walkhighlands

This forum is for general discussion about walking and scrambling... If writing a report or sharing your experiences from a route, please use the other boards.

electric cars

electric cars


Postby litljortindan » Mon Jun 27, 2022 10:31 am

Anyone using an electric car to get to the hills?

Our Honda Jazz has defied the odds and clocked up 207000 miles but some used electric cars are within our budget now so we are thinking about this.
User avatar
litljortindan
Ambler
 
Posts: 2372
Munros:153   Corbetts:67
Fionas:29   Donalds:1
Sub 2000:47   Hewitts:12
Wainwrights:10   
Joined: Dec 11, 2011

Re: electric cars

Postby HalfManHalfTitanium » Mon Jun 27, 2022 11:14 am

litljortindan wrote:Anyone using an electric car to get to the hills?

Our Honda Jazz has defied the odds and clocked up 207000 miles but some used electric cars are within our budget now so we are thinking about this.


We too have a Honda Jazz - it has been brilliant for reliability, fuel economy and for coping with Highland roads including the Grey Corries track and the Bealach na Ba! Good on wintry roads too - all in all an ideal car for a hillwalker.

Like you, we would consider an electric for our next car. However, hoping the old one lasts a while longer!

Also keeping fingers crossed for electric car prices to come down a bit further. We bought the Jazz second hand for £5000 when it had only 17K miles on the clock. You could probably triple that price for a comparable electric car.

Tim

Found a friend near the cairn on the Glen Lyon to Lochan na Lairig road.
47591624052_6703b12979_k.jpg
User avatar
HalfManHalfTitanium
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 2981
Munros:119   Corbetts:28
Fionas:6   Donalds:6
Hewitts:152
Wainwrights:103   
Joined: Mar 11, 2015

Re: electric cars

Postby Fife Flyer » Mon Jun 27, 2022 12:47 pm

My SEAT Leon is a Hybrid which for me is the way ahead.
The main problem with electric cars especially for hill walking is the range & the lack of charge points, especially in the remote areas. My 1.4 petrol engine returns well over 50mpg and also produces over 200bhp.
The other obvious drawback is the time it takes to charge up the battery - I can get about 30miles out of my battery which is ideal for bimbling round Fife, but to recharge the battery takes about 3 hours.
If anyone has an electric car it would be interesting to hear how they carefully plan the trip?
User avatar
Fife Flyer
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 2641
Munros:272   Corbetts:58
Fionas:39   Donalds:89+33
Sub 2000:130   Hewitts:2
Islands:5
Joined: May 15, 2013
Location: Guess?

Re: electric cars

Postby WalkWithWallace » Mon Jun 27, 2022 2:49 pm

Would love an electric car, I just think the range in most of them is a bit short of a trip anywhere north of Inverness at the moment. Plus the lack of charging points in random lay-bys and remote car parks. :?
User avatar
WalkWithWallace
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 1077
Munros:119   Corbetts:192
Fionas:57   Donalds:36+0
Hewitts:41
Wainwrights:29   Islands:25
Joined: Jan 27, 2019
Location: www.youtube.com/c/walkwithwallace
Walk wish-list

Re: electric cars

Postby Alex W » Mon Jun 27, 2022 3:19 pm

I have been giving this some thought. My 12 year old Saab 93 x-drive is going to give up on me some time and I need to plan ahead. It's already not great in terms of fuel consumption. I can get around 450 miles out of a tank of petrol which enough to do the round trip to a lot of hills from Edinburgh without a need for worry about finding fuel. And if I'm much further afield stopping to fill up in the last major town/ city makes it safe to get home again without worry.

Even if I go for a high end electric car the most I can expect is about 300 miles. So most trips beyond the southern hills will need a recharge. The Kingshouse has 3 charging points which were always empty last time I was there, but with increased popularity of electric cars that won't always be the case. And what about someone arriving at the Kingshouse, putting their car on charge and then going to the bar - they can't then move it.

I'd be keen to go electric, but charging infrastructure in the Highlands needs to be much more certain. I'd even be prepared to build in some additional time to take account of charging time, but I can't afford to be somewhere remote and find that there is no access to charging at all.
Alex W
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 139
Munros:212   Corbetts:8
Fionas:8   Donalds:15
Sub 2000:12   
Islands:12
Joined: Dec 14, 2020
Location: Edinburgh

Re: electric cars

Postby simon-b » Mon Jun 27, 2022 3:23 pm

A used electric car means a used battery, of course. Typical warranties for electric car batteries are 8 years/ 100000 miles. Even from new, that does not seem very long for someone who otherwise gets over 200000 miles out of a car. Replacement batteries cost several thousand pounds. I think we need further advances in technology and charging/refuelling structure before zero emission vehicles are truly fit for purpose for long journeys into mountain country.
Hopefully those advances will come, but they're not here yet outside the laboratory.

But it would be interesting to hear how anyone is managing with a current (no pun intended) electric car.
User avatar
simon-b
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 2344
Munros:282   Corbetts:30
Fionas:7   Donalds:12
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:155
Wainwrights:214   Islands:4
Joined: Jan 2, 2012
Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Re: electric cars

Postby iain_atkinson_1986 » Mon Jun 27, 2022 3:56 pm

I'll get an electric car when you get one new for ~22k that will do 450 miles and can be charged fully in under an hour at one of the many hundred charging points throughout the Highlands. I reckon I'll have another few petrol cars before that happens.
iain_atkinson_1986
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 681
Munros:83   Corbetts:216
Fionas:20   Donalds:16+9
Sub 2000:4   
Joined: Jul 27, 2016
Location: Inverness

Re: electric cars

Postby Paul Webster » Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:03 pm

We drive an electric car - a wee Renault Zoe. Does far, far better in the Highlands than you might expect. The range is at its best when on the narrow twisting roads - for instance, we've done Kinloch Hourn or Strathan (Loch Arkaig) as a comfy day trip out and back from Cromdale, with plenty power left, or even down Glencoe & back in summer with no charging. I think it does well on the smaller roads because a) slower speeds, and b) you get the power back on the downs from the ups, which obviously you don't with petrol. Still very cheap to drive despite elec cost more than doubling here!

I wouldn't really go much further than that for a day walk to be honest, so don't find range an issue. The one annoyance is the unreliability of some of the older machines in the charging network, but not usually a big problem (and not needed in daytrip driving range) - especially if you have my coffee-shop habit. You will be driving past many, many charging points over a 230-240 mile range. Arguably very rural places are the best for elec cars, where adequate public transport isn't so likely.

My tip is that if looking to get one the prices are negotiable by around 25-30% off - check on wow cars or something to get the idea.

Yes, the warranty is 100,000 miles and 8 years which I think pretty typical. You might have car engines that have gone much further than that (I've a friend who was an early adopter and who has gone much further in an EV) - but not covered under the warranty, surely!
User avatar
Paul Webster
Site Admin
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 5822
Munros:282   Corbetts:222
Fionas:71   Donalds:45+17
Sub 2000:121   Hewitts:133
Wainwrights:135   Islands:92
Joined: Jan 6, 2007
Location: Highland
Walk wish-list

Re: electric cars

Postby simon-b » Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:39 pm

Paul Webster wrote:We drive an electric car - a wee Renault Zoe. Does far, far better in the Highlands than you might expect. The range is at its best when on the narrow twisting roads - for instance, we've done Kinloch Hourn or Strathan (Loch Arkaig) as a comfy day trip out and back from Cromdale, with plenty power left, or even down Glencoe & back in summer with no charging. I think it does well on the smaller roads because a) slower speeds, and b) you get the power back on the downs from the ups, which obviously you don't with petrol. Still very cheap to drive despite elec cost more than doubling here!

I wouldn't really go much further than that for a day walk to be honest, so don't find range an issue. The one annoyance is the unreliability of some of the older machines in the charging network, but not usually a big problem (and not needed in daytrip driving range) - especially if you have my coffee-shop habit. You will be driving past many, many charging points over a 230-240 mile range. Arguably very rural places are the best for elec cars, where adequate public transport isn't so likely.

My tip is that if looking to get one the prices are negotiable by around 25-30% off - check on wow cars or something to get the idea.

Yes, the warranty is 100,000 miles and 8 years which I think pretty typical. You might have car engines that have gone much further than that (I've a friend who was an early adopter and who has gone much further in an EV) - but not covered under the warranty, surely!

Interesting to hear that Paul, and good to know your experience seems to have been good.

I agree that warranty isn't necessarily the same as expected life. But experience tells me it's reasonable to expect a decent life out of a petrol car, well past any mechanical warranties. Time will tell if we can have the same confidence with battery longevity, some of us perhaps not convinced yet but may be in the future.
User avatar
simon-b
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 2344
Munros:282   Corbetts:30
Fionas:7   Donalds:12
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:155
Wainwrights:214   Islands:4
Joined: Jan 2, 2012
Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Re: electric cars

Postby davekeiller » Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:02 pm

One option that might work for some people is car clubs. I don't own a car at all, but am a member of a car club.
Essentially, they have cars in dedicated parking places in towns and cities which can be hired by the hour, up to a daily maximum rate.
This might make it practical to have an electric car for commuting, whilst maintaining access to a petrol vehicle for weekends.
davekeiller
 
Posts: 984
Munros:154   Corbetts:31
Fionas:4   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:11   Hewitts:19
Wainwrights:20   
Joined: Oct 25, 2013

Re: electric cars

Postby Sunset tripper » Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:50 pm

simon-b wrote:A used electric car means a used battery, of course. Typical warranties for electric car batteries are 8 years/ 100000 miles. Even from new, that does not seem very long for someone who otherwise gets over 200000 miles out of a car.

The warranty on the engine that lasts for 200,000 mile will have ran out long before 100,000 miles/ 8 years, but I get the point you make.
I dont know how long the battery's on hybrid or electric cars last in reality but I think you will find the people who have these type of cars right now have no intention of keeping them for 8 years.

A pal of mine has a hybrid Toyota and reckons it doesn't have better fuel efficiency than his previous similar style conventional car. The main environmental advantage is in town where it mostly runs on battery and has zero emmisions.
If we are to go fully electric there needs to be massive battery improvement which should happen but there is the issue of the environmental problems of mining and recycling the battery components which will be ramped right up if we go full electric.
The hybrid/electric car still feels a bit of a novelty just now and are generally prohibitively expensive.
We have to also remember these car batteries are mostly getting charged by natural gas or nuclear power stations at the moment. :?
User avatar
Sunset tripper
 
Posts: 2961
Joined: Nov 3, 2013
Location: Inverness

Re: electric cars

Postby jaykayemm » Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:17 pm

I own two electric cars, a Nissan Leaf with 160 miles range and a BMW IX3 with 280 miles range and I have had no problem so far. If you are sensible and intelligent enough to use all the apps available and drive at a sensible speed, which is very few on the A9, then you will be OK. I would always avoid Aviemore as there is only one public charge point as Highland Council have decided to throw all their money at the ridiculous railway that was doomed from the start.

Go electric.
jaykayemm
Stravaiging
 
Posts: 15
Munros:282   Corbetts:75
Fionas:5   Donalds:1
Joined: Jul 13, 2010
Location: kirriemuir

Re: electric cars

Postby Giant Stoneater » Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:39 pm

Paul Webster wrote:We drive an electric car - a wee Renault Zoe. Does far, far better in the Highlands than you might expect. The range is at its best when on the narrow twisting roads - for instance, we've done Kinloch Hourn or Strathan (Loch Arkaig) as a comfy day trip out and back from Cromdale, with plenty power left, or even down Glencoe & back in summer with no charging. I think it does well on the smaller roads because a) slower speeds, and b) you get the power back on the downs from the ups, which obviously you don't with petrol. Still very cheap to drive despite elec cost more than doubling here!

I wouldn't really go much further than that for a day walk to be honest, so don't find range an issue. The one annoyance is the unreliability of some of the older machines in the charging network, but not usually a big problem (and not needed in daytrip driving range) - especially if you have my coffee-shop habit. You will be driving past many, many charging points over a 230-240 mile range. Arguably very rural places are the best for elec cars, where adequate public transport isn't so likely.

My tip is that if looking to get one the prices are negotiable by around 25-30% off - check on wow cars or something to get the idea.

Yes, the warranty is 100,000 miles and 8 years which I think pretty typical. You might have car engines that have gone much further than that (I've a friend who was an early adopter and who has gone much further in an EV) - but not covered under the warranty, surely!


How do you find the electric car in winter, does it take longer to charge, battery power when using the heater etc, do you preheat the car when connected to the charger at home , be interesting to know your thoughts.
Giant Stoneater
Scrambler
 
Posts: 912
Joined: Aug 2, 2014

Re: electric cars

Postby simon-b » Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:47 pm

Sunset tripper wrote:
simon-b wrote:A used electric car means a used battery, of course. Typical warranties for electric car batteries are 8 years/ 100000 miles. Even from new, that does not seem very long for someone who otherwise gets over 200000 miles out of a car.

The warranty on the engine that lasts for 200,000 mile will have ran out long before 100,000 miles/ 8 years, but I get the point you make.
I dont know how long the battery's on hybrid or electric cars last in reality but I think you will find the people who have these type of cars right now have no intention of keeping them for 8 years.

A pal of mine has a hybrid Toyota and reckons it doesn't have better fuel efficiency than his previous similar style conventional car. The main environmental advantage is in town where it mostly runs on battery and has zero emmisions.
If we are to go fully electric there needs to be massive battery improvement which should happen but there is the issue of the environmental problems of mining and recycling the battery components which will be ramped right up if we go full electric.
The hybrid/electric car still feels a bit of a novelty just now and are generally prohibitively expensive.
We have to also remember these car batteries are mostly getting charged by natural gas or nuclear power stations at the moment. :?

I get the point you make too, S.T. And if you're right about people having no intention of keeping their cars for 8 years, then treating a car as a short term, disposable item is not environmentally friendly.
User avatar
simon-b
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 2344
Munros:282   Corbetts:30
Fionas:7   Donalds:12
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:155
Wainwrights:214   Islands:4
Joined: Jan 2, 2012
Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Re: electric cars

Postby JWCW2014 » Tue Jun 28, 2022 7:45 am

My 7 year old (diesel) Volvo is pretty fuel efficient and will keep it until it’s no longer cost efficient to keep it running - agree with concerns about treating a car almost as disposable, I suspect there’s a lot of emissions in manufacturing!

I’m not quite sure whether electric car technology and charging infrastructure will be sufficient for me to switch when I need a new car - the cost has certainly come down over the last few years though.

The range in my car on A-roads/motorway is upwards of 450 miles but to be honest other than when I’ve been a bit lazy and not topped up before a trip I could probably get away with half of that and an electric would be fine.

Does anyone have experience of how different the range on electric cars is in winter, is the battery less efficient in the same way as an iPhone packs up in the cold?
User avatar
JWCW2014
Walker
 
Posts: 429
Munros:90   Corbetts:4
Fionas:1   Donalds:1+0
Sub 2000:12   
Islands:11
Joined: May 31, 2022

Next



Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to General discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Gordie12 and 16 guests