The Suoercharger network isn't everywhere, but I'm sure there will be some kind of standard chargers in number between Bristol and Lands End!

I've just been looking at chargescotland.org - there's hundreds of the things!

That's if an empty parking spot is available next to the charger.

Range anxiety is absolutely no concern for ICE in the UK - there is a fuel station in almost every town, some villages, on all motorways etc etc.

Contrast with TESLA superchargers - in the south-west there is apparently 2 (yes 2!!) between Bristol and Lands End.

So how come I've been in cars with drivers who suddenly notice the fuel warning light is on and the gauge is reading 'E' when they're 10 miles from the next service area on the motorway? I can't remember running low on a motorway myself, when I've been driving, but some people do.

You can charge Teslas on other chargers if need be - I once knew someone who would only buy petrol at a Shell service station!

All the talk about range is irrelevant when it's really cold weather. Divide by two and drive without heating and you might get there...

Even if the range is halved in very cold weather, which is a worst-case scenario, your EV would still be cheaper to run than an equivalent petrol or diesel car.

It may not be quite as much as halved, but the point is still well made.

That's why I'm thinking of a PHEV rather than an EV for my next car. I regularly do a 200-mile round trip and the last thing I'd want on a cold wet winter night is range anxiety.

But no doubt batteries will improve in time, as they have already. When the Leaf first came out, a 300-mile maximum range was a pipe-dream.

Edited by Avant on 20/07/2020 at 12:28

I rarely do 200 mile journeys. We always have my wife's ICE car if need be.

Of the many (and I do mean many) YouTube videos I've watched, battery conditioning is now a standard, meaning there's no longer such a significant loss of range in cold weather. As Avant says, things have come on a long way since the first Leaf.

The capital outlay isn't so much of an issue for me as I'm looking at a salary sacrifice lease. BIK changes mean, at the moment, I can lease a Tesla Model 3, a Polestar 2, a Mercedes EQC or an Audi e-tron for roughly the same monthly cost as a diesel VW Passat.

Well Mr DieselBoy, it's what we call a no brainer. Simply choose a manufacturer that has an exemplary reputation for reliability and uses well proven technology and NOT a flashy start up company that churns out its BEVs with poor paintwork, poor fit and finish, and only a laptop sized touch screen to monitor and control most of your essential driving functions! Additionally, it is indeed a privilege to have a company car. I enjoyed the convenience of company cars with two employers over an 8 year period until I joined the public sector as a Technical Specialst in Telecommunications, but luckily the job was based in London and so I was able to commute on the train from wildest Essex and as a family, we 'downsized' from a top of the range Mondeo company car to a modest Honda Civic 1.4i Hatchback that served us faultlessly for over 10 years and 105,000 miles before trading it in for an 'even better' Hyundai 1.25 litre i20 under a very generous govt scrappage scheme. Enjoy.

Edited by Firmbutfair on 20/07/2020 at 08:36

I'll wait - early EVs will be worthless in the next 5 years as technology advances.()Who wants to buy a 2005 Toyota Prius?)

Quite a few people. The residuals on Prius are very high, even the old ones with 300k ex-taxi miles on the clock. Th residuals on Teslas are class leading as well.

A 2005 Prius with 180-200k on the clock is worth £2k all day long - trying getting that for a 2005 200k Focus petrol.

I'll wait - early EVs will be worthless in the next 5 years as technology advances.

There's no sign of that at present - early Renault Zoe's are expensive when the battery lease cost is added, Nissan Leaf's aren't cheap and even Citroen C-zero/Peugeot Ion's are silly money compared to similar sized/aged cars.

I'm looking for an older small city car for my short journeys, to reduce my carbon footprint by not using a big diesel SUV - but EV's are 2-3 time the price of an IC car.

Well, the trigger has been pulled, so to speak.

My Octavia VRS has gone, courtesy of WBAC. An order has gone in for a Tesla Model 3 SR+ in blue. Currently the leasing site shows as 'On Order' and quotes a lead time of 14 weeks from signing the documentation. However, they also say it could be sooner that that as Tesla don't build to order, rather they match vehicles to orders.

In the meantime I've borrowed a car off a friend. If it turns out to be 14 weeks, I can get a 'Stopgap' car from the leasing company.

I don't mind saying, I'm excited.

Well the Model 3 certainly seems to be one of the 'must have' cars of the moment. For the most part, it recieves nothing but praise from the motoring press, but it will be interesting to hear how an actual owner, in the real world, finds it!

As I'm no longer able to do any jobs on the car myself, I employ a valeter on a regular basis - he was commenting that one of his other regular customers has a Tesla Model X which he valets, but when it goes for repair, which is regularly, they give him a Model 3 courtesy car and my valeter commented how badly built it was, plenty of swirls and runs in the paintwork as well as uneven panel gaps.

Edited by RT on 27/08/2020 at 19:56