[Misc] Electric Cars

[chickens]

First winter of driving electric, I didn't quite realise the impact to range in cold weather. The school run usually uses 2-3% of battery, in minus temp it's around 10%! It's a 14 mile round trip!

It does vary from vehicle to vehicle, but yes, if it gets down around zero or below, the energy use in my Nissan Leaf does take a hit.

Mind you, my old Merc Diesel used to suffer a bit with its fuel economy when it got cold. Not to the same extent, only about a 10%-15% drop, but combustion or electric power, cars don’t like the cold.

 

[nicko31]

First winter of driving electric, I didn't quite realise the impact to range in cold weather. The school run usually uses 2-3% of battery, in minus temp it's around 10%! It's a 14 mile round trip!

I agree, the heater and battery chemistry in cold temp come into place. I turn down the cabin temp and put on the heated seats, makes a big difference. Short runs in cold temps will always be a killer even in an ICE car

 

[Half Time Pies]

First winter of driving electric, I didn't quite realise the impact to range in cold weather. The school run usually uses 2-3% of battery, in minus temp it's around 10%! It's a 14 mile round trip!

I have owned only electric cars since 2015 and it funny because I used to be really aware of these types of things, in the case of my first electric car which was a Nissan leaf with 100 miles range it was perhaps for good reason! However I can honestly say now that the range of my car never even crosses my mind, even in the extreme cold! Range of my current car is about 240 miles, I charge it at home and know exactly where all the fast chargers are in the local area (which I rarely use to be honest). I have a round trip to work and back of about 50 miles and probably charge overnight once every 3-4 days. It's no more stressful than owning a petrol car and you will get used to it.

 

[nicko31]

Without doubt EV favour those fortunate to have off street parking and get cheap overnight rates. But surely trickle charging from lamp posts is the future.

Wandsworth in London is leader in this area

Major expansion in EV charging infrastructure in Wandsworth - Wandsworth Borough Council

www.wandsworth.gov.uk

 

[Half Time Pies]

Chicago-area Tesla charging stations lined with dead cars in freezing cold: 'A bunch of dead robots out here'​

Excellent selective reporting, the original report from fox Chicago relates specifically to one charging station but there's this throw away comment 'that this situation has been mirrored all over chicago', they also fail to say what's caused it apart from a quote from a 'local chicago vehicle' expert (who could be anyone to be honest), who says it could be due to battery preconditioning. There are Tesla charging stations in the far North of Norway so they don't just stop working in the cold!

 

[maltaseagull]

I am waiting for one of these. Due in Malta end of 24/ start of 25.

By then,hopefully, the Government might just keep it´s promise to install more public chargers.

Got to have the first Seagull in Malta!

 

[nicko31]

I am waiting for one of these. Due in Malta end of 24/ start of 25.

By then,hopefully, the Government might just keep it´s promise to install more public chargers.
View attachment 172932

Got to have the first Seagull in Malta!

I heard it sells in China for £8k, BYD is going to be a huge disruptor in the market.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I heard it sells in China for £8k, BYD is going to be a huge disruptor in the market.

I had a long list of Chinese EV companies ready to go, but then I found this site. It shows:

1. The sheer number of Chinese companies that already have entered the European market, and
2. How the UK is not at the top of the table (probably due to our RHD requirements).

Chinese automotive brands in Europe | Part 2

The second part of Sophus3's paper on Chinese OEMs in Europe surveys and comments on their digital capabilities.

www.sophus3.com

 

[A mex eyecan]

I had a long list of Chinese EV companies ready to go, but then I found this site. It shows:

1. The sheer number of Chinese companies that already have entered the European market, and
2. How the UK is not at the top of the table (probably due to our RHD requirements).

Chinese automotive brands in Europe | Part 2

The second part of Sophus3's paper on Chinese OEMs in Europe surveys and comments on their digital capabilities.

www.sophus3.com

View attachment 172935

I thought Polestar was an off shoot of Volvo?

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I thought Polestar was an off shoot of Volvo?

It is - they're both Chinese owned.

 

[A mex eyecan]

It is - they're both Chinese owned.

well that’s shows how out of date I am

 

[Audax]

How the UK is not at the top of the table (probably due to our RHD requirements).

NIO are coming to the UK. But we're at the end of their EU rollout list for exactly that reason: the need to convert to RHD.

NIO are an interesting one, though, because they've invested heavily in rapid battery swap as an alternative to fast charging. When they do rollout in the UK, you'll know they're coming because they'll have started submitting applications to put in battery swap sites.

Tesla dabbled with battery swapping in the US, but dropped it because they encountered resistance from owners that meant it rarely got used. NIO have invested heavily in China, though, and appear to have made it successful and it's a big part of their EU plans as well.

 

[albionalba]

I have owned only electric cars since 2015 and it funny because I used to be really aware of these types of things, in the case of my first electric car which was a Nissan leaf with 100 miles range it was perhaps for good reason! However I can honestly say now that the range of my car never even crosses my mind, even in the extreme cold! Range of my current car is about 240 miles, I charge it at home and know exactly where all the fast chargers are in the local area (which I rarely use to be honest). I have a round trip to work and back of about 50 miles and probably charge overnight once every 3-4 days. It's no more stressful than owning a petrol car and you will get used to it.

I am the same as the above and would have said the same except that last year my 2015 i3 needed a new component (not the battery) that cost £5,000 and with labour that was to be £8,000 - after a long saga that I won't bore you with I scrapped it for £4,000 (In reasonable condition it would have been worth about £12k). In the seven years I had it it was a brilliant car btw. However, that rapid end was quite a sickener and imagine if that had been sold to a delighted purchaser spending their hard-earned cash on finance etc it would have been a disaster. So I've gone backwards to a hybrid now and always caution anyone not to consider any secondhand electric. If you only buy new, keep it for the warranty length then you will be fine but electric vehicles are not suitable for secondhand purchases (and in time this might knock residual values etc also).

 

[Audax]

I am the same as the above and would have said the same except that last year my 2015 i3 needed a new component (not the battery) that cost £5,000 and with labour that was to be £8,000 - after a long saga that I won't bore you with I scrapped it for £4,000 (In reasonable condition it would have been worth about £12k). In the seven years I had it it was a brilliant car btw. However, that rapid end was quite a sickener and imagine if that had been sold to a delighted purchaser spending their hard-earned cash on finance etc it would have been a disaster. So I've gone backwards to a hybrid now and always caution anyone not to consider any secondhand electric. If you only buy new, keep it for the warranty length then you will be fine but electric vehicles are not suitable for secondhand purchases (and in time this might knock residual values etc also).

Ehh, same can be said for ICE second hand as well. If you can, it's always a good idea to get a second hand vehicle independently checked over before purchasing, as well as researching any known common faults with the particular brand/model. For example, I would in no way ever consider a 2013/2014 onwards Ford with an Ecoboost engine, because those things have so many known faults (such as multiple failure points in the cooling system that can lead to full engine failure).

7 year old - you've not mentioned how many miles? That's just as important as age, if not more so (for both ICE and EV). You had one bad experience. Don't make the mistake of extrapolating that across the entire industry and treating it as if it's likely to happen to everyone.

 

[nicko31]

I am the same as the above and would have said the same except that last year my 2015 i3 needed a new component (not the battery) that cost £5,000 and with labour that was to be £8,000 - after a long saga that I won't bore you with I scrapped it for £4,000 (In reasonable condition it would have been worth about £12k). In the seven years I had it it was a brilliant car btw. However, that rapid end was quite a sickener and imagine if that had been sold to a delighted purchaser spending their hard-earned cash on finance etc it would have been a disaster. So I've gone backwards to a hybrid now and always caution anyone not to consider any secondhand electric. If you only buy new, keep it for the warranty length then you will be fine but electric vehicles are not suitable for secondhand purchases (and in time this might knock residual values etc also).

We're still in the early adopter stage, more cars means more used spares, more cars being scrapped to breakers yards. It will change and more garages will know how to fix them.

We still need more incentives for private buys, a VAT cut would be a great idea.

We also need to push on and develop a GPS based tolling scheme. Denmark are trialling with trucks that use the country for transit only, current use their roads and pay nothing.

 

[JamieR]

I am the same as the above and would have said the same except that last year my 2015 i3 needed a new component (not the battery) that cost £5,000 and with labour that was to be £8,000 - after a long saga that I won't bore you with I scrapped it for £4,000 (In reasonable condition it would have been worth about £12k). In the seven years I had it it was a brilliant car btw. However, that rapid end was quite a sickener and imagine if that had been sold to a delighted purchaser spending their hard-earned cash on finance etc it would have been a disaster. So I've gone backwards to a hybrid now and always caution anyone not to consider any secondhand electric. If you only buy new, keep it for the warranty length then you will be fine but electric vehicles are not suitable for secondhand purchases (and in time this might knock residual values etc also).

Owning any modern car long term, be it an ICE, EV or hybrid is too much of a financial risk where any repair can write the car off or at the very least get presented a bill for four figures for basic servicing. A case in point - change the cambelt on my 16 yr old Octavia 1.9 diesel, £330. Changing the cambelt on my wife's 5 year old 1.0 Ecoboost fiesta, £1200! I long for the good old days where you could change a clutch in a mk3 Cavalier in an hour and cost £80. Now a clutch change with dual mass flywheel is over a grand and takes all day. Thats progress for you.

 

[swindonseagull]

Plugged in while parked a car park in town today....cost ...nothing...wala...f@ck all.......dont get that with an ICE car.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Electric cars? I bought a wooden car…….it wooden start.

 

[swindonseagull]

NIO are coming to the UK. But we're at the end of their EU rollout list for exactly that reason: the need to convert to RHD.

NIO are an interesting one, though, because they've invested heavily in rapid battery swap as an alternative to fast charging. When they do rollout in the UK, you'll know they're coming because they'll have started submitting applications to put in battery swap sites.

Tesla dabbled with battery swapping in the US, but dropped it because they encountered resistance from owners that meant it rarely got used. NIO have invested heavily in China, though, and appear to have made it successful and it's a big part of their EU plans as well.

https://www.nio.com/nio-power heres how they will do it.

 

[happypig]

Tesla dabbled with battery swapping in the US, but dropped it because they encountered resistance from owners that meant it rarely got used. NIO have invested heavily in China, though, and appear to have made it successful and it's a big part of their EU plans as well.

Maybe they wanted to charge at ohm ?