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[Taxi_Driver]

After a brief rummage, both versions of the 85kw one can be leased from £848+Vat per month, (£1017)...

Hp payments would be similar... this sounds alot, but assuming it costs a maximum of £10 to charge it, and it manages 200 miles on each charge, that is 5p per mile. Worst case, wrt range/fuel cost.

The E class is 22p per mile. So for every 1000 miles the Tesla will cost £50, whereas the E class costs £220.

Over 4000 miles/1 month, the Tesla would cost £1600 including tyres, insurance and servicing.
The E class costs £1710 including fuel, tyres, insurance, servicing and tax.

The Tesla is significantly cheaper to own, inspite of costing 4 times more...

Factor in a 100% write off in the first year, against 20% for the Merc, and it starts to look very attractive indeed   

You get less than 28mpg from the E class  (assuming 1.35/litre for diesel)

[05omegav6]

That was beer mat maths, car is doing 33ish to the gallon, which isn't great, but is consistent over the last 10k miles...

Fuel costs are about equal to the Omega in ppm terms

[Taxi_Driver]

That was beer mat maths, car is doing 33ish to the gallon, which isn't great, but is consistent over the last 10k miles...

Fuel costs are about equal to the Omega in ppm terms

Ok.....but thats still pretty rubbish in my books.....unless you drive it hard all the time....get an VRS....you'll 45mpg about town...55mpg on a run.....rubbish when you have fun with it 

But then i have the driver involvement pack fitted 

[05omegav6]

My Seat never bettered 36mpg, so I think I'll pass...

[Varche]

Wouldn't you also have to factor in consumables? In this case a set of batteries. How many years do they last before not holding their charge anymore? Or sell it with a discount- think V6 cambelt cost reduction on an Omega.

I do agree that electric or hybrid cars is the future and with wireless recharging.

[Kevin Wood]

I'm not so sure. To make an electric car work you need a battery. Mankind has been making batteries for over 200 years, so it's a "mature" technology, and it doesn't come remotely close to packing the energy that a tank of fuel can manage.

Furthermore, short of changing the battery, you can't load it up with more energy in a minute or two like you can with a fuel tank.

These two factors mean an electric car has an extremely limited appeal - namely as a second "shopping" car, or for those whose commute coincides with the car's range, whereby they'll need a proper car for all other journeys. They'll never actually be replacing a petrol / diseasel car and you have to remember that their environmental credentials relate only to the point of use of the vehicle. Something, somewhere's still emitting carbon to charge the batteries. None of these facts are likely to change massively in the near term. Leccy cars might be new, but the technologies within are very mature and changing slowly. 

Like diesel cars, I think they'll be subject to a massive government u-turn in a few years, if they ever manage sufficient penetration to appear on the radar at all.

[Varche]

That is all very true but there has been a huge vested interest in continuing petrol/diesel vehicles and comparatively little money spent on what I would call new technology batteries.

Just a couple of ideas off top of my head.

Instead of charging you just "slide out" your discharged battery and take a charged up one from one of the stations(former petrol stations?). The batteries could belong to the company. Like orange domestic gas bottles in Spain

Charging? By solar device(would work well in sunny countries) or wind /water turbine with mains back up for the inevitable.

Don't forget that all cars will do of their journeys under state control and not the drivers foot within most of our lifetimes. Electric cars would be the platform for that with gas guzzlers being phased out (taxed to death). 

[chrisgixer]

Energy recovery is key IMO. But by nature, it has to be a lot more efficient than the energy that got it moving in the first place.
 As a Hybrid the Mclaren makes me laugh. Completely missed the point of saving energy, and instead uses as all its resources to go faster still. ....hopefully they'll uncover some secrets on the way though.

[05omegav6]

Tesla guarantee the batteries, motors and electronics for 8 years/unlimited mileage. The rest of the chassis consists of suspension and braking components, so consumables will be brake pads and shocks. Factor in free charging for life at their charging stations then you're well on the way to a viable long term product

The battery pack can be changed in as little as 90 seconds, should the need arise...

[05omegav6]

Revenge of the Electric car is well worth a watch

Currently on Netflix for those that have...

[Kevin Wood]

Don't forget that all cars will do of their journeys under state control and not the drivers foot within most of our lifetimes.

That'll be the day I give up driving and learn to fly something that burns petrol instead of my current "green"* alternative.



* - Green except for the bit where it gets towed up by a plane with a 5.9 litre petrol engine.

[Kevin Wood]

Exchanging batteries is about the only viable option I can see for "fuelling" electric cars. Battery technologies have been invested in recently, since the boom in mobile devices. The electric cars we have today are only as viable as they are thanks to investment in the Li-Po batteries and their derivatives we have in our phones, tablets, etc. I can't see a revolution coming any time soon, although we will no doubt see steady improvement. We need much better than that.

The problem you then have is that we need a standard battery that fits all cars. Currently electric car batteries are a very irregular shape to maximise their volume by utilising every bit of space under the car to which they belong, so very vehicle specific.

The next problem is funding the batteries. Somebody has to own them, and the distribution and charging network, and replace them when they die... I can see roadside battery replacements as being a very expensive fuel.

[05omegav6]

Again Tesla have the march on this as they propose to use the same battery accross the range, (except the roadster which is no longer produced). Their approach being a flat battery pack which is floor mounted. More firward thinking than the Gm approach of mounting the battery in a standard car floor plan....

[Varche]

Exchanging batteries is about the only viable option I can see for "fuelling" electric cars. Battery technologies have been invested in recently, since the boom in mobile devices. The electric cars we have today are only as viable as they are thanks to investment in the Li-Po batteries and their derivatives we have in our phones, tablets, etc. I can't see a revolution coming any time soon, although we will no doubt see steady improvement. We need much better than that.

The problem you then have is that we need a standard battery that fits all cars. Currently electric car batteries are a very irregular shape to maximise their volume by utilising every bit of space under the car to which they belong, so very vehicle specific.

The next problem is funding the batteries. Somebody has to own them, and the distribution and charging network, and replace them when they die... I can see roadside battery replacements as being a very expensive fuel.

Only when everyone has one! To start with they will be cheap. Think discount of diesel over petrol at outset.

[aaronjb]

Speaking of electric cars.. I'll take one of these, please: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2726320/New-electric-American-supercar-classic-style-aims-quicker-charge.html