If he wanted a bigger range why buy a car with a low range, did he not check its capacity when he purchased? On the loan Keaf we had it showed battery capacity dash display.

Comparing ICE(petrol) and EV cars, which are of similar size and spec

Tesla Model Y AWD -  unladen weight(UW) 2054kg, 507hp, 310 miles Real world range (rwr), £52,990, 75khw,
Tesla Model Y 2WD -  UW 1984kg, 295 hp, 283 miles(rwr), £44,990, 75khw,
Audi Q8 AWD- UW 2325kg, 282bhp, 550 miles (rwr), £76,495 (fuel tank 18.7g tank)
Audi Q7 Sport AWD - UW 2395kg, 340bhp 498 (rwr), £63,490 (fuel tank 18.7g tank)
BMW X7 AWD - UW 461kg, 201bhp, 378 miles (rwr), £88,890
BMW X6 drive40i M sport AWD - 2268kg to 2438kg, 381bhp, (475 rwr), £78,750 (fuel tank 18.2g tank)

Nissan Ariya 2wd, UW 2121kg, 320 miles(rwr), £44,645, 87Kwh 

Tesla M3 2WD -295bhp, UW 1836 kg, 305 miles(rwr), £39,990, 78kwh

BMW 3 Series Saloon, UW 1,590 kg, 184hp, 493 miles(rwr) £42,095
BMW 5 Series Saloon, UW 2335 kg, 528 miles(rwr), £51,915

so all quite similar and not poles apart

VW ID3 Pro - UW 1815 kg, 250 miles(rwr), £44,990, 58Kwh,
VW Golf Life - UW 1,342kg, 150bhp, 450 miles(rwr), £29,530,

Citreon e-C3(e)v 1419kg range 165miles,
C3 petrol 1540kg range 432, battery tech needs to improve to catch up here

At present smaller more popular marques selling EVs are pricey and have about 1/2 to 2/3 the range of Petrol

However:- 

BYD Dolphin - UW 1733 kg, 250 miles(rwr), £30,195, 60.5Kwh
MG MG4 - UW 1726 kg, 260 miles(rwr), £29,495, 61,7kwh


* Model for model they are heavier - Well yes and no is the answer, if you compare similar vehicles then they are vary similar but if you take an existing ICE designed car and stick batteries and electric motors in it instead of petrol/diesel drive train then they can be heavier but not by huge amounts.

* They are more expensive - I think that depends upon what type of car you are looking at whether EV or ICE, it is quite clear that certain new EVs have dropped in price by 15-20% over that last year, and other manufacturers are beginning to follow suit. More are being sold and the EV market is becoming more competitive, in China 55% of all new cars sold last year were EVs, that's a huge amount and the biggest car market in the world. 

* The depreciation is currently terrible - I do not think this is quite true, if you look at Tesla M3 RWD cars that are one year old with average mileage they are between £20K to £30K. 3 years normal devaluation on a new car is between 40% and 60% depending on make/model and wear/tear factors. The Tesla M3 SR new is £45K today, so the £20k to £30K reflects  33% to 55% depreciation. If you look at some of the Petrol cars above you will find similar e.g. Audi Q7 Sport for sale on on Autocar are £31K to £33.5, 47% to 51% depreciation.

* The range is less than an equivalent IC car - Yes but is 400-500 mile range really needed, most car journeys are local and less than 50 miles. For the who think range will not, is not being addressed read this www.independent.co.uk/tech/electric-car-battery-life-record-b2345504.html and for a car coming to EU soon with 1000km range (625 miles), likely real world 500 miles 

* Low temperature running can be a problem without a heat pump system, if you are refering to battery temperatures when sub zero then yes it needs to be addressed, if I lived in a cold country I would purchase a car with a Heat Pump anyway as it is more efficient. There are lots of EVs in Norway and they work there in temperature down to -20c and below sometimes.

* Public charging infrastructure could be better - Yes it needs to be improved upon and some form of regulation needs to be put in to get consistency in charge fees. My personal grip is that whether it is a 7Kwh charger or a 250kwh charger the electric costs the same to the Charge site owner, in fact more often that not if it is a fast charge or supercharger site often the electric company charges less as they sell more. Charge Sites on national roads and motorways need to be a minimum of 100kwh, and probably need to me increased to +250kwh over the next 3 years to support faster charging and turnaround. 

* Cost of repair and battery durability a concern - Cost of repair of EVs has been used by insurance companies to hike up insurance rates, actually this is not just EVs but also ICE vehicles. A big impact in cost of repairs was parts availibility, a throw back to COVID and supply chain issue, therefore loan car costs grew, this was across the car industry. Various reports and investigations have compared the cost of repair of EVs to ICE cars and most confer that EVs cost on average 25-29% more to repair, but there has also been a tendency for insurers to write off EVs that were repairable and therefore inflate the overall repair costs. 

Battery durability questions - look at this . This is one example there are many other out there with EVs used as taxis or by reps that have done over 200K miles and are still on the original batteries, and remember these are the using early designed batteries. Not many ICE engines would be very fit after 200K miles or very efficient! Many people think a Li-Ion car battery is the same as in a mobile phone, this is just not true, they are constructed in a very different and sophisticated way to maximise recharge and longevity, there is lots on the internet about how they are made and why.

Nobody is being forced to own an EV, anyone can continue to own an ICE car, that has been made very clear, the legislation stops production and sale of new ICE cars after 2030, now relaxed to 2035 by Rishi Sunak and co. Ultimately over time use of ICE vehicles will become less, but apart from it being good for emissions Oil is running out whether we want to accept that or not, Saudi has only 5% of its reserves left, enough for around 20 years. The major Petro-Chem companies are struggling to find new wells that are large, profitable and sustainable long term, they are currently boring for wells all over the world trying to increase reserves. 


Note: the car data taken from EV-database.org, manufacturer web sites and Autocar test reports, and have tried to be as factual and accurate as possible.

China is the market place you have to be in if you are a serious global manufacturer of any sort

This is well worth watching, some insights from Dr. Anant Patel, a doctor based at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Together, they delve into the critical topic of air pollution and the myths of 'clean' diesel.