an electric car you might want to buy and be able to?

[Aspman]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2694113/Tesla-announces-Model-3-Musks-electric-car-cost-30-000-20-smaller-range-200-miles.html

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/tesla/87867/tesla-model-3-to-challenge-bmw-3-series-world-exclusive

 

 

 

[Chris]

Its got a bit of Masarati about it. I like! 35k is a lot of money but if it looks good and is well specced, like the Model S I sat in at Geneva then it could be a winner. The cost of petrol/diesel is eliminated meaning people will be able to spend more on the car itself.

[samj2013]

Saw quite a few of these over in san francisco, really nice looking cars, though I think the whole electric car thing still needs a lot of sorting before it's actually practical.

Saw one of these around these parts the other day actually - looks like the owner had replaced their tragic little nissan leaf with one of these. Good call IMO.

[Girardi]

Looks like a Chinese copycat attempt at an Aston/Maserati crossbreed. Not offensive, but the whole battery powered toy car thing still doesn't convince me.

[jlwah]

It's certainly got the 3 series licked in the looks department.

 

Remains to be seen how relevant it is in the UK, until at least a decent charging network is established.

 

Either way, it probably is the future.

[samj2013]

Looks like a Chinese copycat attempt at an Aston/Maserati crossbreed. Not offensive, but the whole battery powered toy car thing still doesn't convince me.

They're american, and they're actually pretty good, from what I can gather. I'd like to try one - full torque as soon as you put your foot down!

There are a lot of drawbacks to electric cars though, still.

Edited 17 July, 2014 by samj2013

[Chris]

Agreed..there is still work to do but for someone like me it would be perfect. I'm a manager for a large retailer. I work 25miles from home at the moment but potentially may move to somewhere 50miles away. A leaf doesn't have the required range (no where to charge at work) and although it claims to do the miles it leaves little room for error or closures etc. The Tesla won't suit a BMW/Audi rep but would suit someone like me who wants a powerful good looking car with very low running costs.

[DaKKs_152]

Unless they can achieve at least 600 km on one charge, a full recharge in under one hour and a well established charging network, I'm not interested.

I like the technology. I've fiddled with electric cars as well. But if I'm investing that much money into a car, it better damn meet all of my requirements. At this point, only Petrol, Diesel and E85 fuelled cars have the necessary range.

Edited 17 July, 2014 by DaKKs_152

[Aspman]

There is  charging station at the park and ride I use. Got 4 points. Never have I seen a car there but... This is still out my price bracket but not a million miles.

[M12MKD]

My issue with this straight away is the typical unfair pricing. £30k UK yet £20K US. If it came here at £20k I'd be interested. The government if it was really serious about changing peoples view should make this the same cost as in the USA!

 

I mean you can get a V8 Camero for about  £25k yet the same model is closer to £40k

 

I've sat in this and the materials and finish is very good (show room at Westfield). Issue I found was at the rear, the seat has a very hard side to it, which doesn't wear very well. It's easy to catch yourself getting in.

 

For me at the moment this would be ideal, I do very low mileage and all town work. I have a drive so could charge it over night with no issues. But £30k can get you a lot of different cars which are far more practical.

[samj2013]

My issue with this straight away is the typical unfair pricing. £30k UK yet £20K US. If it came here at £20k I'd be interested. The government if it was really serious about changing peoples view should make this the same cost as in the USA!

 

I mean you can get a V8 Camero for about  £25k yet the same model is closer to £40k

 

I've sat in this and the materials and finish is very good (show room at Westfield). Issue I found was at the rear, the seat has a very hard side to it, which doesn't wear very well. It's easy to catch yourself getting in.

 

For me at the moment this would be ideal, I do very low mileage and all town work. I have a drive so could charge it over night with no issues. But £30k can get you a lot of different cars which are far more practical.

Try 50K, according to the tesla website.

Edited 18 July, 2014 by samj2013

[M12MKD]

Try 50K, according to the tesla website.

 

For the S it is £50k (as in the Westfield showroom plus options). Yet still in the USA its $69k less US green tax break. Which again is under £40k!

 

Model III is at the price I said above.

[BossFox]

Unless they can achieve at least 600 km on one charge, a full recharge in under one hour and a well established charging network, I'm not interested.

 

As that usage profile is a long way from normal and would be mega expensive so sort I'd guess they have little or no interest in making an EV that suits your needs.

 

 

My issue with this straight away is the typical unfair pricing. £30k UK yet £20K US. If it came here at £20k I'd be interested. The government if it was really serious about changing peoples view should make this the same cost as in the USA!

 

I mean you can get a V8 Camero for about  £25k yet the same model is closer to £40k

 

I've sat in this and the materials and finish is very good (show room at Westfield). Issue I found was at the rear, the seat has a very hard side to it, which doesn't wear very well. It's easy to catch yourself getting in.

 

I found the interior quite cack.

It's nothing special and typical of a BMW/Audi/Merc that costs less than half as much.

Some of the material quaility is the same as my Yeti.

Yes, you get in and go "oooo" and the big touchscreen, but it's built for the American market.  Toys and lack of quality IMO, hence after my test drive I asked for my deposit back.

For a £90k+ (85 performance plus) Tesla Model S, it's a joke.

 

It's never going to cost anything like it does in the USA.

In America they often quote the base price before taxes, because each state can vary and has different incentives for an EV.

In the UK the price includes VAT.  And it's not made here.

[samj2013]

 

It's never going to cost anything like it does in the USA.

In America they often quote the base price before taxes, because each state can vary and has different incentives for an EV.

In the UK the price includes VAT.  And it's not made here.

Actually that is true, quoted prices never include tax in the USA, so it's probably a lot more even than you would think.

[samj2013]

For the S it is £50k (as in the Westfield showroom plus options). Yet still in the USA its $69k less US green tax break. Which again is under £40k!

 

Model III is at the price I said above.

My mistake, I'll admit I didn't read the article, just assumed it was the model s as that's what the photo is of!

 

Slightly off topic - just seen photos of the BMW i3, I actually thought it was a joke, it looks like it's made of about three different cars, all equally hideous!

[BossFox]

Slightly off topic - just seen photos of the BMW i3, I actually thought it was a joke, it looks like it's made of about three different cars, all equally hideous!

 

There is quite a bit of EV info in my electric car thread somewhere.

 

I have owned two LEAFs and had deposits down on the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S, both of which I had decent test drives of.

I'm currently waiting for the BMW i5, which should be a sensible sized 5 door EV with a longer range.

 

The Tesla Model 3/E is due to arrive in 2017.

By that time if Nissan don't have something on the way that'll do 120+ miles I'll be very surprised.

(real world, not the current quoted 120 that's really 80)

 

Kia are joining the party with thier Soul EV later this year too.

[BossFox]

My mistake, I'll admit I didn't read the article, just assumed it was the model s as that's what the photo is of!

 

It's a photoshopped Model S to give you an idea what the Model 3/E will look like.

It'll have very similar styling.

[Jabozuma]

i3 with range extender beats it hands down for the same price...

[samj2013]

i3 with range extender beats it hands down for the same price...

It's soooo unbelievably hideous though! Please tell me I'm not alone here? Why have so many companies decided that electric cars need to look 'quirky' in some way or another?

[DaKKs_152]

As that usage profile is a long way from normal and would be mega expensive so sort I'd guess they have little or no interest in making an EV that suits your needs.

Long way from normal? My Saab can do 700km easy on one tank. And that's 1700 kg with a big V6. You can do 1000 km easily with a small diesel. And if I'm out of fuel, it takes under 5 minutes to refuel. 

Unless they can match that, the majority of people wont move on from their conventional fossil fueled cars. These EVs' are totally useless for anything but city driving. You want to take you family for a road trip? Nah, forget it.

Hell, with a 320 km range I wouldn't even be able to reach my business partners in Göteborg (397km).

[Aspman]

It's soooo unbelievably hideous though! Please tell me I'm not alone here? Why have so many companies decided that electric cars need to look 'quirky' in some way or another?

 

I have seen an i3 in the flesh. Yes it's horrible.

 

away from day-to-day cars I saw this in an article last night, I hadn't even heard of it before.

 

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bmw/i8

 

[Aspman]

Long way from normal? My Saab can do 700km easy on one tank. And that's 1700 kg with a big V6. You can do 1000 km easily with a small diesel. And if I'm out of fuel, it takes under 5 minutes to refuel. 

 

 

I think BF is referring to average journeys. Most people commute less than 50 miles a day so for most days an EV is arguably usable. For reps and roads trips you're right they don't work at the moment without a fossil fuel backup.

 

My big Honda can do 1200Km on one tank but I don't think EV are trying to replace that sort of potential range. Inner cities are still their target.

Edited 18 July, 2014 by Aspman

[samj2013]

I have seen an i3 in the flesh. Yes it's horrible.

 

away from day-to-day cars I saw this in an article last night, I hadn't even heard of it before.

 

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bmw/i8

 

Yeah I spotted that one, it does actually look quite nice, however it's not really a practical car. It's a hybrid with a 1.5 litre petrol engine as well as the electric motor - quick car but only has something like a 37km range running purely on electricity!   I think it's meant to be a track car, using the electric engine for the instantaneous torque and the petrol engine once it's up to speed?

[Jabozuma]

i3 is not a looker, that is granted. i8 is actually rather pretty, bar the rear quarters, bit bizzare. Except from Tesla all EV cars are hideous, Nissan Leaf the ugliest car ever produced IMHO.

I was more referring to technology, price (£30k) range and performance when I wrote about i3. I've been seeing one in the flash around my neck of woods and it is horribly ugly little thing I am afrraid...

Edited 18 July, 2014 by Jabozuma

[BossFox]

Long way from normal? My Saab can do 700km easy on one tank. And that's 1700 kg with a big V6. You can do 1000 km easily with a small diesel. And if I'm out of fuel, it takes under 5 minutes to refuel.

Unless they can match that, the majority of people wont move on from their conventional fossil fueled cars. These EVs' are totally useless for anything but city driving. You want to take you family for a road trip? Nah, forget it.

Hell, with a 320 km range I wouldn't even be able to reach my business partners in Göteborg (397km).

You are completely missing the point.

No one type of vehicle suits everyone.

So saying they are only good for city driving just shows a lack of open mindness.

I certainly don't live in the city, but my LEAF got me in and out of work (80 miles) every day doing 10,000 miles in six months.

You are saying they are not suitable for you.

Accepted.

Not everyone has the same usage profile.

As my first response to you says, you don't have the normal vehicle usage profile so an EV will suit you after it suits lots of other people.

Also people WILL move on from fossil fuelled cars, they just need the correct info about EVs rather than daft assumptions and also the right incentives.

Look at Norway, EVs are the best selling car there some months.

Why?

Because they have the range if a petrol or diesel car?

No.

Because the powers that be have made it viable to own and run one compared to a car burning fossil fuel.

Final note, in the UK both Nissan and BMW will lend you a petrol/diesel for a longer trip if you buy one of their EVs.

Open your mind.