In a similar vein, reader Chris Chambers criticises a lack of investment by the Government: “They created an artificial market by giving ridiculous incentives that the taxpayer couldn’t afford. Now the incentives are being diluted, as they always had to be, and combined with the underinvestment in infrastructure it is no surprise to me that demand is collapsing.”
‘Charging my EV is very cheap’
Gareth Probert, a proud Tesla owner is happy with the affordability: “I don’t recognise any of the complaints about range anxiety or costs to run. The Tesla Supercharger network is fast, well developed and I charge overnight at home for 7.5p/kw hr – very cheap!”
Reader Eric Moore said a great benefit for EV owners is that they are immune to fuel shortages: “I remember sailing past the long lines of cars waiting for fuel in Cambridge. I felt sorry that that happened. But it shows you that petrol is vulnerable to events.”
However, for reader Neal Preshner, the cost is too much: “The question that needs to be asked here is, why are people being ripped off for electric charging away from their homes? If domestic suppliers are charging roughly 20p per unit why is a typical petrol station charging 75p?
“Having had a plug-in hybrid on loan for a few weeks, and buying a 50-mile charge at the medium rate of 50p a unit, I calculated the car would have done the same mileage on £12 of petrol.”
‘Imports from China mean they aren’t very green’
One of the most promoted benefits of using EVs is their positive impact on the environment, due to less consumption of fossil fuels and a reduction of local pollution.
But reader Rupert E Beehsley questions their overall green credentials: “Nobody with a brain buys an EV while the technology is rapidly developing and leading to massive depreciation on older models. Range decreases with age and batteries are exorbitant to replace.
“Soon, the only affordable EVs will be Chinese, made with coal-powered electricity generation and shipped halfway round the world. Very green eh?”
On the other hand, reader Barbara Manick denies the accusations of self-righteousness usually thrown at EV drivers: “EV owners have no halo to polish. Their cars simply don’t chuck out hideous gases into the atmosphere and they are a pleasure to drive.”