One of my fellow bloggers (https://classichub.wordpress.com) has a new VW e-Golf on test.

he's fairly putting it through its paces, and has been keeping track of charge useage.

I'd challenged him to better the Octavias current 70mpg at 50p/litre for veg- so a per mile cost of 3p.

the e- golf has come back at 1.5p/mile charged so far- at a variety of locations and times.

most impressive!

but here's the thing, the e-Golf is £27000 to buy..

my Octavia cost £200.

by my reckoning that means it would take circa 1, 786,666 miles for me to use up the rest of the £26.8k accounting for the 1.5p/mile cost of the octavia fuel over the e-Golf.

even if you say the Octavia does 60mpg(imperial) at 4.5p/mile (difference of 2.5p/mile) you would still cover 1, 072,000 miles before the £26,800 was spent..

even if you need to replace components 3/4 times I reckon you'd still be 500,000 ahead.

what do you reckon?

anyone know the list price of the 2001 Octavia tdi 90bhp ambiente I have? could do a new for new comparison..

Do you honestly think that some-one considering buying a new e-Golf will actually consider a £200 Octavia as a viable alternative?  Any comparison of used cars against new cars is pointless.   I constantly read this sort of post on forums - "why buy a new Octavis vRS MKIII when you could have a used BMW 5-series 530i for the same price?", is the sort of thing I mean.

Do you honestly think that some-one considering buying a new e-Golf will actually consider a £200 Octavia as a viable alternative? Any comparison of used cars against new cars is pointless. I constantly read this sort of post on forums - "why buy a new Octavis vRS MKIII when you could have a used BMW 5-series 530i for the same price?", is the sort of thing I mean.

best info I can find so far re the Octavia's list price new..

~£15k I believe, or in today's money ~£22k.

Nice one:)

lets take it at 22k for the octavia..

5k at 2.5p/mile additional cost gets you 200, 000 miles down the road before it costs more to run the Octavia than the e-Golf

so still considerably ahead?

Average 70mpg?

Average 70mpg?

based on what I've done so far (yeah I know it is less than a tank so far-but only had it a couple of weeks and don't commute in it)

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/359472-veg-oil-in-my-2001-tdi-90bhp-octavia-my-experiences-so-far/#entry4291297

WVO / SVO is not a solution for a Business User running a vehicle just private users.

Time wasted messing about saving money could be spent earning money and filling up at Filling Stations 

or just plugging the vehicle in at a charge points.

WVO / SVO is not a solution for a Business User running a vehicle just private users.

Time wasted messing about saving money could be spent earning money and filling up at Filling Stations

or just plugging the vehicle in at a charge points.

Again, a potentially valid point. Although when getting mileage allowance would the reduced cost make it worth the hassle?

in my experience its less than 20 mins to manually transfer the veg over using fuel cans. vs 8-13hrs for a full charge on the e-Golf(https://classichub.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/road-test-volkswagen-e-golf-the-not-so-good/) dependant on charging system used.

can also get the fuel at any supermarket

Edited 22 June, 201510 yr by WoodieGuthrie

If you are getting mileage allowance for many that then means the HMRC have an interest in your mileage so that means many can not use SVO / WVO.

Edited 22 June, 201510 yr by goneoffSKi

If you are getting mileage allowance for many that then means the HMRC have an interest in your mileage so that means many can not use SVO / WVO.

 

I dont get mileage, and commute by train- so not an issue for me.

 

Interesting to note though re the WVO/SVO angle- thanks for the info

So how does the expense of commuting by train and running the car just for Domestic , Leisure , Pleasure add up compared 

to the Driver of the Golf GTE's travel costs ?

So how does the expense of commuting by train and running the car just for Domestic , Leisure , Pleasure add up compared 

to the Driver of the Golf GTE's travel costs ?

I'm £50 a week for a pass.

 

that gets me unlimited journeys on my line (work at one end, Glasgow at the other).

 

Re costs for SDP- no idea!

HMM - SAME POST ON HERE http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=1521353&mid=67655&nmt=the+Financial+case+Diesel+vs+Electric%

 

Word for word, so I'd ask WHY .

Less than £50 a week can lease a EV and you can have free charging in much of Scotland,

some places free parking as well.

 

So commuting and spare time car usage can be covered for less than the price of a rail pass.

HMM - SAME POST ON HERE http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=1521353&mid=67655&nmt=the+Financial+case+Diesel+vs+Electric%

 

Word for word, so I'd ask WHY .

Apologies for daring to post in more than one place! I think you'll find I've responded directly to posts on each forum, so the threads are not "word for word"- PH ones is on P2 already.

 

Different mix of folks on each site (similar to the fact that my octavia threads are on here/pistonheads/nosmokenopoke/tdiclub etc)

Edited 22 June, 201510 yr by WoodieGuthrie

Less than £50 a week can lease a EV and you can have free charging in much of Scotland,

some places free parking as well.

 

So commuting and spare time car usage can be covered for less than the price of a rail pass.

Yepo- can definately see the appeal of that- certainly for my house to station commute an EV could be the ideal option- only need charged once a week

Very soon electric vehicles are going to look good to a mass market. The range and prices will hit that tipping point where it makes sense.

 

For a few years it'll be sweet to own an e-car.

 

Then the government will either -

 

1 - Notice it's missing an awful lot of revenue from drivers that used to be buying petrol/diesel

2 - It planned for this and deliberately let e-cars build up a head of steam

 

Then it'll drop a thumping tax or duty on electric vehicles under some premise; cost of new power stations, nasty battery metals raping the earth, scumbag citizens getting to work cheaply.

 

So time your purchase right.

You need to compare apples and apples - new car and new car, not a mixture as others have said.

 

I'm a company car driver and have, on numerous occasions, done the maths to come out of the scheme, take an allowance and get a different car. Each time, when comparing like for like, the numbers simply don't stack up. Appreciate that this exercise is different but you need to ensure the playing field is level to start with. I can make the numbers come out to any answer I want at the end of the day but they need to be open to scrutiny.

 

 

 

Again, a potentially valid point. Although when getting mileage allowance would the reduced cost make it worth the hassle?

in my experience its less than 20 mins to manually transfer the veg over using fuel cans. vs 8-13hrs for a full charge on the e-Golf(https://classichub.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/road-test-volkswagen-e-golf-the-not-so-good/) dependant on charging system used.
can also get the fuel at any supermarket

 

The general driver isn't going to mess about topping up their car with veg oil using cans, I wouldn't. The argument against 8-13 hours charge is invalid - that time would be done whilst I was either in bed or at work sat at my desk.

I am very interested by the claimed e-Golf figure of 1.5p per mile.

 

Most BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicle) return 4 miles per kW when driven sensibly.

A kW of electricity is around 12-15p to most people, plus 10% transmission losses in taking the electric from the AC plug, converting it to DC and shoving it into the battery.

 

So most electric cars will return around 3.3-4.4ppm.

And that's driving sensibly.

 

How has he managed to make the car more than twice as efficient as other BEVs?

Or is he using "free" charging at work for over 50% of his electricity?

 

 

When comparing costs you need to factor in not only depreciation (steep on EVs in the first year) but also the lower cost of VED, servicing etc...

I am very interested by the claimed e-Golf figure of 1.5p per mile.

Most BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicle) return 4 miles per kW when driven sensibly.

A kW of electricity is around 12-15p to most people, plus 10% transmission losses in taking the electric from the AC plug, converting it to DC and shoving it into the battery.

So most electric cars will return around 3.3-4.4ppm.

And that's driving sensibly.

How has he managed to make the car more than twice as efficient as other BEVs?

Or is he using "free" charging at work for over 50% of his electricity?

When comparing costs you need to factor in not only depreciation (steep on EVs in the first year) but also the lower cost of VED, servicing etc...

you'd have to ask him:)

you'd have to ask him:)

 

I don't do twitter, can't see the 1.5ppm claim other than in your post and don't want to register on various sites to challenge spurious information.

Free Parking and free charging is a wonderful thing, and it is not just Glasgow that has this.

http://glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10428

I don't do twitter, can't see the 1.5ppm claim other than in your post and don't want to register on various sites to challenge spurious information.

Like I say, figure was as he stated, not I. I do not have access to an e-Golf, but do have access to my Octavia,

original twitter discussion here:

https://mobile.twitter.com/FuGuttyCars/status/612772201159348224

cheers

Edited 24 June, 201510 yr by WoodieGuthrie

The trouble with running a car on veg oil, is that it just isn't viable for a lot of people. My understanding is that a lot of new diesels, just can't run on the stuff as its too thick, causing all sorts of damage. Yes you can do a heated veg oil tank/fuel line and have a switch over, like lpg in petrols, but that just adds to the cost. I'm definitely not about to convert my VRS to veg oil.

 

I'm also not sure that a brand new e-golf is a direct comparison to an old Octavia. I certainly wouldn't consider an old Octavia if I wanted a new golf.

 

Also, if lots of people start using veg oil - whether recycled from fish and chip shops, or bought from supermarkets - the government will soon cotton on and make you pay more for the privilege, which would eradicate your price advantage.

The trouble with running a car on veg oil, is that it just isn't viable for a lot of people. My understanding is that a lot of new diesels, just can't run on the stuff as its too thick, causing all sorts of damage. Yes you can do a heated veg oil tank/fuel line and have a switch over, like lpg in petrols, but that just adds to the cost. I'm definitely not about to convert my VRS to veg oil.

yep it is not a suitable fuel for most modern diesels-and as you say its up to the individual if the cost advantage outweighs the inconvenience. a very valid point

I'm also not sure that a brand new e-golf is a direct comparison to an old Octavia. I certainly wouldn't consider an old Octavia if I wanted a new golf.

covered that off by redoing the figures using a value of £22k for the octavia earlier in this thread.

Also, if lots of people start using veg oil - whether recycled from fish and chip shops, or bought from supermarkets - the government will soon cotton on and make you pay more for the privilege, which would eradicate your price advantage.

yes and no- already been an increase in new veg oil prices since it became more widespread, but wvo is still a waste product for most producers-so currently cheap.

issue is whether it is worth the effort re tax collection etc vs the reduced requirment for waste/environmental enforcement?

cannot answer with any real knowledge for the future-similar appliees to energy generation/unit costs.

You are allowed by the HMRC to Produce your 2,500 litres per year of WVO ( SVO, is Straight Vegetable Oil)

for your own use.

(keep your mileage records. and if buying Oil & other products to process making your own Bio at Retail & Wholesale Suppliers you maybe want to not have a paper trail.

ie Mickey Mouse always Pays in Cash..

do not use reward cards, credit and debit cards.

 

As to collecting at Chip Shops. you usually find that now in 2015 businesses have collection services and contracts 

for current disposal regulations.

Edited 24 June, 201510 yr by goneoffSKi