Time to go electric? Maybe not just yet.

[JimS]

Probably not very relevant to Z3/Z4 owners unless they are doing EV conversions, but interesting nonetheless.
Note: these calcs only apply to UK, specifically Yorkshire, it may be somewhat different elsewhere.

As well as my Z4, I run a BMW330e PHEV as a daily driver, which I have had two years from new. Now, generally speaking this achieves between 2.5 and 4 miles per Kw on pure electric and I think this is a pretty average range expectation for all EV's with current technology. The variation depends mainly on ambient temperature and driving style. Let's say for sake of argument an average of 3.5 miles/Kw.

Now, a kilowatt for domestic use currently costs about 30p for me so that is 8.5p per mile. I haven't used public chargers as a comparison as electric from them is far more expensive, at least 70p per Kw, unless I believe you have an older Tesla with cheaper costs on their network. But if you do have to rely on public charger network the argument below is even more reason not to buy an EV.

Petrol is currently around £8 per gallon, but falling over the last two weeks. My car does 36-46mpg on petrol, again depending on driving style and conditions, so say 40 overall. So, on petrol the cost is 20p per mile. That's more than twice the electric cost. Happy days for EV's

However, in October electric prices are increasing and latest predictions are by about 50-60%, so that would be near 13p per mile for me, and if petrol prices drop back to say £7 per gallon or 1.54 per litre, which they were before Mr Putin started his destruction of Ukraine, the cost for petrol will be around 17p per mile. Now obviously that is still 4p per mile cheaper on electric, but it hardly makes it worthwhile for someone to buy an EV over a petrol considering the higher initial outlay and the added inconvenience/longer refill times.... and already electric prices are expected to rise again in January, just when EV's are at their least economical.

In fact it is possible that it may become more expensive to operate an EV than a petrol car in the foreseeable future despite crippling fuel duties.
Just thought I would share that musing with everyone. Happy tail[pipe CO2 emitting..

 

[andyglym]

Probably not very relevant to Z3/Z4 owners unless they are doing EV conversions, but interesting nonetheless.
Note: these calcs only apply to UK, specifically Yorkshire, it may be somewhat different elsewhere.

As well as my Z4, I run a BMW330e PHEV as a daily driver, which I have had two years from new. Now, generally speaking this achieves between 2.5 and 4 miles per Kw on pure electric and I think this is a pretty average range expectation for all EV's with current technology. The variation depends mainly on ambient temperature and driving style. Let's say for sake of argument an average of 3.5 miles/Kw.

Now, a kilowatt for domestic use currently costs about 30p for me so that is 8.5p per mile. I haven't used public chargers as a comparison as electric from them is far more expensive, at least 70p per Kw, unless I believe you have an older Tesla with cheaper costs on their network. But if you do have to rely on public charger network the argument below is even more reason not to buy an EV.

Petrol is currently around £8 per gallon, but falling over the last two weeks. My car does 36-46mpg on petrol, again depending on driving style and conditions, so say 40 overall. So, on petrol the cost is 20p per mile. That's more than twice the electric cost. Happy days for EV's

However, in October electric prices are increasing and latest predictions are by about 50-60%, so that would be near 13p per mile for me, and if petrol prices drop back to say £7 per gallon or 1.54 per litre, which they were before Mr Putin started his destruction of Ukraine, the cost for petrol will be around 17p per mile. Now obviously that is still 4p per mile cheaper on electric, but it hardly makes it worthwhile for someone to buy an EV over a petrol considering the higher initial outlay and the added inconvenience/longer refill times.... and already electric prices are expected to rise again in January, just when EV's are at their least economical.

In fact it is possible that it may become more expensive to operate an EV than a petrol car in the foreseeable future despite crippling fuel duties.
Just thought I would share that musing with everyone. Happy tail[pipe CO2 emitting..

Good info. Neither for or against an EV, however, my motorbike does 90mpg on my commute to work and will last two weeks and when out in the family car we don't stop long enough for a recharge. I'd only consider an EV if and when you can "fill and go" or City commutes but living in the middle of knowhere that's not likely. A dinosaur I know but changing gear in an ICE powered car is enjoyable for me.

 

[Duncodin]

I'd love to have the knowledge and the commitment to be able to do a z3 ev conversion. Just for the fun of it. The ev conversion threads on this forum are amazing. Gobsmacked.

But long term? Batteries? No. The future is Hydrogen. Or something that hasn't been invented yet.

Or 'Orgone Energy'. Yup. It's a real thing. Well. Some people still believe it is. Apparently it's everywhere but not easy to collect altbough org*sm releases copious amounts of orgone energy into the container in which you're sat so, with tinted windows on our cars we could m*sturbate our way down the road.

But, according to Kate Bush and Donald Sutherland, Orgone also makes it rain. Not much fun if you have an Orgone converted zed with the top down.

 

[bombur]

I think fuel costs will be kept deliberately high to make the change worthwhile- in principle

 

[Synclare]

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[andyglym]

There is also the 'yet to rear it's head' question of home chargers. These are Smart with a SIM and monitor your use. The company providing them will apparently be making a 'standing charge' (rip off number one). Then the dear old government chancellor will realise no one is paying the 90p (?) per litre tax that petrol attracts and so, based on your electric usage through your SIM monitored home charge point, there will be a tax (rip off number two).

Remember cheap diesel and lpg? As people switched to them to save the planet up went the price. Cynicism comes with age and experience

Nailed

 

[Rha]

The self charging hybrid has not had its day IMO, we are going headlong into full electric before the inforstructure is in place, will probably take another fifty years to even make it worth while. By then the planet will be all fried up along with the rest of us. The cost will have made it too expensive for most poorer countries so it's doomed to even get off the ground to have any impact whatsoever. Not rocket science, or is it??????? Why not stop all the animals ( inc us ) poo-ing up the planet, now that might be just the ticket to stop us all frying, lmao, perhaps we could all wear a SH!!bag to catch it and convert it into friendly fuel. Can you imagine getting it off the ground, some of us might be the first to get bagged, people would point and say look there goes a SH??BAG. Huh!!!!! not me I'd refuse to wear one, wouldn't you.??????

 

[Robert Wiles]

There is also the 'yet to rear it's head' question of home chargers. These are Smart with a SIM and monitor your use. The company providing them will apparently be making a 'standing charge' (rip off number one). Then the dear old government chancellor will realise no one is paying the 90p (?) per litre tax that petrol attracts and so, based on your electric usage through your SIM monitored home charge point, there will be a tax (rip off number two).

Remember cheap diesel and lpg? As people switched to them to save the planet up went the price. Cynicism comes with age and experience

Absolutely agree. The government has to replace the huge sums that are raised from fuel duty and it will do it by differential pricing of electricity for EV battery charging. When the per mile cost of electric energy approaches the per mile cost of petrol/diesel and you then factor in the higher vehicle purchase price, the inconvenience of extended charging times, the difficulty/impossibility of home charging if you live in a flat and the additional wear (i.e. cost) on brakes, tyres and suspension due to the massive weight of EVs, all of a sudden they may not seem so wonderful. Not to mention the problems lurking down the road regarding what happens to millions of battery cells when they reach end of life......

 

[MarkPlant]

I was putting the HV elec meter in at a quarry last week , an they had been waiting over a year to get cables from over head lines into the site , at great expense, an was told by quarry manager it's now cheaper to run the whole site on the diesel generator than buy elec , even at the current diesel prices, an there electric is due to rise another 50% in the autumn