EV general discussion

Journey · 2 Mar 2025 at 20:36

Robbo said:
Do any owners worry about the Elon Musk sized elephant in the room? I wonder if his increasingly erratic behaviour might start to damage the brand in the future.

It's a bit late for that, although ironically if he causes the value to drop on new cars in order to sell them, it will just make them a better deal, and we know how a lot of peoples moral compass changes when they are saving a few quid.

Robbo said:
I don't think they miss out on anything aside from the upgraded stereo?

AKAIK it is just the 'Theatre' stereo system, the rest of it remains identical.

Tinders · 2 Mar 2025 at 21:14

shifty_uk said:
Not wishing to bring politics/SC into motors but yes, I would be genuinely concerned about not only potential vandalism but also the longevity of the company(future servicing, warranties etc). The chap is in mental decline and he’ll take Tesla with him.

Its all a rouse to get the MAGA/Reform types to side with him and buy EV's.

lordrobs · 2 Mar 2025 at 23:25

shifty_uk said:
Not wishing to bring politics/SC into motors but yes, I would be genuinely concerned about not only potential vandalism but also the longevity of the company(future servicing, warranties etc). The chap is in mental decline and he’ll take Tesla with him.

Musk is just a mouth with a platform to spout it on and a worryingly large (but declining) congregation of followers to hang on to his every word.

I'd be more worried about buying a car near enough directly from the Chinese state.

Journey · 2 Mar 2025 at 23:44

Speaking of China, VW are selling the ID.4 in China for $19,300 or thereabouts, about £15.3k + VAT equivalent, starts at nearly £40k in the UK, so who is subsiding the VW China cars, the RoW buyers, oh the irony.

lordrobs · 3 Mar 2025 at 08:37

Journey said:
Speaking of China, VW are selling the ID.4 in China for $19,300 or thereabouts, about £15.3k + VAT equivalent, starts at nearly £40k in the UK, so who is subsiding the VW China cars, the RoW buyers, oh the irony.

Not that surprising as the ID4 is a locally produced VW-SAIC product over there.

Be interesting to see if that joint venture carries on beyond the initial 45 year period, set to end in 2030. My money is saying that it won't.

Calpol · 3 Mar 2025 at 08:39

Journey said:
Speaking of China, VW are selling the ID.4 in China for $19,300 or thereabouts, about £15.3k + VAT equivalent, starts at nearly £40k in the UK, so who is subsiding the VW China cars, the RoW buyers, oh the irony.

It similar in Australia where the car has only recently gone on sale.
Ausse's get £30k ID.4
Probably to do with China production cars but yet again UK gets ripped off.

jpaul · 3 Mar 2025 at 08:59

Journey said:
Speaking of China, VW are selling the ID.4 in China for $19,300 or thereabouts, about £15.3k + VAT equivalent, starts at nearly £40k in the UK, so who is subsiding the VW China cars, the RoW buyers, oh the irony.

the ones sold in china have an at cost/lower-margin CATL battery pack installed too, the cut's taken throughout supply line are reduced.

pastymuncher · 3 Mar 2025 at 10:49

Don't forget to tax your EV this month peeps. Whether it's due or not this is our last year of free road fund licence!!

bigmike20vt · 3 Mar 2025 at 10:51

shifty_uk said:
Not wishing to bring politics/SC into motors but yes, I would be genuinely concerned about not only potential vandalism but also the longevity of the company(future servicing, warranties etc). The chap is in mental decline and he’ll take Tesla with him.

i dont think he will..... At least i hope he doesnt. Teslas are still the best EV to buy if you are the person who has a bit of anxiety and dont know what to get, and do not really care about cars but just want a practical car to get from A to B with a good range.

They still have the best charging network (they can charge everywhere, none Teslas are limited on the tesla network) and they pay less to use said network......... i would be happy to see Musk bankrupt but would be sad to see Tesla go.

bigmike20vt · 3 Mar 2025 at 10:55

jpaul said:
yes I don't get his ironic comment avocado&70s bathrooms are back in vogue - like the orange mg4's and mustangs
(the black and white boring hotel marble imitation fixtures are out)
]

lol jpaul please do not take this the wrong way it is meant in good humour but.

jpaul commenting that he does not get another posters reply is already a contender for funniest post of the day for me and i have not even had my 1st work coffee of the morning

pcfarrar · 3 Mar 2025 at 13:34

bigmike20vt said:
They still have the best charging network (they can charge everywhere, none Teslas are limited on the tesla network) and they pay less to use said network......... i would be happy to see Musk bankrupt but would be sad to see Tesla go.

The Tesla mobile app is also excellent, the apps on other brands are generally poor in comparison. The Tesla one just always works and is fast and responsive.

blun · 3 Mar 2025 at 21:51

pcfarrar said:
The Tesla mobile app is also excellent, the apps on other brands are generally poor in comparison. The Tesla one just always works and is fast and responsive.

Agree. Are any of the other brand apps any good? I Also have the Mini one which works ok for preconditioning but not much else.

OspreyO · 4 Mar 2025 at 01:14

In fairness the Tesla App is an eco system from the chargers to the car to the phone. Nothing else has that depth of integration that I'm aware.

ICDP · 4 Mar 2025 at 05:36

bigmike20vt said:
i dont think he will..... At least i hope he doesnt. Teslas are still the best EV to buy if you are the person who has a bit of anxiety and dont know what to get, and do not really care about cars but just want a practical car to get from A to B with a good range.

They still have the best charging network (they can charge everywhere, none Teslas are limited on the tesla network) and they pay less to use said network......... i would be happy to see Musk bankrupt but would be sad to see Tesla go.

Yeah, some people I know think I hate Tesla but I don’t. I’ve test driven a Model 3 a few times but have always disliked them as an actual car. Great EV but terrible car is always my experience of them. I have never liked Musk as a person but he never put me off Tesla until now. I won’t even consider one with Musk anywhere near them as I despise the man.

It’s easy not to consider Tesla here in N. Ireland as the Tesla network on the entirety of our Island is poor. So probably the biggest USP for Tesla is moot.

OspreyO · 4 Mar 2025 at 08:05

I do do little long distance driving the charging network isn't really a factor for me. Lack of buttons is though. Really dislike that.

Haggisman · 4 Mar 2025 at 08:20

blun said:
Agree. Are any of the other brand apps any good? I Also have the Mini one which works ok for preconditioning but not much else.

The Kia/Hyundai one isn't too bad, although likewise I also only really use it for preconditioning and sending sat nav destinations to the car. Not sure what else I'd want from it really to be fair!

OspreyO · 4 Mar 2025 at 08:35

Pre heating be nice also seeing battery state when home charging or at public charger when not using the charger app. I stopped paying for the VW one it was dire anyway.

shifty_uk · 4 Mar 2025 at 13:32

Tinders said:
Its all a rouse to get the MAGA/Reform types to side with him and buy EV's.

Maybe so and my original post might’ve been a bit pessimistic but I think sentiment is going to get gradually worse as the months progress e.g:

Teslas set alight outside French dealership in arson attack

Blaze is latest in string of anti-Tesla protests, with German activists projecting image of Musk alongside ‘heil’ and ‘boycott’ on factory

www.telegraph.co.uk

Tesla charging stations in Massachusetts intentionally set on fire

Seven Tesla charging stations at a shopping center in Littleton, Massachusetts were intentionally set on fire overnight on March 3. Police are offering a reward of up to $5,000 as they investigate.

uk.news.yahoo.com

Anyway, no more politics stuff from me, I’ve no doubt they were the best at a point in time and what was achieved is incredibly impressive, especially the charging network.

b0rn2sk8 · 4 Mar 2025 at 13:43

It doesn’t matter what your politics are, I think we can all agree that is just dumb and has absolutely zero impact on Musk or MAGA or whatever they are ‘protesting’ against.

Let’s call it what it is, criminality and completely unacceptable.

CaneyJ · 4 Mar 2025 at 14:11

Imagine it's kind of like buying a VW beetle in 1931 (yes I know they didn't make them then).

How comfortable would you be owning one in 1938?

How comfortable would you be driving it around by 1939?

An idiot would eventually come along and vandalise it and potentially you.

It's unlikely to get worse than a note on the windscreen but we still don't know how bad things in America are going to get for us.

There is a tiny element of personal risk now when seen buying a new Tesla even if you don't follow politics.

Why not take the easy route and get an Ioniq 6 or BYD?