Thoughts on electric/hybrid/LPG vehicles

[gazdkw82]

I currently have a 2007 Volvo v70 estate that I like but is thirsty. Im using around £150 of diesel a month.

I'm looking to change to something with saving money on running costs being the main driving force.

Iv looked at electric vehicles but I'm really concerned about how limiting it can be on miles per charge. Plus I really don't fancy spending the same amount of money per month financing an electric vehicle. Defeats the object a little.

I like the idea of hybrid. Dont know much about them. I know they defo do hybrid estates (Toyota one seems nice)

The last option is LPG converted vehicle. I like the idea of this and it opens up cars that I actually like

 

[Octopus]

I doubt you will "save" much money ........... especially after you have spent a considerable amount on a new vehicle

 

[SJD]

Years ago, I used to have a dual-fuel car, which also could run on LPG. I bought it in Holland, where filling up was easy. Then I moved back here and couldn't find many garages that supplied it, so most long journeys ended up using petrol. Perhaps things have changed now and there are more places to buy LPG?

 

[gazdkw82]

I doubt you will "save" much money ........... especially after you have spent a considerable amount on a new vehicle

Well it doesn't have to necessarily be a new vehicle.

 

[gazdkw82]

Years ago, I used to have a dual-fuel car, which also could run on LPG. I bought it in Holland, where filling up was easy. Then I moved back here and couldn't find many garages that supplied it, so most long journeys ended up using petrol. Perhaps things have changed now and there are more places to buy LPG?

I think LPG garages are much more common now then they used to be. I have a few friends who run LPG vehicles and never seem to struggle much. Usually at least 2-3 garages per city

 

[Octopus]

Well it doesn't have to necessarily be a new vehicle.

Ok, but you will still be more than likely to be spending more ....

 

[gazdkw82]

Ok, but you will still be more than likely to be spending more ....

Yeh most likely. I'd have to compare fuel/running costs with the initial cost and running costs of the replacement.

I think realistically a fully electric vehicle is out of the question. It's hybrid or LPG

 

[Deleted account]

Hiring an electric car is a pretty good option. The prices are near enough the same as a normal petrol or diesel car due to the government funding. I looked into it and am considering an electric van.

There will be an initial cost of installing ev charger, but after that it will be cheaper to run than massively taxed diesel.

My concern is we don't have the infrastructure in place to deal with these electric cars yet within the grid and not enough power being generated.

 

[Octopus]

Not much is being said about electric vans and lorries ...

 

[Deleted account]

I just said something

 

[gazdkw82]

We have electric Nissan vans at work and they are great but it's not for me yet.

I think I'll just concentrate on either hybeid or LPG

 

[Deleted account]

We have electric Nissan vans at work and they are great but it's not for me yet.

I think I'll just concentrate on either hybeid or LPG

How do they perform. It's the Nissan vans I was looking at. They seem to be the leading electric van company up to now.

 

[gazdkw82]

How do they perform. It's the Nissan vans I was looking at. They seem to be the leading electric van company up to now.

IMO they are really good. Drive is good, very quick and nippy, decent room in the back. Not sure how it would cope with a van load of tools

 

[Deleted account]

IMO they are really good. Drive is good, very quick and nippy, decent room in the back. Not sure how it would cope with a van load of tools

Van load of tools is my concern. Are your work vans not tooled up?

 

[gazdkw82]

No. We have all our own tools. We are a maintenance department really so not many big tools needed

 

[Deleted account]

Anyone else out there with an electric van full of tools and materials and spare stock?
How does it perform

 

[PJH2903]

I have a BMW i3 as my main car and love it. I will get around 120 miles per charge in this colder weather, around 150-160 in summer. I plug it in at the end of the day and set it to charge overnight on E7 @ 9p/kwh. There is a £500 OLEV grant towards the cost of a home charger bringing the installed cost down to around £200.
I will be looking into getting a Nissan env200 van in the new year and going fully electric. If you are doing under 100 miles a day you will not have a problem in an electric vehicle. For longer journeys you just need to plan a stop on route at a rapid charger which will get you around 80% charge in 30-40 minutes (coffee break and a bit of paperwork in the service station for me usually)

 

[Deleted account]

I have a BMW i3 as my main car and love it. I will get around 120 miles per charge in this colder weather, around 150-160 in summer. I plug it in at the end of the day and set it to charge overnight on E7 @ 9p/kwh. There is a £500 OLEV grant towards the cost of a home charger bringing the installed cost down to around £200.
I will be looking into getting a Nissan env200 van in the new year and going fully electric. If you are doing under 100 miles a day you will not have a problem in an electric vehicle. For longer journeys you just need to plan a stop on route at a rapid charger which will get you around 80% charge in 30-40 minutes (coffee break and a bit of paperwork in the service station for me usually)

Will you be buying or hiring? Those milages, are they with a full load?

 

[PJH2903]

Not decided on the buy or hire option yet, need to discuss with the accountant what is better being a limited company (only in my 1st year so new to that side of things).
The mileage is in my i3 generally with 2 adults in it and a 70/30 mix of normal/motorway driving.
The i3 has a 33kwH battery and the new Nissan van has a 40kwH battery so fully loaded I would imagine you would still get similar range if not a bit more.
The other big advantage this time of year is preconditioning. If I am leaving the house at 8.30 I will set to precondition at 8.00 then when I go out all the windows are clear and the cabin is nice and warm at 22 degrees.

 

[telectrix]

Not decided on the buy or hire option yet, need to discuss with the accountant what is better being a limited company (only in my 1st year so new to that side of things).
The mileage is in my i3 generally with 2 adults in it and a 70/30 mix of normal/motorway driving.
The i3 has a 33kwH battery and the new Nissan van has a 40kwH battery so fully loaded I would imagine you would still get similar range if not a bit more.
The other big advantage this time of year is preconditioning. If I am leaving the house at 8.30 I will set to precondition at 8.00 then when I go out all the windows are clear and the cabin is nice and warm at 22 degrees.

that's some new-fangled tech there. when it's really cold, i just bung a 2kW. fan heater in the footwell for 20 minutes. cab then like toast, all windows clear, and the seat warm under my fat arse.

 

[Wilko]

Sadly £150 for a month of fuel may be about average. There is the "total cost of ownership" aspect to deal with as well (insurance, service costs etc). If the old car is reliable I'd save my money. If it's unreliable or doesn't meet your needs to carry tools, then that's another story. Just my opinion .

 

[telectrix]

agree with wilko. stick with the volvo. at least you know you have a vehicle that won't keep stopping due to silly electronics giving up because it's too cold/too hot/too wet/ too dry/wrong kind of snow.

 

[PJH2903]

agree with wilko. stick with the volvo. at least you know you have a vehicle that won't keep stopping due to silly electronics giving up because it's too cold/too hot/too wet/ too dry/wrong kind of snow.

Don't knock it till you've tried it. When the Beast from the East struck my electric i3 was quite happy going up and down hills that the local 4X4's were struggling with.

 

[PEG]

Don't knock it till you've tried it. When the Beast from the East struck my electric i3 was quite happy going up and down hills that the local 4X4's were struggling with.

I hereby challenge you to a tug-of-war,against my Patrol...for logbooks

....and we're doing it the minute we both arrive in Inverness...

 

[Timbo]

Sadly £150 for a month of fuel may be about average. There is the "total cost of ownership" aspect to deal with as well (insurance, service costs etc). If the old car is reliable I'd save my money. If it's unreliable or doesn't meet your needs to carry tools, then that's another story. Just my opinion .

Unfortunately, how much you pay for fuel varies dramatically depending on where you buy. Quantity used is a better benchmark to go by. I put £600+ last month month in my vehicles (and only I drive them), but if I didn't shop around, that could be £50 higher.
Van is 5 yrs old, gets 30mpg, car 1 yr old, averaged 36mpg (over the 29500 miles of its life).