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Analysis: EVs are now nine times cheaper than petrol or diesel to drive in UK

66 points · 107 comments · xbmcuser

  1. ErroneousBosh · · focus · HN ↗
    "Cheaper to run" if you only count the cost of fuel versus the cost of electricity, and only if you can charge at home.

    It currently costs 85p/kWh to charge an EV near where I live if you can't charge at home, and 95p/litre for gas (my car is dual fuel).

    Then you've got the vastly more expensive insurance for EVs.

    Then you've got the cost of paying for an EV.

    Then you've got to find an EV that directly replaces the existing vehicle. There are currently no EVs on the market that can tow heavy trailers off road, which is the main reason I have a biggish 4x4.

    1. w4der · · focus · HN ↗
      Why is EV insurance that more expensive than an ICE vehicles'?
      1. turkeywelder · · focus · HN ↗
        Repair costs are very high (and take ages) and most of them are expensive cars outright which puts the premiums up.

        Performance being pretty high on even a basic Tesla doesn't help things either. The insurance market in the UK is very expensive anyway and any excuse to wind up premiums they'll gladly use.

        1. otherme123 · · focus · HN ↗
          Wait, insurance includes repair costs? What kind of insurance are we talking about? In Spain, mandatory insurance plus some perks is about the same: includes damage to others, own car broken glasses, theft and fire, and road assistance. Maybe Tesla is slightly more, expensive because the horsepower of their cars is too high, and it gets in the group of cars with over 300 HP, so insurers assume it is a bit of a sports car. Anyway, the difference with similarly powered ICE car is negligible.
          1. dingaling · · focus · HN ↗
            > Wait, insurance includes repair costs?

            Yes of course, it's part of the actuarial calculation. As cars age they become more expensive to repair and eventually will cross a boundary where the insurer will write them off on any type of accident, rather than trying to repair. This naturally increases the base insurance price.

            OEMs in the EU are only required to produce spare parts for 10 years after a model is withdrawn, which is a strong indicator of when write-off becomes the primary option.

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