Electric car sales fall flat

Could it be the Price?

I'd gladly buy and use an electric car, because I don't do a big mileage. However, spending nearly £30k on a new car, albeit one with zero emissions is a big outlay. Now that more cars are coming in with sub 100gm/kilometre emissions, perhaps the cost of an electric car is just too much and drivers are settling for a compromise. I'd also consider the lack of charging points, outwith city centres, could be another reason for people's reluctance to commit to an electric car. The big scare is running out of juice when, in reality, a bit of planning and the ability to recharge the batteries away from home would overcome that.

By n50pap on 12 September, 2011, 12:21pm

Surprised? Really?

Sales will only take off once EV prices become competitive with conventionally powered cars.

And to add insult to injury, a few years later after purchase, you have to replace the EV car batteries with new (expensive) ones!

By carup008 on 12 September, 2011, 4:19pm

And!!

Not to mention the leaf is pig ugly....

By Leonidas on 12 September, 2011, 5:04pm

And!!!

To make them practical you need a second car for longer journeys, because relying on public transport is a bit expensive and unreliable as well.

By Shaun34 on 12 September, 2011, 6:03pm

Betamax!

Battery cars are not the solution as they have too many issues associated to them, not least of which the phenominal expense.

Whilst a cost-effective, realistic solution is found, you'd be mad to ignore the number of very frugal conventional cars that are being launched. Then keep your fingers crossed that in the future hydrogen cells become a workable answer.

By gavsmit on 12 September, 2011, 7:40pm

Expensive to buy, expensive to run and not nearly as green as the manufacturers would have you believe. Electricity is not free, either in its generation or use.

Hydrogen is the way to go.

By minicoopers69 on 13 September, 2011, 9:21am

Electric Shock?

Not really. Everyone in the industry knows that electric is a short term solution to a long term problem. No private buyer in their right mind would invest their hard earned in an electric car.

The leasing industry, of which I am a part, are not at all convinced. They don't like them because they don't fit the brief that their customers give them, and because of that they will fail. The retail buyer will not buy them in any numbers because of the price and because of the unknown.

The manufacturers didn't want to produce them - the only reason they are being produced is because of misguided Governmental diktat, and the politicians ego's are too big to admit that they have made a mistake. Now if they'd offered a tax incentive to any manufacturers that came up with a workable lng term solution then perhaps we'd see some real inventiveness.

You can also be sure that the Oil companies don't want electric power - at least not until they have something else to sell from their forecourts, and the oil companies have too much influence in the corridors of power.

It's all one big stich up and we, the general public are being done up like the proverbial kipper.

We'd be better off going back to steam power than electricity. But anything that is reliant on fossil fuels - and that includes steam, electric, petrol/diesel - has a limited shelf life.

Come on guys. We put a man on the moon 40 years ago - use that brain power to provide a permanent solution. And the only road that takes us down at the moment is Hydrogen.

By Chizzy57 on 13 September, 2011, 9:39am

Not surprised!

Electric cars are way too expensive and come with too many drawbacks for my liking, hybrid yes but full electric - no way.

By cousins11 on 13 September, 2011, 4:30pm

cheap fuel

Electric cars are old hat; shelved by the car companies in the 1960's. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are already out there being trialed in various countries including the gear needed to produce the hydrogen at a service station or the home. Political interference has prevented it happening here; but even then its relatively cheap to convert to LPG gas for the bigger dirtier vehicles. The gas is half the price of diesel or petrol and theres no expensive replacement batteries down the road. Hydrogen is the near future but LPG should be happening now.

By gramps427 on 13 September, 2011, 8:19pm

Same old mis-information

Yes electric cars are expensive but I'm sure the constant sniping against them by the media isn't helping. Most journos have no incentive to report the full facts even if they are aware of them. The world can generate as much electricity as needed even if it's costly and range limited but we can't create more LPG and crude oil. Both of which are tied together in the production process. Refining crude uses as much electricity as a small city. Hydrogen is expensive to manufacture and store, most Hydrogen is made through steam reforming of hydrocarbons... Most reviews seem to be very biased in some way or another - make, model, fuel type, etc. Hardly a trustworthy source of info. This is not to mention the amount of mis-information generated by the oil industry. It's the same problem over and over again - how many ordinary people could afford petrol cars/ mobile phones/ televisions/ colour televisions/ big screen televisions/ plasma televisions/ 3D televisions/ etc. when they first came to market?

By steelcityuk on 14 September, 2011, 1:25pm

Nissan Leaf to be made in UK come 2013?

I wonder if the Nissan will be bring the Leaf to Sunderland in 2013, does anybody know?

If we got a decent electric car like the Leaf that was British made then l would definitely buy one as a second car for the wife and work.

How long will this huge £5,000 taxpayers subsidies continue for, surely there must be cut off date.

We are told as time progresses they will not need these huge subsidies they will come down in price, the Japanese made Toyota Prius has been around for over a decade in the UK now why is the British taxpayer still subsidising it. Britains taxpayer must have picked up the bill for tens of millions of pounds subsidising the Japanese made Prius why is it still continuing a decade later? Surely it should be standing on it own two feet by now.

No wonder sales are falling, the price of EV has to fall like those car manufacturers keep telling us it will happen, so far the Toyota Prius shows very little sign of subsidy dropping after a decade on sale here.

Maybe if the auto makers, if they are so confident in saying prices will drop over time need to absorbed £5,000 in losses like the British taxpayer is in a giving until their prediction come true, the EV buyer would then a £10,000 break now, and getting them on the roads now.

Electric car sales will bump along the bottom with poor sales numbers until the so called cheaper technology price drops actually happen, the British taxpayer cannot go on subsidising Toyota Prius's forever at £5,000 a car sale, in these so called "austere times" we live in today its financial madness.

By IvorBiggen on 15 September, 2011, 1:51pm

IvorBiggen, I'd like your job if you're able to even consider buying an electric car as a second motor. Electric is expensive - I'd rather buy a sub 100g/km diesel car than electric.

By chaardy on 20 September, 2011, 4:52pm

Hydrogen...Really?

To give the pro-hydrogen argument a bit of credit, we already run on it. It's the more energetic part of our hydrocarbon fuels. It is especially so with methane. On a mass basis it is more than four times more energetic than carbon. Please remember that we have no inexpensive way to produce hydrogen, store it, or distribute it. There are no hydrogen wells. All of it comes from fossil fuels, e.g. steam reforming of methane and petroleum naphtha, cat reforming of light distillate, and gasification of coal. There is no cheap electricity to make it by electrolysis of water. While we can afford hydrogen for fertilizer in the form of ammonia, we never will for cars. Lastly, H2 is extremely dangerous for most motorists to handle. Think Hindenberg and Challenger. If you think BEVs are expensive, wait 'til you see the sticker on a fuel cell car.

By LotusYank on 20 September, 2011, 9:07pm

It is the "cost" stupid.

Mazda and a few other car makers has is right...the market is just not big enough to get a return on investment, even hybrids are a joke...in the end the Consumer won't pay 100% more for basic transportation.

By rx88888888 on 21 September, 2011, 12:42am

Get it right

@IvorBiggen

The Toyota Prius Hybrid is the vehicle that has been around for a number of years now, and that model does NOT get the subsidy. The Prius Plug-In that is being launched in 2012 does qualify for it (assuming the grant money hasn't disappeared by then). However that model only has a range of circa 14 miles in electric only mode before requiring another 90 mins charge.

Heaven knows why the majority of us should be subsidising the few people who can manage to run the car in electric only mode. I'd love to see the statistics that show how much difference a million of these cars would make to the environment. I'll bet that the Cost Benefit Analysis wouldn't justify it.

Trust me - unless and until the leasing industry gets fully behind EV's they will never make a financial proposition for the average Joe, and the leasing industry won't get behind them until the manufacturers show a genuine commitment to them, and they won't do that if they didn't believe our Governments were only paying lip service to the Green Lobby.

Now go and spend your £25k on that little runabout, but be prepared to keep it for ever, because there will be very few buyers who will be willing to spend £5k on a new battery in a few years time after taking it off your hands.

By Chizzy57 on 21 September, 2011, 9:47am

Huge Demand, Sales Fall Flat???

How can the sales have fallen flat when all the available cars have been sold, and there is a long waiting list? People do want electric cars. Even an ancient Toyota RAV4 EV is still worth silly money because of supply / demand.

By graemechurch on 21 September, 2011, 2:48pm

Who will buy a used Electric car?

I'm not surprised that electric cars are a failure, as they make no sense.
Zero emissions? So what, if we all drove electric cars our little country will make not even a pin prick of difference to the words ecology, which is the EU politicians pipe dream, and they are not actually zero emissions at all as the battery has to be made at great energy cost, then a lot of extra energy has to be produced by gas, coal or nuclear energy to charge the battery which has a shelf life and costs £ thousands to replace, and its also a dirty process disposing of the knackered batteries.
Electric cars are not desirable, and as such the retail or PX value will be zilch!!
Car companies should be concentrating on lightweight space age materials and fuel-efficient engines, and less gearbox drag.
We are being conned by the crackpot Greens in the EU who (lets not forget) are going to put more restrictions on vehicle tyres, and tyre wear in the near future.
So when I see Clarkson driving a family sized electric car I might begin to think that there is something in it after all.

By Bobbybev on 26 September, 2011, 4:54pm

Impossible to buy one

Ironically I came across this link while spending hours trying to figure out how to buy a NIsan Leaf. The website gives a tesing link to "own it" but in fact that just means arrange a test drive and in fact they don't have any available within 200 miles of me. It's impossible.

I really think it would work for me as well. I have a 50 mile round trip commute each day. I currently spend about £150 on fuel and £250 car payment so replacing it with a single £400 (ish) a month lease and £30 electric bill works - I don't understand why there is such strong feeling against them here. I get that its not for everyone but finaicially and practically they can work for plenty.

If only you could buy one.

By pjryan on 2 October, 2011, 6:54pm

Duh

A pretty stupid and biased article....
- Expensive - yes
- Limited range - yes

A huge leap forward - yes - I got one - great piece of engineering - well done Nissan. We all use it more than our other car (E-class merc!) - Very quiet and it costs buttons to run.

Do your research on the battery - all good....its not a throwaway item - more refurbished after many years. Am hoping that upgrades will be available in the future to extend the range.

Hydrogen? Laughable, uneconomic pipe dream - expensive, complex, no infrastructure, and costs more energy to make that you get from it - its a long long long way off.

Low sales...well the negative press doesnt help - but the article fails to account for what I think is the biggest factor - availability. There are not many around for sale! I do think take up will be slow but the leaf really is a great car - go and drive one.

An Engineer.

By Fredreek on 13 October, 2011, 8:43pm

600 Mile Battery Technology Not Allowed on Technology Road Map

There is a very long range and cost-effective technology that has been peer-reviewed which is endorsed by UKTI but which is not allowed on the DECC/BIS Technology Road Map because it doesn't need recharging.

This is a primary, swappable, aluminium battery which can give (according to official figures) over 600 miles and is cheaper to run than petrol or diesel.

Government policy is for an electric recharging network and investors have already put billions into Lithium batteries even though it can't provide the long range we need.

also not often mentioned is the additional 40 nuclear powerplants we would need to supply the electricity if all the cars were rechargeable (See RAe report on meeting climate targets).

Finally, Lithium batteries lose about half their capacity after about 4 years whereas aluminium batteries are full capacity after each refuel.

By metalectrique on 20 October, 2011, 7:38am