Fully Electric Cars

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IanMcL
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by IanMcL » Sun Jan 21, 2024 3:17 pm

Row Z wrote:
Sun Jan 21, 2024 12:48 pm
I would never dream of filling up my diesel at a motorway service station. Genuinely interested, are chargers at service stations not more expensive to utilise than home / elsewhere? Does this not negate some of the cost benefit?
For sure.
Mine is all free, so not a worry, as long as it lasts.

Can be very expensive. The best thing to do is download ZapMap app. This has them all with speed and cost per kW.

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by 1fatclaret » Sun Jan 21, 2024 4:31 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:
Sun Jan 21, 2024 12:35 pm
Rather presumptuous to say I’ve never owned an EV, though I admit I haven’t. I have driven several, and I do like them but that doesn’t negate the issues I have with them currently

I also work with 2 people who have them, and they both concur with my observations regarding charging points and they often suffer from range anxiety for longer journeys. One drives a Renault Zoe, the other drives an MG - both (like me) work in IT at a university where we develop technology for the automotive industry - so we know our stuff and often talk to academics in the industry who likely know an awful lot more than the average joe on a message board.
Ok, so I presumed from your previous posts that you had never owned an electric car, I was right, so my point is valid. Driving one occasionally doesn’t give you any kind of insight as to what it’s like to live with one every day, for 2 years, covering almost 60,000 miles.

As for your ‘academics’ who know more than the ‘average Joe on a message board’ - don’t try and belittle my points because you’ve got no substance to your argument. Developing technology for automotive doesn’t elevate your knowledge of real world driving of electric cars. I work in an organisation that has a fleet of around 50 EV’s doing approximately 20k - 30k miles a year each - anywhere between 1m and 1.5m miles per year of true EV experience, and our collective feedback is that it’s absolutely possible to run one with little to no issues around charging, even on long journeys.

Last thing, a renault Zoe is a city car. That kind of car has never been designed to do long distances, whether diesel, petrol or electric, but with a bit of pre planning its range of 200+ miles should be fine for most occasional long trips, no doubt to Bournemouth as that seems to be the yardstick.

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by 1fatclaret » Sun Jan 21, 2024 4:35 pm

Row Z wrote:
Sun Jan 21, 2024 12:48 pm
I would never dream of filling up my diesel at a motorway service station. Genuinely interested, are chargers at service stations not more expensive to utilise than home / elsewhere? Does this not negate some of the cost benefit?
The Tesla chargers are cheaper than others. The Tesla chargers at service stations are only slightly more expensive than charging at home during peak hours. (About 45p per kWh) - which works out at 11 per mile. The other network chargers vary between 60p and a £1 p kWh.

Obviously it’s tesla’s strategy to offer very convenient, fast and competitive charging to attract more buyers of their cars.

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Rick_Muller » Sun Jan 21, 2024 5:31 pm

1fatclaret wrote:
Sun Jan 21, 2024 4:31 pm
Ok, so I presumed from your previous posts that you had never owned an electric car, I was right, so my point is valid. Driving one occasionally doesn’t give you any kind of insight as to what it’s like to live with one every day, for 2 years, covering almost 60,000 miles.

As for your ‘academics’ who know more than the ‘average Joe on a message board’ - don’t try and belittle my points because you’ve got no substance to your argument. Developing technology for automotive doesn’t elevate your knowledge of real world driving of electric cars. I work in an organisation that has a fleet of around 50 EV’s doing approximately 20k - 30k miles a year each - anywhere between 1m and 1.5m miles per year of true EV experience, and our collective feedback is that it’s absolutely possible to run one with little to no issues around charging, even on long journeys.

Last thing, a renault Zoe is a city car. That kind of car has never been designed to do long distances, whether diesel, petrol or electric, but with a bit of pre planning its range of 200+ miles should be fine for most occasional long trips, no doubt to Bournemouth as that seems to be the yardstick.
Why so aggressive? I didn’t belittle you at all. I like EVs and my observations about the charging network are as valid as yours.

I’ll leave it there, apologies for having an opinion, I won’t do it again.

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by No Ney Never » Sun Jan 21, 2024 9:11 pm

Very early on in my EV ownership, an experienced long journey EV driver told me not to rely on charging availability at service stations, he always stopped at holiday inns. They are UK wide, always available and were always working, never let me down either. These days zapmap shows availability at pubs, supermarkets and all sorts of places very close to motorway slip roads.

My Nissan Leaf is due for renewal at the end of March, that's 6 years since I took delivery of my first.
I was considering looking at other manufacturers since most now have a EV offering, while some are better looking, it's talking to owners of some of these models that has me apprehensive.
At work the Koni, Tesla and MG EV owners all remark on the huge drop in miles achievable on a 100% charge in only 2 - 3 years since new. My Leaf hasn't changed at all, I can rely on what it says.
Nissan launched the first Leaf EV in 2009, they have spent years ironing out many of the issues and amassed so much experience, a journey that all the recently new to the market manufacturers are just beginning. Indeed the technicians at the Koni dealership were unable to fix an issue that my colleague returned for, they lacked experience dealing with them, took 4 months before they fixed it.
I'm going to have a look around and test drive a few, anyone have any recommendations?

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by 1fatclaret » Sun Jan 21, 2024 11:47 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:
Sun Jan 21, 2024 5:31 pm
Why so aggressive? I didn’t belittle you at all. I like EVs and my observations about the charging network are as valid as yours.

I’ll leave it there, apologies for having an opinion, I won’t do it again.
You tried to imply your line of work and discussions with ‘academics’ gave you a superior insight into the real world of EV’s over the ‘average Joe’. It was both patronising and condescending.

I’ll leave it there too
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by IanMcL » Mon Jan 22, 2024 12:33 am

No Ney Never wrote:
Sun Jan 21, 2024 9:11 pm
Very early on in my EV ownership, an experienced long journey EV driver told me not to rely on charging availability at service stations, he always stopped at holiday inns. They are UK wide, always available and were always working, never let me down either. These days zapmap shows availability at pubs, supermarkets and all sorts of places very close to motorway slip roads.

My Nissan Leaf is due for renewal at the end of March, that's 6 years since I took delivery of my first.
I was considering looking at other manufacturers since most now have a EV offering, while some are better looking, it's talking to owners of some of these models that has me apprehensive.
At work the Koni, Tesla and MG EV owners all remark on the huge drop in miles achievable on a 100% charge in only 2 - 3 years since new. My Leaf hasn't changed at all, I can rely on what it says.
Nissan launched the first Leaf EV in 2009, they have spent years ironing out many of the issues and amassed so much experience, a journey that all the recently new to the market manufacturers are just beginning. Indeed the technicians at the Koni dealership were unable to fix an issue that my colleague returned for, they lacked experience dealing with them, took 4 months before they fixed it.
I'm going to have a look around and test drive a few, anyone have any recommendations?
My 2016 Tesla was 257 when I got it in Dec 18. Now 245 in Jan 2024. Not bad going!

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Rick_Muller » Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:25 am

1fatclaret wrote:
Sun Jan 21, 2024 11:47 pm
You tried to imply your line of work and discussions with ‘academics’ gave you a superior insight into the real world of EV’s over the ‘average Joe’. It was both patronising and condescending.

I’ll leave it there too
I'd like to apologise to you, it appears from reading back that I appeared to be patronising and condescending to you, with a reference to "average joe" on a message board. I don't think our viewpoints are that far apart, and I welcome intelligent dialog with others regarding the issues we face. For info though the "average joe" comment was intended to be for the specific user who I was first responding to and I should have made that clearer. Apologies.

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Boss Hogg » Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:54 am

Be careful taking motoring advice off people who drive a Nissan Leaf.
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by 1fatclaret » Mon Jan 22, 2024 3:06 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:
Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:25 am
I'd like to apologise to you, it appears from reading back that I appeared to be patronising and condescending to you, with a reference to "average joe" on a message board. I don't think our viewpoints are that far apart, and I welcome intelligent dialog with others regarding the issues we face. For info though the "average joe" comment was intended to be for the specific user who I was first responding to and I should have made that clearer. Apologies.
Thanks Rick. Appreciate that. Hate to spoil a discussion by turning it into a point scoring argument. I apologise if I came across as aggressive, I was just a bit wrangled by the term average Joe!!
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by No Ney Never » Mon Jan 22, 2024 6:25 pm

Boss Hogg wrote:
Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:54 am
Be careful taking motoring advice off people who drive a Nissan Leaf.
I would question if an individual who'd buy a Citroen is in a position to be directing anyone where to take motoring advice.😁

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by brexit » Mon Jan 22, 2024 6:45 pm

No Ney Never wrote:
Mon Jan 22, 2024 6:25 pm
I would question if an individual who'd buy a Citroen is in a position to be directing anyone where to take motoring advice.😁
Ami Pop best car in the world - you know nothing.
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Wokingclaret » Mon Jan 22, 2024 7:15 pm

No Ney Never wrote:
Mon Jan 22, 2024 6:25 pm
I would question if an individual who'd buy a Citroen is in a position to be directing anyone where to take motoring advice.😁
The best thing is, and I've had many, is they never get nicked :lol:

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Rick_Muller » Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:05 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:
Fri Jan 19, 2024 8:31 am
all positive to hear, but do you own the car? or lease it? or HP? or PCP? that's where the cost is for most drivers considering getting one. I've looked at the possibility of it, and I think my comments are on this thread (or another similar one), but I don't honestly think that pure EV's (i.e. just battery) are the future. I think a stepping stone in the right direction, but most EVs on the road are a large proving ground, almost a concept trial, for the future which will likely be a hybrid car - with electrically driven wheels from a relatively small capacity battery (to reduce weight) which is charged by a fuel cell range extender. I also believe that Toyota (may be wrong on the brand) are close to a solid state battery which will also massively increase range.

EVs are a good concept, but I dont think we're there yet, so in the meantime I'll keep getting 600 miles range on a tank with all the benefits you list in a car I actually own and dont lease for £1000/month.
20 months ago I posted this and thought I'd update my current position and understanding on the whole EV discussion.

My diesel Honda Civic has now done 165k+ miles and is still getting 60+ mpg however I have begun to have some worrying mechanical issues present recently that have made me reconsider how long I keep the car for... and after some research into lease deals out there at the moment I've gone and ordered a Renault Scenic E-Tech over 3 years (22k miles per year lease) for just over £430/month - which when you consider I was burning somewhere around £250 per month on diesel and then increasing maintenance costs (£3k+ this year alone on tyres, brakes, callipers; shocks etc) to keep the Civic going I am hoping that the charging costs aren't too much for me on the public network - also why I wanted to revive this thread so that I can glean the expert advice from all the other EV drivers again.

I need to know what the rules/guidelines are for using the charging points in cark parks etc so that when I drive to Burnley for the footy I can get the most cost effective charging whilst in the area as I dont think I want to use the rapid chargers at the services with from what I can see are extortionate prices per kWh.

At home, I have solar panels and I'm on Octopus, so I think I can get some really cheap charging when its sunny and overnight on the EV tariff with Octopus (7p per kWh I believe at the moment)

Can anyone offer any advice for me, thanks :)

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by lakedistrictclaret » Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:50 pm

My present car, a Nissan X-Trail, is powered by electricity but has a petrol engine which charges the two batteries. It is not a plug-in. I like it because it has the advantage of quick acceleration without the range anxiety.

Whilst I’d love to have a fully electric car, it would be totally impractical for me. A round trip to Turf Moor is about 230 miles, so there’d be the worry of not making it back. I’ve no idea where charging points are in Burnley.

I mentioned this to the dealership when I took the car for its first service recently. He reckons that by the time I next change my car, in September 2027, technology may have developed to the extent that you could get 500 miles off a single charge. If that happens, I’d have no hesitation in buying a fully electric car.

Burnley1989
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Burnley1989 » Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:59 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:05 pm
20 months ago I posted this and thought I'd update my current position and understanding on the whole EV discussion.

My diesel Honda Civic has now done 165k+ miles and is still getting 60+ mpg however I have begun to have some worrying mechanical issues present recently that have made me reconsider how long I keep the car for... and after some research into lease deals out there at the moment I've gone and ordered a Renault Scenic E-Tech over 3 years (22k miles per year lease) for just over £430/month - which when you consider I was burning somewhere around £250 per month on diesel and then increasing maintenance costs (£3k+ this year alone on tyres, brakes, callipers; shocks etc) to keep the Civic going I am hoping that the charging costs aren't too much for me on the public network - also why I wanted to revive this thread so that I can glean the expert advice from all the other EV drivers again.

I need to know what the rules/guidelines are for using the charging points in cark parks etc so that when I drive to Burnley for the footy I can get the most cost effective charging whilst in the area as I dont think I want to use the rapid chargers at the services with from what I can see are extortionate prices per kWh.

At home, I have solar panels and I'm on Octopus, so I think I can get some really cheap charging when its sunny and overnight on the EV tariff with Octopus (7p per kWh I believe at the moment)

Can anyone offer any advice for me, thanks :)
How the tables turn eh

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Rick_Muller » Tue Sep 09, 2025 6:11 pm

Burnley1989 wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:59 pm
How the tables turn eh
Honestly no idea why you would think that. Seriously not a point scoring exercise, things change situations change and times change. I’m asking for advice, feel free to offer some or not as it seems

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Taffy on the wing » Tue Sep 09, 2025 6:58 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 6:11 pm
Honestly no idea why you would think that. Seriously not a point scoring exercise, things change situations change and times change. I’m asking for advice, feel free to offer some or not as it seems
That ship might have sailed!

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by GetIntoEm » Tue Sep 09, 2025 8:02 pm

I've just ordered a Renault 5 as a replacement second car for our household. I only do about 150miles a week, so should be able to manage with charging for free at work once a week.

Failing that I'll be charging off a 3pin plug, currently not able to get a 7kw charger at home

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Quickenthetempo » Tue Sep 09, 2025 8:42 pm

Taffy on the wing wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 6:58 pm
That ship might have sailed!
Was it electric and what was it's range?
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by GodIsADeeJay81 » Tue Sep 09, 2025 8:48 pm

GetIntoEm wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 8:02 pm
I've just ordered a Renault 5 as a replacement second car for our household. I only do about 150miles a week, so should be able to manage with charging for free at work once a week.

Failing that I'll be charging off a 3pin plug, currently not able to get a 7kw charger at home
They look quite nice, see one driving around my area regularly

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Casper2 » Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:00 pm

lakedistrictclaret wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:50 pm
My present car, a Nissan X-Trail, is powered by electricity but has a petrol engine which charges the two batteries. It is not a plug-in. I like it because it has the advantage of quick acceleration without the range anxiety.

Whilst I’d love to have a fully electric car, it would be totally impractical for me. A round trip to Turf Moor is about 230 miles, so there’d be the worry of not making it back. I’ve no idea where charging points are in Burnley.

I mentioned this to the dealership when I took the car for its first service recently. He reckons that by the time I next change my car, in September 2027, technology may have developed to the extent that you could get 500 miles off a single charge. If that happens, I’d have no hesitation in buying a fully electric car.
I’ve got a XTrail love it .

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by lakedistrictclaret » Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:09 pm

Casper2 wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:00 pm
I’ve got a XTrail love it .
Best car I’ve ever had.

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Rick_Muller » Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:13 pm

GodIsADeeJay81 wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 8:48 pm
They look quite nice, see one driving around my area regularly
Took one for a test drive - lovely car just not practical for my needs (more room in the back for the 6 foot tall 15 year old!) which is why I then tried the Scenic E-Tech and I was really impressed, hence ordering one.

As far as the other posters who think they’re being funny with snide comments, grow up

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by GodIsADeeJay81 » Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:35 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:05 pm
20 months ago I posted this and thought I'd update my current position and understanding on the whole EV discussion.

My diesel Honda Civic has now done 165k+ miles and is still getting 60+ mpg however I have begun to have some worrying mechanical issues present recently that have made me reconsider how long I keep the car for... and after some research into lease deals out there at the moment I've gone and ordered a Renault Scenic E-Tech over 3 years (22k miles per year lease) for just over £430/month - which when you consider I was burning somewhere around £250 per month on diesel and then increasing maintenance costs (£3k+ this year alone on tyres, brakes, callipers; shocks etc) to keep the Civic going I am hoping that the charging costs aren't too much for me on the public network - also why I wanted to revive this thread so that I can glean the expert advice from all the other EV drivers again.

I need to know what the rules/guidelines are for using the charging points in cark parks etc so that when I drive to Burnley for the footy I can get the most cost effective charging whilst in the area as I dont think I want to use the rapid chargers at the services with from what I can see are extortionate prices per kWh.

At home, I have solar panels and I'm on Octopus, so I think I can get some really cheap charging when its sunny and overnight on the EV tariff with Octopus (7p per kWh I believe at the moment)

Can anyone offer any advice for me, thanks :)
Ref using car park charging points, you've still got to pay and display in most places where pand display tickets are required for ICE cars
I'm aware of people getting tickets because they didn't realise they'd need to purchase a pay and display one
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by GodIsADeeJay81 » Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:36 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:13 pm
Took one for a test drive - lovely car just not practical for my needs (more room in the back for the 6 foot tall 15 year old!) which is why I then tried the Scenic E-Tech and I was really impressed, hence ordering one.

As far as the other posters who think they’re being funny with snide comments, grow up
I really like the look of the little Honda EV, but at 6ft 3, I'll never fit in one comfortably :(

Considering an EV next year when I change my lease car
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Casper2 » Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:40 pm

lakedistrictclaret wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:09 pm
Best car I’ve ever had.
500 miles on a full tank is decent

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Rileybobs » Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:41 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:05 pm
20 months ago I posted this and thought I'd update my current position and understanding on the whole EV discussion.

My diesel Honda Civic has now done 165k+ miles and is still getting 60+ mpg however I have begun to have some worrying mechanical issues present recently that have made me reconsider how long I keep the car for... and after some research into lease deals out there at the moment I've gone and ordered a Renault Scenic E-Tech over 3 years (22k miles per year lease) for just over £430/month - which when you consider I was burning somewhere around £250 per month on diesel and then increasing maintenance costs (£3k+ this year alone on tyres, brakes, callipers; shocks etc) to keep the Civic going I am hoping that the charging costs aren't too much for me on the public network - also why I wanted to revive this thread so that I can glean the expert advice from all the other EV drivers again.

I need to know what the rules/guidelines are for using the charging points in cark parks etc so that when I drive to Burnley for the footy I can get the most cost effective charging whilst in the area as I dont think I want to use the rapid chargers at the services with from what I can see are extortionate prices per kWh.

At home, I have solar panels and I'm on Octopus, so I think I can get some really cheap charging when its sunny and overnight on the EV tariff with Octopus (7p per kWh I believe at the moment)

Can anyone offer any advice for me, thanks :)
How many miles is your round trip to Burnley, and what is the expected range of the car you’ve ordered?

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by exilecanada » Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:51 pm

It would be interesting if the engineers would add some sound effects to these electric cars, such as the unique sound of an F1 V10 engine when accelerating and the ‘burbling’ sound when decelerating :D Sound effects could probably be tailored to the drivers liking. It would sure beat the ‘sound of silence’ from these IPhones on wheels :roll:

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by dougcollins » Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:51 pm

A big problem for me is that they don't get near the advertised ranges.

I remain unconvinced.

I need to change my car and I absolutely don't know which way to go.

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by GetIntoEm » Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:54 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:13 pm
Took one for a test drive - lovely car just not practical for my needs (more room in the back for the 6 foot tall 15 year old!) which is why I then tried the Scenic E-Tech and I was really impressed, hence ordering one.

As far as the other posters who think they’re being funny with snide comments, grow up
Yeah looking forward to getting it, very rarely have more than 2 people in the car so suits
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Leon_C » Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:00 pm

EV charging improves every year.
As per my last post on here, from Jan 24 - I 'enjoyed' an EV between 2019-2022. It was troublesome in itself (battery issue causing 12 weeks in the garage.) And public charging in those early days was just horrendous. Motorway services were tied to Electric Highway (Dale Vince, anybody?) which was an absolutely horrific network to use, in every single possible way.

Anyway. I am now driving a new EV (non-Tesla), having had it for around 7 months now. I love every second of it.
The public charging network is 100x better than it was.
My car will average around 180-200 miles on a charge if I employ "spirited" driving (at which it excels) and up to 230-ish if I am driving like my mum is in the car.
The car has inbuilt charging location - but when I need to use public charging, I find using ZapMap easier (through familiarity more than anything else.)
Motorway services increasingly have rapid chargers of 200kw+ (I think mine is 180 max but I'd need to check) - but this means that you'll charge 20%-80% (for science reasons, that's the most efficient range to fill up) in the time it takes to have a wee and enjoy a latte.

If I had to regularly drive to Bournemouth and back in a day (ignoring the constraints around not stopping, not peeing and not blinking or whatever) then I wouldn't think twice about using an EV for that trip, nowadays. That wasn't the case 4-5 years ago.
Yes - you'd need to think a little more about your journey - but certainly if you regularly make cross-country trips, you'll quickly become familiar with the charging points so it won't be a hassle.

(And yes, public charging - esp rapid charging at service stations) does cost more than charging at home or at other off-the-beaten-track stations.

Taffy on the wing
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Taffy on the wing » Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:06 pm

Quickenthetempo wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 8:42 pm
Was it electric and what was it's range?
Sorry, i didn't know you were his spokesperson.....i'll run it by you first next time.

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Rick_Muller » Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:39 pm

Rileybobs wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:41 pm
How many miles is your round trip to Burnley, and what is the expected range of the car you’ve ordered?
400+ miles - quoted range of 372 so I know I’ll need to charge somewhere, but preferably somewhere cheaper than services. I was considering a top up on the way up and then drain coming home

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Rick_Muller » Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:48 pm

Taffy on the wing wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:06 pm
Sorry, i didn't know you were his spokesperson.....i'll run it by you first next time.
Do grow up

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Rileybobs » Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:53 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:39 pm
400+ miles - quoted range of 372 so I know I’ll need to charge somewhere, but preferably somewhere cheaper than services. I was considering a top up on the way up and then drain coming home
Quite a trek! I’ve had an EV for nearly 3 years and have only had to charge probably a handful of times on the public network. But you will quickly find that there are tonnes of places to charge your car, they will show up on the navigation system in your car. I’m not sure if the rates are higher at service stations than other public charging stations but I’m sure you’ll get into a routine in no time.

I would probably suggest a 10 minute stop at a rapid charger on each leg would do the trick - just add enough range each time. It won’t be the cheapest way to do it, but if you bear in mind that circa 300 miles (I’m rounding down from 372 miles) of your 400ish mile journey will be on your home charging rate which is absolute peanuts, in the grand scheme of things your journey cost will be relatively low.

Your navigation system will tell you how much charge you need to complete the journey, and my car always outperforms the estimate - so you very quickly get over the ‘range anxiety’.

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Leon_C » Tue Sep 09, 2025 11:30 pm

Beware the WLTP/quoted range of any vehicle.
It's universally inaccurate in everyday use. They will have achieved that under lab conditions, somehow.

My car has a quoted WLTP of 284 miles. I can just about squeeze 230 if I drive really carefully, including 65mph-70mpg in cruise on the motorway (rather than following the lane 2-3 speeds of, ahem... just over 70). I'm not overly concerned for my own purposes as I knew this - but if you're relying on the quoted range before purchase... check the details.
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by claretabroad » Wed Sep 10, 2025 7:19 am

Have decided to switch over to an electric vehicle and after much research have ordered a Skoda Enyaq. Fair play to the salesman at the dealership who when asked how far the range really was gave an honest answer instead of just parroting the perfect driving conditions number.

We don't have home charging but the council has just recently installed 3 charge points in lamp posts on our street.

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Rick_Muller » Wed Sep 10, 2025 7:23 am

Leon_C wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 11:30 pm
Beware the WLTP/quoted range of any vehicle.
It's universally inaccurate in everyday use. They will have achieved that under lab conditions, somehow.

My car has a quoted WLTP of 284 miles. I can just about squeeze 230 if I drive really carefully, including 65mph-70mpg in cruise on the motorway (rather than following the lane 2-3 speeds of, ahem... just over 70). I'm not overly concerned for my own purposes as I knew this - but if you're relying on the quoted range before purchase... check the details.
Thanks Leon, I was aware of that. Interestingly though the Mercedes dealership insisted their new CLA would actually do the 484 miles they quoted - but the almost double lease costs for one excluded them from my options

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Croydon Claret » Wed Sep 10, 2025 7:39 am

exilecanada wrote:
Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:51 pm
It would be interesting if the engineers would add some sound effects to these electric cars, such as the unique sound of an F1 V10 engine when accelerating and the ‘burbling’ sound when decelerating :D Sound effects could probably be tailored to the drivers liking. It would sure beat the ‘sound of silence’ from these IPhones on wheels :roll:
Fake engine sounds is now a thing.

The Dodge Charger incorporates external speakers for this very purpose

https://youtu.be/VFfB02cKhlE?si=4tOg9KWv_8n88gcf

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Caballo » Wed Sep 10, 2025 7:50 am

The latest offers from Ford on the Puma are wild. No deposit, £221 a month for 4yrs, with free servicing, a free home charger and 10,000 free miles worth of electric. It's only on 5k annual mileage, but still!

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Inchy » Wed Sep 10, 2025 8:08 am

I’m thinking about getting an electric car.

I usually buy a car for 4-6k and drive it until it fails an MOT to the point it makes no sense to fix.
My current car cost 4K, came with 12 month MOT, and passed its next MOT without issues. It’s sue again this month and I’m unsure if it will pass.


I’m just not sure how to fund it as I have several option.

Option 1- lease through salary sacrifice. This seems the most cost efficient way, however I’m a nurse in community and my trust pay me a decent amount for fuel. More than I spend on fuel due to car depreciation, but my car isn’t depreciating much given it was 4K 2 years ago. With a lease car that drops massively. I get about £130 in fuel a month and if I go lease it will drop to about £30

Option 2- my wife gets a salary sacrifice lease car and I drive it. I would still get full fuel allowance. I would need to make sure I could drive it on business but I reckon I could.

Option 3- bog standard lease

Option 4- finances. There seem various available but I assume people just get knew, pay monthly, then trade in every few years for a new?

Option 5- buy second hand. I could probably stretch to 12k and get a second hand iD3 or similar


Unsure what the best option is

GetIntoEm
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by GetIntoEm » Wed Sep 10, 2025 8:36 am

I took mine as salary sacrifice, but it suits to drop my salary below the child benefit cut off etc, so makes sense.

They are ideal because it's an all in cost for insurance, service, repair etc..

Obviously doesn't suit everyone

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Inchy » Wed Sep 10, 2025 8:41 am

GetIntoEm wrote:
Wed Sep 10, 2025 8:36 am
I took mine as salary sacrifice, but it suits to drop my salary below the child benefit cut off etc, so makes sense.

They are ideal because it's an all in cost for insurance, service, repair etc..

Obviously doesn't suit everyone

Ah that’s yet another thing I need to consider. I’ve just gone to top B7 in the NHS which takes me into the higher tax bracket. If a lease dips me below that it won’t feel too bad

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by clitheroeclaret3 » Wed Sep 10, 2025 8:49 am

Caballo wrote:
Wed Sep 10, 2025 7:50 am
The latest offers from Ford on the Puma are wild. No deposit, £221 a month for 4yrs, with free servicing, a free home charger and 10,000 free miles worth of electric. It's only on 5k annual mileage, but still!
Who`s that with exactly, ford themselves? Had a look around and can`t find anything close to those figures

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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by DavidEyresLeftFoot » Wed Sep 10, 2025 8:51 am

I need to know what the rules/guidelines are for using the charging points in cark parks etc so that when I drive to Burnley for the footy I can get the most cost effective charging whilst in the area as I dont think I want to use the rapid chargers at the services with from what I can see are extortionate prices per kWh.

Can anyone offer any advice for me, thanks :)
[/quote]

Don’t use the 7kW chargers at Tesco. Thought I was being clever getting a full charge over 5-6 hours but ended up getting a ticket for overstaying Tesco’s 2 hour stay. Kind of defeats the point of using a 7kW charger. I managed to appeal it but you might not be so lucky.

I tend to use Applegreen chargers at the services. Fast and reliable. Or instavolt at macdonalds prestwich. With a full (free) charge at home before I set off, I just accept the cost of one charge to get me back to Hampshire.
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Caballo
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Re: Fully Electric Cars

Post by Caballo » Wed Sep 10, 2025 9:04 am

clitheroeclaret3 wrote:
Wed Sep 10, 2025 8:49 am
Who`s that with exactly, ford themselves? Had a look around and can`t find anything close to those figures
https://www.employeevoucher.co.uk/privi ... -ordernow/

That's the offer, no employee voucher required. Evans Halshaw, Polar Ford and a number of other dealers offering similar.
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