The all things EV chat thread

[PJ87]

In 2012 I had to do EV research for a marketing paper. BMW were sponsoring the Olympics with the i8, we had to simulate a rollout.

There were few competitors to research, Tesla wasn’t on the radar. BMW, Nissan (leaf), and a couple of others (Toyota maybe?) had a head start. There were about 5 cars if I remember correctly. That’s just over 11 years ago.

Some of the best EVs made so far (imo) are the current nissan leaf, the Kia niro (bias as I bought one) , the Zoe and the original BMW X3 the tiny one

The small ones in particular just work fantastic

The leaf being built as an EV from the ground up has made it outstanding

Tesla deserve their credit because they have got a lot of people to switch because their like apple, their products work. Their not for everyone but if you have one they do just work it seems, they also built their supercharger network which is outstanding

Now you have so many players in the game .. the MG range are making EVs more affordable for sure

I was pricing up getting rid of the Alhambra for an MG 5 just out of interest. 15k for a 2 year old second hand one with 20k miles on the clock .. 250 mile range. Big boot. Only thing is the kids and car seats

Defo an option in the future for sure.

Once they drop below 10k second hand for 200 plus range that will appeal to more people

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

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[Mudball]

I might have missed it earlier in the thread, but what is the manufacturers claimed mileage for your car? I'm guessing it's over 172 miles?

I have a smaller battery (71kwh) usable with a range of 250 miles.. from EV database website.




Without a lifestyle of constantly graze plugging it in like an iPhone, I don’t think the EV is that easy. My Duracell powered Lego seems to go further than my car at the moment.

Hopefully once my home charger is up and running next week, I will be less grumpy

 

[Fade and Die]

Some of the best EVs made so far (imo) are the current nissan leaf, the Kia niro (bias as I bought one) , the Zoe and the original BMW X3 the tiny one

The small ones in particular just work fantastic

The leaf being built as an EV from the ground up has made it outstanding

Tesla deserve their credit because they have got a lot of people to switch because their like apple, their products work. Their not for everyone but if you have one they do just work it seems, they also built their supercharger network which is outstanding

Now you have so many players in the game .. the MG range are making EVs more affordable for sure

I was pricing up getting rid of the Alhambra for an MG 5 just out of interest. 15k for a 2 year old second hand one with 20k miles on the clock .. 250 mile range. Big boot. Only thing is the kids and car seats

Defo an option in the future for sure.

Once they drop below 10k second hand for 200 plus range that will appeal to more people

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!

www.autotrader.co.uk

I don’t think you will have to wait long…

Top 10 most-depreciating second-hand cars last month were all EVs

According to AutoTrader, all 10 of the most-depreciating used cars last month were all electric - we reveal the battery models that have shed the most value.

www.thisismoney.co.uk

 

[PJ87]

I don’t think you will have to wait long…

Top 10 most-depreciating second-hand cars last month were all EVs

According to AutoTrader, all 10 of the most-depreciating used cars last month were all electric - we reveal the battery models that have shed the most value.

www.thisismoney.co.uk

Fantastic news for the general public who can get into the market affordably

 

[Mudball]

This is what makes the Fisker interesting.

And there are lots of videos popping up about BYU, but I haven’t yet watched any of them yet. Headlines like Tesla killer are putting me off.
I wouldn’t want to give Elon any money, but what he has done for the EV push is good for the industry, in my opinion.

The Chinese are way ahead of anyone else. Some of the tech you see if unbelievable. They also get a lot of state support. BYD is doing really well - in 2023 they did outsell Tesla. Now we are starting to see them in Europe.
Nio is another brand, I was hoping that they would better since I bought a few shares in them. (Down 90%). Xpeng and others all nipping at the heels.

They know Europeans would trust known brands and hence they will push Volvo, MG etc - these are European brands but now owned by Chinese

Unfortunately, There is zero chance for the U.K. home grown EVs at the moment.

 

[PJ87]

The Chinese are way ahead of anyone else. Some of the tech you see if unbelievable. They also get a lot of state support. BYD is doing really well - in 2023 they did outsell Tesla. Now we are starting to see them in Europe.
Nio is another brand, I was hoping that they would better since I bought a few shares in them. (Down 90%). Xpeng and others all nipping at the heels.

They know Europeans would trust known brands and hence they will push Volvo, MG etc - these are European brands but now owned by Chinese

Unfortunately, There is zero chance for the U.K. home grown EVs at the moment.

If vauxhall had been bought by the Chinese instead of the PSA group with Peugeot their EVs would have been outstanding

 

[cliveb]

Whilst it is partly ego writing cheques it's also science though, even normal cars reduce range in the winter

It's just that because the tanks "batteries" hold more the drop is far less noticeable

But ICE cars don't lose 25% in winter. More like 5%

And it's nothing to do with their "batteries" (I presume you're talking about fuel tanks) holding more. If I only 1/4 fill my petrol tank, the car still does 95% of its summer mpg in winter.

I appreciate it's to do with batteries being less efficient when they're cold. Fortunately battery tech research is a hot topic now, so with luck somebody might find a solution.

Can't help but feel that governments' urge to rush into EVs is too fast and that the technology needs more time to mature. Not everyone wants to be an early adopter, but that's what we're being pushed towards.

 

[PJ87]

But ICE cars don't lose 25% in winter. More like 5%

And it's nothing to do with their "batteries" (I presume you're talking about fuel tanks) holding more. If I only 1/4 fill my petrol tank, the car still does 95% of its summer mpg in winter.

I appreciate it's to do with batteries being less efficient when they're cold. Fortunately battery tech research is a hot topic now, so with luck somebody might find a solution.

Can't help but feel that governments' urge to rush into EVs is too fast and that the technology needs more time to mature. Not everyone wants to be an early adopter, but that's what we're being pushed towards.

Yet if you ice car did 600 miles summer 400 miles winter you wouldn't overly notice because of the sheer amount of miles you can cover and refill speeds

Just pence per mile would increase

EVs have certainly improved since the first one and the cars today are fantastic , just need to be more affordable for people to take up

I would wager if EVs were similar price to petrol cars for the same actual car rather than having to go to Mg over the trusted ford focus you would see a lot of people move over who don't do serious distance every day

I do think it's positive that my is forcing the market to cut prices and in turn usage prices falling is making it more affordable

But also manufacturers need to back their cars

No Warrenty should be under 5 years imo. Yes the batteries are 8 years but I could have bought a Tesla the other day. Not only did the insurance being double put me off but the 4 year warranty over the 7 year of the Kia just was like hmm which will see me through better

 

[Mudball]

As I call it a day.. I have plugged it into my 3 pin socket. (I know I should not, but) It does bother me that it will need 25 hrs to get to 95%.

God forbid I need to attend to an emergency then I will have to get a taxi.

When I go to the loo in the middle of the night, I will check % .. Range anxiety is not good for my stress and ulcers

 

[PJ87]

As I call it a day.. I have plugged it into my 3 pin socket. (I know I should not, but) It does bother me that it will need 25 hrs to get to 95%.

God forbid I need to attend to an emergency then I will have to get a taxi.

When I go to the loo in the middle of the night, I will check % .. Range anxiety is not good for my stress and ulcers

View attachment 51375

At least when you get your 7kw charger (assuming you don't have 3 phase to get an 11kw one) then you won't need to worry

You are in the limbo stage where your home charger isn't up and running. I wanted to avoid this when my EV was on order so got the charger installed first

Now ofc because my next EV is my second EV that worry is gone

When you get the 7kw charger will you charge using the cheap hours 0030-0430 or do instantly to make sure you get to the top? Because the cheap hours can add 28kw to the battery .. but obviously you can average out if you use more than 28kw a day

How much KW a day you using ATM do you know?

 

[Mudball]

At least when you get your 7kw charger (assuming you don't have 3 phase to get an 11kw one) then you won't need to worry

You are in the limbo stage where your home charger isn't up and running. I wanted to avoid this when my EV was on order so got the charger installed first

Now ofc because my next EV is my second EV that worry is gone

When you get the 7kw charger will you charge using the cheap hours 0030-0430 or do instantly to make sure you get to the top? Because the cheap hours can add 28kw to the battery .. but obviously you can average out if you use more than 28kw a day

How much KW a day you using ATM do you know?

Tbh, I don’t know.. other than a couple of journeys, it has been mostly sitting on the driveway and depreciating everytime I look at it.

It is a brilliant car but the whole range anxiety and charging time and cost has put me off for the time being.

Yesterday I finallly got a bill for my first public charging (on 31/12). I used an EV box charger which had no display of cost. It charged using a card. Yesterday I got an email via BP pulse that the 32 KwH cost me 16 quid and increased range by 90 miles.
Summary:
Cost: £ 16
Time to charge: 55 mins
Range added: 91 mins

Comparatively, trying to top up an ICE vehicle feels like an F1 pit stop even if you stop by and pick up the Guardian, coffee and a sausage roll.

 

[Fromtherough]

Apologies if this has been asked, how much power do EV batteries lose when off/parked up? If I arrive home with 70% battery, will that reduce significantly overnight if not charged? Thinking about if I’m away for a few nights.

 

[PJ87]

Tbh, I don’t know.. other than a couple of journeys, it has been mostly sitting on the driveway and depreciating everytime I look at it.

It is a brilliant car but the whole range anxiety and charging time and cost has put me off for the time being.

Yesterday I finallly got a bill for my first public charging (on 31/12). I used an EV box charger which had no display of cost. It charged using a card. Yesterday I got an email via BP pulse that the 32 KwH cost me 16 quid and increased range by 90 miles.
Summary:
Cost: £ 16
Time to charge: 55 mins
Range added: 91 mins

Comparatively, trying to top up an ICE vehicle feels like an F1 pit stop even if you stop by and pick up the Guardian, coffee and a sausage roll.

View attachment 51377

Tbh I expected worse for public charging cost wise 50p is reasonable per kWh when the unit rate is 28p ATM

I was in your shoes 3 years ago I don't worry about it now

Once you have your charger just charge to 100% every night with minimum 200 mile range that should cover your daily no?

Apologies if this has been asked, how much power do EV batteries lose when off/parked up? If I arrive home with 70% battery, will that reduce significantly overnight if not charged? Thinking about if I’m away for a few nights.

I've never notice my battery % drop but the predicted range will as the computer reacts to changes in temp etc .. sometimes goes up

 

[cliveb]

Yet if you ice car did 600 miles summer 400 miles winter you wouldn't overly notice because of the sheer amount of miles you can cover and refill speeds

Just pence per mile would increase

Did you bother to read and understand what I said?

Let me repeat: in winter my petrol car's mpg is no worse than 95% of its summer mpg.

You need to accept that ICE cars actually do some things better than EVs. Denying it makes people less likely to believe the genuinely true things you say about them.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

The last number of pages imo highlight the obstacles still in the way when it comes owning an full electric car - been some very unbiased and balance real world reviews that clearly show it’s nowhere near practical for many to own a EV as well as cost affect

It’s clear for most than you bog standard ICE ticks every box

There is obviously the hybrid choice which is best of both worlds but I suspect the cost is prob to own and run is a bit more than standard ICE

 

[Robster59]

View attachment 51333

Let's be fair, that's a bit of rubbish isn't it? I need 500 miles where I can stop for a quick natural break without having to had an extra half hour + to my journey to charge my car, providing I can find one and don't have to take a massive detour to do so.

 

[road2ruin]

Apologies if this has been asked, how much power do EV batteries lose when off/parked up? If I arrive home with 70% battery, will that reduce significantly overnight if not charged? Thinking about if I’m away for a few nights.

Practically nothing. I left mine at an airport for a couple of weeks and it lost 2% in that time.

 

[road2ruin]

The last number of pages imo highlight the obstacles still in the way when it comes owning an full electric car - been some very unbiased and balance real world reviews that clearly show it’s nowhere near practical for many to own a EV as well as cost affect

It’s clear for most than you bog standard ICE ticks every box

Personally I would disagree although the caveat is that, at present, I think cost is the main barrier to entry for most people. I have a full EV and that's because it's tax efficient when bought through my business, I wouldn't have been able to afford a £50,000 motor if I would funding it myself.

Anyway, just looking at it from a practical standpoint there are very few people who have off street parking that an EV wouldn't be a perfectly practical choice. Mine has a real world range of 250 miles, there are very few journeys across a year that I have to use public chargers, Cornwall holiday is the main one and I just plan ahead. With a young family and a dog we have to plan stops anyway so finding somewhere that we can charge for an hour whilst we have lunch and stretch legs is not that difficult. I also tend to look at properties with destination chargers so I can top up whilst away.

If you are regularly doing long journeys then yes, an EV isn't practical as things stand however how many people have a car that is used for nothing more than school runs, shopping trips and generally pootling around? If anything it's then more practical as you never have to first a petrol station, you charge at home when needed.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Practically nothing. I left mine at an airport for a couple of weeks and it lost 2% in that time.

At the moment @Mudball has found issues on that front. Maybe a switch needs flicking, a button in set up needs sliding to one side? Your experience is what we want to see though, ie virtually no loss.

 

[Mudball]

Did you bother to read and understand what I said?

Let me repeat: in winter my petrol car's mpg is no worse than 95% of its summer mpg.

You need to accept that ICE cars actually do some things better than EVs. Denying it makes people less likely to believe the genuinely true things you say about them.

My friend has a Tesla Y performance and a smaller EV (cant remember the brand)... they do long distances and are very disappointed during Winters - esp if they head north. The Tesla is about to get traded in for a 'last ICE'.

(Unrelated) My BIL also has a Tesla Y. It has cracked its windscreen. Cant be fixed simply by an Autofix call out. 2k to replace it since it has sensors et al. EVs are phones not cars, so higher cost of ownership. You just cant take a hammer to carburetor or fix it with some duct tape