It Occurs To Me: The electric car debate

Don’t be alarmed by the accompanying photo! Spotted the ‘yock’ in Ardara some time ago and couldn't resist a wee photo. I was somewhat concerned a few years ago that the phrase “Suckin’ Diesel, sir!” would no longer be part of motoring parlance in Ireland, particularly in the north-west. 

In this column, I wondered why - in the headlong rush to get us all to go electric - why affordability wasn’t a major consideration. Quite frankly, the prices were scandalous. Judging by what I’ve been reading recently, I think diesel suckers have grounds for great optimism.  Recently, Adrian Weckler had an interesting feature in the Indo with the headline: 

“The value of my electric car fell by €17,000 in 14 months… here’s why I’m not surprised sales are falling. An utterly inadequate charging network and plunging vehicle values ensure that EV-curious drivers are in no rush to commit.” 

Adrian’s research showed that electric car sales have fallen by the biggest number on record — 41% last month compared with March 2023 and 14% annually, against a backdrop of an 8% annual rise in overall car sales. 

In his case, he  paid €42,000 for an EV, including a state subsidy of €5,000. “As of this month” according to him,  “I’d get about €25,000 on a trade-in, and that’s if the dealer accepted an EV as a trade-in. No petrol or diesel car would have this type of markdown. In one stroke, it more than wiped out all of the running cost savings I had hoped to get from cheaper home-charging, cheaper tax, less maintenance and the like.” I also read of a motorist who took some eight hours to drive from Dublin to Belfast because of inadequate charging points, and in the UK the situation is just as grim. 

High insurance, depreciation and expensive tyres

According to the UK-wide independent car supermarket Motorpoint, 56% of EV drivers part-exchanged for an alternative fuel type in 2023, with petrol dominating the choice at 30%. Mark Carpenter, CEO of  Motorpoint, says: “Until we see proper financial incentives for EV buyers from the Government to meet its 2035 target, along with greater investment in the UK’s charging infrastructure, I’m concerned we’ll see more motorists turn their backs on electric vehicles. It’s clear that some have found an electric vehicle isn’t right for them. There doesn’t seem to be one reason. Instead, it tends to be a range of factors, for example, moving to a property without a home charger, a new job with a longer commute, or the high price of public chargers.” According to Motorpoint, 56% of EV drivers part-exchanged for an alternative fuel type in 2023, with petrol dominating the choice at 30 per cent.

Back to the future: Research shows 56% of UK electric vehicle drivers part-exchanged for an alternative fuel type in 2023

In February, Apple scrapped its plans to move into the EV market. Tesla’s sales and shares are also dropping, as is the value of second-hand EVs compared with their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. There have also been alarming news reports of incidents when EV brakes failed to work.

Harry Metcalfe, a motoring journalist and co-founder of the car magazine Evo, has also made the swap. After two years leasing an EV and two-and-a-half years with a hybrid electric as the main family car, he’s swapped to a diesel Range Rover Sport. On his popular YouTube channel, Harry’s Garage, he gets into the details of why, and explains he’s “not someone who doesn’t like electric cars”, and he’s another early adopter of green energy, using solar panels and heat pumps. He says that at the moment an EV isn’t suitable for their big drives or for towing a trailer.

He also cites the rising cost of EV insurance, along with depreciation: the value of second-hand EVs has dropped 23% in the past year, according to research from the online marketplace Auto Trader. One reason for this is the Government’s Zero Emission Vehicles mandate, which requires that 28% of all new vehicle sales must be EVs by 2025, increasing incrementally to 100% by 2035. It means manufacturers are pushing new EVs onto the market faster than demand is rising, and that buyers of those can benefit from tax breaks that don’t apply to used cars.

It Occurs To Me:  Loose tongues and ‘dark’ hypocrisy

Frank Galligan presents Unchained Melodies at 6pm every Saturday on Highland Radio

According to Erin Baker, editorial director of Auto Trader, EVs are more expensive to insure due to their higher value and greater repair costs. Some EV drivers are finding themselves uninsurable, or with premiums of up to £5,000, or 72% higher than the previous year, - according to Confused.com. “It is costing insurance companies far more, and repairs have gone up because we don’t have enough trained technicians to work on electric cars,” Baker says. “There’s a backlog and the cost for an insurer to provide a courtesy car is higher, so they’ve pushed premiums up.” 

Tyres are also an issue, which is the number one problem the AA breakdown service sees in EVs – not running out of charge or fires, contrary to common EV myths. “I hit a pothole in my electric car and the replacement tyre was £160 as opposed to £80 because for an EV the compound is different as it’s got to carry more weight,” says Baker. The AA is seeing an increase in its overall EV workload though, rising from 3.5% over the past 12 months to 4.33% in February 2024, according to an AA spokesperson.

The ‘yock’ conversation                                       

I’m sure many of you have encountered the ‘slick’ second-hand car salesman with his Del Boy banter but now you have the perfect riposte for him when he feeds you a line I’ve often heard over the years: “Ah, she’s a clean wee car, sir”. If it’s a massively depreciated EV, just look him in the eye and reply: “I know she’s clean, sir, but can she motor?”

There’s a great livin’ in dyin’!

Coincidentally, I hit a pothole myself last week which shredded a front tyre. When I was getting it replaced, another customer told me a lovely yarn about a relative of his who died in Cavan, and when the deceased’s wife got the bill for the funeral, she wasn’t happy. She accosted the undertaker: “That’s shockin’ ‘deah’ for an ould burial!” to which the laconic undertaker replied: “It’s the cost of livin’!”                                        

Simon motoring nicely!

Wasn’t Simon Harris in great form at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis? God, such excitement! I don’t know whether he operates on petrol or diesel, but if it’s electric, the FG’ers must have tethered him to every charging point in Galway!