Electric Vehicles: What have you spotted?

[MikeT]

Getting a bit nostalgic, but the UK used to be a world leader in EV use.

"In August 1967, the UK Electric Vehicle Association put out a press release stating that Britain had more battery-electric vehicles on its roads than the rest of the world put together"

Spoiler: show

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_float

[myglaren]

Car cos are in the business of selling cars - if you make a PCP only a few quid more a month than a 3 year old HP to buy outright, who isn't going to be tempted by the new metal (if you're in the mindset of spending £x / month on a car)? There may be a bubble coming in that the market ends up flooded with 3 year old ex PCP cars which depresses the prices and leaves some finance houses nursing a hangover - good for us buyers of used cars though! Tesla site suggests you can have a Model S 75 for £520 / month - although that does involve a £15k downpayment!!

Car companies are in the business of making money - the cars are incidental to the main objective.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Getting a bit nostalgic, but the UK used to be a world leader in EV use.

"In August 1967, the UK Electric Vehicle Association put out a press release stating that Britain had more battery-electric vehicles on its roads than the rest of the world put together"

Spoiler: show

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_float

Yes seeing they are such a rarity these days happy to offer points for a spot of one of those Mike, and 999 for an original picture of one in use!

Temporary thread title change in order of when Great Britain ruled the world in this little corner of electric vehicles!
Long established firm on Tyneside Smiths Electric Vehicles used to make these.


Dairy Crest milk float (modified) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], by Brian Snelson (Changes made by Ubcule) (Flickr), from Wikimedia Commons

Regards Neil

[bobins]

There was a piece on (I think) Radio 4 a couple of months ago - they were basically saying that most people don't make the final 'balloon' payment on PCP cars and instead opt for a new 3 year deal. In that case it was reckoned to be cheaper to seek out a personal lease agreement for the cars.

[white exec]

That's a great Wikipedia article on Milk Floats. Brought back a lot of memories.

My dad spent most of his working life with Crompton Parkinson, mainly as a high voltage transformer designer. When I was in my mid teens, I remember him coming home one day with a few brand new Crompton fluorescent tubes, and a new Golden Crompton car battery for our Rover Ten - all courtesy of a very good staff discount, he said. How much discount? 80% on the tubes, 65% on the battery, was the answer. Good grief.

So what else can you get discount on? I remember asking. Austin Morrison Electricars was one of the answers. Hmmm....

[van ordinaire]

Dairy Crest (or whatever they're called now) have got at least one of their floats back on the road - see my recent posts.

I said it was a Morrison but that was an assumption - because I fondly believed they were the only maker of non-Express Dairy 4 wheeled floats.

[myglaren]

Three Zoes, all white, in a two-mile return trip to local shops.
I was looking out for them and two were parked near me

[Ed900]

Friend of mine has an i3
Fantastic car, has the back up petrol engine in it too, (it's only ever been needed twice in nearly 3 years of use) costs about a pound a day to run. Nothings ever gone wrong. I'd have one no problem, but wifey doesn't like the shape. Drives like nothing I've ever been in, don't bother with the brakes, not needed! Happy to pass on more info if your thinking of getting one

[Gibbo2286]

These are the ones I remember from my youth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrison-Electricar

[Richard_C]

In Cambridge today, Grand Arcade shopping centre, opposite John Lewis and a pen shop, next to a shoe shop, so a proper shop indoors not a greasy garage. Shiny floor, shiny windows, shiny suited white shirted staff, very shiny Teslas.

Model X looks excellent, might have bought myself one if I had my wallet with me and a spare £80k for a 75kwh battery one or £155k for a 100kwh self driving top spec one. But I would need a spare car as well for big trips - 350 mile range they say (aircon off) so most of my trips would be fine but I'm not convinced that the charging infrastructure would be reassuring enough on a trip to middle Europe or the very far North of UK and back.

Makes you think though, why not sell all cars from high street shops rather than those special shops they call garages?

[white exec]

...especially as some folk buy cars with about the same amount of forethought as they buy 'phones or washing machines.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Makes you think though, why not sell all cars from high street shops rather than those special shops they call garages?

Tesla have had to fight to establish direct sales to the public all across the USA where the "Franchised Dealer" network is both powerful and often enshrined in state law.

There's even a wiki page on it!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_US_ ... p_disputes

Regards Neil

[elma]

https://amp.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ey-point-c

[white exec]

National Grid just need to rise to this very predictable challenge. I'm sure they'd rather not, but concentrate on maximising profits instead. This sort of tactic just didn't happen when the grid was created, and massively expanded in national ownership. Sorry, but they speak with forked tongue.

[elma]

Talk like that is the first indication of prices rising as far as I'm concerned.