The EV fact thread

[Connoisseur]

Did you look at the Genesis?

yes we did, and it is a great car imho but the extra ££ didn’t for us justify it over the KIA. esp as it is the same chassis underneath the good looks The 1600kg tow limit on the ev6 was what first attracted us.

Have you driven the Genesis?

 

[Bellow]

Or a £10k 150 mile range 2018 Leaf?

View attachment 152611

The car with the (CHAdeMO) charging system that is being phased out.

 

[Bellow]

Absolutely. Just like mpg for a fossil fuel car. It’s an inaccurate number.

Very accurate on my ICE vehicle. So much so, I use the trip odometer as a guide to remaining range in preference to its fuel gauge.

But whining that a granny cable isn’t a useful workaround to using a commercial charger or having a “proper” home charger “because of 30% energy loss” is more than silly.

When you stop viewing everything as an accountant (cost of everything.. value of nothing..) and take an engineer's perspective, you will have to question where that additional 20-30% of energy being squandered is coming from and, if there won't be a greater need for it elsewhere rather than wasting it and failing to acknowledge that waste. As and when vehicle electrification ramps up to the expected level, 20-30% of recharging energy will be a significant amount.

Not as stupid as believing that all EV owners live in fear of “range” and remote commercial chargers that are always broken. But if it gives people an excuse to dismiss the deliberately planned, glacially slow introduction of new tech, why not?

Got an answer for the Leaf owners who's public charging systems are being phased out as to how they'll get home to their granny cables when caught short?

Must rush. I’ve only got 100 miles of petrol in my car, so I need to plan a drive to a “petrol station” before I run out of fuel.

Don't worry about it - you'll be passing a filling station on the way to your destination (in truth, you'll be spoiled for choice) and it'll only take five minutes and you're good for hundreds of miles. Should have thought it through though and re-fuelled on the way home last time you were out. Then you've everything you need for the morning - and no faffing with any form of re-energising.

Such a shame that I can’t just run a cable to it and have more than 250 miles of cheap fuel in it every morning when I set off.

That is the reality for many but you prefer to spin EV recharging as more convenient than refuelling ICE. Short of a couple of scenarios (already covered in this thread) it isn't.

 

[BTB 500]

My car is not on the drive, but in the garage where it will get charged on a granny charger when I have some surplus solar energy...even in winter, and even if I live in a very rural area.

As an aside with 14 panels on the garage roof we average 16 kWh of surplus power a week in winter (100 in summer).

 

[SmartAmg]

Horrible things. Why would anyone want a vanilla ice cream block as a company car? With black leather interior (£1,000 extra for "white leather") Absurd

Not keen on Tesla's, then Mike.

 

[Bellow]

Not keen on Tesla's, then Mike.

He likes EV enough not to buy/lease one.
Dismisses a Tesla because of frameless windows and rejects concerns from those who cannot recharge an EV at home or work as 'silly'.

 

[Mactech]

As an aside with 14 panels on the garage roof we average 16 kWh of surplus power a week in winter (100 in summer).

We must be about the same, but I'm working in months. Having fed the car only when sunny this January, it has eaten 100 kWh's and we are 20 kWh's over our 'normal' January consumption. I'm sure that for 7 to 8 months of the year (whatever the losses in charging are) it can eat all it wants for 'free'
I use the word 'free' advisedly....but it will cost us nothing.

 

[markjay]

...That is the reality for many but you prefer to spin EV recharging as more convenient than refuelling ICE. Short of a couple of scenarios (already covered in this thread) it isn't.

As someone who runs both an EV and an ICE car, I would say that charging and refueling are very different, and often one is better than the other, depending on the circumstances.

Of course, on a long journey refueling is generally quicker, and there are (currently) plenty more petrol stations than EV charging points scattered across the UK. And, if the car is on empty and you need to go on a long unexpected journey then filling-up with petrol or Diesel on the way out is a much better option than looking for a fast charger and putting in an hour's worth of electricity etc.

But then, I have on occasion thanked the Gods of Electricity when I remembered I needed to charge the EV and just stepped outside and plugged it in for the night, a 5 minutes job, instead of having to drive to a petrol station and back.

 

[JHS]

When I got my IONIQ 5, I chose the model with the larger battery and no AWD to maximise range (the quoted WLTP range for my car is just under 300 miles).

Mrs MJ and I started looking at what will replace the IONIQ 5 when the current lease expires, and we're actually looking at a car with a smaller battery and less range - we've never ever needed to go on a journey that exhausted the battery, and in the event that we do need to embark on a longer journey in future, I really don't see an issue with topping-up along the route.

This is from someone who has an EV since 2021....

Ahh, when you go on a longer trip you use the Vitara don't you? Go on admit it! I think that we should be told!

 

[Bellow]

But then, I have on occasion thanked the Gods of Electricity when I remembered I needed to charge the EV and just stepped outside and plugged it in for the night, a 5 minutes job, instead of having to drive to a petrol station and back.

You wouldn't though ''drive to a petrol station and back'', you'd have refuelled prior to parking up or the next day - taking no more than five minutes for either.
One day, the sheer convenience of liquid fuels will become apparent. At a guess, some time after their disappearance.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

yes we did, and it is a great car imho but the extra ££ didn’t for us justify it over the KIA. esp as it is the same chassis underneath the good looks The 1600kg tow limit on the ev6 was what first attracted us.

Have you driven the Genesis?

Not the EV yet. Was given a G80 petrol saloon for the day when they did the launch. 2021 or 2022. Liked it but thought it a bit glitzy for European tastes

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Ahh, when you go on a longer trip you use the Vitara don't you? Go on admit it! I think that we should be told!

And planes…

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

You wouldn't though ''drive to a petrol station and back'', you'd have refuelled prior to parking up or the next day - taking no more than five minutes for either.
One day, the sheer convenience of liquid fuels will become apparent. At a guess, some time after their disappearance.

But I didn’t. I went to a hypermarket and forgot to top up. Owning a petrol car takes planning.

Why store liquid fuels at home when you’ve got electricity?

My chums in the States have no end of difficulty with their heating oil tank and top ups.

And that’s before we talk about the free electricity coming out of the sky that’s more than enough to charge these things, if only one could be bothered.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

He likes EV enough not to buy/lease one.
Dismisses a Tesla because of frameless windows and rejects concerns from those who cannot recharge an EV at home or work as 'silly'.

I’ve repeatedly said that your EV complaints are silly. As your neighbours proved they can be easily charged.

And I’ve also said many times that first generation EVs aren’t for me. They’re not made well enough and they’re not good to drive yet.

Obviously if I had a company car I would be stupid not to have an EV. It’s a tax free benefit. No different to the Marina, Princess, Cortina or Mondeo.

 

[BTB 500]

We must be about the same, but I'm working in months. Having fed the car only when sunny this January, it has eaten 100 kWh's and we are 20 kWh's over our 'normal' January consumption. I'm sure that for 7 to 8 months of the year (whatever the losses in charging are) it can eat all it wants for 'free'
I use the word 'free' advisedly....but it will cost us nothing.

I only have quarterly data for the solar panels, so take the best as 'summer' and the worst as 'winter'

We get paid for the unused power we export so losing that would be a (modest ) cost if we consumed it instead. I guess you are like us and don't have battery storage? We pay under £400 a year for electricity (cost of import less income from export), so couldn't justify it.

 

[Bellow]

I’ve repeatedly said that your EV complaints are silly.

Your view, but the reality here - my reality - is that home recharging isn't viable and the nearest charge point is inaccessible and overly expensive. And the small matter of a suitable EV being completely out of my price range. Silly? Yeah calling everyone who disagrees with you that is very silly.

As your neighbours proved they can be easily charged.

No neighbours here that have proved anything of the sort.

And I’ve also said many times that first generation EVs aren’t for me. They’re not made well enough and they’re not good to drive yet.

But good enough for the rest of us.

Obviously if I had a company car I would be stupid not to have an EV. It’s a tax free benefit. No different to the Marina, Princess, Cortina or Mondeo.

More people don't than do have a company car. Why do you urge them to get an EV but not get one for yourself? If waiting for a 'generation' of EV that's acceptable to you, shouldn't you wait until it arrives (will it ever?) before recommending electrification for others?

 

[BTB 500]

Why store liquid fuels at home when you’ve got electricity?

You need to think beyond Wimbledon

The electric version of the diesel tractor I bought (identical spec. other than the fuel type) was three times the price, which I couldn't have afforded even if it made long term financial sense (which it didn't). I keep fuel for it at home because the nearest forecourt is a 12 mile round trip and it does 10 mph flat out Actually as an 'agricultural machine' (tax class) it's restricted to a maximum distance of 1.5 km on road anyway.

I also keep petrol for my old ride-on mower, which I paid £700 for 2 years ago. The only electric equivalent I know of (in terms of cutting width) is £7,300 new (too recent to be readily available second hand).

 

[markjay]

Ahh, when you go on a longer trip you use the Vitara don't you? Go on admit it! I think that we should be told!

The kids drive the Vitara... I insure it, service it, refuel it, clean it and do everything else

 

[markjay]

You wouldn't though ''drive to a petrol station and back'', you'd have refuelled prior to parking up or the next day - taking no more than five minutes for either.
One day, the sheer convenience of liquid fuels will become apparent. At a guess, some time after their disappearance.

If the fuel gauge is low and it's not me who will be driving the car tomorrow morning... then I have two options: refuel it in the evening, or prepare a jerrycan for a rescue mission later in the day....

 

[JHS]

The kids drive the Vitara... I insure it, service it, fuel it, clean it and do everything else

And when you go on a long trip they drive you? Quid pro quo!
Admit it, you suffer with range anxiety.