Aussie driver exposes huge problem with electric vehicles as he is forced to order a tow truck for his $128k Mercedes after breakdown
- Eddy May's electric Mercedes-Benz suffered flat tyre
- Vehicle did not come with spare
- Many have questioned why EVs do not have spare tyres
An Australian driver has revealed one of the struggles of owning an electric car - the fact they don't come with spare tyres.
Eddy May and his wife, from Adelaide, were driving their electric Mercedes-Benz EQC-400, worth around $128,000, along a freeway on Sunday morning when something sliced open one of the wheels.
After pulling over to the side of the road, Mr May used the vehicle's in-car service feature to alert Mercedes about the flat tyre, given there wasn't a spare in his car.
'There's no spare in this f**king car because all the room is taken up with batteries and so forth,' he said.
Eddy May and his wife, from Adelaide, had been driving their $128,000 electric Mercedes-Benz along a freeway on Sunday morning when something sliced one of the wheels
Mercedes-Benz arranged for a tow-truck to come and collect his car and gave Mr May a $200 cab voucher to get home.
He was told they'd fix the tyre and his car would be returned to him the following day.
While he praised the luxury car brand for their efficient service, his story sparked debate as to why electric and even many modern petrol and diesel powered cars were being made without spare tyres.
The majority of EVs do not come with spares due to extra weight they add to the vehicle and amount of space the tyre takes up.
'The reason is that it’s hard to get enough physical clearance over the brake to fit a spare wheel. These big and huge spare wheels are also very heavy – and extra weight costs range in an EV,' explained Tom Baker, editor of ChasingCars.com.au.
'For people based in metropolitan areas, within easy reach of roadside assistance and replacement tyres, that isn’t necessarily a major problem.
'But in big countries like Australia, where there can be vast distances between towns, it is a cause for concern.'
Mr May's car had to be towed because there was no spare tyre. Many Aussies users questioned why electric and some modern fuel-based cars did not come with spares
Mr Baker suggested that one of the solutions is purchase a spare tyre through your electric vehicle dealer.
'This set can then be placed in the boot of your vehicle – but this takes up a lot of space, and can be a major hazard if not tied down adequately,' he explained.
Mercedes Benz electric cars come with a tyre repair kit and compressor, but Mr May pointed out the 'three-inch slice' in his tyre was beyond repair.
'A lot of cars don't have spares these days,' one person commented.
'Not just EVs, nearly every new car,' said another.
'So many modern cars without spare wheels, what a nightmare!' wrote a third.
'EV or not, I will not buy a car without a spare wheel,' someone commented.
'If you had a spare you could have changed it and been on your way in 15 minutes max!'
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The power cables charging the electric car extend from the road into the property and loop over the front fence
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