Daily Driver

[Fastlane]

Never really seen what all the fuss is about with the Tesla tbh I live and breathe petrol, yum..old skool.

You are no different to all Ariel owners - we are all petrolheads, you have to be to buy one. Forget the Tesla b*ll*cks and just test drive an Model 3 Performance and you'll see why 4 of us "old skool petrolheads" have got a one...

[Preseh]

Yeah they definitely have their flaws but I'm chuffed with mine - especially considering the 0% BIK tax if you're buying through your own company or a company car scheme. One pedal wafting around in comfort and ease whilst still being quicker than most stuff on the road and then the Atom gives you your yearly dose of driver involvement within 15 minutes of getting in

Because I won't be towing the Atom anywhere, it's the perfect two car garage for me!

[Italianpaul]

Now that winter is approaching, I've swapped my daily drive for something with a little bit more power.

2_AR_HMB_070119GRIT.jpg (178.59 KiB) Viewed 970 times

[Karl V]

Nice!

Does it have a flame thrower?

image.png (1008.1 KiB) Viewed 969 times

[Italianpaul]

Not yet, but I'll put it on my bucket list.

[Karl V]

I have to say, I have loved my Ariel cars as an analogue alternative to today's modern computerised cars, be it petrol / diesel / EV.

But the time is fast approaching when we will need to give up the fossil-fuel burning engines.

For the EV owners out there... How much extra 'burden' do you face when planning a long trip? Do you find you are planning a little more to factor in recharge options / timings? Or is the network advanced enough now that this is not really a consideration?

Having just swapped my daily in Feb, I'll probably hang on to it for at least another couple of years, but EV (or hydrogen) does seem to be the way forward... Is the (UK) infrastructure keeping up with the seemingly growing change to EV?

[robfitz]

Think there are distinctly different answers to that question depending on whether you are Tesla or Other.

[Karl V]

Yeah, fair point!

[Jerry]

I had a Model 3 on order from launch day and cancelled after 3 years. Glad I did, as I wouldn't be driving the Performance model today. The Performance model is amazing. Curious, for those that have them are you happy with the build quality and dealership back-up?

I don't think EV is the real answer though as we still need to burn some energy to fuel them and then there is the battery issue (extended life and disposal problems at end of life).

Hydrogen fuelled cars would appear to be the real solution in the long term.

[phil4]

[mention]Karl V[/mention] as said it depends on whether you're in a Tesla and using their supercharger network (almost always working, very fast, doddle to use etc), or public chargers. Although they are improving the later are still a way behind. There are also resources, like https://abetterrouteplanner.com/ which make the planning a lot lot simpler.

[mention]Jerry[/mention] In terms of build quality/dealerships, I'm only a sample of 1, but I've not had any real issues so far and the one thing I needed (a fastener) they sent out next day FOC.

I think Hydrogen has a future for super long distance/heavy vehicles - trains, planes, boats, trucks etc without any doubt.

But I'm in no hurry to go back to something where I have to visit a petrol station every week. I'm quite happy having a full "tank" every morning. There's also the physics to think about. If you're powered by hydrogen your wheels are still powered by electricity, and the losses to get to that point mean the input electricity is far far higher than if you send it direct to car and wheels: https://insideevs.com/news/332584/effic ... 22-ice-13/

The other problem with Hydrogen is rolling out a network. While we consider EV chargers to be "hard", they're a lot easier than creating new storage sites, shipping infrastructure etc.

If we were to be stuck with cars that can only do 250-300miles on a charge which takes 60+minutes... then yes, Hydrogen will win out as being more capable. But batteries aren't going to stay where they are, and that's where the challenge lies.

Does that mean hydrogen won't happen? No, it'll depend a lot on how quickly batteries can evolve over the next few years... it's a race.

And finally, if anyone is even considering EV's, eg Karl, there's a slightly different mindset you need to have. I don't mean a compromise, I mean that you'll make assumptions based on petrol driving that simply don't apply, and then try and solve problems (or find fault) based on them. Don't fall into that trap.

[atomiser]

Yep. EV has never really worked out for me - the last time I looked in 2017 (i3 v Golf tdi), the car was £7.5k more s/h and an eye watering £1200 pa more on the insurance - I think 2 daughters, all that battery and carbon fibre played a part in that.

Once s/h wlc and towing are sorted over a reasonable distance I'm in.

As good and cheap to run as my 335d is with its 1.8t towing ability and surprising alternative to the atom in the wet on track, mainstream ICE is dying under the emissions laws.

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

[Karl V]

I'm not so sure.

I think the car industry is heading in a different direction...

image.png (538.4 KiB) Viewed 923 times

[Luckky]

This is my halfway house and for my needs it’s perfect. Does about 35miles on the electric only, 1000 miles in and I’ve used 1/4tank of fuel.

£65 per month due to 2% bik rate, ride is a little heavier than normal but the 5ppm is worth it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Miyagi_GB]

I'm still on the petrol side of the fence for my daily but reduced in power so currently rolling around in a 2020 BMW M135i xDrive.

Gun metal grey, full aero pack and reddy/orange leather interior didn't even test drive before I bought it, just fell in love from the pictures

[Antong]

As a silly aside my daily drive over the summer has been a 1975 Fiat 127 for when it's dry

A 996 c4 for when it's wet

and a VW caravelle for when I go anywhere with SWMBO, dogs, bikes and Paraphernalia!

I love all these vehicles and the Nomad too, the Fiat is is the only one I wouldn't part with...