[David9694]

Village Facebook noticing that our local garage is now charging £1.60 / ltr and saying it’s 8p less in town (10 mile round trip to save £3, anyone?) Someone saying it’ll be £2 by the end of the month.

I reacted cautiously to the “shortage” of fuel in September – a lot more desperate scratting about for supplies and not concentrating was my take.

I don’t wish financial hardship on anyone, but there’s the energy cap change and the increase in NI all coming down the track.  The best ways to economise on fuel are to drive less, drive smaller, stick at 55 mph, check tyre pressures, drive like you’re a cyclist – keep a steady momentum.

I wonder what we’ll see on the roads and at the pumps in the coming weeks? 

Topic

[mdavidford]

Well, at least in part, it

Well, at least in part, it will be because the source crude is only one cost of many that has to be factored in. Leaving aside costs of refinement, there will be costs of franchising, of employment, of taxes, of heating and lighting, etc., etc., which may all have increased over the last ten years. Then you also have to consider sales of other products – if those have fallen, or margins have shrunk, the shortfall would have to be made up in the price of the core product.

[Spangly Shiny]

As I recall at the time of

As I recall at the time of London Olympics the cost of Brent Crude was north o $130 a barrel yet the pump price was £1.32 (I still have the till runs). How is it that with a Brent crude price of $119 a barrel today the pump price is ove £1.50?

[Simon E]

“The best ways to economise

“The best ways to economise on fuel are to drive less, drive smaller, stick at 55 mph, check tyre pressures, drive like you’re a cyclist”

That has always been the case but people are so blasé about the cost. Far easier to moan about fuel being £1.60/litre than doing something constructive about the amount of it they use.

The entitlement culture means that it’s seen as tantamount to eco-fascism and “infringing their Human Rights” to suggest that they drive less or drive considerately/carefully (despite the fact that they are invariably trampling others’ right to clean air and being able to get from A to B safely).

In one way I don’t want vehicle fuel prices to rise – it will have serious knock-on effects on the price of food, probably everything – but if it resulted in people deciding to permanently change their habits and drive less (including those with EVs) then it would be in other ways a great improvement over the current state of affairs.

[Secret_squirrel]

I think it will be

I think it will be interesting and separate the wheat from the chaff. 

Teslas have some of the oldest batteries still running and they are showing 100k before losing 10%. 
Others with less experience Im not so sure about. 

[Secret_squirrel]

Went to Cornwall last week.

Went to Cornwall last week. Half the garages out of fuel on the weekends. 
Risk of fuel shortages very real I think.

[Jimmy Ray Will]

I think the point though is

I think the point though is that the ‘golden age’ of super cheap electric motoring is coming to an end.

Energy prices are set to double again by the end of the year, which will bring mileage costs up to 9p a mile – but that’s assuming that the cheaper night charging tariffs remain. I can’t see that being the case as more people make the switch. As demand increases so will the price.

Oh, and electric vehicles are paying excise duty as of this / next year, so that little win has gone out the window too.

But then there is also the issue with the batteries. These are currently good for a claimed 80000 miles. Now applying the same rule of thumb that all charge times / battery life etc. every claimed for an electric product is based on optimum conditions, I’m guessing that 80,000 miles is based on super economical driving, in warm weather only, and careful, optimised charging (no quick charges). In the real world, just like you struggle to get the quoted range possible on a charge, you’re probably not going to get 80000 out of those batteries. Or more accurately, you are not getting anything like the advertised range on these vehicles for anything like 80000 miles.

I’d love EV’s to be the answer, but I’m currently very cynical. 

 

[wycombewheeler]

David9694 wrote:

In 6 months’ time, the cost of fuelling EVs will likely have doubled from what it is now – are you sure about that? 

https://insights.leaseplan.co.uk/electric-vehicles/ev-news/electric-vehicle-cost/

these figures are slightly out of date te 3p/mile is probably now 4p/mile, but even doubled to 8p/mile this is far cheaper than a desiel engine at £1.50/l or 16p per mile. (42mpg) anyone looking for an evan is most likely doing short trips around twon between jobs, rather than transporting goods long distances. these trips are where electric is most efficient and ICE is least efficient

E vehicles also need less maintenance, being just electric motors and brakes. The only reason to shy away from them is if you routinely do journeys beyond the range of the vehicle or you have nowhere off road where you can charge your vehicle at night. or if the up front cost is too high.

[David9694]

In 6 months’ time, the cost

In 6 months’ time, the cost of fuelling EVs will likely have doubled from what it is now – are you sure about that? 

[dolly]

Local Sainsbury’s filling

Local Sainsbury’s filling station had nearly run out of diesel (£1.52) today. Lots of queueing. I did wonder if it’s the start of something… Certainly my next, and hopefully last, van will be electric. 

[Author]

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