Anyone Want an EV Golf GTI?

[Adam T7]

I see personal car ownership dropping off and hiring cars becoming the norm. Cars are becoming unaffordable new and in a few years the left over ice cars will be too unreliable and evs not good enough with their worn out batteries for the more budget minded motorist. I think we'll all have to drive Morris Minors and MGBs as they will be the easiest to keep running!

It will be like Mad Max😂

[Foxy367]

Our Sustainability manager at work has been banging on about HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) its 90% less emissions than diesel and can be used in most diesel engined cars/ trucks that could well be the alternative for most of the lorries on the road. I really stuggle seeing how a BEV truck can be viable.

The cynic in me thinks all there really expensive cars are a way of pricing the 'normal person' out of cars and into public transport

[fredgroves]

The futurists dream of electric self driving pods that you summon with an app that take you to wherever you want to go - presumably if they have enough battery range...

Clever calculations allow ride sharing for optimum use of the pods, presumably you can pay extra to avoid having some smelly bastid shut in a mobile plastic greenhouse with you though.

[Watts]

It will be like Mad Max😂

 

The cynic in me thinks all there really expensive cars are a way of pricing the 'normal person' out of cars and into public transport

Public transport is rubbish and getting worse. I live on the outskirts of London where you'd think buses would be great. But for me to get to work for an early shift, I'd have a 25 minute walk, plus allowing a bit for disappointment to get a bus which would take another half an hour when I can drive door to door in 15 minutes. This is because my local 'hopper' buses don't start early enough. Even then, I'd have a 15 minute walk followed by a first bus ride of 15 minutes, then an unknown wait for a second bus that would take also 15 minutes. Problem is the first bus is 3 an hour but in the evenings only 2 an hour and it has taken me an hour plus to get home in the past when forced to use the buses. Absolutely pathetic.

[Snoopy]

You will own nothing and be happy   

[joe6]

Hydrogen is viable for hgvs as depots are able to store hydrogen and could provide a national network for them. Same goes for trains. Volvo have an EV hgv in trials. Be fun to get back in a Morris Minor ( my first car) but only the one time. 

[fredgroves]

Hydrogen is viable for hgvs as depots are able to store hydrogen and could provide a national network for them. Same goes for trains. Volvo have an EV hgv in trials.

But it needs to be Green Hydrogen not Blue... Blue is a total waste of time.... mind you the whole Green/Blue thing is much akin to BEV's anyway - its only zero Co2 if the electricity source is zero Co2... ie nuclear AND wind/wave/solar... which it can't be in the UK for some time to come because of years of dithering.

[Snoopy]

https://youtu.be/TyUiHafCdvM
Another interesting video by Harry on sustainable fuel.

[monkeyhanger]

Long time no see...

I've come to the realisation that EVs make sh!te motorway mile munchers and am ready to come back to the ICE fold, but my timing stinks - there's bugger-all no stock and used stock is stupid money, lead times for new are still crazy. My local dealership can't even say when a factory fresh order for a GTI or R might be delivered (between 1 and 2 years). Phoned a few big dealership group who I have gotten to know via old DTD transactions and thrh have nothing coming through to grab.

We've got 2 Cupra Borns right now, absolutely great cars in every respect, except Winter range. Not a bother if you drive within range - 2p per mile to fuel when charging at home. I changed jobs last July and almost doubled my wage, work from home but I have to drive Newcastle to Milton Keynes about once a month (240 miles each way).

Over the last year, the likelihood of rolling up to a motorway services and finding  a vacant charger that works is getting less and less outside the hours of 8pm to 8am. There's lots of new chargers but most people with an EV right now charge at home, so they don't need rapid destination chargers, they need rapid motorway chargers - the number of those has grown modestly in the last 2 years,  but the number of EVs in the meantime has grown a lot more. On top of that, the cost of rapid charging has almost doubled with the Ukraine War, and Winter efficiency on an EV is 25-30% down on Summer figures. On Weds/Thurs this week, I drove down to MK with temps around freezing and my cost per mile was running at 24p (66p per kWh, 2.8 miles per kWh). There are dearer chargers than that. Turns a 3.5 hour drive into a 5 hour drive with a few charges, and costs more than running Super on a Golf R (current 7 speed DSG R giving about 43mpg sat on the motorway at 75mph I'm guessing?).

Looking to keep the wife's Born for her 30 mile round trip commute and everything non-long distance. Would have considered some old crapbox for doing the motorway miles, but old crapboxes are going for stupid money!

[Exonian]

Good to see you’re still alive MH!

You might just squeeze 43mpg out of an R on a long motorway haul if it was fairly flat, but running around in normal traffic and enjoying it a bit that’ll drop 25% easily unless you drive extremely sedately. And if you drive extremely sedately there are better options such as the 1.5 TSI.
So as an overall monthly average let’s say 33-35mpg, hefty car insurance and £575 a year just to sit it on the King’s highways.
There are a decent few R’s hitting the showrooms right now, unfortunately they’re in 20 Year spec and generally have £0 discount. VW seem to have punted a load of zero optioned 20Y R’s out for dealer stock.

There are also a reasonable amount of Polo GTI’s around in varying specs which would make decent mile munchers and have better MPG around the houses. Just circa £165 to tax too subject to our latest chancellor’s whim midweek.