Just checked and that site shows 46 cars under 20k, with the least expensive full electric and hybrid both under £9k. Even for commercial outlets, when I looked at Available Car 3 years ago they had full electric cars at less than that - your 3-4k is perhaps not that far off. (Update: On Autotrader small electrics are already in your price range.)
Plus if you factor in running costs, where the equivalent at a rate of 1kWh per 3.5 miles has electricity costing about £2 per 'gallon' at 35mpg, or £1 at night rate, or nothing when you use solar, even a pure financial evaluation for you may be about to flip the other way. And the "sitting there" cost of an electric is small.
Each to our own calculations and philosophy. My calculations are that I currently need something that will tow 2 tons, so I bought my last (55mpg) big diesel estate in 2018. For me the charge point in the garage and the solar panels on the roof are waiting for when electrics get there in a year or two. In the meantime I'm working the house towards net-zero, which may not be quite achievable.
“Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
I drive a 2007 fiesta van , 44,000 miles on the clock and I paid £1,300 for it about 6 years ago. Husbands car is a 2008 Honda Civic with 165,000 on the clock. Still runs like a dream .
(I was surprised that an average Swede uses twice as much energy as an average Italian, for example.)
It's an interesting graph. The average Swede uses twice the energy of an Italian, or indeed a Brit. And they use significant amounts of nuclear energy and hydro (which the UK doesn't).
I wonder if the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden and Germany have the highest quality of life globally.
I really don't see how anyone can compare Italy with Sweden and be realistic. Have you looked at their climates? There's no comparison! Of course you'd use more energy if you lived in a Scandinavian country, despite their focus on good insulation etc. While parts of Italy are obviously cold [ the Alps...] it doesn't get anywhere near it, not to mention the amount of daylight in winter which means more lighting.
My daughter would be a perfect candidate for an electric car. There is zero chance of her being able to afford one though if she also wants to move out and have her own place. 9k isn't far off her annual salary just now. There also isn't enough focus on the batteries, and if you live in a semi rural or rural location, forget it.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
3 in our family: 2020: 176 l/day/person. 2021: so far 77 l/day/person
2020 was very much. I bet a huge fraction of it much of it was for watering lawn and tomatoes.
So 2021 no more lawn watering.
Winter 2020-2021 I installed a system for harvesting rainwater (200m2 roof, incl. shed and garage), storing it (3qm), and distributing it to the garden (pump, and underground hoses). The project was huge fun. Pity this summer it's been raining much and very regularly that there's been no need for my watering system.
EV very good but right now still too ridicolously expensive. I paid 5k for my crappy Peugeot, 3yr ago, now 10yr old. And it costs me an average of 60eur/month, EVERYTHING included (tax, insurance, fuel, repairs, tickets, parking, tolls).
(I was surprised that an average Swede uses twice as much energy as an average Italian, for example.)
It's an interesting graph. The average Swede uses twice the energy of an Italian, or indeed a Brit. And they use significant amounts of nuclear energy and hydro (which the UK doesn't).
I wonder if the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden and Germany have the highest quality of life globally.
I think it illustrates a few other surprises for me about the situation in Europe:
I'm used to thinking about emissions rather than energy - 'if it is renewable then fine'. But of course if we use double the energy it means double the wind farms.
There are different reasons why places have low energy use. UK is because we have been consistently decarbonising sector by sector for some time - except mainly owner occupied old housing stock and transport. The Govt are correct to address these now, as we have done areas such as coal where places like Germany and Poland need to focus.
Spain has done some very major reductions over the last few years - I am not just where those are.
I was surprised by the amount per head of wind energy for Germany wrt UK, as that has become a big UK thing, though ours will at least double over the next decade. OTOH the proportion of energy that comes from wind is not so different.
And perhaps the elephant in the room is total energy from oil. It will be interesting to see what is left when road transport has been pivoted to renewable energy.
F
“Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
Posts
Thanks for the reply @Hostafan1.
Just checked and that site shows 46 cars under 20k, with the least expensive full electric and hybrid both under £9k. Even for commercial outlets, when I looked at Available Car 3 years ago they had full electric cars at less than that - your 3-4k is perhaps not that far off. (Update: On Autotrader small electrics are already in your price range.)
https://www.spoticar.co.uk/second-hand-cars?page=3&gps[lat]=53.1216761&gps[lon]=-1.2748351&filters[0][energy]=electric&filters[1][energy]=hybrid&filters[2][energy]=plug-in hybrid&filters[3][max_price]=20000
Plus if you factor in running costs, where the equivalent at a rate of 1kWh per 3.5 miles has electricity costing about £2 per 'gallon' at 35mpg, or £1 at night rate, or nothing when you use solar, even a pure financial evaluation for you may be about to flip the other way. And the "sitting there" cost of an electric is small.
Each to our own calculations and philosophy. My calculations are that I currently need something that will tow 2 tons, so I bought my last (55mpg) big diesel estate in 2018. For me the charge point in the garage and the solar panels on the roof are waiting for when electrics get there in a year or two. In the meantime I'm working the house towards net-zero, which may not be quite achievable.
Husbands car is a 2008 Honda Civic with 165,000 on the clock. Still runs like a dream .
Have you looked at their climates? There's no comparison! Of course you'd use more energy if you lived in a Scandinavian country, despite their focus on good insulation etc. While parts of Italy are obviously cold [ the Alps...] it doesn't get anywhere near it, not to mention the amount of daylight in winter which means more lighting.
My daughter would be a perfect candidate for an electric car. There is zero chance of her being able to afford one though if she also wants to move out and have her own place. 9k isn't far off her annual salary just now. There also isn't enough focus on the batteries, and if you live in a semi rural or rural location, forget it.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
2020: 176 l/day/person.
2021: so far 77 l/day/person
2020 was very much. I bet a huge fraction of it much of it was for watering lawn and tomatoes.
So 2021 no more lawn watering.
Winter 2020-2021 I installed a system for harvesting rainwater (200m2 roof, incl. shed and garage), storing it (3qm), and distributing it to the garden (pump, and underground hoses). The project was huge fun. Pity this summer it's been raining much and very regularly that there's been no need for my watering system.
I paid 5k for my crappy Peugeot, 3yr ago, now 10yr old. And it costs me an average of 60eur/month, EVERYTHING included (tax, insurance, fuel, repairs, tickets, parking, tolls).
I'm used to thinking about emissions rather than energy - 'if it is renewable then fine'. But of course if we use double the energy it means double the wind farms.
There are different reasons why places have low energy use. UK is because we have been consistently decarbonising sector by sector for some time - except mainly owner occupied old housing stock and transport. The Govt are correct to address these now, as we have done areas such as coal where places like Germany and Poland need to focus.
Spain has done some very major reductions over the last few years - I am not just where those are.
I was surprised by the amount per head of wind energy for Germany wrt UK, as that has become a big UK thing, though ours will at least double over the next decade. OTOH the proportion of energy that comes from wind is not so different.
And perhaps the elephant in the room is total energy from oil. It will be interesting to see what is left when road transport has been pivoted to renewable energy.
F