Question of the Month: Will the next car you purchase be an EV or a Hybrid Electric Vehicle?

I bet you that would (technically) work if your mileage is so low and infrequent.  It seems to be the in-thing to move to a large solar panel array with batteries but it's pricey!!  I'd like to do that but I can't see us being in our current house long enough to get payback, which is a shame.

I guess they could back-track to the earlier 2040 date in order to win a few more votes but then presumably the related industries will have already started transitioning by that point and want compensation.

I historically keep a car for about an average 20 years, 150k-200k miles. I do the mundane maintenance. Since my latest purchase is only 5 years old, it will be another 15 years until I'm ready to see what technology gives me the best bang for the buck. Maybe Mr.Fusion will be ready or a fuel cell. 

I'd be much more acceptable of EVs if the batteries were mounted in a pullout tray(s) in the undercarriage, that I could replace / inspect them myself. 

I would like to switch to an EV, all things being equal, but the cost/performance/convenience equation isn't quite attractive enough yet. Biggest issues are charging infrastructure, charging time and operation at -40.

dougw said:

I would like to switch to an EV, all things being equal, but the cost/performance/convenience equation isn't quite attractive enough yet.

I feel the same. Batteries seem to still be adding too much cost, and the technology seems to be progressing rapidly.

If I needed a car right now, I think a hybrid would be a good balance in terms of similar capabilities and price to our current SUV, but that short-range EV-only option would be enough to take care of most of our usual driving needs (the in-laws, and the family cottage, are about 20 kms from here), saving me from having to stop at the pump as often.

robogary said:

Since my latest purchase is only 5 years old, it will be another 15 years until I'm ready to see what technology gives me the best bang for the buck

We are in a similar situation - we like both of our vehicles and it doesn't make sense to upgrade right now.
We probably have at least 7 more years before the SUV starts to feel too old. The Fiat is so low milage we'll probably have it forever  The advantages of not commuting!

The technology is still progressing rapidly, and at the same time there are some early-tech hiccups still being worked on.
Maybe full self driving will finally be ready when we upgrade

robogary said:

I'd be much more acceptable of EVs if the batteries were mounted in a pullout tray(s) in the undercarriage, that I could replace / inspect them myself. 

Yes! Or at least reasonably cheap and easy to access and service.

Ideally I just want the technology to be so good that I never have to worry about it.
In ICE cars, we eventually wear out the body and engine and scrap the car. I'm hoping the batteries and motors will be so low maintenance that they will last at least as long as the car without much attention.

robogary said:

I'd be much more acceptable of EVs if the batteries were mounted in a pullout tray(s) in the undercarriage, that I could replace / inspect them myself. 

Unfortunately that would likely make it easier for thieves to remove as well.

ntewinkel said:

I'm hoping the batteries and motors will be so low maintenance that they will last at least as long as the car without much attention.

It will be interesting to see how the reliability of the batteries actually holds out in reality. Definitely one thing to keep an eye out for in the small print of the warranty.

I read about one manufacturer looking at incorporating the battery pack into the bodywork of the car making use of the surface area. However this would tend to mean that replacing the battery would mean replacing the car. Also a small bump in a side panel could damage the battery and result in having to replace the car.

It will also be interesting to see how the battery market develops over time. I suspect there will be a market for low-cost counterfeit batteries as we already see with other products.

I just bought a new diesel powered car. I live in a very rural part of SW Scotland, 7 miles to nearest small shops, 14 miles to nearest supermarket, 56 miles to nearest big town.

Mostly I drive 28 miles per day (work and back).

Sometimes I drive 350 miles (to visit aged father in England) and 700 miles in a weekend. Only an absurdly expensive electric car can do that.

But in the UK we have other issues:

There is a political attempt to move all domestic heating to electricity and all vehicles to electric power and all electricity generation to renewables but it's not backed up by any serious planning. Our capacity for electricity generation and storage is way short of the predictable demand.

The whole idea is mad - we have millions of vehicles that burn hydrocarbons, a huge investment in the infrastructure to fuel them , make them and maintain them. Our houses are mostly heated by burning hydrocarbons and we have a huge infrastructure to support this.

What we need is to replace the hydrocarbons from fossil fuel with hydrocarbons made from atmospheric CO2 and renewable energy (nuke, solar, wind  etc).

That we we don't need to bin all the stuff we've got and make new stuff. Its generally accepted that re-use is better than re-cycling - why are cars and domestic boilers and gas sations any different ?

Sooner or later Joe Public is going to realise that wearing hair shirts to keep warm isn't going to be much fun and will sling out some of the more obviously silly targets. I'm hoping we'll see some seriously considered engineering and start putting money into places where it can do some good.

There is work going on to make hydrocarbons from atmospheric CO2, some using trees, some using artificial photosynthesis cells (direct CO2 to propanol has been demonstrated). There is hope.

Back to the car - by 2030 in the UK we'll at least have adopted the EU model of waiting until 2035 before banning ICE unless they use synthetic fuel.

I reckon that when my new car is ready to go by about 2028 I'll be able to buy a new one that can burn synthetic fuel. Or maybe the Flux capacitors will be working properly and I can use them.

I predict a lot of "Giga Factories" being re-purposed to make white elephants.

MK

The hybrid could have helped with the cross-over period but given that they are to be banned here in new vehicles shortly after the ICE then perhaps not much of an incentive for manufacturers to continue to produce them.

Also you have the issue of the cost and additional weight for the dual drive trains plus the maintenance for something you aren't using most of the time.

At least with the generator trailer concept you could unhitch and leave the heavy ICE in the garage most of the time as well as using it as a backup generator for the house.

The Lake District is a tourist hotspot so easier to justify charging infrastructure in car parks. Other more remote places will be a nightmare to travel to.