It seems that something is being announced almost every day at the moment in the world of electric vehicles, with mainstream internal combustion engine (ICE) manufacturers giving details of new models and upgrades to existing units, so we want to keep you up to date with all this new-fangled electrickery techy thingy, as only your dedicated newsletter team can!
I recently went out to “test drive” an MG 5. Now for those who are not familiar with this model, it is/was one of the few electric estate cars available. Cleveleys, (a mobile EV service company) run a fleet of these and recently published a video showing the 145,000-mile service on one of its fleet vehicles.
Anyway, back to the tale. The model has recently been replaced with the new MGS5 guess what! It’s another SUV. I am sure it will be an excellent car and will be well spec’d and the cost will be very reasonable. The old MG5 is now no longer available as a new purchase. The one I test drove was a 2023 Trophy model with 3500 miles, and it was in ‘as new’ condition. The car does everything exceptionally well … well OK the indicator was noisy when operated, but really that’s all I could fault. It just did not inspire at all it was basically boring.
I began to wonder if this is going to be the future of car production - the cars will be very efficient, quiet, safe, easy to drive, in fact everything your average person who has a driving licence wants. Of course there will always be exceptions - Porsche with the Taycan range, The Rolls Royce Spectre, and even the MG Cyberstar. There are others of course. But the mainstream models coming out from the volume production factories will be ‘vanilla cars’ for those who want to get from A to B without any sparkle at all! Do you agree? Why not let us know your views.
It's been a while since we dipped into the “Little Book of EV Myths”, so thought it was a good time to have a look at some of the topics raised. One we saw that is a popular misconception is that EV’s are more expensive than combustion cars. The answer may just surprise you;
Yes, they are but the price difference is narrowing. The Dacia Spring is one of the cheapest UK EVs at £15,000. In May 2024, Vauxhall announced that their monthly PCP prices for EVs will be the same as their petrol cars and some car makers have cut prices offering an average 20%discount. Analysis by comparison site, Green Match, shows that in 2024 the difference between the average price of an EV, compared to a combustion car, is £7,000, but by 2025 will fall to £4,000. Autotrader, in November 2023, reported that the once £20,000 price premium between a new Tesla Model 3 and petrol BMW 3 Series has narrowed to just £950 between the base models.
The difference between a new electric VW iD3 and a petrol Mercedes A Class is now £4,115. Second-hand values of EVs and ICE are near to parity and in May 2024, the SMMT reported that sales of used battery electric vehicles reached record levels, up 71% and the highest ever market share of 2.5%. Used EVs were the fastest growing powertrain among used cars. In February 2024, Market research firm, Gartner, said that by 2027, EVs will be on average cheaper to make than combustion cars due to lower production costs. Pedro Pacheco, Vice President of Research at Gartner, said: “New technology means BEVs will reach ICE cost parity much faster than initially expected.”
Finally, another misconception is that EV batteries do not last.
EVs – a better warranty than on a combustion engine. Car makers now offer eight-year, 100,000-mile battery warranties on EV’s, a better warranty than on almost all combustion cars. In 2023, a study of 15,000 EVs by Seattle battery analysis company, Recurrent Motors, “How Long Do Electric Car Batteries Last” found that only 1.5% of batteries had been replaced under warranty. In 2022, Tesla in its Impact Report stated that the battery degradation (loss of capacity) on its older S and X models after 200,000 miles is 12%. In April 2024 the Fully Charged Show tested an Australian 2018 Tesla Model S that had covered 414,247 miles on its original battery pack. There’s no data currently available to show persistent, premature, or unexpected failures of EV batteries. Industry experts now widely accept that EV batteries will generally outlast the chassis of the car.
If you look up “Little book of EV myths”, you can download it for free. Have a look at: https://www.faircharge.co.uk/little-book-of-ev-myths
Well folks, that’s about it for the May edition, we hope you like the world class, award winning, journalism we bring you, not just this month, but every month, so look forward to seeing you again next month. Until then, drive safe and remember to tell everyone about our fantastic advanced driving course, next one starts in May 2025, with an introduction evening on Thursday 8th May at the usual venue, Lostock Parish Centre. If you know of anyone that you think might be interested, then invite them along for a hot drink and a biscuit or two, we don’t bite. Honest!
Remember, if you’re thinking of “upgrading” to electric, please let us know, we would love to hear what you are thinking of changing to, plus if you have any questions, just shout out!
Barry Sloan – Publicity Officer