Electric Cars are Wrong

I'm not a fan of these giant electric SUV's clogging up service station forecourts - however, this little CE04 from BMW could certainly tempt me into veganism... if I lived in a City of course.

[@SlowA1]

I've missed BVG, goes to do an Electric Bike review moans about everything else. LOVE IT!

[@LeakyWaders]

The earth is healing.

[@JLchevz]

lmao

[@MrJungle123]

'Shall we bugger off?' 😂. I've missed the turbo charged quintessentially camp Englishness of The Baron.

[@davethegreat]

Love that you're back complaining and grumbling about stuff! Missed this for sure! 🏍💨💨💨 🚓🚓🚓🚓

[@tomhan]

I remember the first time I saw a sinclair C5. I asked my dad what it was and before he could finish explaining how they never took off because they were death traps , a cyclist crashed into the side of it

[@BaronVonGrumble]

🤣

[@CrazyPanda688]

Sounds like the cyclists fault honestly

[@G58]

@@BaronVonGrumble That B em double V is just too ugly and fart oow expensive to ever tempt me. But thank you for sharing your sanity and boundless wit. The Ukrainian flag bit made it worth the watch on its own. Peace

[@acid3129]

You know what that's very strange because somthing very close yo that happend to me . I saw one in the 90s asked my dad what it was and while he told me and mentioned why they never took off the guy driving it was sat behind a car as it tried to reverse into a parking space and he jumped out at the last second as it got crushed under a Ford escort

[@LexFitness]

FCK I wasn’t ready for that ending 🤣 thanks the morning shoulder laugh shakes 🙌🏼

[@KTM-1090]

“Nuclear is the future - just don’t launch it at Chernobyl” 😂

[@harpersneil]

Can't wait to see this bike on Budget Bike Battle 2030.

[@BaronVonGrumble]

hahha!

[@BlakeEM]

My wife got an electric SUV (Kia Niro, well a "crossover SUV") and it's awesome when you have solar at your house to charge it. We have a kid so the extra space is important. Since we have solar there is no need to wait for discounted power since any excess power we produce is "free" during the night. With 260+ miles we can go to LA and back on one charge (we are in San Diego) and it's amazing for commuting since you never need to stop anywhere for power and we haven't needed to buy a fast charger (yet). The instant torque is fun and I can't wait for some good electric motorcycles with 200+ mile range. Maintenance is so much less on an electric. For a commuter I think they are the best option in many cases. No oil changes, valve adjustments, coolant, clutch, or charging system to go wrong. I used to often commute to work on my Honda CBX1000 so I don't doubt that conventional engines are more exciting and visceral, they are just a pain in the ass to keep running and I'm lazy.

[@ms-jl6dl]

I guess if one's rich,has second car and produces his own energy those make sense. Now give us back your subsidy.

[@sustainablematje]

The Energica's can do 200+ miles on a charge.

[@amateurwizard]

That's a good point, unfortunately a lot of people would rather complain than do the legwork to set up something that long-term pays dividends. The idea that you could take every power bill off the table with an investment that will pay itself back in roughly 7 years, is amazing and doesn't get enough credit. What most people will hang onto is that the government wants them to do it. Personally I'm planning on doing all of it myself and going almost totally off-grid, I will however be feeding back to the grid when I over-produce. I'm estimating a total of 20K pounds, and take every bill off the table for pretty much forever.

[@2002RM]

@@ms-jl6dl That sounds like jealousy. I for one would love the opportunity to make my own power. The people who complain about it either can't afford it (fair enough) or are just ignorant. You happily agree to a mortgage for 25 years but can't see the benefit of getting generating your own commodity which will pay for itself in 10? I shake my head at the lack of financial capability in a lot of people. If the utility companies are investing in renewables to charge you for the privilege, why not just get solar and/or wind yourself? Just do the maths.

[@2002RM]

@@amateurwizard I only saw your comment after posting. Even better said.

[@XpensedUK]

Chris, you are the funniest man on the internet. This level of honesty is too rare. I’m old and cynical and the belly laughs you provide are so welcome. Thanks to you and the 44T crew for the great content. Keep it coming. PS. Swapping a 1290r for a Duke 890r tomorrow. If I don’t like it, I will be blaming Al.

[@BaronVonGrumble]

Thank you for the kind words! But I don't think you're going to like it 😅😬🙈

[@ur2slob724]

Yeah that’s a bad move mate 🤣

[@XpensedUK]

I love it. I had a gen 1 SDR which was great but the 890r is banzai. Just need some twistier roads.

[@goodday126]

It's not rare, you just need to stop consuming news-ish entertainment content, the kind that pay for page 1 Google search results, and switch to real information sources.

[@XpensedUK]

@@goodday126 I bet you’re fun at parties.

[@nbt74]

"I bet its emailed my mum ..." that made me laugh out loud

[@markosrides]

Here's the problem from my humble pov. There maybe is some benefits to EV in a 1st world countries (noise pollution, exhaust particles...), but for the 3rd world countries, in which I count my own (event it is not perhaps), it's a DISASTER. Couple years back the mining companies found large amounts of Lithium, perhaps largest deposits in Europe, in the middle of my country. The corrupt government quickly jumped on the band wagon and awarded Rio Tinto the rights to mine it without any real environment impact studies. We, as in, the citizens, revolted last year and they sort of canceled it, but not really, just until the rigged elections passed. They are still in the business of preparing for extraction and the Chinese are sniffing around too for a piece of the cake. The impact on the environment would be immeasurable and beyond saving. Now here's the thing. My country will have ZERO benefits from this extraction, the politicians would of course, but the ordinary people would see none. We couldn't even drive EV vehicles because the standard is one of the lowest in Europe. This is the main issue, the mining companies target poor countries for excavation for a technology that is not there yet, not even close. The hydrogen thing is nowhere to be seen, EV lobby made sure that thing is dead and buried, and that could be the clean future we all want. It is all a big mess. Sorry for the rant, good to see you up and about BVG, cheers!

[@2002RM]

So what you're talking about is corrupt politicians, not the benefits or otherwise of EVs. The same corrupt politicians who probably supported the oil lobbies and took kickbacks. This is not original and the fact that it's lithium is just incidental. If it was gold or diamonds it would be the same. Someone would be looking to get rich of the benefits of others. I don't see how this is an indictment of EVs. The fact is, when the new chemistries are integrated into mass production, all those Lithium investments will become devalued and you will hear very little about it. I absolutely think we should find solutions which have a minimal impact on the environment but just because the oil industry have done such a wonderful job of normalising their damage to the environment, don't unfairly judge the EV industry.

[@mordu5620]

Which country in Europe , I'm sure a lot of us are wondering? Upvoted. Merci 😎

[@tony_tuono]

@@mordu5620 @Marko Somborac It's Serbia, am I right?

[@rampage3337]

not even in a 1st world country does this work. it works in the city but ones you go out to the country side you are fucked x10. and let's also talk the fact that there aren't many things that can be EV. airplanes can't be EV (unless the smaller hobby ones) freight ships can't be EV. real motorcycles can't be EV and practical. and the reason for all 3 is the same. a motorcycle can't weigh a ton so you can't fit enough range and fun in to them. a airplane can't be EV because by the time you got enough range in them you pretty much maxed the allowed weight. same with ships by the time you get the range you pretty much lost your cargo space. scooters and more city orientated bikes of course can be viable as it's not going to be going to far but a real motorcycle nah. also who goes on a bike ride and don't do a little speeding or spiritual riding. the max range is only in extreme eco driving and extreme eco drive and bikes are two things that don't go together.

[@vytas5584]

EVs are a tech/enviro improvement for a minority of auto applications.

[@tonykeast9966]

Speed restricted E bicycle thing... I remember proudly bragging to a cyclist mate that my PB top speed on my mountain bike (downhill, country road) was 59moh on one very steep local hill and 61.4mph on another even better one. Aided by a heavy rucksack full of cans of cider. He was amazed. Amazed that my tyres hadn't spectacularly burst and the cantilever brakes disintegrated and hubs melted. Good points, I'd never thought about any of that.

[@FlyingPhysicist]

100% agree re: electric SUVs with 100kWh batteries that weigh 3t and are VED-exempt despite causing considerably more damage to the road than my Hyundai i10.

[@grachoderunwiderstehlichen]

...and if Chris have had a IRIZA or Solaris Bus in front of him...what phases will he spell😁✌️💨

[@nellytheelephant7794]

Most aren’t VED exempt, anything over £40,000 is now classed as a luxury vehicle so the Gov charge an extra duty to make up for the lost revenue from reduced fuel consumption.....my new hybrid costs more to tax than my gas guzzling discovery that did 30 mpg

[@FlyingPhysicist]

@@nellytheelephant7794 fully electric vehicles are exempt from all forms of VED including this so-called luxury tax. Your hybrid isn't fully electric.

[@2002RM]

@@nellytheelephant7794 Jeez, what a way to spread misinformation.

[@ressy1982]

You could easily hide a fart with a V2 engine - another plus for vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine 😂

[@fermitupoupon1754]

For starters there are lies, damned lies, and statistics. I've been riding a first gen C-Evolution, the ones that actually look good and have usable storage capacity. In my experience, having ridden it for a solid 50000km, the range is still pretty close to the original 160km. At least it is with my riding style doing short drives around the city and commuting mostly. The biggest thing is that at the time the C-Evolution cost about 16k euro, which isn't that much over the cost of a well equipped T-max or C650GT. However, even with electricity costing 32ct/kWh at the moment, charging the 14.4kWh battery is considerably cheaper than paying 2.70 euro a litre at the pump. For me the break-even point was years ago, with a kWh costing about 14ct. Especially if you factor in that back when going to the office every day meant that I could charge for free at work. As for range anxiety, it's a different mindset. I get home, I plug it in and it charges overnight. Knowing that on the average day I don't do much more than 80-85km, there is no anxiety. The only time when it's been sort of an issue is with group ride touring days. Because that is usually going to push the maximum range. But even that can relatively easily be solved by planning an hour for lunch or something like that. At a fast charger it takes 20 minutes to get about 100km of charge in there. From a normal 16A wall socket at home it takes about 4 hours to do a full charge, which I really don't notice, as I will be asleep when it's charging. And with the whole charging "infrastructure" for e-bicycles over here, most restaurants and even fast food places will have outlets available for charging. It's the ABC of EV driving, Always Be Charging. Of course none of this is statistically relevant, because of n=1.

[@daimennorthfield4511]

Trouble is as soon as the average man in the street can afford the initial outlay and electric becomes the norm they'll tax the feck out of it for vehicles to replace all the lost tax in petrol diesel revenue

[@terenceokeeffesmotorcyclestuff]

I can’t see the economics of it working for the ordinary man or woman. My son’s CB125F does 187 MPG and costs peanuts to buy. The performance is much less than this BMW but it will commute just fine. The whole EV argument is riddled with holes and too expensive for the masses.

[@gsportgeorge]

Unfortunately, while you would hope Volvo would be a fairly responsible company, they actually have a vested interest in selling all their ICE cars that they are primarily geared up to build for the next few years. Worst case scenario is bad, but nobody has that worst case. Here in the UK our grid is actually very green so the payback in terms of carbon is more like 20k miles. And then on to of that you need to consider the local pollution as well as the CO2. Particulate emissions and NO2 etc at street level is giving everyone breathing issues and cancer. That doesn't take anything away from the stupidity of big SUVs (whatever the power source) though obviously.

[@fermitupoupon1754]

@@terenceokeeffesmotorcyclestuff the economics of them vastly depend on the country you're in. Over here, charging my C-Evolution costs about 4 euro in electricity (30ct/kWh) 1 litre of petrol (3.75l to a gallon) costs over 2.70 euro. (~11 USD/gal). Even if you get 187mpg, that 187 miles would be ~11USD in just fuel costs over here. Compared to about 7USD to go the same distance on the C-Evolution. My regular commute and errands and things adds up to about 80km or 50 miles per day. I can charge for free at the office. So my dailies cost me 0 on the C-Evolution, where they would cost me ~3USD using your son's CB125F. That adds up to about 750-800 USD per year saved on just the fuel to commute. I'd rather spend that money on a nice long weekend away with the missus, as opposed to burning it to commute.

[@terenceokeeffesmotorcyclestuff]

@@fermitupoupon1754 I understand daily costs but what about your up front purchase cost? Many owners will finance so the cost of that new battery vehicle, which is already at a premium, is very high compared to that extremely cheap 125cc petrol. The only sense these vehicles make is a) local emissions reduction, very laudable ✅ and b) stunning performance when mated to a decent chassis etc ✅. But total cost of ownership needs to be clear for all to see. I wouldn’t mind an electric bike but it would be an exciting toy for me rather than an everyday budget based commuter.

[@RandomShart]

Totally agree, the only true way to reduce emissions is to buy less stuff but no government of a consumer based economy is going to say that. Best thing to do is keep your vehicle until it's dead, then buy something else that's old and preferably cleaner than your last vehicle.

[@thedukeofchortlebury9124]

At last, a sensible take on electric vehicles and the BS marketing attached to them. Well done Chris. By the way, visually that BMW is a monstrosity.

[@BaronVonGrumble]

thanks - but i actually liked the bike!

[@pistonburner6448]

Yup! Can you imagine that not just private companies but even our governments are allowed to spread misinformation, just blatant lies like: "EV = Zero Emissions"! It's the billions China is paying them to conquer you car and energy markets with EVs. Politicians, civil servants, NGOs, university professors just love that Chinese money...billions and billions of it. Well, that and the taxpayer money they get after they've funneled it first to their friends in the grid companies, electricity producers, etc... My old friend is a top exec of an EV charging multinational corporation, I therefore know for a fact how corrupt this whole thing is. Even his path to that position says it all: he was a young guy in the 'elite' with connections, had a history of being convicted for white collar crime, then married a rising star politician -> suddenly got put in charge of the EV subsidy management for the government -> 'coincidentally' then got a top executive position at that EV charging company.

[@fat_biker]

@@BaronVonGrumble You reviewed it sat on it, not having to look at it though... Also, having to put the charging cable in the only luggage stowage is just stupid - the charge cable isn't heavy it just takes up space so give it separate dedicated stowage!

[@Hinchy1a]

@@BaronVonGrumble Dear God no!! 🤢

[@splodge5714]

I'd have a Honda Forza 350 over that expensive overated rubbish.

[@ryancox3834]

Built a load of s*** houses behind a polluting bus with nobody on it 😂😂 von grumble in all his glory right off the bat. Missed this so much. Welcome back Chris 👊 Full of teenagers doing bongs 😂

[@Royalseaviper]

That charging point you went to is free to charge because it's a 7kw charger. You log in to the app and plug it in and it charges. I had a Renault zoe for 5 weeks it cost me £30 to do 1k miles.

[@martinfisker7438]

Oh, so like the "free slow charge" at gas stations where you jump on the hose to fill your bike?

[@Royalseaviper]

@@martinfisker7438 well if your in a parking lot a in a shopping mall doing shopping it's not going to make much difference is it

[@splodge5714]

@@Royalseaviper 1k miles in 5 weeks. You must do a lot of shopping.

[@Royalseaviper]

@@splodge5714 nope just daily driving 😂😂

[@jj179]

Absolutely hate downloading apps for shit like this. Went to an empty restaurant after covid and asked for a table and they told me to download the app and join the virtual queue when there was noone in there. Wouldn't let me in otherwise.

[@calirun1]

The ‘zero emissions’ badging on electric vehicles really pisses me off… it’s just a massive lie!

[@difflocktwo]

Local emissions. Particulate, hydrocarbon and noise emissions suck. Electric is 1000x nicer to have in the neighborhood than any form of combustion.

[@calirun1]

@@difflocktwo not disputing that, but electric vehicles are not zero emission - they generate a massive carbon footprint and environmental impact on production, along with local emissions too, although perhaps not to such an extent as ICE vehicles, they are not emission free at any level (noise, rubber particles, heat etc.) Plus the electricity used to charge them up is fairly filthy

[@difflocktwo]

​@@calirun1 Way less noise and particulates than burning stuff. Way less heat too since you brought that up. Wheel to well if you are talking about charging I think combustion is still worse. Large power plants are way better than tiny motors, even with transmission losses. Oil refining is a huge consumer of energy itself. The only thing gas cars can compete with is using less resources to build in the first place and of course the all the infrastructure already out there to fuel them. In use though electric is way nicer locally and wheel to well too.

[@electric_boogaloo496]

Particulate emissions is still a problem with electrics because tire wear is a major contributor of it.

[@difflocktwo]

@@electric_boogaloo496Ok. And I guess non electrics use something other than rubber.

[@SatansSpatula]

BMW's first goal in building an electric vehicle is to make it look extremely fucking weird. Why can't they just build an EV that looks relatively normal? Build an electric motorcycle that looks like a GS.

[@andrewmontague2636]

They do! It’s called an iX1! (Same as an X1😉)

[@ChasingTenths]

I still think a frugal Diesel car is ok to keep, I keep cars for a long time. Not a fan of the throw away society. Especially being born in india where everything gets repaired and reused, even an electric iron or a kettle

[@myeben42]

Great content mate! Happy you are doing videos again.

[@motodevcam]

I bloody love that you're making videos again. (No pressure though!) Great watch, thank you!

[@fohdeesha]

Thank you for being open about your experience with anxiety the past few videos. As someone who deals with it myself it's oddly reassuring to know even the Baron deals with the same thing. Also hell yeah nuclear power!

[@dondrap513]

A taycan is hardly the metric by which to measure the environmental impact of the average ev. 90k for break even on eco damage for an ev vs ice is the absolute worst case scenario. It's more like half that normally. The one thing you missed is the huge improvement in local city air quality that would result if everyone switched to ev.

[@matthewstrange3778]

It wasn't a Taycan held as the metric, it was a Volvo?

[@majordelays4909]

I wait for you to break into full partridge every episode. Great work

[@FudgeMonkeySmurf]

I bought my "B em double V" i3 (range extender version) back in 2017 purely for economic reasons. I had a 400 bhp supercharged Jag S Type R prior that was gonna cost me 12K a year in fuel to get to and from my new workplace (it had to go). Back then the government chucked in 4.5k for a new EV and the BMW dealer chucked in 3.5K plus it was 0% finance for two years and my electric tariff was 9p per Kwh. It was basically a no brainer for me at that point in history. Of course now, literally everything you have to consume has quadrupled in cost from eating out to heating your home and you're metaphorically screwed in the arse where ever you go. I still like my i3 but I preferred my Jag, I enjoy cycling to work in the week and revving my motorbike out to red line before changing gear at the weekends. Love your work...👍

[@Ben-rq5re]

Perfect upload timing for the lunch break

[@BaronVonGrumble]

yeah, i thought id try a midday upload and test le Algorithm ...

[@Ben-rq5re]

@@BaronVonGrumble well it's worked out nicely for me, your EV discussion goes very well with some cold lasagne..

[@gerardmontgomery280]

The only EV I've tried is the Zero ST/F and it was a right blast to ride. However it's Panigale V4 money for CBR650 performance, GS Adventure weight and 100 mile range. EV's may be the future but they're not quite there yet.

[@electric_boogaloo496]

Great comparison to put things into perspective. If I am paying V4 money, I want V4 performance and weight. I wouldn't mind an electric motorcycle with the practicality of a 125-300cc scooter, but less dorky. But I want it at small scooter prices.

[@dbauernf]

Oh man, I missed your videos so much.. glad you're back and feeling better.

[@StreetRallyAsh]

Love your videos Baron! got me into motovlogging years ago!

[@Roadified]

Bloody briliant. I used an electric KTM as my commuter for 3 years, everyday. Really like it. Now I ride EUC, electric unicycle, much better for commuting, but much more dangerous aswell. Ps I pay more road tax on electric motorcycle than some cars.

[@PutitoJay]

I've a a bmw 330e, one of their hybrids and I love it. Having the engine for longer distance don't have to worry about charging for an hour and then the electric to just putter long with around town with and only cost 1.20 go charge for about 25km. Only reason to buy a fully electric is because of the amazing people that run the country making petrol too expensive.

[@wretchedrider2157]

So good to have you back in full form, on the BVG

[@hessel3937]

Nice video and your spotton as usual....please keep going on.. Its youtubers like you that make this platform worth while

[@lightwhipr]

I wish more people could share this POV on how media based gratification of their preserved ‘eco’ decision is a bunch of bollocks. But at least they look like hero’s to their mates on social media, that’s the important thing! Another great BVG video.

[@2002RM]

Maybe that's how you see it but politicians weren't the ones pushing for electric vehicles. They just jumped on the wagon when the saw a popular opportunity. Don't conflate the issues.

[@renevanderkraats224]

Good level-headed report there, Chris. I've tried a Zero SR/F some years ago. Yeah, instant torque was nice. First few roundabout stops were pure panic as I was scrambling for a non-existant clutch and gearlevel. The ride itself was pretty good. But the clinical feel of it all didn't entice me at all. No smelly hot engine, no rumbling vibrations, no satisfaction of getting that synergy between clutch, throttle, and gear just right. For some A to B applications elektric is ok, but really, with the 'long tailpipe up to the powerplant' and competing with the tried and tested combustion engine...nah, like you say, just another new way to transfer money from the plebs to the rich.

[@Bredaxe]

More ways to transfer wealth without the courtesy of a reach around for the shag they're giving.

[@pistonburner6448]

Electric bikes (at least all the ones I've seen) also lack the temperature controls, heating and cooling systems that make car batteries last longer, and stay efficient. I guess for bikes they add too much weight and expensive complexity. But that will really hurt your battery life and longevity, as well as its ability to deliver performance in hard use and in the cold, if all previous experiences with all batteries everywhere, including electric cars without such systems are anything to go by.

[@chadthebassist]

I really have missed the Baron. Good to have you back.

[@SubseaTaff]

The Baron is back! Honest reviews of not only electric vehicles but also local authority planning systems

[@ElMuelio]

Would love to see a Part 2 - Baron tests out a Renault Twizy.

[@h4xl]

Well .. From their report: Breakeven vs ICE: XC40 Recharge, Global Electricity Mix/XC40 ICE - 146 000 Km XC40 Recharge, EU28 Electricity Mix/XC40 ICE - 84 000 Km XC40 Recharge, Wind Electricity/XC40 ICE - 47 000 Km So even if you run on "Global Electricity Mix" which is 2/3 Fosile fuel you will still be net positive after ~½ of the cars lifecycle. (which is worst example of the 3...) Engineering explained did a good video on this kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIPLpZyGmsuJsK8&t

[@wobblysauce]

Then the recycling aspect of the battery, is the other thing they talk about

[@tomtherevenant6877]

Thanks Chris, absolutely lovin’ having the Baron back. Great vid . I had the delicious irony of watching a 30 second ad for electric cars halfway through your vid…..perfect 😂

[@timto1878]

So glad you‘re making videos again!

[@cisium1184]

100% share your reservations about EV vehicles and the associated hype. They're not the magic bullet they're made out to be. The combination of long range and high speed is just never going to be there. Brilliant for particular uses, though, like daily commutes or trial riding.

[@badshotuk72]

Chris I love listening to BVG, you talk so much sense, I tend to hang on to old +10 year old cars and bikes, have an old Saab aero that I paid £1400 4 years ago and run a couple of cheap Bikes an SV Suzuki's and a Triumph Tiger, I keep up regular maintenance on a budget and couldn't give a fcuk who I dont impress, I'd love an electric something but the costs and infrastructure is crap, so I'll keep my money under the bed until things improve, I'll carry on as an anti consumer, keep the videos coming and thanks for my TORQUE stickers!

[@mattw1876]

Ha! Lightweight!.... Try 22 and 21 years old for wife's and my cars. Serviced regularly, and everything works. My bikes are both 26 years old (Suzuki rf 600 r and Yamaha fzs600.) and are both utterly reliable. I reckon I probably spend about 2 to 2.5 K a year on them all. That wouldn't even cover a year's PCP payments. They are all in good condition, patinated, but respectable. Like you, I really don't give a f¿ck about populist opinion or rampant consumerism for the sake of it. Fortunately, we're far from alone.... Wanna start a revolution?...... Any like-minded souls feel free to comment....

[@badshotuk72]

@@mattw1876 Brilliant yep I concur, just sold a 22yo Honda Blackbird as I made a good profit on it, my Saab is from 2005, the newest thing I own is my 10yo triumph spring chicken lol

[@mordu5620]

@@mattw1876 i think i can beat that! '06 Renault estate, since ' 14 it's not been serviced at all, I've bought tyres twice, one battery and fuel. Currently doing 79 mpg but always around 75mpg ish depending on the season. I'll run her till she dies and buy another one second hand, she's that good!

[@TGRacing]

As a cyclist and an owner of an SUV PHEV I absorb your vilification like the rainforest absorbs CO2. :-) Keep on doing what you do. Much love.

[@blakemoore2567]

BvG right about everything like always. Many excellent points made. Glad you're back!

[@TheRsBritain]

I’m from Basingstoke and yeah he’s right, we won’t be winning any cultural awards any time soon.

[@splodge5714]

If you want culture you'd have to ride to France but the stupid thing wouldnt even get half way to Dover.

[@paulblackburn8746]

I had a EV, now gone back to Internal Combustion Engine again, the infrastructure for them is just not there. Most chargers you rock up too are US and when you find one you’re probably about 3rd in line to use it, so you could (if you’ve nearly exhausted your battery and can’t get to another charger) you could be in for a three hour wait.

[@themartiandefender2128]

That Betty bint has always been bang out of order !! Great having you back BvG 👍🏻

[@haydnfstr]

You will miss that RSV4 roar!! As you say, commuting in a city its perfect!

[@31liott]

Tax policy around EV’s in the UK is quite regressive too. Anyway, like diesels in 2001, one day they will decide actually electric cars are bad for the environment too (cause they are) and then they’ll tax the shit out of them too.

[@chegson2wheels686]

I was working as a vehicle courier & got to drive a variety of EV's, from a Fiat 500 to a Merc 450 tank(& a few vans too)Out them all, the Mercs were the only vehicles I didn't suffer the range anxiety with as once charged it was capable of getting me to the destination even if the recipient was up in Scotland. The Fiat 500 though was so stressful as even fully charged it's range was about 90 miles. I drove a hybrid from Carlisle down to Oxford to collect a Peugeot 2008 EV for the return trip to Carlisle. As the 2008 was only charged to about 20% the first journey was the couple of miles to a charger, I then was sat for over 2 sodding hours waiting for it to reach maximum charge. I attempted to get a top up @ a motorway services & discovered that despite the charger having 2 sets of leads(allowing you to connect 2 EV's)if there was already an EV attached you had to wait for it disconnecting before it would commence charging my EV. I then checked the distance to a bank of fast chargers from where I was against the range left on my EV, discovered it was just about reachable so resumed my journey. To maximise the EV's range I was driving along the M6 at 50 MPH, without the heater running(in early January, the UK isn't known for its warmth)This meant that sodding great articulated trucks would sit inches from my back bumper trying to intimidate me into speeding up & when this tactic failed would finally overtake me but then cut back in to the inside lane so close to my front bumper I was often scared into braking. I reached the fast chargers with just 8% range left, then had to sit for over an hour recharging to over 85% so I could resume my journey which also included a further stop to top up the EV so it could be taken out from the depot next day. The entire journey which started at about 4pm didn't end until 1am(though fortunately this meant I was guaranteed a lunchtime start if I was required next day)As I was commuting the 50+ miles to the depot by motorcycle, the prospect of the ride home whilst I was already frozen to the core scared me so instead I phoned my partner & asked her to come pick me up. I returned to the depot next day to collect my bike, & decided whilst I was there to resign as I knew that there were going to be other EV's in future & a repeat of that journey which I never wished to repeat. My own car is an elderly Volvo V70 diesel auto, a video I watched on YT recently explained that EV's aren't so "green" as not only usage of scarce resources in their creation but contain a high number of non-recyclable items, & the majority are recharged from fossil fuel powered generation of electricity. The video also explained how an older vehicle run until its totally knackered(not just beyond economical repair but completely worn out)is more environmentally friendly. I wouldn't ever be in a position to own an EV, & even if I were able to buy another vehicle I would get a hybrid rather than an 100% electric. I refer to an EV as a "posh milk float" which my previous Boss wasn't to happy about.

[@mordu5620]

Wow, your job was just to sit down all day and be paid? And you gave it up?..

[@chegson2wheels686]

@@mordu5620 Yup, my wage was barely over the minimum so with the commuting costs would mean I was pretty much working for nothing. As the cost of fuel has since more than doubled I'd now be paying out money I didn't have for the privilege of being classed as employed.

[@mordu5620]

@@chegson2wheels686 yes, definitely time to change jobs! 👍

[@roam5984]

I've missed the Baron in his element, this is gold. Well said, Sir.

[@joepphoto]

Haha, i’ve missed these so much. Thanks Baron

[@bengreen8732]

Spoilt with these uploads lately :)

[@BaronVonGrumble]

yep - and its going to continue :)

[@RupeWilson]

I'll stick with my older 390 Duke, put the standard exhaust back on and blend in. But it's a no to an electric car and bike.

[@barryvenison6803]

Top man .. so refreshingly knowledgeable and candid …. Big fan 👌🏻🙏🏼

[@Nightowl1990]

The fart had me in tears 💨 💨💨😂😂😂😂

[@smart3k]

Had me in stitches, you should have done stand up. Good to see you back and in good health mate 👍

[@Sexyoldgeraldorivera]

I've taken the DIY pill when it comes to electric vehicles. Going to build an electric longboard, just want something as practical as possible to get around town and can be stored away and can charge it off a solar panel. "Fuck off Betty" - I've missed the Baron.

[@pistonburner6448]

Just don't burn down your house with Chinese batteries, mate!

[@Sexyoldgeraldorivera]

@@pistonburner6448dont worry, ill buy german ones instead. They've always been honest about their products ;)

[@pistonburner6448]

@@Sexyoldgeraldorivera As long as you don't live in Poland I don't think ze German batteries will burn down your house

[@bmorisquati]

I was literally laughing non stop!! I miss this BVG!! also im going to need subtitles for what you said when you put your lunch in the scooter because I couldn't understand a word!! 😂😂😂

[@5tevieb954]

excellente… Monsieur Baron with these regular videos you are really spoiling us.

[@chrisgreen1094]

Well said 👍. What we also have to remember is the vast majority of the electricity used to charge your electric car is produced by burning fossil fuels 🤷🏼‍♂️ More electric vehicles = burning more fossil fuels.

[@huwwilliams9287]

We should have pushed on with building lightweight economical cars. I used to have a Peugeot 205 diesel years ago, it weighed about 800kg and I could get 60mpg out of it, good little family car. Wife today has 1litre seat arona, you struggle to get 40mpg out of it.

[@clarksonoceallachain8536]

Japan makes plenty of those Daihatsu especially There new daihatsu tocot is 740kg

[@boxertrix2540]

Nice work Chris, and as entertaining as ever. Here's my 2p on the subject: I'm just about to take delivery of my first electric car, and the simple fact is that, because I can charge at home, the economics of running it are way better than the similar sized petrol car it's replacing. I drove about 10,000 miles a year in my old petrol car, which averaged about 35 mpg. With petrol currently nudging £2 a litre, that's a fuel cost of about £2.600 per year. My electric car has a 72kWh battery and a range of around 270 miles. I can charge it at home on off peak electricity at 7.5p per kWh or from my solar panels meaning I lose out on the 5p per kWh the grid would pay me to export that solar power. With those figures, my fuel cost for 10,000 miles in a year is £200, saving me £2400 a year compared to petrol. Even allowing for the occasional top up at a commercial charging point, I'm still quids in compared to petrol costs, and because it's plugged in over night, the car will usually be fully charged whenever I leave home, minimising my need to visit a commercial charging point. Having said that, I have had to shell out £650 for a home charger and there is definitely around a £4k price premium for the electric model over the petrol version of the same car. In the plus column however is that I'm not consuming petrol/oil when I drive, which is a finite global resource and better used to make the plastics and other stuff we depend on (and keep my motorbike running longer). Am I being Eco? In terms of lifetime CO2 emissions, as you observe with the manufacturing overhead, probably not. In terms of local pollution where I drive, yes, I'm generating no exhaust fumes, and as the grid becomes greener, overall my car is getting greener. The salesman proudly told me the new car has "Vegan Leather" seats though. He was slightly taken aback when I pointed out that meant they were plastic...

[@bosworth3398]

Mate, totally hilarious as usual...I for one am very glad your back !!

[@Altanabstick]

Agreed. In The Netherlands we are all about green, despite this it is cheaper for me to run my old 1.6 Audi than it is using public transportation. I wouldn't even mind the hassle of public transportation as long as I would substantially save money. But saving money isn't good for the environment now, is it? So let's just push shite expensive new cars as the solution. Anyhow, cool review.

[@jona899]

Agreed. Interesting thing to add concerning the Netherlands is figures on electric bicycle crashes/deaths here. The Netherlands has (some of) the safest bicycle infrastructure in the world, but still a lot of people are harmed by restricted e-bicycles. I agree with most of BVG’s points but I think it is a good thing e-bicycles are restricted. Furthermore, even on a restricted bicycle you’re still faster than in a car in London.

[@CoyoteMTB77]

Utter class BVG and you are a breath of fresh air chap. You a young version of my Dad. Brilliant video and agree 100% on the environmental BS we are fed and the bus statements 👍

[@movingforward2]

One of your best! Love all of your content!

[@dannyj653]

I thought I was the only person that wanted a piaggio ape. Great video Chris.😁

[@crowbiker4462]

How true - laughted all the way through - really enjoy your frank style… What a great guy Chris would be to chat to at your local pub! Agree with comments on EV’s - I’m also not anti-electric vehicles, but only when they make sense. We are only at 5% market adoption, and yet the supply of battery metals (Cobalt etc) is already creating many non-discussed issues (child labour amongst them) - imagine how the Congo will be laid to waste with open cast mines when we reach 35% EV adoption? We don’t count the manufacturing CO2 emissions which seems nuts….an incovenient truth anyone?

[@blacksmithsligo]

You are spot on. It's all about maximising the profits of large corporations, rather than protecting our environment. I've been an environmentalist for 40 years and the only way to protect our world is to consume less. But all our governments policies are about forcing us to create more waist.

[@GrimeB]

I love the sound of a petrol engine and dont think ill ever be fully on board with electric vehicles, but i honestly think its bigger than just a single generation timeline, everyone looks at this stuff within a short time factor. Yes at the moment its cheaper / easier to run a petrol car but 50 years down the line youd like to hope its going to be 100x easier. we are just having to deal with the guinea pig stage which we have done for alot of recent technology.

[@XenoVI]

Loving the uploads again Cheers from Houston Tx

[@mechine1511]

Engineering Explained here on youtube did a pretty deep dive on the literature of when it's better to buy a new, higher efficiency vehicle (electric or petrol) vs keeping an older, less efficient vehicle going and it's actually a faster payback than I am sure you think kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmOsfHaao9-fa80 As for the 90k miles, that's the absolute worse case scenario, and here in the uk 40-50% of our electricity comes from zero emissions sources, so the break even point is closer to 35k miles

[@rickykeith1601]

There's no such thing as Zero Emissions Sources. That's another lie they are getting the majority to believe, to justify their agenda I'm afraid.

[@patw9175]

No no no LiThIuM MiNinG IS BaD FossIL FUeLs iS GoOd

[@SerPurple51]

How does nearly 50% of the electricity come from "zero emissions" ? And you think that could stay the same if they forced everyone to switch to EV's? The infrastructure is just not there and the amount of money and resources to establish it will cause more pollution and deplete more minerals from the earth.

[@patw9175]

@@SerPurple51 However it happens, we need to change. Continuing to pump carbon into the atmosphere, and more importantly, the ocean, is clearly going to come home to roost eventually.

[@SerPurple51]

​@@patw9175 have you ever seen old pictures of early 1900's? The amount of pollution from cars with horrible emissions, leaking oil and gas all over, still horses with all the horse shit on the roads, manufacturing plants had zero filtering on their parts... you think we're trashing the environment now - you'd be in a real shock if you looked back in time. Besides, we're literally paying these elite members of society to tell us what not to do, as they ignore everything entirely... "Rules for thee, not for me"

[@nomad_lad]

What an absolutely fantastic and informative BVG rant. Made my evening 👍

[@Fabs821]

First, it’s so good to watch your video again and thank you for being so open about mental illness. I think EV are in a work in progress, for sure right now, the breaking point is high but depending on how your electricity is generated, it can change it greatly (in Canada for example, some provinces are relying on Water at 85-95% which makes for a very clean energy). Also manufacturers like BMW are actually working on improving battery and BMW EV are not using rare earth material anymore. (Still battery are still very polluting to make) I agree with you that EV is not THE solution as it depends on where you live, and the technology has a long way to go, but it’s a start in the right direction. At the end of the day, less consumerism and keeping longer your car, motorcycle, clothes…. is the answer but then people will have to change the way they live. Good luck with that.

[@TheSd1cko]

I happen to love my electric car 😁 I keep it topped up every day at work so whenever I need to do a journey I can because I have 230 real world range. And I can fast charge at Lidl / Morrisons / services etc. So if I wanted to travel to Cornwall for example, then yes it poses an obstacle (I live in North Yorkshire) but I'd need a break or a stop over anyway even in a petrol / diesel car. PLUS the big benefit is that my fuel is mostly free (charge it at work) and even if I pay at Lidl for example, it's under 15 quid for 230 miles. Car is a jaguar I pace which is also pretty rapid (0 to 60 in sub 4 seconds) - any comparable sized and performance car would would cost over 100 quid in fuel for the same range easily. This gives me more money to burn in the tank of my Tuono 😁😎

[@BaronVonGrumble]

Which all sounds fantastic. But the point is that it's not as environmentally virtuous as made out.

[@TheSd1cko]

@@BaronVonGrumble ye, but who really gives a sh*t about that. I certainly don't 🤣 It just suits me and my pocket (good on the ol benefit in kind too). That's all I care about. That and it's so damn responsive and nice to drive.

[@TheSd1cko]

Oh, and it "only" weighs 2.2 tonne 🤣

[@SprintKing76]

KarenVonGrumble charging an e-vehicle in the rain and ripping out a massive queef, makes me think we really have progressed as a society. fun fact: Co2 is 0.04% of the atmosphere and rather important to help plants grow and us breathe loved this video. glad someone has the intelligence to just say it how it is.

[@johnnythefox9830]

Bvg - your alter ego. God I've missed his rants. Keep it up Chris. Brings a smile every time.

[@grahamhume8135]

I love these BVG rants. I share alot of your sentiments in all your rants. I reckon me and you could chat about this shit endlessly over a few pints 🤣

[@Uliio]

''If I have to download an app they can fuck right off'' - Preach brother

[@fat_biker]

The battery on your laptop doesn't have a computer more powerful than your laptop looking after it, maintaining its charge levels, managing its temperature etc. Modern EV battery packs are easily making 90,000 miles & still delivering more than 90% of original range. The key facts to bear in mind are that even if electric cars are currently manufactured & powered by dirty coal electricity, they _could_ be manufactured & powered by 100% nuclear & renewables tomorrow when the power grid is retooled, as it needs to be, imminently... also, you only have to mine the lithium once, batteries can be 98% recycled... The charging network is still pants, but Tesla have demonstrated that if a charging network exists, it can drive electric vehicle sales, & everybody else is proving that existence of electric cars is driving a charging network explosion, so given time there will be enough chargers for new EVs, & enough EVs to make new build chargers economic...

[@MrBarlien]

I had to scroll much further down the comments than I feared to find some reason here... thank you.

[@reks95]

Electric Unicycle. Seems crazy. But you can ride them anywhere (walkways, bike paths, streets). They will fit on public transit. You can stuff them in your car and split your commute. You can bring them indoors to charge. Modest battery and power means you can charge in a few hours using normal outlets.

[@nothanks9050]

Electric scooters really work. I had a cheap electric scooter in 2010/2011 (450 quid ex demo) as poverty commuting transport after some kind person wounded my cb500 on a roundabout, it was 3000w '125 cc equivalent', it was great, flogged year round, never failed me, 30 mile range, max throttle everywhere, 8 mile each way commute no problem. Normal house plug, 4hr 20p charge back then. 5 to 30 mph was quicker than most other scooters. 45mph limited top speed, pull the fuse out and it kept going until the unbalanced wheels shook at 60 something. Cheap as a bicycle to buy and run. Can't argue. My experience ended with it being stolen. They didn't take the charger though. Only problem in town is pedestrians will step out in front of you because its so quiet.

[@willyOAM]

'ukrainian flag on the back' absolutely killed me ahha I am a Aussie Journo who has reported in Ukraine ore and post war and I HATE the virtue signalling... Makes it even funnier BMWs profile picture is currently a Rainbow emblem....

[@Islacaftz]

Classic Baron. The "Ukrainian Flag" comment had me 😂

[@riderepublic7260]

Mr BarÓn! A fellow motovlogger from the UK but vlogging and living in The Philippines. Eco friendly alternatives aren’t even on the radar out here yet. Yet 80% of people are on 150cc or below bikes. Very nice video btw! Just seeing the UK through the eyes of a biker is especially nice. Riding is an essential thing out here as living in Manila will rob you of all your time. Hilarious how they painted over that lane leaving Basingstoke! Takes me back to the over kill on health and safety etc that the UK has.

[@grizzlystr3445]

Quality BVG rant, to be honest agree with most of your observations …….great work 👍😎

[@-DC-]

V8 Diesel FTW 👊

[@wody21]

I also fully agree with You, BvG, it is idiotic to consider "eco" 3+ tonne tanks', because it does not emit CO2 _directly_.

[@tonycook1858]

One of the greatest ride along commentary videos ever made!! 🔥🔥

[@slh7808]

Ace video thoroughly informative. Did you feel that other vehicles didn’t hear you and therefore do you ride more cautiously than termi time and what was the final range vs anxiety? Hope you enjoyed the 🐠

[@kuhndj67]

Electric vehicles (and the whole electrical vehicle ecosystem) are far from perfect... but similar to other new "ecological" widgets like wind turbines... we need to invest in them to figure out how to "do them" properly. So it means for a while they're going to have many issues... and they'll primarily appeal to a smaller group of folks.

[@willyOAM]

We've invested into wind turbine technology for 25 years... And they're still absolutely obsolete

[@personal612]

The performance on this seems similar to a 125cc scooter, correct? A 125cc scooter consumption is about 2L/100km, you barely have to fill those things if you don't ride a lot. An electric scooter would only make sense for someone that will use it a lot daily but then the small range and charging times make it not a good option for heavy users. This is just a nice toy for those that want to try the new technology and maybe a design exercise for BMW. When they get a proper range or improve the charging times then it might make sense. I like the looks though, something different.

[@KMaC-wt9lr]

Excellent review and commentary.... 👍😄

[@nigelcopestake3618]

Thoroughly agree with your comments and attitude. Keep up the good work 👏

[@mrmando69]

Absolutely Brilliant BVG. I've been quoting Volvo study to all the pricks (the drug trying sheep) with EV. Well done Volvo for speaking up. Interesting Fact - in the US in 1917 38% of cars were EV , 104 years later 3% are EV. I'm doing the opposite of what I'm told just for shits and giggles.