Second car - electric?

[Mick F]

We sometimes need two cars. Not always, just sometimes. We need a car, plus less than half a car.
Busses and cycling and taxis not an option.
We've had two cars in our life together many times, and only fairly recently sold our venerable Clio.

Chatting to Mrs Mick F this morning before she went off to work - by car - we got round to the EV subject.
Keeping the Clio, we would still have had to pay VED even if it was sat on the drive for weeks on end. EVs are free VED and very cheap to run locally as you can plug them in when you get home. The car wouldn't get much use, and only locally and only occasionally.

Question:
Secondhand cheap and cheerful EV.
Most of the offerings are luxury cars with all the gizmos, but we want nothing more than four wheels, a couple of seats, and a roof.

What EVs are like that?
Reva G-Wiz?
Milk float perhaps?

[al_yrpal]

Yes, I had come to the same conclusion. If you need two cars have a cheap second hand electric one for those frequent local journeys and a conventional vehicle for the fewer long ones. A second hand Volt might be an appropriate solution.

Al

[Bonefishblues]

No, very much not the G-Wiz. Google crash tests for why.

The Twizy would be perfect were it not for the battery lease daftness.

The Volt would be OK until you exceeded the 35ish mile range, whereafter it's a rather consumptive vehicle IME.

I can't see past an early Leaf, some of which are non-lease IIRC.

[Mick F]

No, very much not the G-Wiz. Google crash tests for why.

The Twizy would be perfect were it not for the battery lease daftness.

The Volt would be OK until you exceeded the 35ish mile range, whereafter it's a rather consumptive vehicle IME.

I can't see past an early Leaf, some of which are non-lease IIRC.

Leaf has too much of a car. Luxury, four seats, and it's too big.
We don't expect to go more than five miles from home.
Twizzy would indeed be perfect, but the daftness of the battery lease makes it as dear to run as if it were petrol-powered.

Crashes, I very much doubt we'd have one. The car would be used on quiet Cornish minor country roads and rarely get above 20mph.

[Bonefishblues]

Don't Mick, just don't!

Might be something here for Inspector Mick to follow up though:

http://forum.evowners.com/t/renault-bat ... uyout/3192

[Tangled Metal]

Your criteria sounds like small, as cheap as you can get one for and zero VED. All for 5 mile journeys. Obviously ignoring that carbon footprint is biggest in the car build than car use.

Not being critical, but ebike? Escooter? Lower carbon footprint to build probably. Although you don't say if you need the two seats for a passenger or if these would be solo journeys. I assume two cars and two people in the household = two single users so ebike / e-scooter could be acceptable.

I'm just bouncing another idea across to you.

BTW! My experience of quiet Cornish country roads was a little bit scary. Narrow with high banked hedges you can't see over and local nutters driving too fast along them because they know every bend and junction so well. Personally I'd want crash protection or small enough to ride into the hedge if crash avoidance is needed!

[reohn2]

You like quirky so here you go Mick:- https://www.micro-mobility.com/en/exper ... /microlino

[Mick F]

Renault can get stuffed!
£50 a month to rent the battery, is more than we pay for petrol for our car! Why pay battery rental for an EV that is a higher cost than petrol?
I've had long discussions with RenaultUK about this and they reluctantly agree with me .............. but won't do anything.

Still, the same question:
There must be millions of people like us, who want a cheap runabout EV. No luxury, no gizmos, short range isn't a problem.
Is there ANYTHING out there?

[Lance Dopestrong]

If you merely need an occasional second car then a Smart Fortwo ED or EQ is ideal. The downside is they ain't cheap. If I ever sell my current elderly Smart it'll be for one of those.

The other issue is that electric cars don't like not being used, and don't like being left on charge unnecessarily for long periods, despite the clever elecktrickery that is supposed to protect the batteries. Ditto hybrids, they can throw a major sulk if sat for long periods (been there with our olde Piouis).

If its for occasional use a diddy petrol engined runabout is liable to be a more reliable proposition and, cradle to grave, less polluting too.

[horizon]

Renault can get stuffed!
£50 a month to rent the battery, is more than we pay for petrol for our car! Why pay battery rental for an EV that is a higher cost than petrol?

I wonder if that is telling us the truth about batteries?

[reohn2]

Renault can get stuffed!
£50 a month to rent the battery, is more than we pay for petrol for our car! Why pay battery rental for an EV that is a higher cost than petrol?

I wonder if that is telling us the truth about batteries?

Or the truth about Renault's marketing strategy

[Bonefishblues]

Renault can get stuffed!
£50 a month to rent the battery, is more than we pay for petrol for our car! Why pay battery rental for an EV that is a higher cost than petrol?

I wonder if that is telling us the truth about batteries?

No, it's not. Batteries are fine.

[iandriver]

You say you don't need a Leaf, too big, but if you had one, would it become your go to car for any journey in its range rather than just the 5 mile trips.

Unless you live in a city and do lots of stop start, hybrids are probably a waste of time.

[iandriver]

Renault can get stuffed!
£50 a month to rent the battery, is more than we pay for petrol for our car! Why pay battery rental for an EV that is a higher cost than petrol?

I wonder if that is telling us the truth about batteries?

No, it's not. Batteries are fine.

I think it was to counter fears that batteries would degrade and make the car valueless in the early days, hence you never had to own it. In practice, batteries seem to be lasting far longer than anyone expected and they shot themselves in the foot.

[PH]

For those sorts of distances the advantages of an electric car will be minimal if they exist at all, to make it worthwhile you might look at what journeys No 1 car could be replaced by it and that might alter the requirements.
Out of interest why are taxis not an option? They serve me well for those journeys I can't make by bike or train, certainly the economic choice for occasional trips of a few miles.
EDIT - cross posted with iandriver who makes a similar point about what you'd use the electric car for.