The all things EV chat thread

[hambugerpete]

I'm actually wondering if it's worth charging my plug-in hybrid in this weather. In the summer, I get 29 miles on full electric. In current conditions, I am lucky to be showing 20 miles. Still costs me the same money to charge it but 30% less efficient.

Yes otherwise you're just lugging a load of extra weight around and it will cost you mpg.

 

[PJ87]

I'm actually wondering if it's worth charging my plug-in hybrid in this weather. In the summer, I get 29 miles on full electric. In current conditions, I am lucky to be showing 20 miles. Still costs me the same money to charge it but 30% less efficient.

The worst thing you can do with the plug in is not charge it

You then just lug around a battery and get really bad mpg

 

[hambugerpete]

I know they currently use E10, but from 2026 theyhave to use 100 sustainable fuel, and they are developing lab made fuel. It will be here before ICE's sales are banned.

Pie in the sky at the moment, the amount of energy required to produce it as the scale required would be colossal and you'd still be producing an inefficient fuel. If it's not made sustainably and at net zero then youre just adding to emissions. It will have it uses but I can't see it scaling, not untill we can produce clean energy needed to produce it.

 

[hambugerpete]

Driving back from the range earlier and was behind a range rover that was belching out black smoke. The sooner these are off the road the better!

 

[Robster59]

Yes otherwise you're just lugging a load of extra weight around and it will cost you mpg.

The worst thing you can do with the plug in is not charge it

You then just lug around a battery and get really bad mpg

Sounds fine, except in this weather I'll get perhaps 20 miles out of it, and then I'm still lugging around the battery.
And before you ask, I got the car as it is a company car and the tax benefits were massive compared to an ICE vehicle.

 

[cliveb]

Sounds fine, except in this weather I'll get perhaps 20 miles out of it, and then I'm still lugging around the battery.

You're always going to be lugging the battery around, so surely it's better to get 20 miles rather than 0 miles?

 

[PJ87]

Sounds fine, except in this weather I'll get perhaps 20 miles out of it, and then I'm still lugging around the battery.
And before you ask, I got the car as it is a company car and the tax benefits were massive compared to an ICE vehicle.

But that is entirely battery only mode. Charge it and run it as a hybrid instead of pure electric for 20 miles

 

[Robster59]

But that is entirely battery only mode. Charge it and run it as a hybrid instead of pure electric for 20 miles

I know how to use it, I've owned it for over 3 years. It still drains faster in this weather.

 

[PJ87]

I know how to use it, I've owned it for over 3 years. It still drains faster in this weather.

Yeah not denying that but not using it isn't a good idea. You will pay even more for fuel not charging it than you would using it in the cold state

Plug ins are very poorly designed to be less efficient than a normal car if the battery is empty.

 

[GreiginFife]

Yeah not denying that but not using it isn't a good idea. You will pay even more for fuel not charging it than you would using it in the cold state

Plug ins are very poorly designed to be less efficient than a normal car if the battery is empty.

Yeah, there's truth in that last sentence. FiL has a 530e Touring and when it's operating as a hybrid it's a smooth 290Hp. But once that battery hits 0% and it's petrol only it's a sluggish 181Hp barge. Not helped by weighing in at hefty 2.1 tonnes it gives it a whopping 86Hp/t which is not good at all. Battery gives him around 60 miles on full electric on a good day.

 

[PJ87]

Yeah, there's truth in that last sentence. FiL has a 530e Touring and when it's operating as a hybrid it's a smooth 290Hp. But once that battery hits 0% and it's petrol only it's a sluggish 181Hp barge. Not helped by weighing in at hefty 2.1 tonnes it gives it a whopping 86Hp/t which is not good at all. Battery gives him around 60 miles on full electric on a good day.

Yeah when they are charged they work well and are a good idea but the fact that when the battery isn't charged that they use more petrol than a normal car is daft

So many people took them for the tax breaks, then if they don't charge them (which is their choice) they use more fuel than a normal car so is a ridiculous situation we have got ourselves in

 

[PNWokingham]

Yeah when they are charged they work well and are a good idea but the fact that when the battery isn't charged that they use more petrol than a normal car is daft

So many people took them for the tax breaks, then if they don't charge them (which is their choice) they use more fuel than a normal car so is a ridiculous situation we have got ourselves in

many who do are company car drivers who sawve thousands on tax and have fuel paid for so i suspect the hassle factor is more important than the green agenda - but if they have home charging doesn't make sense as i would want the power as well

 

[PJ87]

many who do are company car drivers who sawve thousands on tax and have fuel paid for so i suspect the hassle factor is more important than the green agenda - but if they have home charging doesn't make sense as i would want the power as well

When I said ridiculous I mean we have paid them to switch (or saved them tax) but their cars are now less efficient than before and they burn more fuel

But agreed if you have home charging just charge it up, worth it for both aspects of money saving (less petrol used) and full power available to the car

 

[Lord Tyrion]

many who do are company car drivers who sawve thousands on tax and have fuel paid for so i suspect the hassle factor is more important than the green agenda - but if they have home charging doesn't make sense as i would want the power as well

I know a few people with these and not one has bothered charging them after the first month. They were purely a cheap tax option for company car drivers, but they are an awful option. As people have said, they are the worst of all worlds. They should have kept standard hybrids at a decent tax rate, they would have been a better middle ground.

 

[bobmac]

Not to mention the possibility of fire

''hybrid vehicles had the highest number of fires per 100,000 sales, with 3,474.5 fires. This is compared to 1,529.9 fires for petrol or diesel vehicles, and 25.1 for electric vehicles.''

 

[D-S]

Not to mention the possibility of fire

''hybrid vehicles had the highest number of fires per 100,000 sales, with 3,474.5 fires. This is compared to 1,529.9 fires for petrol or diesel vehicles, and 25.1 for electric vehicles.''

So 3.5% of hybrids catch fire? Wow..

 

[PJ87]

I know a few people with these and not one has bothered charging them after the first month. They were purely a cheap tax option for company car drivers, but they are an awful option. As people have said, they are the worst of all worlds. They should have kept standard hybrids at a decent tax rate, they would have been a better middle ground.

Normal hybrids are great aswell

My parents had 2 for years

My mum's was a 60 plate auris. It failed it's MOT this year so what 14 years old. Was the exhaust cracked housing or something , nothing wrong with the battery, wbac gave her 5k for it and she got the niro EV

My dad still has a auris estate hybrid

Again battery going strong

 

[hambugerpete]

Normal hybrids are great aswell

My parents had 2 for years

My mum's was a 60 plate auris. It failed it's MOT this year so what 14 years old. Was the exhaust cracked housing or something , nothing wrong with the battery, wbac gave her 5k for it and she got the niro EV

My dad still has a auris estate hybrid

Again battery going strong

No no , the batteries need replacing every few years.

 

[hambugerpete]

I know a few people with these and not one has bothered charging them after the first month. They were purely a cheap tax option for company car drivers, but they are an awful option. As people have said, they are the worst of all worlds. They should have kept standard hybrids at a decent tax rate, they would have been a better middle ground.

I looked at PHEVs the BMW and Merc offerings were lovely, seamless switch between motor and ICE, but ultimately I felt they just seemed a bit gimmicky and overly complex too. Its taken some adjustment going full Electric but thats really just mind set. However I am still considering 1 last hurrah in an M5, it's a hybrid after all.

 

[jim8flog]

I'm actually wondering if it's worth charging my plug-in hybrid in this weather. In the summer, I get 29 miles on full electric. In current conditions, I am lucky to be showing 20 miles. Still costs me the same money to charge it but 30% less efficient.

My understanding is that with any battery the worst thing you can do for it's life span is leave it uncharged.