EV Owners Thread

[BrumJim]

It's probably a bit of both. The switch in the cabin will be powered by the 12v battery, but the electrics to put the motors in neutral will almost certainly be controlled by the drive battery.

Not too sure on that. I'm not clear what neutral actually means in an electric car. The motor and wheels will be permanently connected, so I guess neutral means that no accelerator pressing will actually cause the car to move, and in reality, this just means that there is no electrical connection from the battery to the motor.

 

[icowden]

I found last year that driving rain kills the range. To be honest, I find that when cycling too - I'm slower in the rain despite putting in the same amount of effort. I think that the wind might be part of the problem (often windier in the wet), but also the rain has a significant mass, and driving through it is essentially pumping water.

That makes sense. The aero is important to EVs.

You are a lot more conservative than I am. I'm happy to arrive home with less than 5 miles on the estimated range. Less than that is a bit nerve-inducing.

Probably because I've only had the EV for 2 months. I'm starting to relax a bit now...

 

[ClichéGuevara]

I found last year that driving rain kills the range. To be honest, I find that when cycling too - I'm slower in the rain despite putting in the same amount of effort. I think that the wind might be part of the problem (often windier in the wet), but also the rain has a significant mass, and driving through it is essentially pumping water. Don't think headlights make much difference. LEDs can't be any more than a few tens of Watts at most, and the car is using several kW for traction.

You are a lot more conservative than I am. I'm happy to arrive home with less than 5 miles on the estimated range. Less than that is a bit nerve-inducing.

You don't want to be running it to the bottom of the range, it drags up all the flaky bits of crud that settle at the bottom of the battery, and risks pulling them through the system clogging the filters etc.

 

[icowden]

You don't want to be running it to the bottom of the range, it drags up all the flaky bits of crud that settle at the bottom of the battery, and risks pulling them through the system clogging the filters etc.

Apparently for ideal long battery life you want to charge at around 10% and stop charging at 80%. Just topping up to 80% every day is very bad for the battery.

 

[deuxfois]

I had an emergency call to a relative's house about 20 miles from home when my battery was showing 50 miles left (a bit under 20% in a Kona 64). I completed the journey with a bit to spare but it was a reminder that, given the uncertainties of getting a fast/rapid charge urgently, it is prudent to make sure there's always a bit in reserve.

 

[figbat]

I found last year that driving rain kills the range. To be honest, I find that when cycling too - I'm slower in the rain despite putting in the same amount of effort. I think that the wind might be part of the problem (often windier in the wet), but also the rain has a significant mass, and driving through it is essentially pumping water. Don't think headlights make much difference. LEDs can't be any more than a few tens of Watts at most, and the car is using several kW for traction.

Your tyres are pumping water out of the treads continuously, but you are also continuously accelerating the water that hits you. A drop of water is generally around 0.5ml. If you get hit by 10,000 rain drops that's 5 kg of water that you have accelerated in the direction you are travelling.

 

[CXRAndy]

I've found that once you go fast enough, gliding along the surface is much better for battery range

 

[mustang1]

Daughter is eyeing up a model Y

Not the performance model. I find the standard cars plenty fast

I would never buy a Model Y. Once the extended family finds out how many it can seat, they'll want to ride in it for all our vacations!

 

[mustang1]

Your tyres are pumping water out of the treads continuously, but you are also continuously accelerating the water that hits you. A drop of water is generally around 0.5ml. If you get hit by 10,000 rain drops that's 5 kg of water that you have accelerated in the direction you are travelling.

Now that is weird riding in the rain, my bike always seems faster? Especially when I'm riding in the wet on painted lines. I wonder if that's because my tyres are treadless road tyres? On a car, I can understand the water being dispelled causes energy loss, but on the bike, I don't get it. Or I just imagine myself going faster?

 

[CXRAndy]

Now that is weird riding in the rain, my bike always seems faster? Especially when I'm riding in the wet on painted lines. I wonder if that's because my tyres are treadless road tyres? On a car, I can understand the water being dispelled causes energy loss, but on the bike, I don't get it. Or I just imagine myself going faster?

I would have thought that reduced speeds would increase range, outweigh a bit of extra drag from water displacement. I ve not noticed obvious range drops from rain

 

[ClichéGuevara]

I would never buy a Model Y. Once the extended family finds out how many it can seat, they'll want to ride in it for all our vacations!

MAN trucks have an injected model of the same name. The Y i MAN is very popular in the North East.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

love the build quality as well ?!

The new car is better than his previous but he has commented that it doesn't compare well with his previous cars - RS4 Avant and BMW M5.

 

[MrGrumpy]

The new car is better than his previous but he has commented that it doesn't compare well with his previous cars - RS4 Avant and BMW M5.

Nope I can see why !!

 

[Rusty Nails]

I have just bought a new ICE car so have postponed buying an EV for around six years.

Has anyone on this thread who has owned and driven the same EV for five years or more noticed any increase in the number of times it has needed charging in that time, or any reduction in the range of the car before needing recharging?

I am not knowledgeable at all on the technology of battery production so wonder if the deterioration that is seen in domestic use batteries is mirrored at all in EV batteries.

 

[cougie uk]

I have just bought a new ICE car so have postponed buying an EV for around six years.

Has anyone on this thread who has owned and driven the same EV for five years or more noticed any increase in the number of times it has needed charging in that time, or any reduction in the range of the car before needing recharging?

I am not knowledgeable at all on the technology of battery production so wonder if the deterioration that is seen in domestic use batteries is mirrored at all in EV batteries.

2.5 years in our second hand EV and not noticed any deterioration.