Would You Go Back To Driving Combustion Cars? | 16 May 2021

Show #1084

 

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Sunday 16th May. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

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A recent survey – which I highly questioned and disagreed with – claimed 1 in 5 EV owners went back to piston power.  I have never heard anything like a 20% rate of EV drivers being unhappy with electric. Would you ever go back? Yes, No and tell me why!

 

JAN TORE FROM EMOBILITYNORWAY

Very easy to answer. No way I'm going back. 

 

DAVID ALLEN

Never, short of a loved one held hostage, or in my current circs, my 3 being in the body shop (a lady in a mini-van decided to ignore a red light, smashed into a car turning in the intersection, then crossed the lanes and hit left rear side of my car). So, I am driving a loaner (Infiniti Q50). Bad enough that I have spent $50 in gas up to this point, but now gas prices jumped 20% this week due to the Colonial Pipeline issue (the pipeline in question literally runs through neighborhood a block from my house).

 

JAKE ABERNATHY - Boise, Idaho 

I’m a recent owner of a Tesla Model 3. I personally will never go back to combustion engine cars. The performance, connectivity, and convenience of having a full charge every morning have convinced me to never look back. However, the only conceivable reason I could ever see myself going back or being hesitant to go electric in the first place, is if I didn’t have a dedicated home charging station. I just don’t think I would have pulled the trigger if I would have to rely on public charging infrastructure (here in Idaho is very sparse). Only if I put myself in the shoes of someone who doesn’t have access to home charging, could I ever see going back (temporarily until a home charging station could be achieved or public charging was up to par). 

 

MARK GARNETT

One CA friend did lease a Leaf because the lease cost was so slow at the time, like really cheap, it was a “free” car. I was all encouraging and assumed he’d get another EV but the new deals were not at all good value so he let it go back.

 

PAUL DENNEY

Would I go back to:-

£6 a gallon

Breathing in Benzine fumes

VED

Congestion charging

£400 for a service

Crippling depreciation

Wondering what's going to break next

Putting my foot down and nothing happening

Manual gear changing

Vibration

Engine noise

Climate change anxiety

Nah, I don't think so.

 

 

STEVEN McGINNIS

You asked if I would consider returning to an ICE vehicle? Do I want to stand outside in the rain or snow to refill my tank or would I rather be in my pajamas in bed asleep?

Would I like to continue to pay US$68 a week for gasoline or US$16 in electricity?

Do I prefer to have the petroleum smell creep into my kitchen from the garage door or my wife’s baking smell creep into my garage?

Do I want to stop on my way to work to refill my car since my son brought it home on empty, or would I like to start each morning with full range?

Do I want to spend a Saturday every few months waiting on the oil and lubrication service to finish or go for a hike in the nearby hills?

Gosh!  You ask a difficult question.

 

 

PETE MOONEY

I remember contacting you at the beginning of my EV journey when I brought a Mercedes B250e.   The last 2 years have been brilliant.  I found an EV that suited my budget, fitted 5 of us and still had room for the dog in the back.  The range was not much of an issue as living in a town and suburban environment, most journeys are less the 50 miles.  The biggest issue has always been the slow charging – only 3.6 kW on the single phase supply (up to 11 on a 3 phase only). However, we have just moved to the country where everything is further away and the journey back to friends and family is 100 miles.  I know from experience I can do 100 miles in the car, but the charging time for the return journey is impractical!

 

So.  Now I would like to change the car for something with a longer range, charges quicker but still has feels nice to be behind the wheel.  Call me a snob but I don’t want to drive a Nissan or MG. All the cars that I can afford are too small, and all the cars I want to drive are too expensive.

 

This leads me to your question of the week. I’ve been seriously considering it.  I can get a nice second hand Mercedes C Class hybrid for under £20k, which will fit 5 comfortably and the dog, and do very short journeys on electric and also do the journey back down to Kent.  The equivalent size EV to that second hand is still £35-40K. Help me please. Am I wrong? Am I missing something?  Where are all the affordable (relatively speaking) EV’s?  Why are the second hand cars still so expensive?

 

MATTI JOUHKIMO

Would I ever go back to fossils? Hell no! :D

On the side note about the study, I believe some (?) parts of US still has single-phase electric power at home? So this kind of  "developing country technology" might affect the decision to give up EVs if you drive a lot. Can't figure out why they would otherwise.. 

 

MARK RICHARDS 

Never would I go back to an ICE.  I emailed you earlier and am selling my Bolt back to GM, and I'm kind of freaking out that I have to drive my truck full time until I buy a new EV. I THINK THAT YOUR AVERAGE LISTENER IS GOING TO BE MORE OF AN EEVEE ENTHUSIAST AND FAR LESS LIKELY TO RETURN THEIR EV FOR AN ICE CAR. SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS LOCK

 

ROBERT LONGMORE

Gday.  Rob from Sydev here, I own 2 EV’s. A Mitsubishi Imiev and model 3.  I will never go back to a ICE vehicle, won’t even rent one.  I found info that the survey was using data from 2013 to 2018 when Fast charger stations were counted in the 100’s, not 10’s thousands. And apparently only from people who couldn’t charge from home and didn’t use public charging. So in that situation 25% of people with EVs might consider going back to ICE vehicles.  Otherwise I have yet to meet a fellow EV owner who would go back to burning fossil fuels for transport. 

 

MARK BUCKINGHAM

I’ve never herd of anybody here in Kiwi land going back, but what would I know?

 

KESTER SANDBACH

I bought my first EV 6 months ago - a Tesla model 3. It was the worst purchase I have ever made! My old Audi diesel was much better - louder, smellier, slower, smokier, cluttered interior, lots of mechanical systems to go wrong... and I just love paying tax, paying clean air zone fees, going to a dealer for servicing, and of course buying fuel (petrol stations are such cool places to hang out!). No one needs a car that can defrost itself and warm the seats before you need to leave the house on a wintry day... and I just hate it when a car improves itself with new features and more range after I bought it. And what's all this nonsense with refueling overnight and having full range each morning? What a gimmick!

 

So would I go back to combustion? Definitely yes! I can't stand it when things change. Progress? Pah! Good old fashioned cars, that's what we want!

 

HOWARD SPELLMAN

Yep I’m one of them. But I am the SKew in the chart. I’ve had electric vehicles for over 10 years now and in reality I would never go back to a piston vehicle.  I have reservations on numerous electric vehicles for the future. Rivian, Cybertruck and Lucid. I’ve been investing in almost every electric start up and or companies now producing EV vehicles. However, there is a vehicle that’s missing from the EV market now but will probably be filled in the future. That is the camper van. Since there is nothing even close in EV market for a camper van I have purchased a used Mercedes sprinter diesel 4 x 4. So I guess I’m on one of the 20% that went back to pistons, but I will always go electric when possible.

 

The Transit EV will not go over 120 miles as the Sprinter EV will probably be similar for now.  So I’m looking at maybe a 3 to 5 years time span before anything that will go far enough for a camper van.

 

I have driven EVs since my first test of the GM EV1  back in 1996.

 

MIKE BERWICK

We finally have a Kia Soul ev 2020. It’s through your poscast giving me the information to just go for it and also to get my partner clued up to make that change. So thanks for that. She loves it.   We’re aren’t going back to ICE however I saw on a Facebook group someone said they are going back and the reason was that they are fed up with PHEVs charging on a fast charger and not freeing up the charger point. Also BEVs fully charged and the owner won’t move the car. We don’t do many miles a week and we won’t have this problem

 

STEPHEN LUDWIG

The simple answer is no. I’ve driven for 52 years and loved some vehicles and disliked others. Most of that involved the expense of ICE engine maintenance.Last July I found a 2018 i3 in Witichia Kansas that was off lease from California. It had only 3500 miles. We purchased it and had it shipped. If it hadn’t been a pandemic I would have jumped on a plane to see it and bring it back to Florida.

 

The i3 is a blast to drive, so much fun. My wife loves it, though I’m still trying to get her to use the tech features.

 

My next EV will be the VW ID Buzz. I’ve been lusting after it since I saw the concept. We have to wait for 2023 but I believe it’ll be worth it. I’ve owned 16 VWs and have loved them all, even the diesel ones.

 

 

What’s the best specialist vehicle you can think of which would make a great EV? 

 

Email me your thoughts and I’ll read them out on Sunday – hello@evnewsdaily.com