Electric Vehicle Subsidy Reduced

hitchglitch replied on 24/10/2018 15:52

hitchglitch

Posted on 24/10/2018 15:52

The government recently announced that there would be a reduction in EV subsidy from £4500 to £3500 and a removal of the subsidy entirely for hybrids effective mid-November. So, I rushed out to arrange an i3 demo car with the probably intent of ordering a new one before the subsidy was cut. On Monday it was announced that the subsidies would now be changed midnight 21st October i.e. retrospecitvely.

I will probably still go ahead but the story is that there was a sudden increase in EV orders of around 600%. Well, what a surpise! You would think that the responsible Civil Servant might just have worked out what would happen and the effect on the budgeted cost. I would never have got away with that in the Company I worked for. Gross incompetence.

22 replies

Oscarmax replied on 24/10/2018 19:50

Member

Oscarmax

Caravanner

Posted on 24/10/2018 19:23 by brue

Because companies can purchase the "green" bit from the grid. We all know there is a mix in the grid but it can be costed out.

I will repeat on this thread that the batteries in our EV (note this is a modular system, not just one big battery, forget conventional batteries) are guaranteed for eight years and can then be recycled into energy storage.

Energy storage LINK

Posted on 24/10/2018 19:50

The CO2 manufacturing the EV batteries is actual far less than some of the claims be put about. Unfortunately the link is on my other computer, when I have time I will upload the link.

The information I was given revenue could be raised via charging points.

redface replied on 24/10/2018 20:49

redface

Caravanner

Posted on 24/10/2018 20:49

Fortunately I will be long gone before I ever need an electric vehicle.

As such I will undoubtedly avoid the fiscal shenanigans of those that are elected to power.

When did you last trust a politician?

hitchglitch replied on 24/10/2018 21:50

Member

hitchglitch

Motorhomer

Posted on 24/10/2018 19:35 by brue

We have hardly spent any money running ours Hitchglitch compared to a conventional motor and all the running costs. We wouldn't consider PCP, prefer to have total ownership. Unfortunately BMW aren't going to make the REX anymore and for us that was the deal breaker. We've had the back up on longer journeys, the REX costs us about £9 a month in fuel if we use it. Not sure, with the increasing use of motorway charging needs if a total EV would have been any good for us but as a city or local car they are excellent.

Posted on 24/10/2018 21:50

Agree Brue. For some people, the long journeys they make rules out an EV. Realistic range for the new i3 is around 150 miles which would be enough for a week for me most of the time but if you have a regular 200 mile trip say then you need more range. Still, the rate at which batteries are improving and the billions of pounds being invested probably means that it won’t be too long before even the longest journey becomes feasible without worrying about recharging and at a competitive selling price.

My car is getting on a bit and apart from the injector failure it has a small oil leak from the sump, it uses coolant and I dread the turbo failing. I know that EVs are not infallible but the number of moving parts is dramatically fewer. Bring it on!

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Oscarmax replied on 25/10/2018 20:10

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Oscarmax

Caravanner

Posted on 25/10/2018 20:10

For us the Mitsubishi PHEV suit our needs, 95% of our journeys are less than 50 miles, the other 5% mainly towing, we accept the PHEV at present is not a match for the latest diesel, Mitsubishi and I would image others are developing 70 mile range.

On the other side the latest BMW 2.0 petrol owners are claiming 40+mpg almost as good as my diesel Kuga, plus the latest diesel are being reported to be as clean as if not cleaner than their petrol counterparts.

The diesel fiasco has push forward all the automotive development which I believe the automotive industry has been holding back.

hitchglitch replied on 31/10/2018 21:29

Member

hitchglitch

Motorhomer

Posted on 31/10/2018 21:29

Well I’ve taken the plunge and ordered a new i3. My wife and I borrowed a demonstrator for two days and were seriously impressed. Yes, it’s expensive but it is a truly remarkable machine. I think that all those people out there who think electric cars will never become mainstream should take a ride in one. To paraphrase a well known advert “I’ve seen the future and it’s electric!”.