The EV fact thread

[Will]

Lots of streets with narrow terraced houses and no front gardens all over the UK. This is where my sister lives in London ... many residential streets like this:

View attachment 166835

Of course there’s homes with no off street parking - but there’s an awful lot with it too - 65% apparently.

Most time spent at home​

The average car or van in England is driven just 4% of the time, a figure that has barely changed in quarter of a century.

For the rest of the time the car or van is either parked at home (73%) or parked elsewhere (23%), for example at work.

However, with 18 million (65%) of Britain’s 27.6 million households having – or with the potential to have – enough off-street parking to accommodate at least one car or van there is a huge opportunity for charging electric vehicles at home.

https://www.racfoundation.org/media-centre/cars-parked-23-hours-a-day

 

[Will]

Erm ... I charge it! But I keep an eye on the charge level (I have this on the main screen), so I can pick a good time over the course of a few days. I'm retired so don't really have a fixed daily routine.



Only charging for an hour or so a month would be even better

I think the point is that it really doesn’t matter if you need to charge it every 5 days, 7 days or whatever - even if it was every day or two - It’s really no hardship putting someone on charge for a few minutes whilst you’re getting showered/dressed or eating breakfast or something

At least you don’t have to wind it up and adjust the time like you would have done on an older model

 

[markjay]

Of course there’s homes with no off street parking - but there’s an awful lot with it too - 65% apparently.

https://www.racfoundation.org/media-centre/cars-parked-23-hours-a-day

I have an EV since 2021. I live in a block of flats in central London, with no off-street parking. There is no issue whatsoever to charge the car. So why are we having dozens of posts about this, made by people who don't live in apartment blocks, and don't have an EV?

If you want to discuss the trials and tribulations of us city dwelles, then you should know that I've tried several mobile wheel repairers so far, and they all refuse to come out unless I have off-street parking, which I don't. Mobile wheel repair and mobile smart repair are the real pain in the backside, not charging - charging is no bother whatsoever. Next topic please....

 

[markjay]

Further to the above, one mobile wheel repairer who refused to come out, suggested that I bring the wheels to their workshop. Great idea, except that I can't leave my car parked in the street in central London on 4 bricks for a week! Do I not have access to off-street parking where I can leave the car....? No I do not! If I did, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place....

 

[Will]

Further to the above, one mobile wheel repairer who refused to come out, suggested that I bring the wheels to their workshop. Great idea, except that I can't leave my car parked in the street in central London on 4 bricks for a week! Do I not have access to off-street parking where I can leave the car....? No I do not! If I did, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place....

I think in circumstances like this I’d be thinking outside of the box - could you take the car to a detailer/garage who would be able to get this done on your behalf?

There are other refurbishment places who offer storage, or loan wheels.

There’s always a solution

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Not central London but when I’ve seen @Shmee150 videos on YouTube it looks like Whoops We’ll Fix It will store the car whilst the wheels are bung refurbished. Maybe worth taking a look @markjay

 

[markjay]

Not central London but when I’ve seen @Shmee150 videos on YouTube it looks like Whoops We’ll Fix It will store the car whilst the wheels are bung refurbished. Maybe worth taking a look @markjay

I think in circumstances like this I’d be thinking outside of the box - could you take the car to a detailer/garage who would be able to get this done on your behalf?

There are other refurbishment places who offer storage, or loan wheels.

There’s always a solution

Yes, but it's a bit tricky, because I have both wheel damage and smart repair cover, and so I can only use repairers approved by the insurer, and none of them were able to take my car in and keep it until the wheels are done.

The insurer also allows me to use my own repairer, but then they provide a fixed contribution (as opposed to paying the repairer in full directly) which will leave me out of pocket.

The car is going back to the finance provider in September, and so I'll need to figure something out before that.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I think in circumstances like this I’d be thinking outside of the box - could you take the car to a detailer/garage who would be able to get this done on your behalf?

There are other refurbishment places who offer storage, or loan wheels.

There’s always a solution

Nowhere near MarkJay so it won’t be of any help, but I have wheels refurbished through a detailer. They keep the car whilst the wheels are refurbished and when the wheels are ready they ceramic coat them before refitting and it works really well. More expensive but worth it in my case.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Yes, but it's a bit tricky, because I have both wheel damage and smart repair cover, and so I can only use repairers approved by the insurer, and none of them were able to take my car in and keep it until the wheels are done.

The insurer also allows me to use my own repairer, but then they provide a fixed contribution (as opposed to paying the repairer in full directly) which will leave me out of pocket.

The car is going back to the finance provider in September, and so I'll need to figure something out before that.

Ahhh sorry, I hadn’t realised it was being covered by an insurance product.

 

[Will]

Yes, but it's a bit tricky, because I have both wheel damage and smart repair cover, and so I can only use repairers approved by the insurer, and none of them were able to take my car in and keep it until the wheels are done.

The insurer also allows me to use my own repairer, but then they provide a fixed contribution (as opposed to paying the repairer in full directly) which will leave me out of pocket.

The car is going back to the finance provider in September, and so I'll need to figure something out before that.

Could you arrange for the smart repairs to be carried out at another location - work car park, friend’s house, or a local garage’s car park perhaps?

 

[BTB 500]

I think the point is that it really doesn’t matter if you need to charge it every 5 days, 7 days or whatever - even if it was every day or two - It’s really no hardship putting someone on charge for a few minutes whilst you’re getting showered/dressed or eating breakfast or something

At least you don’t have to wind it up and adjust the time like you would have done on an older model

Not saying it's a 'hardship', but I wear my watch all the time so all things being equal I'd pick one that doesn't need taking off / putting back so often.

If you and others are happy to charge every day (presumably for more than a few minutes) then that's great - you have a wider choice of smart watches than I do

 

[markjay]

Could you arrange for the smart repairs to be carried out at another location - work car park, friend’s house, or a local garage’s car park perhaps?

They wanted the off street parking to be able to accommodate both my car and their van - apparently both need to be completely off the public road. One of the chaps that came out in a well-known franchise van said thar if he did this as a private job he'd do it in the street no problem, but as a company job they're not allowed to do that. Apparently it's do with both their own safety, as well as the potential issue of a passing pedestrian being accidently injured (from inhaling spray paint, for example....).

 

[markjay]

Not saying it's a 'hardship', but I wear my watch all the time so all things being equal I'd pick one that doesn't need taking off / putting back so often.

If you and others are happy to charge every day (presumably for more than a few minutes) then that's great - you have a wider choice of smart watches than I do

I have a Citizen EcoDrive solar-powered watch which is great, because my other watch is a Seiko that needs a new battery every 5 years. A watch that needs charging every now and then isn't for me, though everyone else in family has one (Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxi Watch, Garmin watch.... etc).

 

[BTB 500]

Of course there’s homes with no off street parking - but there’s an awful lot with it too - 65% apparently.

Sure, just confirming the earlier comment that it's not just high-rise housing that has an issue. To be strictly accurate that survey estimated 65% of households either had off street parking or the potential for it. So the percentage actually with it would be lower. There are supposedly environmental issues associated with paving over front gardens to create off-road parking, hence the proposal last year to tax people on the amount of paved space they have. I'm pretty sure that would never actually happen, but there's clearly some opposition to the idea.

Every house with a driveway ‘charged per metre’ in new tax plans

Households which have a driveway could be charged per metre in new tax plans.

www.express.co.uk

 

[Will]

Sure, just confirming the earlier comment that it's not just high-rise housing that has an issue. To be strictly accurate that survey estimated 65% of households either had off street parking or the potential for it. So the percentage actually with it would be lower. There are supposedly environmental issues associated with paving over front gardens to create off-road parking, hence the proposal last year to tax people on the amount of paved space they have. I'm pretty sure that would never actually happen, but there's clearly some opposition to the idea.

Every house with a driveway ‘charged per metre’ in new tax plans

Households which have a driveway could be charged per metre in new tax plans.

www.express.co.uk

Rules for paving over have been around long before EV charging was a consideration - you put in a soakaway or use permeable paving if you’re covering a large area. Or you use gravel with drainage underneath etc.

This is literally a non-issue related to EVs and seems as though you’re trying to convince others that there’s ’yet another’ drawback to owning or using an EV? All vehicles need somewhere to park

Did you notice this on the link you posted?

“The harm caused by paving gardens is not limited to just flooding. Hard surfaces such as concrete and asphalt collect pollution (oil, petrol, brake dust etc) that is washed off into the drains. Many drains carry rainwater directly to streams or rivers where the pollution damages wildlife and the wider environment.”

Of course that’s only looking at where the vehicles are parked up - all of the above will of course no doubt end up washed into drainage run off from all road surfaces and end up where you don’t want it to be.

Seriously, did you think about this post before you typed it?

 

[Will]

They wanted the off street parking to be able to accommodate both my car and their van - apparently both need to be completely off the public road. One of the chaps that came out in a well-known franchise van said thar if he did this as a private job he'd do it in the street no problem, but as a company job they're not allowed to do that. Apparently it's do with both their own safety, as well as the potential issue of a passing pedestrian being accidently injured (from inhaling spray paint, for example....).

Lesson learned - probably easier to PAYG for smart repairs/wheel refurb in future so you can select an option that allows vehicle storage or offers loan wheels etc?

 

[Will]

Not saying it's a 'hardship', but I wear my watch all the time so all things being equal I'd pick one that doesn't need taking off / putting back so often.

If you and others are happy to charge every day (presumably for more than a few minutes) then that's great - you have a wider choice of smart watches than I do

My watch doesn’t need charging every day, and I don’t know how long it takes to charge as I just pop it on when I don’t need to wear it.

I’m sure most people can easily pop a watch on charge whilst they get ready in the morning - I’ve never given it a second thought.

I guess it’s a trade off in terms of size and weight (and cost!) - in effect if I was wearing your watch I’d be carrying around 5 times as much battery capacity as I need unnecessary

 

[markjay]

Lesson learned - probably easier to PAYG for smart repairs/wheel refurb in future so you can select an option that allows vehicle storage or offers loan wheels etc?

Agreed, however the car is on a business lease, I bought all possible extra cover with the car at the time, and all I want is to avoid being charged for wheel damage when the car goes back. My privately-owned cars have never been insured in this way, naturally I need to select and vet the repairer

 

[markjay]

I have a Citizen EcoDrive solar-powered watch which is great, because my other watch is a Seiko that needs a new battery every 5 years. A watch that needs charging every now and then isn't for me, though everyone else in family has one (Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxi Watch, Garmin watch.... etc).

I do, however, use an electric toothbrush, that needs charging overnight every week or so.

 

[Will]

^^Could always fit a small glow plug engine to it, then you’d not be adding any additional pressure to the grid nor waiting around for it to charge?