FTN didn't realise they were still going, I was one of their first employees. A great idea that never got the traction it should have.Originally Posted by Gullers
Zenith buy Tyres transactionally unlike most lease companies who underwrite their Tyre deals with one distributor and therefore have to use only one Distributor. Zenith buy from Kwik-Fit, Halfords, National Tyres, Fit 4 Fleet, FTN as well as main dealers. The majority are bought from Kwik-Fit as their the largest UK distributor and they own one of the largest wholesalers (Stapeltons).
Kwik-Fit will also buy from anywhere on Zeniths behalf, ie all options will be explored.
Your in good hands. PM me if you need help
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Zenith are one of the better companies when it comes to looking after drivers, a job years ago in the shetlands that the manufacturer breakdown and Zeniths breakdown said couldn't be done, one quick chat with the maintenance team and we had a multi leg, multi company recovery in place. It wasn't cheap but they didn't bat an eyelid.
Tusker who provide my wife's car however are not great, left her without a car for work last weekend claiming clauses in the small print which aren't there. Incapable of booking it in for the items we requested them to book in on multiple occasions and now costing them a lot to fix, nevermind one of the reasons my mum likes a fully maintained lease.
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If your car is compatible you can get the 7.5p overnight rate with the granny charger - that's what we do with the i3.
Only downside comes if you arrive home on empty and need a "full tank" the next day but we now just recharge at 50% or worst case recharge for a couple of days on the trot.
Taking delivery of a new Cupra Born tomorrow and having the charger installed on Tuesday. The one thing stopping me moving to Octopus right now is the lack of a smart meter, I’ve asked my current provider to install one which might take a few weeks then I’ll transfer across. Or am I missing a workaround? I’m not a high mileage driver so I’m not overly bothered in the short term.
No, can't do anything smart on the tariff without the smart meter. You could transfer to Octopus and get them to fit the smart meter.
On a side note - the new Ford explorer looks nice
It’s quite small though, just a little larger than an Ecosport apparently.
If I understand correctly, intelligent Octopus limits cheap electricity to your car charging only. What about all the other appliances you want to run overnight and benefit from a cheap tariff?
If you are granny charging, I reckon the best tariff is E.ON Next Drive at 9.5p/kWh.
Best part is you get a full 7 hours cheap rate guaranteed (12am -7pm), but it not limited to charging your cars. In fact they don’t even check if you own an EV.
So you get 7 hours cheap electricity for charging your car, running your tumble dryer, washing machine, dishwasher, immersion heater etc. at cheap rate times which saves a lot more.
The only comparison to that is Octopus Go, but that is only for 4 hours per night, so no good for granny charging.
No, it’s everything between 23:30 and 05:30
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Then why do they need to restrict it to those with compatible chargers or cars?
Like me. I don’t have a compatible charger or car.
Because they may also charge the car at lower rates outside of the standard times and as such need to be able to communicate with the charger and/or the car to do this
This. That's the difference between "go" and "intelligent go".
I've just switched as they've added myenergi to the compatible charger list.
Last edited by gunner; 8th December 2023 at 16:36.
Then they could have unintelligent Go that gives 6 hours cheap rates for people cars/chargers who cannot communicate with their system (loads of cars don’t) instead of the rather measly 4 hours they do today.
If you can’t communicate 4 hours is a pittance for a granny cable. Hence why I use 7 hours unintelligent with another company.
Good point, might make a few phone calls over the weekend
They could, but there's a benefit to them in having an extra layer of data/control so they incentivise customers.
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Octopus won’t be interested until you have changed and that can take weeks.
Best bet may be to push your current supplier for a smart meter as fast as possible, and then use their EV tariff until you change supplier.
All major suppliers now do very cheap overnight EV rates that are fully competitive with Octopus, and the benefit is they are unintelligent rates too. Octopus are not the only game in town.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ut...nergy-tariffs/
Not true that they won't be interested. Of course they're not the only game in town but you seem to have an axe to grind?
Last edited by gunner; 8th December 2023 at 18:40.
Intelligent Octopus Go can be used in 'unintelligent' mode although you do have to run a test charge first to kick off the tariff. Just disassociate the charger from the app and it becomes a dumb charger that works with any EV, you can set the charge timer on the car for the cheap rate instead.
If anyone wants an Octopus referral code which gets £50 off each of our bills when you switch let me know.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
The providers use contractors to fit their smart meters. Best to check with your current provider as likely the same contractors will do the same job, and they may be able to get you on a smart meter much quicker if you book the appointment today.Not true that they won't be interested. Of course they're not the only game in town but you seem to have an axe to grind?
Then take advantage of that suppliers EV rate with no penalty change while you are switching to Octopus or whoever else.
I may be wrong, but Octopus won’t change your meter until they take control of your tariff which could be weeks.
Octopus are fantastic if your car/charger can speak intelligently to them. Otherwise, not as good. Horses for courses.
Octopus switched me from Shell to one of their standard tariffs in two days, including upgrading the smart meter to the latest standard. I didn't even see the sparky as my meter is external. That might depend on existing supplier and location.
What took a little while longer was the installation of the Ohme charger so that I could switch to Intelligent Octopus Go. That took a couple of weeks and will obviously depend on installer availability.
As noted earlier, it can be used in standard dumb mode once the switch is complete.
Tumble dryer and dishwasher go on at night now
Last edited by Mr Curta; 8th December 2023 at 20:02. Reason: plonker
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Engineers do not replace electricity meters :)
Yeah well done, I meant electrician in there but had a bit of a brain fart. I'm sure everyone can still get the gist of it.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Powerwall too here...Tumble dryer and dishwasher go on at night now
Well played
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Any i7 real owner experiences here? Think I’m getting old as I’m liking the comfort factor over a fast i5!
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How are you finding it? I suppose the calculations are quite simple but what do you think the payback time will be?
To be honest, I haven’t really approached it on a payback basis. For me it’s been more about a capital outlay while I’m earning well, set against an ongoing savings in the future, including retirement or a reduction in earnings.
I had the powerwall installed with solar and think it’s a great combo. Means I can be self sufficient in the summer (exporting excess at 15p per kWh) and, with the addition of the octopus tariff, shift pretty much all of my grid use to 7.5p per kWh in the winter. Given a standard tariff is >30p per kWh, that’s a big saving even without the solar.
Had to pop out earlier and thought I’d charge rather than pay and display. Knew it would cost more but figured better VFM. Just seen the email receipt and it was £17.10 for 22.2kWh. The Tesla app and it thinks today’s charge was 18kWh. I thought general loss was 10%.
Last edited by wileeeeeey; 9th December 2023 at 02:55.
It was maybe having to warm the battery as it charged?
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
Yep FTN are now owned by Micheldiver and they outsource the call centre part.
Good to hear re Zenith, it probably came accross but I’m there now and Tyres are under my remit.
Yep I don’t like to talk down the competitors but Tusker will have changed once Lex (Lloyds banking group) bought them. The scale of the organisation is now massive but that’s not always a good thing.
Zenith are the largest privately run (PE backed) Lease Co in the UK.
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I was recently chatting with an American from Upstate New York where their winters can be very hard indeed and getting stuck in heavy snowfall in ones vehicle is not exactly uncommon. In his view EV's aren't really viable for such conditions, he believed the odds of survivability in such circumstances are so much better in an ICE vehicle...would he be correct in his assumption?
Depends how much gas is in the tank!
That´s true of course...Now I don´t know but I imagine, given the conditions, locals with sense if they do regularly drive when the snows about will be prepared, snow tyres- chains, carry a shovel, extra cold weather gear, snacks... maybe even to the extent of having a can or 2 of extra fuel onboard either in the trunk or flatbed of the pick up. , I certainly would in their snow shoes...But I don´t believe you can pre plan with an EV and take an extra can of electric...?
Well you can still pre-plan. You can leave with a full charge and aim to top up regularly so that you can run the cabin heaters or heated seats for many hours, and you can still have the snow tyres, chains, shovel, extra cold weather gear, human fuel, etc. The heated seats use very little battery consumption and if you lob in a blanket or two you are not really going to be in huge problems unless you are trapped for weeks.
If these guys can survive in an unheated fuselage in the high Andes with hardly any warm gear I think that the odds will be okay on a highway in the US.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...972-rugby-team
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Their´s is a helluva survival story...they did have certain advantages likely not applicable to the average Yank or Brit...youth and considerable fitness, esprit de corps, plus didn´t they survive by dining on their dead team mates or am I confusing my tales...But I take your points re always having charge topped right up, cold weather essentials...whilst you can plan top up stops-points on the route, what happens if they´re not working, out of service, buried under 20 feet of snow...rhetorical...
If you happen to have a corpse in the boot then that's an option, but the point was that with preparation it shouldn't really be necessary. The survivors of the Andes '72 crash were faced with that or starvation.
A lot of people seem fixated on the part of the story where they resorted to consuming human flesh but there's a hell of a lot more to it and Society of the Snow looks like it may bring the inspirational tale of surviving extreme adversity through resourcefulness and teamwork to a new audience, although Alive was pretty good. There's a brilliant little museum in Montevideo that honours everybody on that flight in a dignified and sensitive manner. https://mandes.uy/en/inicio-english/
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Thanks very interesting. I guess the cannibalism aspect is so shocking, compelling, the great taboo.If you happen to have a corpse in the boot then that's an option, but the point was that with preparation it shouldn't really be necessary. The survivors of the Andes '72 crash were faced with that or starvation.
A lot of people seem fixated on the part of the story where they resorted to consuming human flesh but there's a hell of a lot more to it and Society of the Snow looks like it may bring the inspirational tale of surviving extreme adversity through resourcefulness and teamwork to a new audience, although Alive was pretty good. There's a brilliant little museum in Montevideo that honours everybody on that flight in a dignified and sensitive manner. https://mandes.uy/en/inicio-english/
Not snow related but the Book ''Between a rock and a Hard place'', by Aaron Ralston, subsequently made into a movie, ''127 Hours'' is another incredible tale of human capacity to survive, self rescue in extremis and the lengths possible with sheer will. The books, as always so much better, offers more insight, context...there was an inevitability about it , as the protagonist comes to accept during his experience, humour too.
Last edited by Passenger; 9th December 2023 at 14:22.
As ever, it depends I think.
Main factor would be how much charge in the battery/‘gas in the tank’.
Looking on the Ford Raptor forum, the 6.2l seems to use 1/2 to 3/4 gallon an hour idling.
My ID.4 uses circa 2kW per hour for heating, 5kW for a cold start for 10 mins.
With 50% battery I’d have heating/heated seats for around 19 hours, a Raptor fuel tank seems to be 26-36 gallons (depending on spec) so with half a tank of gas would be good for around 17-24 hours.
I’m assuming US gallons here.
Last edited by Tooks; 9th December 2023 at 18:03.
I’ve been stuck in snow for a few hours on several occasions, had to abandon the car and set off walking a couple of times.........warm clothes, chocolate bars and walking boots lived in my car all winter and they sure came in useful! Having to worry about the car running out of leccy would’ve compounded the problems, hadn’t thought about this as a drawback to running an EV but it’s definitely food for thought.
Not a problem for me these days, if the weather’s bad I stay in, my car’s like a pig on a skateboard on slippery roads.
Yes he probably would.
I’d probably put a couple of petrol cans in the boot if driving in such circumstances too. Not sure I could pack a couple of batteries in the boot on an EV though.
Had a trip in a petrol self charging hybrid today and thought it was excellent. My next car is likely to be a hybrid (in approx 5 years) but definitely not an EV.
I’m now 1 day into EV ownership having taken delivery of a 58kw Cupra Born V2 this morning. First impressions are how easy and serene it is to drive, and how ridiculous a lot of car reviews are. I was concerned the screen and interface would take a lot of getting used to but actually a lot of the so called issues like haptic buttons and slow screen response times are just a non issue in real world use. There are also lots of moans about the app only showing Km for range, but I found the toggle for miles after 10 minutes fiddling with the app. If you really want to change the temperature of your seat and steering wheel - and your passengers air flow to their feet etc, plus bass of the speakers and regen plus screen view and mirror heating blah blah blah then it might be best to pull up rather than take your eyes off the road, but the same can be said for any car. Charger gets installed on Tuesday so I’ll see how that goes but so far it seems just like any new bit of tech - a bit of a learning curve but very manageable. My 80 year old mum would disagree but she’s not in the market for an EV with the trusty Honda Jazz on the drive!
I’ve driven taxis for 15 years and I can tell you that if you are stationary in a car in the winter for a long period of time with the engine ticking over, the engine temperature is going to drop and as a result the air coming into the cabin is going to get colder. To a point that it won’t be warm air at all. I know this from experience.
I know in Scandinavia you can spec auxiliary heaters in cars but you don’t get them as standard (and usually not as an option) in the uk.
An electric car on the other hand doesn’t have an engine so it doesn’t rely on engine heat to warm the car, ergo, it will keep you warmer, far longer than an ICE (no pun intended) vehicle will.
Got no idea why that would happen to you, in general once an engine is up to operating temperatures the stat will open and close to maintain a constant temperature. The engine would still be running, the water pump would still be circulating coolant around the engine at slower speeds due to tick over. Unless you had an issue with the stat, your coolant had froze due to strength or you had air in your system. What outside temperatures are we talking?
If I was stuck in a snowstorm I’m sure I’d rather be in an ICE, or even a winterised RV or MBT with a boiling vessel.
But except that once or twice in a UK lifetime event I’m suck on London Road where I wish everyone else was in an EV or PHEV like me.
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
Strange to be so definitive about what you’ll buy in 5 years time.
Self charging hybrid is a bit of a nonsense for what it’s worth.
An engine at tickover (approx 800rpm) produced far less heat than one running at,say, an average of 2,500rpm.
It therefore stands to reason that there is potential for the coolant temperature to stop leading up a lower cabin temperature.
There is no real potential if the cooling system components are working ok (thermostat and water pump primarily).
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
It’s a total non-problem for all but a tiny fraction of a percent of motorists.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Agreed, it’s hardly going to influence many people’s decision whether to buy an EV or not. Being prepared for bad weather in winter, including the possibility of being stranded in a car or having to abandon the car in heavy snow, is the real issue. Besides carrying boots, warm clothing and food it makes sense to have a full tank of fuel or to jeep an EV in a high state of charge. Winters in the UK have become less severe over the past 30 years, we have less snow that in the 70s/early 80s, we have better weather forecasting, but it still pays to be prepared.
If everything is ok, ie stat, efficient water pump, no coolant leaks or air locks i cant see why temperature would get so low to the point that the heater would run cold. The stat would open and close at its predetermined point and then open again to allow flow- lowering the coolant to the point the stat would then close.
I guess the only way it would be even feasible is if the vehicle was facing in to an 100 mile ice wind battering the radiator. I would agree if it was started from cold in those conditions it would take longer to warm up
Last edited by Franky Four Fingers; 10th December 2023 at 11:40.
He’s talking about warm air to the cabin; the coolant system is primarily there to keep the engine within a set range of temperatures.
It is therefore possible that, at tickover in cold weather, the coolant system doesn’t allow enough heat to the cabin to maintain the cabin temperature.
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