First electric car experience

[cougie uk]

Lucky you its taken 3 months to make a start on an EV charge point at our local supermarket car park and its still not finished ! Just googled EV chargers around my work and there are a few. However much talk about EV cars and the amount on the road apart from the odd Tesla ( silly money ) its really only Nissan leafs round these parts. Hybrids , well thats a different kettle of fish. Plenty of those everywhere you look. Got a long way to go to convince the masses. As said numerous times more EV vehicles is not going to solve the climate crisis !! Less cars will.

There's loads of EVs on the roads round here. VW, Jag, Volvo, Hyundai, Renault, Mini. Most of them you won't know they are electric unless you see them charging.

Completely agree with you about the climate crisis. The more facilities we have for walking, cycling and public transport the better.

 

[Tenkaykev]

There's loads of EVs on the roads round here. VW, Jag, Volvo, Hyundai, Renault, Mini. Most of them you won't know they are electric unless you see them charging.

Completely agree with you about the climate crisis. The more facilities we have for walking, cycling and public transport the better.

There’s a small vertical green stripe on the number plates of the non hybrid vehicles.

 

[vickster]

There’s a small vertical green stripe on the number plates of the non hybrid vehicles.

Only seems to be the newest ones? Eg not a 3 year old Tesla as standard

 

[icowden]

Only seems to be the newest ones? Eg not a 3 year old Tesla as standard

It was announced in June 2020 with plates available from December 2020.

 

[MrGrumpy]

That there is part of the problem. Is EV just for those wealthy enough to have their own drive .

 

[Milzy]

I recorded the Guy Martin programme about building the fastest accelerating road-legal electric car
I saw the series that 'Mog' was associated with 'Vintage Voltage' & there was some nice cars in it
But, that Beetle is lovely
The VW pick-up looks scary, with the rolling burnout!



Impressive!!

My (previous) Octavia estate 1.6Tdi (remapped) could give an estimated 700miles on a tank, at a 60MPH cruise,

I can't really comment on its replacement (Kodiaq 2.0Tdi/6-speed manual), but after a few m-way trips, it gives an estimated range of 660miles
I'm happy with that, as it's bigger/heavier/more ''draggy'than the Octavia (it's the 4x4 model)
The tank is about a gallon bigger than the Octavia too

It's best average, to East Midlands Airport, brimmed less than a mile from home
View attachment 603577


That hypothetical 700 miles
View attachment 603578



And, even better
This one included M62/A63 to Hull
125 miles, plus the range remaining!!!

View attachment 603576

Great program worth a watch. However I’d bet if I was driving that Skoda of yours the average mph would be a lot less 🤣

 

[cougie uk]

There’s a small vertical green stripe on the number plates of the non hybrid vehicles.

That's optional - there's no easy way to know if it's an EV or not.

 

[geocycle]

Anyone come across the MG ZS. Looks like a useful sized vehicle for family duties and moving bikes when needed. Son is thinking of buying one.

 

[gzoom]

Anyone come across the MG ZS. Looks like a useful sized vehicle for family duties and moving bikes when needed. Son is thinking of buying one.

All the reviews says its a great value EV.

 

[Pale Rider]

Relevant Carwow ad at the top of my page.

The MG ZS is given a headline price of £21,000 compared to the very similar looking Hyundai Kona at £27,500.

But a petrol Kona is £18,500, which makes it a far superior ownership prospect for Kona fans.

Cheap leccy and slightly cheaper servicing (possibly) will never make up for the missing ten grand, and the savage depreciation of both vehicles will, of course, cost the electric Kona owner more in cash terms.

 

[Milkfloat]

I don't have 3 cars yet but with two daughters fast approaching 17...I most likley will have 3 cars all parked on the street.
And those that live in flats....just toss the cable out the window and run it down the side of the building? 🤣

I am currently working on an infrastructure project which if it goes ahead could see well over a hundred thousands lamposts being converted to EV chargers. That should make quite a dent in the charging needs of the nation.

 

[Jenkins]

I am currently working on an infrastructure project which if it goes ahead could see well over a hundred thousands lamposts being converted to EV chargers. That should make quite a dent in the charging needs of the nation.

As long as they don't cut the electricity when the light is switched off at midnight, like they are around here

 

[gavroche]

Can someone answer this question? When the batteries come to the end of their useful life, what happens to them ?
Also, electric cars cost more than diesel when recharging as Guy Martin demonstrated when he did Lejog with an electric vehicle. Cost of electricity: £204 compared to £140 on diesel .

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Great program worth a watch. However I’d bet if I was driving that Skoda of yours the average mph would be a lot less 🤣

It certainly was never that good, when my wife was the primary driver of it

 

[gzoom]

Can someone answer this question? When the batteries come to the end of their useful life, what happens to them ?

The packs get taken apart and good cells used in all kinds of stuff from DIY EV conversion projects to home battery storage. Even eBike batteries use the same cells as those found in most EV packs.

The world is currently desperate for lithium ion cells, I suspect pretty much every single 'scrapped' EV have had their battery packs opened up and the vast majority of cells recycled for future use.

Lithium ion cells actually last a long long time if not subjected to high discharge and recharge rates, easily decades if not longer. When most packs 'fail' its often just one group of cells out of a dozen, sometimes even just on cell from a pack containing 1000s of cells.

Given the newest EVs are only 10 years old we are probably another decade away from truly having to break down cells to their raw materials and recycling them.

When my last EV was written off in an accident, the battery pack appeared on eBay within 24hrs of the insurance company officially taking ownership of the car, and the pack was 'sold' again within 24hrs for around £17k.