[Misc] Electric Cars

[raymondo]

Here in the chickens household the wife has had her way. Our trusty Nissan Leaf will be leaving us at the end of the month, and being replaced by an MG ZS EV. There’s very good deals on them atm, as they’re being cleared out to make way for a new model in 2025.

I’m not a fan of SUVs, but the missus likes being sat higher up, and I can’t deny that having a real world range of 230-250 miles will be easier to live with than a real world 80 miles.

Should only need charging once a week, which will be a time saving, and will make the longer trips we do (Devon and Brighton) more straightforward, as stops become optional, though I’d always stop once on journeys of that length. It’s very much a “last generation” car, being end of life, but the new entries coming out soon don’t seem to actually be here yet. Kia couldn’t show me an EV3, Skoda couldn’t show me an Elroq, Mini couldn’t show me an Aceman.

There’ll be a choice of new and second-hand of all of those by the time we get around to trading in the MG. Plus whatever’s replacing the ZS EV in the UK, there are rumours MG will have solid state batteries in their range in 2025.

Hope you can post updates after some use - good to share experiences.
Lots of the MG SUV's on the roads around our way.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

I've had my shiny new VW ID3 Pro S for just about 3 weeks now. Salary sacrifice made it affordable. So many nice little features - such as the easy configuration to not charge the battery over 80% unless explicitly requested, which will help preserve battery life long term. It was slightly cheaper to get a higher spec model (go figure!), so it's also got things like adaptive headlights. Those things are taking some getting used to - doesn't feel right turning on the high beams and just leaving them on, but the system works so well. Being able to retain the high beam on the left side verge while not blinding the oncoming traffic is a revelation. Similar story with the cruise control - it's the first car I've ever had that remembers the settings even after being switched off, so it's ready to go again on the next trip - and it can be setup to auto detect speed limit changes (which it's pretty good at).

Not done any long trips yet to be able to see what the range numbers look like properly (next trip to the office next week), and it's getting colder already so I won't get peak summer numbers, but even an 80% charge is giving range numbers higher than anything the Zoe gave even in optimum conditions (unsurprising, it's a 50% bigger battery), so we might now be leaving the Prius at home even when we go on our Norfolk / Cornwall trips.

Few small annoyances with it: 1) Android Auto refuses to not play music. Even manually switching back to radio, AA kicks in 30s later despite all the settings on the phone saying not to auto-start music. I've had to disable AA on my phone, as for some unknown reason I've always preferred the radio when driving. 2) It doesn't remember the performance settings between trips, so having to put it back in Eco mode on start up every. single. time. 3) Same with D / B choice for driving. Zoe defaulted to B, ID3 defaults to D. I'm so used to single-pedal driving in B mode now, I'd like to be able to default it to B.

Better residual values, probably.

I feel your pain with the Android Auto setup. I've been running an ID.7 for a while and sometimes AA doesn't connect (even though the phone is connected) and other times it does connect when I don't want it to. Same as you, switch back to the radio and tries to re-connect – quite irritating, but I'm not sure. Your #2 issue sounds a bit odd – might need a software upgrade or something (I'd pay a visit to the dealer). As for #3, I think that's pretty common and you have to select a gear to start anyway, so I guess it's just one extra tap on the lever.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Here in the chickens household the wife has had her way. Our trusty Nissan Leaf will be leaving us at the end of the month, and being replaced by an MG ZS EV. There’s very good deals on them atm, as they’re being cleared out to make way for a new model in 2025.

I’m not a fan of SUVs, but the missus likes being sat higher up, and I can’t deny that having a real world range of 230-250 miles will be easier to live with than a real world 80 miles.

Should only need charging once a week, which will be a time saving, and will make the longer trips we do (Devon and Brighton) more straightforward, as stops become optional, though I’d always stop once on journeys of that length. It’s very much a “last generation” car, being end of life, but the new entries coming out soon don’t seem to actually be here yet. Kia couldn’t show me an EV3, Skoda couldn’t show me an Elroq, Mini couldn’t show me an Aceman.

There’ll be a choice of new and second-hand of all of those by the time we get around to trading in the MG. Plus whatever’s replacing the ZS EV in the UK, there are rumours MG will have solid state batteries in their range in 2025.

These are a good car! Can't go wrong with many of the MGs. Like you say, plenty of opportunity to get one of the others (and many MANY more to choose from) next time around...

 

[Audax]

Better residual values, probably.

I feel your pain with the Android Auto setup. I've been running an ID.7 for a while and sometimes AA doesn't connect (even though the phone is connected) and other times it does connect when I don't want it to. Same as you, switch back to the radio and tries to re-connect – quite irritating, but I'm not sure. Your #2 issue sounds a bit odd – might need a software upgrade or something (I'd pay a visit to the dealer). As for #3, I think that's pretty common and you have to select a gear to start anyway, so I guess it's just one extra tap on the lever.

#2 is an odd one (and I will feedback when it goes in for first service, unless an OTA update fixes it before then). If you're quick, on switch on you can see it has remembered it was in Eco on the last drive then flicks to Comfort after a second or two. I did do a Google and can see others mentioning it as an issue with the new models. Suspect it's a software bug that'll get sorted out eventually.

 

[Bob!]

So, my 'old' ICE car has it's MOT on Monday, if it doesn't get through I'll be considering a new EV.
My favourite is an MG4 extended range as I want to do Essex to Sussex and back for football and family without having to top up.
I'm thinking maybe a 3 or 4 year lease , and then buying after that assuming that either/or prices come down or range goes up.
Basic question.
How does leasing work?
Is it upfront cost plus monthly cost, then give it back with no compensation at the end of lease?

 

[Official Old Man]

Not sure to put this here or Apple+ thread.
20 odd years ago I watched an excellent show call Long Way Round where Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman rode motorbikes around the world, London to New York going east. It's on Apple TV along with Long Way Down. Both shows highlighted local scenery and the problems with getting a bike around the world.
I've just found Long Way Up (released in 2020) where the pair are reunited on a journey from the southern most point of Argentina to Los Angeles. And what a great idea, they use electric vehicles only. Two Harley Davidson electric bikes with a range of 70 miles (the trip is 13,000 miles) and a couple of Rivian electric pick up trucks, numbers 1 & 2 off the production line and still not finished.
I'm three episodes in and seen very little of the scenery and all they talk about is that they've no battery left. The weather is freezing and the bikes refuse to charge. Twice they've run out of power so far. When they stop, generally after less than two hours riding, it takes 6 hours to charge up. Not a good advert for Harley who must have offered up the bikes free for the publicity.
NO SPOILERS PLEASE, STILL WATCHING IT.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

So, my 'old' ICE car has it's MOT on Monday, if it doesn't get through I'll be considering a new EV.
My favourite is an MG4 extended range as I want to do Essex to Sussex and back for football and family without having to top up.
I'm thinking maybe a 3 or 4 year lease , and then buying after that assuming that either/or prices come down or range goes up.
Basic question.
How does leasing work?
Is it upfront cost plus monthly cost, then give it back with no compensation at the end of lease?

MG4 is a lovely car. Looks nice, well priced, decent range, plau you can run vehicle to load, very useful of you're camping for example.

There are many types of vehicle lease.

Personal Contract Hire (PCH): Fixed monthly payments for a set term (2-4 years); car is returned at the end with no option to buy.
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP): Lower monthly payments with the option to buy the car at the end for a lump sum, return it, or trade it in.
Hire Purchase (HP): Fixed monthly payments leading to full ownership of the car at the end of the term.
Salary Sacrifice Car Leasing: Employees lease a car through their employer, with payments deducted from pre-tax salary, offering tax savings and often including maintenance, insurance, and road tax.

The version I used to get my Tesla was Salary sacrifice. I pay 1 amount each month to cover everything.

 

[Audax]

Personal Contract Hire (PCH): Fixed monthly payments for a set term (2-4 years); car is returned at the end with no option to buy.
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP): Lower monthly payments with the option to buy the car at the end for a lump sum, return it, or trade it in.
Hire Purchase (HP): Fixed monthly payments leading to full ownership of the car at the end of the term.
Salary Sacrifice Car Leasing: Employees lease a car through their employer, with payments deducted from pre-tax salary, offering tax savings and often including maintenance, insurance, and road tax.

Had my Zoe on PCH, managed through Lex Autolease. As noted above, no option to buy at the end of the lease. Lots of flexibility during the lease, though - I took mine out on a 4 year lease expecting to be in the office 3 days a week @130 miles per day. But then my employer said nah, post-covid we don't need you in the office more than a day or two a month. I was able to modify the lease to reduce the contracted miles and reduce my cost significantly. Then I thought I'd bump it up to a 5 year lease (the maximum) to see if I could take it far enough to get an SSD / V2G as my next car. Then my employer out of the blue announced they'd offer us Salary Sacrifice on EVs ... After doing my sums, I was able to reduce the lease back down to 4 years +2 months, and then trigger an early termination so I could return it before having to pay out for another year insurance.

I now have an ID3 on Salary Sacrifice. 3 year term this time, with option to buy at the end. Went for 3 years because it actually worked out marginally cheaper than a 4 year term.

It's worth having a play around with the configurators for leasing (and trying a bunch of leasing companies ... most use the same finance company in the background - such as Lex Autolease - but you might find variations in deals depending on their commission deals etc). For some cars it can be cheaper to go with a higher spec on a shorter lease, for others it's better to go low spec & long lease. A lot depends on the forecast depreciation (and therefore resale value the company expects to get if you hand the car back) and/or if there's a glut of a particular model available. My Zoe was cheaper when I got it because Renault had over-produced some of the models and were desperate to get rid - to the point they tried to deliver mine a month early. But I paid for it later when doing contract alterations because they recalculated based on knowing the depreciation had been worse than originally expected.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Had my Zoe on PCH, managed through Lex Autolease. As noted above, no option to buy at the end of the lease. Lots of flexibility during the lease, though - I took mine out on a 4 year lease expecting to be in the office 3 days a week @130 miles per day. But then my employer said nah, post-covid we don't need you in the office more than a day or two a month. I was able to modify the lease to reduce the contracted miles and reduce my cost significantly. Then I thought I'd bump it up to a 5 year lease (the maximum) to see if I could take it far enough to get an SSD / V2G as my next car. Then my employer out of the blue announced they'd offer us Salary Sacrifice on EVs ... After doing my sums, I was able to reduce the lease back down to 4 years +2 months, and then trigger an early termination so I could return it before having to pay out for another year insurance.

I now have an ID3 on Salary Sacrifice. 3 year term this time, with option to buy at the end. Went for 3 years because it actually worked out marginally cheaper than a 4 year term.

It's worth having a play around with the configurators for leasing (and trying a bunch of leasing companies ... most use the same finance company in the background - such as Lex Autolease - but you might find variations in deals depending on their commission deals etc). For some cars it can be cheaper to go with a higher spec on a shorter lease, for others it's better to go low spec & long lease. A lot depends on the forecast depreciation (and therefore resale value the company expects to get if you hand the car back) and/or if there's a glut of a particular model available. My Zoe was cheaper when I got it because Renault had over-produced some of the models and were desperate to get rid - to the point they tried to deliver mine a month early. But I paid for it later when doing contract alterations because they recalculated based on knowing the depreciation had been worse than originally expected.

Excellent post.

My employer use Zenith https://www.zenith.co.uk/

 

[Flounce]

I found this interesting even though I have no intention of buying an EV

 

[Audax]

Excellent post.

My employer use Zenith https://www.zenith.co.uk/

Cheers

My company uses Leaseplan (or what was Leaseplan as it's now Ayvens; I ordered through Leaseplan and it arrived with Ayvens documentation).

And when I did the Zoe privately, I used Rivervale in Brighton and thought they were very good - would definitely have gone back next year if the Sal Sac option hadn't appeared unexpectedly.

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

I currently drive a Hybrid but eventually want to go over to an electric vehicle. I live in a maisonette with no way of being able to charge a vehicle though. I am sure that I have read somewhere that you could ask you local council to install an on-street charging point ( possibly using a street light as the electrical source?) Has anyone gone through this process and if so could you give me some pointers. Ta.

 

[chickens]

I currently drive a Hybrid but eventually want to go over to an electric vehicle. I live in a maisonette with no way of being able to charge a vehicle though. I am sure that I have read somewhere that you could ask you local council to install an on-street charging point ( possibly using a street light as the electrical source?) Has anyone gone through this process and if so could you give me some pointers. Ta.

Mileage may vary, depends entirely on your local authority. There are products on the market for those of us with no off-street parking (google kerbo charge if the front of your property directly faces the street)

Some local authorities are still outright hostile and simply won’t engage, including mine unfortunately. Start by approaching your local authority upfront, they may have their own preferred solution. Make a note of who the person ultimately responsible is in your area.

If you don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere, and the local authority aren’t helpful, it may be worth talking to people who offer solutions and passing on your local authority contact details.

The response you get is determined almost entirely by the personality of the person in charge where you live.

Other suppliers of tech include connected kerb, ubitricity and EB Charging.

Feel free to share how you get on here.

 

[Hugo Rune]

I’m swapping to an EV this weekend.

I’ve got a charger fitted to my house now which wasn’t cheap so added to the price of charging, I’m going to have to wait 18-24 months for the fuel savings but after that, I should benefit for some considerable time as I don’t plan on going back to petrol or diesel.

I don’t have any plans to make long journeys this year so it won’t be until next year that I’ll test commercial chargers at the service stations, but these events won’t happen very often. My car will very rarely leave Sussex.

My kids are certainly happy that we won’t be filling the air with toxic exhaust fumes anymore.

 

[Audax]

I’m swapping to an EV this weekend.

I’ve got a charger fitted to my house now which wasn’t cheap so added to the price of charging, I’m going to have to wait 18-24 months for the fuel savings but after that, I should benefit for some considerable time as I don’t plan on going back to petrol or diesel.

I don’t have any plans to make long journeys this year so it won’t be until next year that I’ll test commercial chargers at the service stations, but these events won’t happen very often. My car will very rarely leave Sussex.

My kids are certainly happy that we won’t be filling the air with toxic exhaust fumes anymore.

If you rarely leave Sussex it's likely you'll never plug in away from home. You on Octopus? Switching to one of their cheap over night tariffs would be a good idea if so (especially if that home charger you fitted is smart enough to allow you to control when / how much it charges).

For anyone else out there considering making the change: while many cars come with a free home charger option (usually with a free credit for public charging alternative), that free charger is normally pretty basic. While paying for a smart home charger looks like a bigger cost, it will pay you back very quickly when combined with EV tariffs from the likes of Octopus - especially if you go with for eg the myenergi Zappi, as myenergi are already part of the National Grid grid balancing work and you can earn (small amounts) back by allowing myenergi to control your charger during certain periods (that can be to either reduce charge rate or increase charge rate depending on grid need). So a smart charger is a few hundred quid more up front, but you should easily get that back within the year.

[And yes, I know modern EVs allow you to control the charging times etc from onboard. But I rapidly found that was a ball ache when out and about because you then had to fiddle with turning all of the scheduling off to avoid coming back to your car and finding it hadn't charged because the settings told it not to... So much easier if the scheduling is on your home charger.]

 

[surrey jim]

I’m swapping to an EV this weekend.

I’ve got a charger fitted to my house now which wasn’t cheap so added to the price of charging, I’m going to have to wait 18-24 months for the fuel savings but after that, I should benefit for some considerable time as I don’t plan on going back to petrol or diesel.

I don’t have any plans to make long journeys this year so it won’t be until next year that I’ll test commercial chargers at the service stations, but these events won’t happen very often. My car will very rarely leave Sussex.

My kids are certainly happy that we won’t be filling the air with toxic exhaust fumes anymore.

May I ask how much this was and the company you used. Thanks in advance

 

[Hugo Rune]

May I ask how much this was and the company you used. Thanks in advance

I paid £925 with a private contractor.

Instalex in Maidstone | Rated People

We are a small family run electrical maintenance business, established for the past 30 years. We specialise in all aspects of electrical maintenance and ins

www.ratedpeople.com

He was as good as his ratings suggest, a really nice chap.

However, I had a message this morning from Octopus Energy (that I’ve moved my energy tariff to) that they have a £899 offer. I should have waited for Black Friday?

It’s worth noting that my installation was an easy as you can get. The charger is less than a metre away from the consumer unit (via a wall!) because of where my drive is positioned.

Edit. Charger is Ohme Home Pro Smart 7.4kw 5m tethered.

 

[Audax]

May I ask how much this was and the company you used. Thanks in advance

Can recommend VoltEV if you're in Sussex: https://voltev.co.uk/

Also, depending on your drive you may be limited on choice. Where I had my charger fitted is fully paved, which can be problematic for earthing the unit. The myenergi Zappi is a good option in this situation - it is (or was, may have changed over the last 4 years) the only unit that does internal fault protection and doesn't require earthing to the ground.

 

[dstanman]

What are people's experiences of street chargers and people using the space as a normal parking space, leaving lead plugged in but not charging just so they have a parking spot. Are any checks made by parking wardens

 

[Hugo Rune]

If you rarely leave Sussex it's likely you'll never plug in away from home. You on Octopus? Switching to one of their cheap over night tariffs would be a good idea if so (especially if that home charger you fitted is smart enough to allow you to control when / how much it charges).

Yes - I’ll rarely leave Sussex but am already planning driving to York and the Peak District next year. Looks relatively simple as I have two young kids and a dog so we already spend a fair amount of time in service stations on trips like these.

I’ve signed up to Octopus and have the Ohme Home Pro so can do the smart charging. I’ll be going for the Intelligent Go tariff and will then need to programme my relevant white goods to function at night as I’ve priced in these savings into my original EV switch calculations.

The info on this thread including your posts has been incredibly useful!