Electric cars-got to be a viable option now?

[ryanb741]

I'm using the 3 pin granny charger at my apartment blocks car park so it is slow (2 kw/h) however it is also free so that works for me!

[Boss13]

Used a 3 pin for the first time about a week ago at an overnight hotel stay.

It took the Tesla from 20-70% in around 15 hours. Not bad really, free also which helps balance out the faff of having to get the cable out the case in the frunk and plug it in!

In the initial excitement, at home we did think about three phase. However, single phase 7kw more than sufficient. We charge once every 5-7 days overnight. You plug in night before and by morning it is full...more than 7kw would have been a waste.

Driveway done Wileeeeeey?

[wileeeeeey]

I went for Tesla. I think it looks nice and I think they are now doing colour matches or were at least planning to do so. However it doesn’t look as smart as the Simpson but if the cable is dangling that that will ruin the look somewhat!

The cable is thick but wraps nicely into the holder on the side and plus it has a nice button on the connector which when pressed opens the charger port.

It can do scheduled charging, can be locked to Tesla’s only or open to all, it needs to be connected to WiFi and works well with the Tesla App. However, it does need an Earth rod.

Total cost for me including installation and charger was around £950.

Thanks for this, really helpful. Not keen on an earth rod so will give it a miss. Just assumed as it was Tesla it wouldn't need one as they only updated the charger recently.

[wileeeeeey]

Driveway done Wileeeeeey?

Concrete done just waiting for the resin and then we need to plant some greenery so it doesn't look like a carpark. Probably going to be a Simpson untethered now as their cable is 6.8m so will have too much slack for a tiny London postage stamp driveway.

[Kevin Glover]

I’ve been quoted 2.5k to install my charger at home in Oxfordshire!. Ok it is a 37 metre run from distribution board and I need the charger fixed to a post rather than a wall but even so!.. oh and that’s just surface clipping around the property!
So…. Anyone know a good sparky in my area as I can run the cable and just leave him to connect up at each end .
Thank you

[paw3001]

I’ve been quoted 2.5k to install my charger at home in Oxfordshire!. Ok it is a 37 metre run from distribution board and I need the charger fixed to a post rather than a wall but even so!.. oh and that’s just surface clipping around the property!
So…. Anyone know a good sparky in my area as I can run the cable and just leave him to connect up at each end .
Thank you

I was told the cable is the cheapest part but 37m is a lot!


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[paw3001]

Thanks for this, really helpful. Not keen on an earth rod so will give it a miss. Just assumed as it was Tesla it wouldn't need one as they only updated the charger recently.

Why is the Earth rod such an issue? Mine is in the ground, close to the external electricity box and you only see the top cover on the gravelled drive. It was included in the price above.

[wileeeeeey]

Why is the Earth rod such an issue? Mine is in the ground, close to the external electricity box and you only see the top cover on the gravelled drive. It was included in the price above.

I don't think it would be an issue in general but we've just had a new drive done and I'm not making any holes as an afterthought anywhere. I already have the wiring done for the charger, it just needs wiring in, otherwise I wouldn't really care

[Boss13]

Concrete done just waiting for the resin and then we need to plant some greenery so it doesn't look like a carpark. Probably going to be a Simpson untethered now as their cable is 6.8m so will have too much slack for a tiny London postage stamp driveway.

Nice one.

The Simpson looks good and don’t think you will regret the resin option..

[mrsammyp]

If money were no object and it was on the front of my house, I’d be going for the Andersen A2 (founders of Simpson & Partners). Our neighbour has one and it looks very sleek.


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[wileeeeeey]

If money were no object and it was on the front of my house, I’d be going for the Andersen A2 (founders of Simpson & Partners). Our neighbour has one and it looks very sleek.


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Anderson have gone bust a few weeks ago.

[mrsammyp]

Anderson have gone bust a few weeks ago.

…and subsequently bought by EVIOS


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[wileeeeeey]

…and subsequently bought by EVIOS


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Ah didn't know but I think once bitten twice shy for me on Anderson though. I'll give it a miss this time round.

[MB2]

Ah didn't know but I think once bitten twice shy for me on Anderson though. I'll give it a miss this time round.

Agreed - very expensive for a dumb charger...

[wileeeeeey]

Trying to find a decent short charging cable. It's going to be 1.5m from the box to the charger.

Mennekes don't do 2m anymore, just 4m and above. Pheonix Contact do but they're hard to come by and about £300.

For the untethered units what have you guys got? I think 2m should be fine. Thanks

[MB2]

Try Erwin at http://www.evchargeking.com/

He will make any length you want and can add a Tesla button so opens the port cover for you from the cable.

I have 7m and cust coil it up, but charger is on the side of the house so it is out of the way.

[TheFlyingBanana]

This is very interesting indeed. An excellent test of four cars - two petrol, two Ev.

If you use public chargers the Ev's will currently cost more to run than the petrol, and it's getting worse...

[wileeeeeey]

Try Erwin at http://www.evchargeking.com/

He will make any length you want and can add a Tesla button so opens the port cover for you from the cable.

I have 7m and cust coil it up, but charger is on the side of the house so it is out of the way.

Thank you. My 3 pin plug Tesla plug has the same button but it doesn't seem to work for stopping charge or unlocking the socket. The 2m option from them looks like it would be perfect. Thank you.

[Mr Curta]

If you use public chargers the Ev's will currently cost more to run than the petrol, and it's getting worse...

A small percentage of EV owners exclusively use rapid public chargers at 'full price'. The majority are on reduced overnight rates, package deals or free incentive charging through work, shopping centres, car dealerships, etc. My charging has been 90% free since April, that's over 10k miles for nowt. The last long range trip in October cost 47p per kWh on rapid chargers at Shell stations thanks to one of the regular special offers, which is 12p per mile (in reality a fair bit less for the trip as the first 200miles were free).

[jaytip]

This is very interesting indeed. An excellent test of four cars - two petrol, two Ev.

If you use public chargers the Ev's will currently cost more to run than the petrol, and it's getting worse...

I don’t really think that is a fair review. Why didn’t they also do a video of both the EV’s and their petrol counterparts around town too? That’s where the EV’s strength lies. Also, anyone who does own an EV and pounds the motorway is going to subscribe to ionity and therefor only pay 35p per kWh and not 69p.

[TheFlyingBanana]

I have a plug-in hybrid Range Rover Sport P400e as my daily.

Like most, I charge it at home and although it only does about 25miles on electric alone, because most of my trips are local I can easily get 100-150mpg.

I think the purpose of that review was to show the problem if you have to rely on public charging. It’s another important issue the Government needs to sort out, as other countries have.

[Tooks]

If money were no object and it was on the front of my house, I’d be going for the Andersen A2 (founders of Simpson & Partners). Our neighbour has one and it looks very sleek.

That’s not quite accurate, the owners of Simpson & Partners actually founded Andersen, but left as Andersen expanded and a few years before it went bust.

[blackal]

I thought this was an intriguing design - 250m range, but 68mph restricted.

[Tooks]

I have a plug-in hybrid Range Rover Sport P400e as my daily.

Like most, I charge it at home and although it only does about 25miles on electric alone, because most of my trips are local I can easily get 100-150mpg.

I think the purpose of that review was to show the problem if you have to rely on public charging. It’s another important issue the Government needs to sort out, as other countries have.

Which countries were you thinking of that have sorted public charging? Even Norway has fewer chargers per EV than the UK. I don’t think anywhere has put in the required chargers for where cars owned/driven by people who have no off-road parking yet.

I watched the video, as a seasoned EV’er can’t say I was shocked, but I drive about 28k miles a year and have home charging and Ionity at 25p per kWh so for me the sums are completely the other way.

Also, most folks driving something like the BMWs will be company car drivers, fuel/electricity will likely be covered by the company and they will be saving large amounts via the BIK rates which is probably the main attraction.

It does highlight how the price of electricity has shifted upwards though, Ionity were 69p per kWh even a couple of years ago (but most people subscribe at lower rates) and I paid 85p per kWh at a Shell charger the other evening when I needed a 10 minute stop to ensure I had some margin after a long wet and windy drive, but it’s a tiny proportion of my overall purchase and running costs.

People need to do their homework before going EV, my honest assessment is if I didn’t have home charging and was doing the driving patterns I am now, then I would choose another ICE. EVs won’t currently be the best option for some people, but they would work easily for an awful lot of us.

We’ve got another 12 years before the total ICE only new car sales ban, it will be an interesting coupe of decades as the transition starts to properly happen.

[Kevin Glover]

I don’t really think that is a fair review. Why didn’t they also do a video of both the EV’s and their petrol counterparts around town too? That’s where the EV’s strength lies. Also, anyone who does own an EV and pounds the motorway is going to subscribe to ionity and therefor only pay 35p per kWh and not 69p.

Can you explain this please. Got my EV last week and am exclusively using public network currently and do 450 miles a week so this would benefit me assuming there are enough chargers around Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Suffolk as those are the areas my journeys take me to and through.
Thank you

[Captain Morgan]

Can you explain this please. Got my EV last week and am exclusively using public network currently and do 450 miles a week so this would benefit me assuming there are enough chargers around Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Suffolk as those are the areas my journeys take me to and through.
Thank you

It’s a subscription service that provides lower cost charging, https://ionity.eu/en/network/access-and-payment

There are also some manufacturer backed options for the first 12-24 months.

[Kevin Glover]

It’s a subscription service that provides lower cost charging, https://ionity.eu/en/network/access-and-payment

There are also some manufacturer backed options for the first 12-24 months.

Many thanks for that. Looks like there are chargers where I need them so will sign up

[Franky Four Fingers]

After my first post last year and intending to dip my toe in the water with a hybrid Evoque going limited this year saw us wanting to go full electric. We first had some Mach Es on order which i absolutely loved but sadly the deal fell through when it just so happened the guy we were dealing with was a colossal b***shi**er. Then we frantically searched for weeks and since July have had VW Id5s on order which were supposed to be here now. Promised the earth and delivered naff all seems to be our luck currently as I’m now told our cars aren't even at status 20 which would give us a build date. Add 15 weeks and a further month from that date and we could be somewhere close in April May. However im now told to ignore status 20 and cars are “coming through” all the time. Even more importantly as I'm now carless apart from a ratty old fiesta as the old leases had to go back end of October.

[Tooks]

After my first post last year and intending to dip my toe in the water with a hybrid Evoque going limited this year saw us wanting to go full electric. We first had some Mach Es on order which i absolutely loved but sadly the deal fell through when it just so happened the guy we were dealing with was a colossal b***shi**er. Then we frantically searched for weeks and since July have had VW Id5s on order which were supposed to be here now. Promised the earth and delivered naff all seems to be our luck currently as I’m now told our cars aren't even at status 20 which would give us a build date. Add 15 weeks and a further month from that date and we could be somewhere close in April May. However im now told to ignore status 20 and cars are “coming through” all the time. Even more importantly as I'm now carless apart from a ratty old fiesta as the old leases had to go back end of October.

The supply issues are the most frustrating thing at the moment!

I was at my VW dealer last week and they’d just had a glut of ID.4 and ID.5s delivered, the financial uncertainty is causing a lot of people to cancel and wait, so a lot more vehicles are becoming available.

It’s how I got our ID.4 GTX, it was a cancelled order and mine was fulfilled a lot earlier than expected.

[Franky Four Fingers]

The supply issues are the most frustrating thing at the moment!

I was at my VW dealer last week and they’d just had a glut of ID.4 and ID.5s delivered, the financial uncertainty is causing a lot of people to cancel and wait, so a lot more vehicles are becoming available.

It’s how I got our ID.4 GTX, it was a cancelled order and mine was fulfilled a lot earlier than expected.

Issue is ours are specced right up, it seems most of them coming through are either the Styles or the GTX’s which are middle of the road tech wise, he's seeing less Max-Pros. Time will tell but I'm not holding my breath tbh.

[mjc1216]

Issue is ours are specced right up, it seems most of them coming through are either the Styles or the GTX’s which are middle of the road tech wise, he's seeing less Max-Pros. Time will tell but I'm not holding my breath tbh.

I would give up with VW...i was going to order a VW Golf R Mk8 but a quick search on the VWROC forum showed that most dealers haven't got a clue about delivery(18-24 months if lucky)and if you want to spec up with certain items forget it.

[Franky Four Fingers]

I would give up with VW...i was going to order a VW Golf R Mk8 but a quick search on the VWROC forum showed that most dealers haven't got a clue about delivery(18-24 months if lucky)and if you want to spec up with certain items forget it.

Trouble is i don't have a huge amount of options…everything else is hugely in the future.

[MB2]

Thank you. My 3 pin plug Tesla plug has the same button but it doesn't seem to work for stopping charge or unlocking the socket. The 2m option from them looks like it would be perfect. Thank you.

Your welcome. I have a cable and the button does work to detach the cable. The car does have to detect the key before the button will release the cable so maybe that is the problem you are having?

I do not know if it will interrupt charging as the car is usually charged when I detach the cable in the morning but will try a test.

[Omegary]

I thought this was an intriguing design - 250m range, but 68mph restricted.

If this is Citroens philosophy and direction for electric cars they have my full approval. Electric cars are getting heavier and are thus far from efficient, resulting in the need for bigger batteries to haul their mass and adding even more weight in the process. I applaud any manufacturer who has the foresight to try and break this cycle. Plus the idea of getting back to basics to reduce weight and cost, using innovative materials and processes to extend the life of a vehicle and dramatically reduce its impact on the environment has to be a good thing.

Chapeaux Citroen and please put the Oli into production.

Gary

[Passenger]

If this is Citroens philosophy and direction for electric cars they have my full approval. Electric cars are getting heavier and are thus far from efficient, resulting in the need for bigger batteries to haul their mass and adding even more weight in the process. I applaud any manufacturer who has the foresight to try and break this cycle. Plus the idea of getting back to basics to reduce weight and cost, using innovative materials and processes to extend the life of a vehicle and dramatically reduce its impact on the environment has to be a good thing.

Chapeaux Citroen and please put the Oli into production.

Gary

Hear, hear.

[tixntox]

How many?

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/local-c...lanned-9357306

[Tooks]

How many?

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/local-c...lanned-9357306

It’s probably the case that most people with no off street parking aren’t really considering an EV, having permission to run a cable over the pavement is one thing, but unless the parking space outside your house is reserved too then it’s only a partial solution.

The rest of the article talks about the long term solution, which is for the council to tender for suppliers to provision roadside charging equipment that would negate the need to run a cable across a pavement at all.

Norwich actually has one of the Gridserve charging stations which is a model being rolled out where EV owners can charge whilst doing a bit of shopping, using the post office, or having a coffee in the lounge.

For even average mileage drivers, that might just need to be a once a week endeavour.

https://www.gridserve.com/2022/04/21...g-in-the-area/

[Darkeeboy]

What’s the thoughts of those using an electric car for work? 5ppm claimable, but if you are not on a cheap overnight rate then surely you’ll be out of pocket for each mile travelled?


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[Tooks]

What’s the thoughts of those using an electric car for work? 5ppm claimable, but if you are not on a cheap overnight rate then surely you’ll be out of pocket for each mile travelled?


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I use my privately owned one for work sometimes, I claim (legitimately!) 45p per mile, same as any other car. That payment covers more than just fuel.

The 5p per mile is the rate for fully expensed company cars, so if your employer expects you to charge the car at home for business miles then yes they need to pay more to cover your costs on most home tariffs.

[Fifer]

Mrs Shrekfaefife & I both have EVs. She can charge at work slightly reduced rate. I mostly charge at home with occasional free top up at Tesco.

We had an October break in NW Scotland, based in Durness on NC 500. Plenty of ChargeScotland public chargers. Fast charge 30ppKWh. Less than domestic which I think is 34p, so win! Great way to tour Highlands


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[SlipperySam]

…with occasional free top up at Tesco.

Not anymore you don’t ;-)

[mrsammyp]

Mrs Shrekfaefife & I both have EVs. She can charge at work slightly reduced rate. I mostly charge at home with occasional free top up at Tesco.

We had an October break in NW Scotland, based in Durness on NC 500. Plenty of ChargeScotland public chargers. Fast charge 30ppKWh. Less than domestic which I think is 34p, so win! Great way to tour Highlands


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Surely your on an EV energy tariff like Octopus Intelligent? Yesterday I got 12 hours charging at 7.5p per kWh.


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[wileeeeeey]

Surely your on an EV energy tariff like Octopus Intelligent? Yesterday I got 12 hours charging at 7.5p per kWh.


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Does that require a smart meter?

What is your non EV per kWh rate please?

[Dave+63]

Did anyone see the Rimac on Top Gear the other week?

What it did to the Lamborghini was just mind blowing.

I know it costs £2,000,000 but the Pagani on last weeks show is £3,200,000 and not a patch on the 2,000bhp EV!

[mrsammyp]

Does that require a smart meter?

What is your non EV per kWh rate please?

Yes, and for Intelligent you need a specific vehicle with Tesla being included.

Although slightly irrelevant at the moment as it’s not the current price but I took my fix out in July and off-peak is 34p per kWh.

Current tariff for my postcode would be 10p per kWh off peak and 43p per kWh peak.

Guaranteed off-peak is between 23:30 and 5:30, and any additional hours that the app gives you.


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[wileeeeeey]

Yes, and for Intelligent you need a specific vehicle with Tesla being included.

Although slightly irrelevant at the moment as it’s not the current price but I took my fix out in July and off-peak is 34p per kWh.

Current tariff for my postcode would be 10p per kWh off peak and 43p per kWh peak.

Guaranteed off-peak is between 23:30 and 5:30, and any additional hours that the app gives you.


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Interesting, thanks. We have economy 7 so different rates for night already. Think we're on something like 15.5p night and 31p or 32p daytime. If we were locked into just one meter it would be worth considering.

[aa388]

Did anyone see the Rimac on Top Gear the other week?

What it did to the Lamborghini was just mind blowing.

I know it costs £2,000,000 but the Pagani on last weeks show is £3,200,000 and not a patch on the 2,000bhp EV!

That Rimac was impressive and good value compared to some, whether it will get a following is another thing.


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[BillN]

Costs

I think that our i3 versus our diesel X1 works out like this - approximately

i3 - 30p per KW - 40kw battery - £12 for a usual mileage 175 miles = 7 pence per mile

X1 - Diesel £1.82 - say 45mpg, (but less if you compare what the i3 is used for which is mainly short journeys) - so that's 18 pence per mile

VED on i3 is £Nil - VED on X1 is £165 pa

so even at today's high electricity costs that's still a good saving and if you used the around town consumption of the 2 litre X1 - say 35 mpg and electricity at 10p per KW off peak - the difference would be greater - 2ppm versus 24ppm

comparing the initial cost - the X1 cost (quite) a bit more new - but the depreciation on the i3 pa would seem to be quite a lot less as they seem to be holding there value

Service costs on the i3 are less - but being BMW not by much

I hope my sums are correct

[stefaulkner]

What sort of electric consumption are others getting?

According to our car, we have averaged 2.7 miles/kWh since having the car. This is way off official figures for the car which does around 50 miles per day along freeflowing A roads etc. We are lucky to see 200 miles on the range when charged to 100% !!! BMW say that there is no fault with the car. Even driving in a fashion that would make Miss Daisy frustrated only yields 3 miles/kWh maximum. I have been told that the upgraded wheels fitted to the car can have a detrimental effect on its range but sure not to the tune of foregoing 25% of its economy!

Edit - Looking at BillN's post above, he is getting nearly 4.4 m/kWh and works out at 7p per mile.

Our electric tarriff is currently 32p/kWh so our car is costing nearly 13p per mile (if my maths are correct).

[Matt M]

What sort of electric consumption are others getting?

According to our car, we have averaged 2.7 miles/kWh since having the car. This is way off official figures for the car which does around 50 miles per day along freeflowing A roads etc. We are lucky to see 200 miles on the range when charged to 100% !!! BMW say that there is no fault with the car. Even driving in a fashion that would make Miss Daisy frustrated only yields 3 miles/kWh maximum. I have been told that the upgraded wheels fitted to the car can have a detrimental effect on its range but sure not to the tune of foregoing 25% of its economy!

My Ioniq 5 has averaged around 3.6 m/kWh over 8k miles and our ID3 is slightly higher at around 3.8 m/kWh. We've had both for almost a year and weather makes a material difference. The ID3 will comfortably have a range of 320+ over the average driving conditions of a "tank" of electricity when the temperature is above 20 degrees.

The Ioniq's 73kw battery is currently showing a range of 251 miles after charging it today around 20% off the claimed 298.