Electric cars

[mancity1]

Do you not think that IF the doomsday scenarios don’t materialize, there will be some middle ground that will appease all sides? Some level of choice that enablers everyone to win?

Again, only if the science shows the things are not deteriorating or occurring at the pace policy makers once believed.

Excellent conundrum CB.

We will find a balance its never as bad as the worst scenarios paint but never as good as the deniers think it would be if nothing was done to reduce reliance on fossil fuels etc.

Global warming deniers have their heads in the sand so to speak based on the science however how to respond in an ethical , equitable , environmentally and economically effective manner is the challenge.

the aim of any generation should be to leave the world in a better place for the next generation and so on.

I don't believe government and policy makers alone are the solution and I know they will not be CB.

it will evolve over time , the environment is incredibly resilient , humans as well however our inhumanity to each other I see as a bigger threat to our longevity than pumping c02 into the air.

The world has finite resource and our population growth is the biggest challenge into the centuries ahead CB.

 

[bluethrunthru]

ahem.................range anxiety - this is embarrassing

'It's an absolute catastrophe!' Watch dramatic end to Valencia E-Prix

Watch the closing stages of the safety car-dominated Formula E Valencia E-Prix, which saw many drivers fail to finish, after running out of energy.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[rowarta]

off to wembley tomorrow, first big trip (over 400 miles) in electric car, slightly more planning than usual.

 

[willipp]

I've been today to look at a Cupra Formentor plug in hybrid v2 and really like it. I do a lot of small journeys and then a few longer ones so the fact i can run day to day on small electric journeys and anything over 30 miles petrol kicks in seems ideal. Few questions i have if anyone has experience of this:

• Cost of getting a charging point installed at home? Do you still get a government grant?
• Anyone got a Cupra formentor? Thoughts / experience?
• Are hybrids as convernient as they seem? Best of both worlds?

Thanks

 

[bluetonium]

I've been today to look at a Cupra Formentor plug in hybrid v2 and really like it. I do a lot of small journeys and then a few longer ones so the fact i can run day to day on small electric journeys and anything over 30 miles petrol kicks in seems ideal. Few questions i have if anyone has experience of this:

• Cost of getting a charging point installed at home? Do you still get a government grant?
• Anyone got a Cupra formentor? Thoughts / experience?
• Are hybrids as convernient as they seem? Best of both worlds?

Thanks

Yes you can still get grants. But be careful, there are two types of connection and it seems Japanese cars use one and American & European cars the other. I think last time I looked I would be paying around £500-850 towards it with the scheme covering the rest. Basically would take years to get the saving in fuel back, but it's convenient and faster to charge from a dedicated point.

I'd say hybrids are great for short / medium trips. But if, like me, you were somewhat duped into getting a hybrid as a company car by your firm wanting to appear 'greener', or drive more than 200 miles on trips, then it's a false economy.

A third of the range of my previous diesel car means more stops and diversions to refuel so I have longer trips, the electric battery runs dry before I hit the motorway so may as well not be there and finding a charging point that works is not easy. So it comes down to tax saving vs inconvenience. I have a Mitsubishi though a couple of years old, maybe the technology has moved on a bit.

 

[willipp]

Yes you can still get grants. But be careful, there are two types of connection and it seems Japanese cars use one and American & European cars the other. I think last time I looked I would be paying around £500-850 towards it with the scheme covering the rest. Basically would take years to get the saving in fuel back, but it's convenient and faster to charge from a dedicated point.

I'd say hybrids are great for short / medium trips. But if, like me, you were somewhat duped into getting a hybrid as a company car by your firm wanting to appear 'greener', or drive more than 200 miles on trips, then it's a false economy.

A third of the range of my previous diesel car means more stops and diversions to refuel so I have longer trips, the electric battery runs dry before I hit the motorway so may as well not be there and finding a charging point that works is not easy. So it comes down to tax saving vs inconvenience. I have a Mitsubishi though a couple of years old, maybe the technology has moved on a bit.

Thanks, thats a good help. I mainly do smaller trips (school, nursery, shops etc) so in my head i was thinking id be able to run electric ony for those day to day trips. Whenever i do have to drive somewhere for work which isnt often, it will be 100 mile round journeys max once every few weeks, so hopefully a mix of electric and fuel.

With an electric, they do say you can just run the charger of an electric plug which is an option short term, i presume it just takes longer, but is the cost to charge the same do you know?

 

[bluetonium]

Thanks, thats a good help. I mainly do smaller trips (school, nursery, shops etc) so in my head i was thinking id be able to run electric ony for those day to day trips. Whenever i do have to drive somewhere for work which isnt often, it will be 100 mile round journeys max once every few weeks, so hopefully a mix of electric and fuel.

With an electric, they do say you can just run the charger of an electric plug which is an option short term, i presume it just takes longer, but is the cost to charge the same do you know?

I've not checked sorry, I know the installed charging points at home can be fast chargers but don't know how they impact electricity usage. I did work out a while back that it was costing me 6p per mile on electric and around 11p per mile for unleaded but that can vary depending on various costs, road types and driving styles etc.

A full charge from the plug socket takes me around 6 hours, for max 28 miles of charge. Fast chargers are about a third of that time. Regenerative braking can help to top up the battery, but only a couple of miles on a normal trip unless you either drive different or find a lot of hills ;)

I'd say for the type of trips you describe it is very viable as an option. The dedicated charging point is an option if you don't need to see the money saving quickly, want the convenience and time saving, are not planning to move (one grant per property I believe) and don't want to run from a plug socket constantly.

 

[grunge]

my boss manged to travel from NW UK to Germany and Back in his Tesla with no issues and that was in 2019.. may have had to plan ahead a little but all in all the issues of charging are smaller than they were and diminishing every day.

 

[crooky]

ahem.................range anxiety - this is embarrassing

'It's an absolute catastrophe!' Watch dramatic end to Valencia E-Prix

Watch the closing stages of the safety car-dominated Formula E Valencia E-Prix, which saw many drivers fail to finish, after running out of energy.

www.bbc.co.uk

Nothing to do with the range of the cars but all to do with the regulations.

 

[Two Gun Bob]

Thanks, thats a good help. I mainly do smaller trips (school, nursery, shops etc) so in my head i was thinking id be able to run electric ony for those day to day trips. Whenever i do have to drive somewhere for work which isnt often, it will be 100 mile round journeys max once every few weeks, so hopefully a mix of electric and fuel.

With an electric, they do say you can just run the charger of an electric plug which is an option short term, i presume it just takes longer, but is the cost to charge the same do you know?

Probably a Phev would suit you better mate. Most of your trips are local/electric so will cost pennies or even nothing if you use the BE-EV Greater Manchester network. For longer runs just set it to run in Hybrid. Our vehicle was supplied with an on street charger and a 3 pin charger.

You can charge your vehicle straight from an electric plug as long as you are not impeding your neighbours access by trailing cables across the pavement. Our Phev has a 9kw battery with a range of 39 miles and yes we do get 39 miles and sometimes more with clever use of the regenerative system. Sometime we gwt less if we use air con and phone chargers etc but not much less. Least I have had is 33 miles. I cannot unfortunately use the bigger chargers as my max draw is 7kw

I can fully charge our 9kw battery in 3 hours and 15 minutes from empty on a 3 pin plug and on the 7kw street and car park chargers it takes slightly more than a couple of hours.

I have got increasingly better using regeneration to best advantage and going down Burnley hill from the Dorf I get max distance and extra charge. If you do not touch the accelerator you are not drawing electric and simply use regen one to three for cornering and braking.

House three pin will cost me around £1.30 for 39 miles
BE-EV Greater Manchester Network is free and comes with with free car parking in Bury and Rochdale (check with borough)
Pod is free in Tesco's
BP Pulse is ) 0.82 for a 9kw charge

Running Hybrid to blackpool and back we just achieved 88mpg. I went for three days and could have been a tight arse by charging at Fairhaven Park before we came back home to reduce costs further.