Diesel & petrol alternatives? Your thoughts please

KellyHenderson replied on 14/09/2017 14:26

KellyHenderson

Posted on 14/09/2017 14:26

Good Afternoon,

Hopefully you have now received your September Club Magazine and read the Ask Your Club article (see attached photo) regarding the future of caravanning post 2040.

Have you already changed your vehicle from diesel to petrol?

Is anyone already towing with a hybrid? Maybe a Tesla Model X?

Has the news affected your plans for your next towcar?

It will also be interesting to see how motorhomes evolve into hybrids and/or electric models, which alternative to diesel would you prefer to buy; Hybrid or electric?

Are you concerned about so few alternatives to diesel at the moment? Would you choose petrol instead if they were more widely available? There is now a VW T6 camper with a petrol engine available.

Has this news made you think about switching to a car and caravan? Equally would caravanners consider trading in their car and caravan to purchase a hybrid or electric motorhome?

From the questions above, we would love to have your feedback.

One thing is for sure, there will be some interesting times ahead.

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593 replies

Oscarmax replied on 28/12/2021 12:06

Member

Oscarmax

Caravanner

Posted on 28/12/2021 12:06

Nice to be negative

ADP1963 replied on 28/12/2021 12:28

Member

ADP1963

Caravanner

Posted on 28/12/2021 12:28

The negativity is mainly to Petrol engine vehicles which I find surprising. The Diesel may have more torque but that doesn't make it a must have as far as I am concerned. I have towed with both and some small engine Petrol cars have done the job. You have to use the gears more and drive ahead rather than just in front, but so what, that to me isn't hardship. If the guy with a Diesel is a bad driver, his so called advantage of that torque will be lost anyway as I see it !....................just my personal opinion and previous experiences.

EmilysDad replied on 28/12/2021 12:48

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EmilysDad

Caravanner

Posted on 28/12/2021 12:28 by ADP1963

The negativity is mainly to Petrol engine vehicles which I find surprising. The Diesel may have more torque but that doesn't make it a must have as far as I am concerned. I have towed with both and some small engine Petrol cars have done the job. You have to use the gears more and drive ahead rather than just in front, but so what, that to me isn't hardship. If the guy with a Diesel is a bad driver, his so called advantage of that torque will be lost anyway as I see it !....................just my personal opinion and previous experiences.

Posted on 28/12/2021 12:48

I've towed with petrol too, but they have been 3.0 litre 6 cylinder cars. That type of car is seen as a dinosaur though these day .... does anyone make such a car anymore?

ADP1963 replied on 28/12/2021 12:59

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ADP1963

Caravanner

Posted on 28/12/2021 12:59

Don't think so Andy ,most I pass have small engines as you suggest. But most of my petrol engines that I have towed with in the past have been 1.6 0r 2.0 litre and I never found them detrimental to the job.

replied on 28/12/2021 13:03

Posted on 28/12/2021 12:48 by EmilysDad

I've towed with petrol too, but they have been 3.0 litre 6 cylinder cars. That type of car is seen as a dinosaur though these day .... does anyone make such a car anymore?

Posted on 28/12/2021 13:03

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

EmilysDad replied on 28/12/2021 14:07

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EmilysDad

Caravanner

Posted on 28/12/2021 12:59 by ADP1963

Don't think so Andy ,most I pass have small engines as you suggest. But most of my petrol engines that I have towed with in the past have been 1.6 0r 2.0 litre and I never found them detrimental to the job.

Posted on 28/12/2021 14:07

but bigger is better .... 😉

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ADP1963 replied on 28/12/2021 14:21

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ADP1963

Caravanner

Posted on 28/12/2021 14:21

Agree, as they say no substitute for CC.

1 person likes this

JVB66 replied on 28/12/2021 14:59

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JVB66

Campervanner

Posted on 28/12/2021 12:59 by ADP1963

Don't think so Andy ,most I pass have small engines as you suggest. But most of my petrol engines that I have towed with in the past have been 1.6 0r 2.0 litre and I never found them detrimental to the job.

Posted on 28/12/2021 14:59

Were they automatics?

ChocolateTrees replied on 28/12/2021 15:19

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ChocolateTrees

Caravanner

Posted on 28/12/2021 10:43 by Oscarmax

Chocolate trees we have been following your post with interest, in early 2020 (18 months ago) we made the change from a Ford Kuga diesel to a Mitsubishi outlander PHEV, following all the negativity on the internet we were expecting some problems to date we have experience none to the point we would not go back to a diesel our fuel cost have more than halved over the past 18 months.

Hopefully our next step will be a fully EV, for us there is very little difference between a decent PHEV/EV, we just need the push in the right direction.

Our only problem is unhitching the caravan on the motorways (a) I am on 2 crutches or my walker and (b) we realise we will have to fit the AL-KO wheel and hitch locks, but do we stand with insurance leaving the caravan unhitched/unattended whilst charging up the EV ?

Posted on 28/12/2021 15:19

So, if you already have a PHEV and it’s working for you (esp for the local journeys), I would think hard about the move to full EV if hitching and unhitching is a problem.

We don’t fit locks to the van when charging, but then we don’t leave it alone at all unlocked. We always leave one person with it so it’s always attended for insurance purposes.

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JVB66 replied on 28/12/2021 16:20

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JVB66

Campervanner

Posted on 28/12/2021 16:20

A question for the experts

I have been told by an EV owner the difference between Hibrid vehicles batteries and full EV vehicle batteries is that a hybrid has to have a full battery if a replacement is needed ,where as the batteries on EVs can have individual cells disabled (reducing capacity) ,rather than having to spend very large amounts of money ,dismantling the whole vehicle to put in a new battery

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