First electric car experience

[Bazzer]

That’s impressive mpg , I’m thinking it’s a good half way house. Mate at work was telling me about someone he met on a campsite , whom was towing a caravan. His hybrid FFRR not towing was getting a fairly impressive 60+mpg combined.

I need room for elderly parent and MIL plus dogs and my own family. The above example is a stretch but some people need larger vehicles not wee pokey city cars. ( don’t live in the city ) .
I think in the next year , I may need to give some serious consideration to what we do with the caravan and/or the tow vehicle .

If we start going abroad again regularly I think it will be chopped in .

It certainly surprised me. I think motoring planets aligned just right with most journeys being electric, or for longer ones use of the ICE was limited. I would be amazed if it is replicated again and certainly not as the colder weather starts to arrive.
As with any car purchase, there are many factors which come into play and batteries are now just another one to consider. Also as I think stated on this this, or another similar thread, you become aware of power use. If there is just you or another front seat passenger, unless the windows need demisting, heated seats use less angry pixies that warming up the whole of the cabin.

 

[MrGrumpy]

It certainly surprised me. I think motoring planets aligned just right with most journeys being electric, or for longer ones use of the ICE was limited. I would be amazed if it is replicated again and certainly not as the colder weather starts to arrive.
As with any car purchase, there are many factors which come into play and batteries are now just another one to consider. Also as I think stated on this this, or another similar thread, you become aware of power use. If there is just you or another front seat passenger, unless the windows need demisting, heated seats use less angry pixies that warming up the whole of the cabin.

Yep the headline figures of range all look good but reduce a lot depending on conditions. A bit like quoted mpg !! I’m goi g to sit and watch how the market unfold I think . My big SUV at 10yr old not worth worrying about cash wise. It’s just running costs which is way cheaper than a £500 a month PCP/HP Tesla Model X or similar.

 

[figbat]

If you’re in Oxfordshire this trial is looking for participants (charging for on-road parking).

 

[icowden]

Yep the headline figures of range all look good but reduce a lot depending on conditions.

FWIW there is a site that does for Electric what auto reviewers do for ICE cars. They give you the manufacturers range description and then the "real world" range.

https://ev-database.uk/cheatsheet/range-electric-car

 

[CXRAndy]

Yep the headline figures of range all look good but reduce a lot depending on conditions

The ICE figures have been pie in the sky fairy tale numbers for years. Its no different with EVs but fortunately there are companies listing all vehicles they can get hold of to show real world usage. I use EV database and EPA figures when looking at alleged figures.

I can easily attain range numbers, but my wife obliterates these, she has a heavy right foot. Hell she did that with ICE before too

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

This was the 'Mortuary Truck'
It replaced a converted milk-float!! (that was over 20 years old!)

For some reason, I recall that this wasn't limited, & would go as fast in reverse as in 'Drive'............ or so I'm told

Spoiler: Description of how it was used

The Mortuary was in a 'stand-alone' building, on the edge of the Stanley Royd site (built about 1820?), in as the 'West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum'), so a vehicle was needed to transport the deceased
A covered trolley was used for removal from the wards, & interchangeable trays slid into the back of it, on a set of rollers
(likewise, at the mortuary, the trays slid into the fridges
It was disposed of, when the new Hospital opened in 2010, as the Mortuary is in the basement

Despite the registration, it was an August 2005 image

Given how it looks, it did at intervals, have a black & white (stuffed toy) cat in it

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

'Trolley-Trucks' anyone?

 

[figbat]

So Tesla are piloting their Supercharger network for non-Tesla use. This all sounds very promising - whenever I have seen a Supercharger hub there are loads of empty bays. However it brings another conflict into play.

We're already seeing EV space conflicts, with them being taken up by ICEs and with PHEVs and BEVs staying far longer than needed for their charging needs. Now the Tesla trial offers a new way for EV pilots to get annoyed and further drive a wedge between "us and them". Tesla cars have their charging port at the rear-left and they are all the same. So the Supercharger network is set up to cater for this - with short charging cables that will reach a Tesla port if reversed into the bay.

However many other EVs have ports in other locations - take my MINI for example, it is rear-right. If I were to reverse into a Tesla bay I would have to use the charger to the right of the car. However that charger is really intended for the next bay over (to the right), so I am stealing that bay's charger, meaning that bay is now unavailable for a Tesla to use - I am effectively removing two bays from use by Teslas.

 

[Milkfloat]

EV cars blocking chargers can be solved easily by simply charging the vehicle a parking rate on top of the charging rate. Tesla can retrofit longer cables to their charging stations - all these types of problems are pretty easily solved.

 

[figbat]

EV cars blocking chargers can be solved easily by simply charging the vehicle a parking rate on top of the charging rate. Tesla can retrofit longer cables to their charging stations - all these types of problems are pretty easily solved.

Sure, but I assume the reason the cables are short is because copper is not free and the initial need was only to reach one charging port. Tesla do charge a dwell fee too.

Plenty of public chargers require you to bring your own cable, which sort of gets over the problem but means countless tonnes of cable being carried around.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I was quite taken with the Mini, in 'Vintage Voltage' a couple of weeks ago, that looked good!!
300BHP, in a Mini

 

[cougie uk]

Vintage Voltage is a great show but it's mainly just rich people's playthings there. Did you see the 3 wheeler that they spent 40 grand on ?
And the Mk2 Land Rover ? It was beautiful but they spent a huuuuge amount on it.

 

[icowden]

Vintage Voltage is a great show but it's mainly just rich people's playthings there. Did you see the 3 wheeler that they spent 40 grand on ?
And the Mk2 Land Rover ? It was beautiful but they spent a huuuuge amount on it.

The episode converting a Fiat 500 seems particularly pointless as Fiat have done it themselves. You can just buy one off the shelf. It's still the same size.