After 5 Years of Driving An EV Each Day, Driving Outdated ICE Automobiles Is Simply Painful

Assist CleanTechnica’s work by a Substack subscription or on Stripe.

I had been driving an EV for about 5 years till a collection of unlucky occasions obtained me driving some outdated fossil-fueled (ICE) automobiles for the previous 8 months. That is what occurred….

On Christmas Eve, December 2024, at round 3pm, I used to be coming from the grocery retailer utilizing my standard route. I obtained to a set of site visitors lights, and as I used to be approaching the intersection, the site visitors lights turned amber after which pink. Clearly, I had slowed down as I approached the site visitors lights, and got here to a whole cease earlier than the lights turned pink. Visitors lights are extra generally referred to as “Robots” in Zimbabwe and South Africa. I suppose that’s to do with the truth that there is no such thing as a human manually directing site visitors on the intersection, I’m not positive. The identify Robotic will not be too far off, although, now that we’re within the age of AI! Fashionable site visitors lights make use of AI to enhance the circulation of site visitors.

As I used to be ready for the site visitors lights to show inexperienced and provides me the go-ahead to proceed, one thing occurred virtually in a flash. I heard some very loud noises, adopted by a sequence response induced by arduous influence that on the finish of the occasions resembled billiard balls on the pool desk. From standstill, the influence on the entrance of the automobile was so massive that it pushed the automobile to hit one other automobile behind me, and so forth. Seems, on the opposite aspect, one kombi (the favored identify for a minibus taxi that normally ferries between 14 to 16 passengers) had hit a lorry that was turning at that intersection, pushing that lorry’s trajectory in the direction of my Nissan LEAF. All of it occurred so quick, and once I obtained out, I seen that the entire entrance of the LEAF was actually smashed, and since the LEAF had been pushed again and hit the automobile behind me that was additionally ready for the site visitors lights on our aspect, the again of the LEAF was additionally crushed. I had by no means been concerned in a site visitors accident earlier than, after which there I used to be minding my very own enterprise ready for the site visitors lights to offer me the go-ahead, solely to search out myself sandwiched between a big lorry and a Toyota SUV.

After all of the processes and paperwork, the insurance coverage firm evaluated the car after the accident (and a prolonged wait as the opposite events concerned took their candy time at hand in all of the required paperwork), and the ultimate verdict was that the Nissan LEAF was a write-off. Two choices had been then introduced to me. The 2 choices had been:

1. a like for like alternative,
2. a money fee from the insurance coverage firm.

There will not be many like-for-like Nissan LEAFs obtainable available on the market, so I opted for a money fee and thought I might take the money and simply get one other EV quickly.

Sadly, or slightly luckily, in hindsight, when the money fee was processed, I had a severe medical emergency and I ended up diverting all the cash to medical payments, and so on. So, after 5 years of driving an EV, I now didn’t have a automobile. Some family and friends supplied their spare automobiles for me to make use of until I obtained a alternative. I recognize them for serving to me throughout this time. What I assumed could be a short while earlier than I changed the EV has now turned out to be 8 months and counting! As a result of I don’t have the price range in the mean time to get a brand new automobile, I’ve been making use of assorted outdated ICE automobiles. The expertise is nothing in need of ache, particularly coming from driving a full BEV.

Let’s begin with the lighthearted stuff. First up: driving an ICE with out regen is wild now for me. With a BEV, while you let go of the accelerator, the automobile slows down, and having that for five years is now simply the brand new regular for me. So, it’s actually annoying driving these outdated ICE ones with out regen! The primary car I used throughout this era was a diesel van. I used to purchase $20 price of diesel every single day for my day by day commute, which was a ache coming from simply plugging in in a single day, and the electrical energy over time averaged at simply 10 cents per kWh — so for a 24 kWh Nissan LEAF that’s simply $2.40 an evening! So, an virtually 10× leap in gas price per day! The present electrical energy tariff right here is about $0.26/kWh, which works out to $6.24, nonetheless a complete $13.76 cheaper per day! As a result of it was an outdated van, I used to be consistently topping up engine oils and coolant — issues I had not achieved in 5 years. Extra ache! It was such a reduction once I needed to give again that van.

Subsequent up, I obtained a Honda Match from my household. It’s also an outdated automobile, and coincidentally, once I obtained it, it determined to begin appearing up. This began with sensors not detecting the gas ranges appropriately or one thing like that — so the automobile at instances would suppose the tank was empty. Bizarre, I do know. Different random points would simply pop up as properly. Sorting that out, getting a brand new gas pump and different fixes, price properly over $200! Extra ache! In the entire 5 years I had the Nissan LEAF, the one points we had with it was after we hit a pothole (by the best way, we now have the worst potholes right here), which broken two tyres on one aspect. That was it. Simply two tyre modifications and in a single day charging prices!

By the best way, I’m not attempting to be ungrateful or something, I do know most individuals, particularly right here, don’t have the chance to purchase an EV and a few individuals don’t even have entry to dependable transport given the low ranges of motorisation generally. I’m simply sharing my experiences with outdated ICE automobiles after 5 years of EV possession. After all, if I had the means in the mean time, I may have gotten a brand new ICE car within the meantime, and I in all probability would have had fewer issues to complain about over the previous 5 months. What’s subsequent? I hope to avoid wasting up once more to get an honest EV. I used to be so used to driving electrical, and it simply feels less complicated now to drive EVs than ICEVs.