Why are people buying electric cars?

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ancient_mariner said:
While I do believe you about winning awards, aesthetically this is deeply unattractive, and is one of a number of recent designs that makes me wonder what they were thinking.
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That's your personal opinion and you're welcome to it.

Personally I think this is a load of **** but it hangs in the Louvre so somebody must like it.

artlouv.jpg
 
Steep said:
That's your personal opinion and you're welcome to it.

Personally I think this is a load of **** but it hangs in the Louvre so somebody must like it.

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That's art, which has very little to do with aesthetics. But fit it with a battery and motor and I'm sure someone will fall in love. ;)
 
And if they did it would be personal preference. You seem to think a thing has to be ugly (or lacking in aesthietical value) for everyone just because you believe it to be.
 
Steep said:
And if they did it would be personal preference. You seem to think a thing has to be ugly (or lacking in aesthietical value) for everyone just because you believe it to be.
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In my final comment I've actually suggested that some will love something that you and I perceive to be ugly, if presented in the right way. That's kind of the opposite of what you're reading into my comment.

Out of interest, did that original electric BMW sell well? I've seen a few around - probably more than the Nissan Leaf - but not a lot.
 
The last car I owned that I considered attractive was a Citroen CX
1000038324.jpg

Everything else has been tolerable or inoffensive, often a bit dull or sometimes quirky. If necessary I could live with a car that I found un-attractive, but would not particularly wish to.
 
It was passing a couple of XFs every time I walked down the hill while unable to drive and saying to myself "That's a good looking car!" followed by an examination of finances and the realisation that shrouds have no pockets that saw me researching them and ending up with them. Mrs Nod's iPace bears a family resemblance and is one of the better looking EVs (and far prettier than the hybrid offerings from Jaguar!)

Almost bought a CX but its suspension failed the day before I went to look at it and the potential for further failures was looking expensive.
 
ancient_mariner said:
The last car I owned that I considered attractive was a Citroen CX
View attachment 460782

Everything else has been tolerable or inoffensive, often a bit dull or sometimes quirky. If necessary I could live with a car that I found un-attractive, but would not particularly wish to.
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My brother in law ran one of those as a company car, when he managed a bank branch.

He was made redundant and the car was included in his (very generous) settlement. Unfortunately, a year or so later someone, possibly mislead by the Citroen into thinking they were in France, pulled out of a minor road onto the A-road he was on, totalling both cars but luckily without serious injuries on either side. He was given the option of having it rebuilt but took the cash instead.

Personally, I've always thought the DS series to be far more attractive.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
Personally, I've always thought the DS series to be far more attractive.
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The DS series have their own charm, but are a design of an earlier era. Engines were less powerful, the hydraulics are a nightmare by comparison and accommodation less comfy. One to keep in the garage for shows and sunny days.
 
Nod said:
It was passing a couple of XFs every time I walked down the hill while unable to drive and saying to myself "That's a good looking car!" followed by an examination of finances and the realisation that shrouds have no pockets that saw me researching them and ending up with them. Mrs Nod's iPace bears a family resemblance and is one of the better looking EVs (and far prettier than the hybrid offerings from Jaguar!)

Almost bought a CX but its suspension failed the day before I went to look at it and the potential for further failures was looking expensive.
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i too have an XF iv'e had a few years now but as soon as iv'e saved enough it's going to be replaced with a Tesla ( second hand )

i thought long and hard about the Ipace and there tempting but they can suffer battery problems which for me is too much of a risk

we shall see when the time comes and iv'e enough savings

P1030650_fhdr cropped.jpg
 
Going to look at 2 new Kia’s later, launch event but not really interested, invited to make the place look busy maybe.
 
Had a chat with a DPD driver yesterday about his electric van. He said they were brilliant around the local streets, but on the motorway they range would drop considerably.

I do appreciate this statement doesn't carry much weight without knowing how he is driving, the weight being carried and the spec of the van's EV setup, but for what it's worth he mentioned something along the lines that the range drops from about 180 miles to 120 miles when on the motorways. Perhaps it's the poorer aerodynamics?
 
gman said:
Had a chat with a DPD driver yesterday about his electric van. He said they were brilliant around the local streets, but on the motorway they range would drop considerably.

I do appreciate this statement doesn't carry much weight without knowing how he is driving, the weight being carried and the spec of the van's EV setup, but for what it's worth he mentioned something along the lines that the range drops from about 180 miles to 120 miles when on the motorways. Perhaps it's the poorer aerodynamics?
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More to do with not braking.

EVs generate power when they slow down. Motorways are notorious for not doing that.
 
JonathanRyan said:
More to do with not braking.

EVs generate power when they slow down. Motorways are notorious for not doing that.
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More that they recover power, rather than generate it.

AIUI the losses of energy to air resistance and friction are very much greater at motorway speeds, and it just doesn't favour range.
 
Steep said:
More good news in Scotland

news.stv.tv

New Government pilot scheme to make electric vehicles more accessible

Homes in East Lothian, Renfrewshire, Perth and Kinross will have access to a £3500 grant under new pilot scheme.
news.stv.tv news.stv.tv
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I think it's an interesting scheme. I hope the Scottish government are going to look into value for money though. It really shouldn't cost anything like 3 and a half grand for somebody to kango an 8 foot long channel and drop a metal plate on top of it.

The risk with such schemes is that that's exactly what it will cost.
 
JonathanRyan said:
I think it's an interesting scheme. I hope the Scottish government are going to look into value for money though. It really shouldn't cost anything like 3 and a half grand for somebody to kango an 8 foot long channel and drop a metal plate on top of it.

The risk with such schemes is that that's exactly what it will cost.
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£1.5k for the health and safety expert to come out and do the pre-work assessment and write up the required 38 page report.

£1k for the road guarding team to put up and take down all the barriers, cones and signage.

£750 to the council for backhanders.

£200 for the Romanian bloke with the Kango.

£50 for the metal plate.

;)
 
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boogie man said:
£1.5k for the health and safety expert to come out and do the pre-work assessment and write up the required 38 page report.

£1k for the road guarding team to put up and take down all the barriers, cones and signage.

£750 to the council for backhanders.

£200 for the Romanian bloke with the Kango.

£50 for the metal plate.

;)
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Those all look plausible - except the Kango guy gets that a day, tops. Chap with a sharp suit and a cappuccino machine books in every house in the road (whether anybody lives there or not) for the same day and handles the grant applications for them.
 
...and to counter that, someone digs a hole in the pavement, goes for a cup of tea (or something rhyming), someone trips up on the hole.

Instead of "Health and Safety gone mad!!"
it is
"Something should be done about this!!"
 
So: does this mean that every house in the street will have exclusive parking for their cars only?

Good luck making that work in Glasgow and a few of the west coast towns I can think of.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
So: does this mean that every house in the street will have exclusive parking for their cars only?

Good luck making that work in Glasgow and a few of the west coast towns I can think of.
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Think that’s been mentioned as a huge red flag before. You can just imagine the scene:

“Oi, you can’t park there, that’s my parking spot, I need it for my electric charging cable to reach !”

“Sorry mate. It’s a public road, I pay my taxes” etc etc.
 
What do people in tenement flats do?
 
gman said:
What do people in tenement flats do?
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Without...

Still, that's socialism, these days, you subsidise the rich and let the poor go hang. :headbang:
 
I couldn't get past the pay wall - is this about the drainage rules?
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
Without...

Still, that's socialism, these days, you subsidise the rich and let the poor go hang. :headbang:
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Or..... Support a scheme that can help some people, even though it can't help everyone.

You'll be waiting for a perfect solution that works for everybody for a very long time.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Or..... Support a scheme that can help some people, even though it can't help everyone.

You'll be waiting for a perfect solution that works for everybody for a very long time.
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That'll be like car ownership - 22% of households do not have access to a vehicle. Tax dodgers, no doubt.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Or..... Support a scheme that can help some people, even though it can't help everyone.
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On the contrary, we should never support any scheme that supports the wealthier at the expense of the poorer.
JonathanRyan said:
You'll be waiting for a perfect solution that works for everybody for a very long time.
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Certainly, so long as the greedy and the cheats want things at a cost to the selfless and the honest.

There's nothing wrong with electric cars, provided only that those who want them pay all the costs associated with them, just as the users of petrol and diesel vehicles do. No government should ever give a handout to anyone who could afford it themselves and never at the expense of those who need it more.
 
JonathanRyan said:
I think it's an interesting scheme. I hope the Scottish government are going to look into value for money though. It really shouldn't cost anything like 3 and a half grand for somebody to kango an 8 foot long channel and drop a metal plate on top of it.

The risk with such schemes is that that's exactly what it will cost.
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Well as the article says it's a pilot scheme, only part funded by Scotgov so here's hoping it goes well. It's not going to cover everybody without a drive but as they say, every little helps :)
 
gman said:
There doesn't seem to be a paywall?
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There is for me.

Anyway, if it's the drainage rules, there's lots of other stuff on line.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
There is for me.

Anyway, if it's the drainage rules, there's lots of other stuff on line.
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Can you post a screenshot, because that seems odd as there's nothing at all for me?

Can't see any reference to drainage, seems to be about removing planning permission and slashing bureaucracy.
 
gman said:
Can you post a screenshot, because that seems odd as there's nothing at all for me?
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This blocked me - didn't want to go anywhere except to a payment screen...

Screenshot 2025-08-29 224911.jpg
 
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gman said:
I think that's if you want an add free experience. Usually you can consent to having adverts, similar to the Guardian popup I think?
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Yes that's the normal way they work but this one was ignoring the other two buttons.
 
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