UpWrong wrote: 13 Oct 2025, 11:08am
I reckon equivalent "fuel" costs are at around 50p per Kwh. Subscription services give you access to rapid public charging for less than that. There are also "plunge" prices and off-peak prices. Plus local rapid charges in library and council car parks are usually around that rate. Motoring is never going to be cheap but I think we are reaching the point of equivalence or better for most motorists in purchasing and running BEVs rather than ICE cars, even without home charging.
Yeah, with lower maintenance costs, which get relatively cheaper with age compared to petrol https://www.thecarexpert.co.uk/petrol-v ... osts-2025/ it's likely BEVs are now likely at break even or lower even without home charging.
It will be very interesting to see how used costs go; it could be that the relatively cheap running costs of BEVs keep prices used considerably higher than petrol cars.
The economics of running an EV are as individual as the particular circumstances of a driver.
I see lots of posts along the lines of 'how much will I save if...' and the answer is that the driver needs to model it for their own use case. I also see people trumpeting 'hero' EV rates which mean they run their cars for pennies, but I never see them present their 'whole cost' analysis, that is, the overall effect on their household electricity bill.
We happen to be on a 24-7 single low rate, including the EV charging because that results in the lowest net overall cost, and we don't need a home charger, despite an estimated 10-11K EV miles this year.
The above is purely fuel cost, of course, not total cost of ownership, which is by far the more significant number to understand.
Plus local rapid charges in library and council car parks are usually around that rate. Motoring is never going to be cheap but I think we are reaching the point of equivalence or better for most motorists in purchasing and running BEVs rather than ICE cars, even without home charging.
Bonefishblues wrote: 13 Oct 2025, 11:32am
The above is purely fuel cost, of course, not total cost of ownership, which is by far the more significant number to understand.
Yes x2. TCO is a much better approach than picking out individual components. That's "better" if you're actually interested in ownership rather than scaremongering.
Jonathan
Edited post following note about misattribution.
Last edited by Jdsk on 13 Oct 2025, 3:27pm, edited 1 time in total.
Lots of available and tested technology. Some good examples of real-world implementation. But it would go a lot quicker and better with more national funding and targets. As with many other aspects of the transition.
roubaixtuesday wrote: 13 Oct 2025, 11:19am
Plus local rapid charges in library and council car parks are usually around that rate. Motoring is never going to be cheap but I think we are reaching the point of equivalence or better for most motorists in purchasing and running BEVs rather than ICE cars, even without home charging.
Bonefishblues wrote: 13 Oct 2025, 11:32am
The above is purely fuel cost, of course, not total cost of ownership, which is by far the more significant number to understand.
Yes x2. TCO is a much better approach than picking out individual components. That's "better" if you're actually interested in ownership rather than scaremongering.
Jonathan
I think you've attributed me wrongly there (though i agre with the point)
You're right. I'm very sorry. I've edited my post and added a comment.
(This happened while trying to reply and add quotes, rather than quoting to start the reply. I'll check if there's a system problem with that workflow.)
Probably not all that practical as it is a single seater & probably in the "if you have to ask the price you can't afford it" range pricewise. Plus it sucks. Literally!
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
Not yet announced as policy. Could be "pitch rolling".
To my mind the idea that BEV’s should pay their way in the same / a similar way that fossil fuel cars pay theirs is founded on fairness and as such it’s supportable. That said running a BEV instead of an ICE car has to be made attractive (if a change is going to occur) and there are plenty of reasons to stick with fossil fuels. The single rate tariff/tax per mile is a blunt instrument and it’ll likely get the mixed response it deserves, something based on vehicle size and weight would be both fairer and seen to be so. There’s a case too for light vehicles with minimal emissions / electricity usage to be tax / tariff free.
Reeves has to raise money from somewhere and the nation has to live within its means rather than running up debt (debt is what the Tories left us, they should have been sorting out the country’s finances but just left us with a financial mess). Expect some pain, well rather a lot actually, in the coming budgets.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
Rather than having to 'raise money', perhaps our present Government might consider stopping 'throwing it away' on projects that are not needed, not correctly costed, and not justified.
For example, think flying thousands of miles to attend a conference to consider saving waste - when they are doing exactly that at home...
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Morzedec wrote: 6 Nov 2025, 5:09pm
Rather than having to 'raise money', perhaps our present Government might consider stopping 'throwing it away' on projects that are not needed, not correctly costed, and not justified.
For example, think flying thousands of miles to attend a conference to consider saving waste - when they are doing exactly that at home...
Aren’t they doing similar things already? Weren’t there several large and very expensive projects that, when they came into power, got canned? Flying off to meetings is small beer, a bit like rationing paper clips. The last Government did do some large projects, or started them, and their pals lined their pockets with tax payers money.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
Carlton, it has always been regarded as pretty bad form by our family to blame others for your own problems, many of which you are still inflicting upon yourself.
I think that all road transport should pay its way, by paying the external costs it imposes on society. This will automatically encourage the least harmful.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
