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Quote: Originally posted by bessie500 on 14/7/2022

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Quote: Originally posted by Mitchamitri on 14/7/2022

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BUT....I believe car prices have actually gone up relative to income year on year. As someone said earlier in this thread we could see a world where car ownership (as in having a car permanently in your possession) is seen as quite unusual.

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Quote: Originally posted by Fiona W on 25/7/2022

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Nothing new about questioning car ownership. My cousins, now long retired to Devon, lived all their working lives (40 years) in London. They didn’t ever own a car, 50+ years ago, because they had excellent bus & tube services for getting to work, shops, concerts etc and they hired a car for holidays. (In Devon now, a car is essential.)
Similarly, they never owned a washing machine or tumble dryer - everything got left at the local laundromat & collected later. Again, not something they have ready access to in rural retirement.
So I agree car ownership may decline in cities with good transport infrastructure late into the evening but in small towns & rural areas with no trains, and buses that stop early evening, a car will be needed most days.
Car clubs may be an alternative especially if the car can be left charging when not “booked” to be used.

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Quote: Originally posted by Mitchamitri on 26/7/2022

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""""I think car clubs may not be ideal with EVs. Rapid chargers shorten battery life and require very large power supplies, larger than most buildings will have."""""

The assumption behind this statement is that cars will need charging so often as they do now, that battery and motor technology won't improve, and neither will infrastructure. Apart from the fact most cars are left stationary overnight so all you need is enough range to last a day -so you could do it today.   

Regardless of this simply not being the case, in future, you won't just "simply pick the car up and fill up as required." because just simply won't be able to. What garages are left, well, you might find yourself down to a hundred miles in your tank and start thinking about the spare 5 gallons you've got splashing around in a container in your boot, and driving around the edge of each town to get there as their congestion charges sting you too much.

The future doesnt look like today - it never has and it never will.

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Quote: Originally posted by Fiona W on 26/7/2022

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Interesting & relevant new thread in the Towing forum about towing experience with an EV.

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Quote: Originally posted by Mitchamitri on 26/7/2022

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Apparently for the first 25 years of car ownership there were no actual filling stations!!   Reminds me of.....wasnt it they invented the television before they looked at what they'd put on it?

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