR reactors ( known as submarine reactors) which Rolls Royce have now proposed and submitted proposals for contract. These are a problem as they need to be built near a plentiful supply of unrestricted water, so a big river if inland and a non eroding coast by the sea not likely to be flooded due to global warming.
So nothing is that simple to avoid high prices, but the explanation of high prices is simple and there is no cash due to Covid to subsidise the prices
When I worked in the oil industry some 25 years ago the break even price of North Sea Oil was $65/ barrel my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

Thank you for that detailed reply Dartman👍Makes a little more sense. Some of the Scandinavian countries invested their oil and gas revenues into sustainable energy and infrastructure for the future though. The UK wasted theirs on pet projects and nonsense. Quite a few people also got very rich!!

Quote:

Anyway as a non environmental extinction rebel I'm off the light the log burner to smoke out the locals

And I'm sure Russian will use their gas supply to apply pressure to Nato/Europe to stay out of any conflict in Ukraine.
If you dance with the devil... Jules

Bobupndown wrote:

Quote:

Anyway as a non environmental extinction rebel I'm off the light the log burner to smoke out the locals

Love it!
Makes me want to buy a V8 before they are made illegal.

I can heartily recommend the 2010 onwards XK-R for that. Pull fuse 19 in the rear fusebox (behind a pull out panel between the two rear..... seats? They're sort of seat shaped, only smaller) to keep the active exhaust open at all times. Sounds like a cross between the blitz and the Norse God of Thunder vomiting blood into a kettle.

Here's my old bus. I do miss it.

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 Current driveway contents:
2021 V60 Cross Country B5
2009 FL2 dog bus and shooting wagon

On Order: 2023 Fisker Ocean Ultra - deposit paid.

Agreed Nodosh, can't be bettered as an all round grand tourer with a sporty flavour. Here's mine:




Sharing a garage with my i6, I can enjoy either the V8 or straight 6, each performing different roles, both doing so rather well, I feel!

Thank you JLR!

Tim

Seven yrs ago I invested in a Solar panel array 14 panels these are conected to a I boost which heats the water in the cylinder via the emmersion heater few hours of sun and we have a tank of hot water most other things on in the house fridge freezer Etc are also being powered by the Solar panels, whilst the sun is out I am using almost ZERO electric off the grid what I dont use gets fed back in and I get about £700 a year back from the energy Co.

In the evenings during winter I get the Wood burner going so dont have the heating on either, wood is renewable energy as is the Sun.

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Will you two stop it - wayyy too jealous. Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

I'll open up to being an EV driver.

We currently have a 2010 Freelander, a 1999 Mazda Bongo and a 2021 Hyundai Ioniq EV.

I've got plenty to tinker with, with the other vehicles.

My main reason for going electric was cost. I don't do much mileage but need a relatively reliable and modern car for work purposes. I do about 7000 miles per year and my current 'fuel' bill is about £50 per year. However I've switched various appliances to use the cheap EV hours of electric, so at the moment I'm actually saving money compared to my electric bill before going to an EV.

Other than that I pay just over £200 per month for the car in a lease but I don't have any depreciation.

So it ends up not being that expensive. If I buy a 3 year old car then I will lose as much in depreciation and fuel.

I couldn't be happier to be honest.

There are plenty of people who would financially benefit from an EV if only they had somewhere to charge it.
I think that's the point of the original post.

If you have a driveway and somewhere to park a couple of cars, then it can make sense for one of them to be electric. But if you have a house with a driveway big enough for a couple of cars, and can afford one of them to be relatively new, then you are likely to be comfortable rather than struggling.

Granted I wouldn't have an EV given me, this is the guy who when the company said that his next company car was a BMW handed in his notice - so I definitely wouldn't have a BMW given me either.
A car is not merely a means of transport, it is an art form, it is a sanctuary, it is a soundtrack for the soul - possibly biased. Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

Rommel wrote:

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Do you live on Land Rover cul de sac??? Looks to be one or more on every drive