Would you have an electric car if you had the money for a new car and were in the market for one?

[Horse]

Could just be good old fashioned economic growth. Brazil has a growing middle class and there are millions of people, and (relatively) soon to be millions more who can buy their first ever car.

Seems pretty smart to me to be setting up on their doorstep.

Classic 'follow the money'

Those people won't have any preconceptions about what car ownership entails, because they've never done it before.

Similar to countries that leapfrog landline infrastructure and go directly to mobiles.

[ZRX61]

Tesla1ad.jpg (39.2 KiB) Viewed 592 times

[Sunny]

My Cupra is being delivered next Friday. My charger is also being fitted next Friday. Win!

[KungFooBob]

I've had the 'Parking Brake Service Required' pop up on my car today, it clears on restart, then appears again after a few hundred meters. Got to be an excuse for a new car... tho' it kind of puts me off the Polestar as it's made out of a lot of the same bits as my Ovlov.

I wonder if you can spec the R5 with adaptive cruise?

[KungFooBob]

Ha ha!

The wife (after watching me roll around on the ground under the ovlov all day) has suggested maybe buying a brand new car with warranty, on the ole' PCP.

I've dropped a hint about fully leccy, as I can charge it up for free at work, a saving of around £160 a month.

She's not said no to the MG Cyberster yet

Oh and all but the council spec R5 get adaptive cruise.

[Horse]

Couple of news items:

https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/pa ... ars/732429

Part of French motorway to run 'charge‑as‑you‑drive' trial for electric cars

The induction plates are being fitted under the right hand lane of a 1.5km stretch of the A10 near Paris

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/07/04/ ... s-in-2024/

The deployment of batteries for rooftop PV systems under Spain’s self-consumption regime declined 34% year on year in 2024, with 327 MWh installed, according to data from the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF), which warned of a “slowdown in the pace of installation.”

Despite the decrease, 26% of new grid-connected installations last year included batteries, representing a capacity of 110 MWh.

[ZRX61]

[KungFooBob]

The wife was sat calculating finances for a new Polestar2 and I jokingly sent her a link to an approved used Taycan... it was £5k cheaper than the Polestar, but stupid interest rate. Now I'm not allowed to buy a car until we've saved enough for a decent deposit on a Porsche.

[Pirahna]

The wife was sat calculating finances for a new Polestar2 and I jokingly sent her a link to an approved used Taycan... it was £5k cheaper than the Polestar, but stupid interest rate. Now I'm not allowed to buy a car until we've saved enough for a decent deposit on a Porsche.

If you can't afford it cash then it's not for you. The only thing to borrow money for is an appreciating asset, a house for example. Cars lose money, plus interest.

[wheelnut]

If you can't afford it cash then it's not for you. The only thing to borrow money for is an appreciating asset, a house for example. Cars lose money, plus interest.

I think the rule of thumb is that you buy an appreciating asset, you lease a depreciating asset. I’m not sure it would be a good idea to buy a reasonably high value car with cash. There’s better things to do with it.

Plus I’m not sure of KFBs position, but if you’re self employed or have a company, if you’re going to buy a new EV then now is the time while the incentives are still in place.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Most people with tens of thousands of pounds of free cash are smart enough with their money to not buy an expensive car outright

Even mega bucks millionaires don't buy their Ferarris with hand cut cheques from Coutts.

[Count Steer]

Most people with tends of thousands of pounds of free cash are smart enough with their money to not buy a car outright

Even mega bucks millionaires don't buy their Ferarris with hand cut cheques from Coutts.

Well, you know what they say. 'If it flies, floats or, err, fornicates, rent it'. Just add 'drives' to the list.

[KungFooBob]

I was gonna PCP it and hand it back before the battery pack warranty expired, but the rate is a bit salty at 9.9% (I'd only buy an approved used one with two years warranty and pay to extend it after that).

Works out at just under £33.5k for four years of ownership. So £8.38k a year.

The last few cars I've bought outright have lost £6k a year.

£14k down (what I expected to get for my Volvo part-ex), then £476 a month to rock around in a Porsche for four years.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I can get a brand new one on Tusker for £1000pcm, no deposit, insurance, servicing etc. all covered. Surely that's less money overall?

You wanna get your employer on it!

[ZRX61]

Most people with tens of thousands of pounds of free cash are smart enough with their money to not buy an expensive car outright

Even mega bucks millionaires don't buy their Ferarris with hand cut cheques from Coutts.

Bloke I worked for (one of the Keck family) owned a succession of Chevy's until he got his $2B inheritance.. then there was a dalliance with Ferrari's during the 1970's (6 of them) before he reverted to Chevy's. When he died a few years ago his daily driver was a late model Camaro.
He never sold any of his cars & they were all lined up in his hangar next to his two A26 Invaders (the rest of his family all had Gulfstream V's & newer).

[Sunny]

Arrived yesterday. As did the Ohme charger installation!

PXL_20250712_125940098.MP~2_copy_1134x2016.jpg (774.4 KiB) Viewed 195 times

[KungFooBob]

Arrived yesterday. As did the Ohme charger installation!

PXL_20250712_125940098.MP~2_copy_1134x2016.jpg

And?

Is it any good, have you got pissed off at the touch sensitive heater controls yet?

[Sunny]

Arrived yesterday. As did the Ohme charger installation!

PXL_20250712_125940098.MP~2_copy_1134x2016.jpg

And?

Is it any good, have you got pissed off at the touch sensitive heater controls yet?

Nippy AF - feels very Golf/hot hatch in terms of speed, size, and handling.

The touch sensitive heater controls are very similar to the VW, but having to go into a menu to alter the fan speed is going to irritate me, I suspect.

The drive controls being on a stick is weird - as is therefore all the windscreen/indicator controls being crammed onto the other one.

The brakes are weirdly soft for a modern car - I noticed that on the test drive too. So we'll see if I manage to crash into the back of anybody

Other than that, too soon to say - will get some miles on it in the week and see how it goes.

[Mussels]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5z4nlned0o

The government will make it cheaper for people to buy an electric car, the transport secretary has told the BBC.

All I can imagine them trying to do is increase fuel duty which the left wing MPs will rebel over.

[Pirahna]

Meanwhile in Spain, 45% of of cars are more than 15 years old, pure electric cars make up 0.87% of the total.

https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/almo ... 32-nt.html