EV cars

mark206000

Anyone got an electric car ? Been looking at a Renault Zoe.

redped

No. I saw a Zoe a few days ago.

On a less sarcastic note, it would be helpful if you actually fleshed your post out with some questions about electric cars/the Zoe, rather than a simple yes/no question ...

mark206000

Well if someone says yes then I'll ask some questions.

On my phone also typing not easy, so was just a quick post to see if anybody here has one.

RikM

I keep looking at EVs, but the range issue is the biggest stumbling block.
I'm not saying I would need something with the range of a petrol engine or hybrid, but a couple of hundred miles at least, so I could go on a day or weekend trip.
The current crop of cheaper EVs can't manage much more than a daily commute (plus change). A practical range of 70 or 80 miles just doesn't cut it. Stick a bunch of people in the car and that's going to drop even further.

So I'm going to watch the market for a few years and wait for them to get the battery tech sorted out. Fast charging and higher capacities needed.
On the other hand, if all you want is something for a daily commute and some shopping....

ballyblack

"They might be cheap to run, but most of them are far from economical to buy. The Clio-sized Zoe is priced from £17,983, which falls to just £13,995 after Gov grant"

14,000 grand for a 'puddle jumper' with poor range?

NO thanks




.

CEON44

ballyblack wrote: »

"They might be cheap to run, but most of them are far from economical to buy. The Clio-sized Zoe is priced from £17,983, which falls to just £13,995 after Gov grant"

14,000 grand for a 'puddle jumper' with poor range?

NO thanks




.

I see Hurst has a few second hand ones at what seems cheap money, which says a lot

saverbuyer

There's a NI guy over on the motoring forum who has a Nissan NOTE. He bangs on about how good it is. Might be worth looking over there if your interested in buying one.


I think I'll wait and get a Tesla Model S. I've notice a few about Belfast. Expensive though.

BigAl94

Have a read here http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/renault/zoe-2013/
Don't forget to factor in the monthly cost of leasing batteries.

mark206000

I've got a 40 mile commute and wouldn't regularly venture 40+ miles from home for the range to be a problem for me. We also have another normal car that is sat doing nothing most of the time as she takes the train to work most days.

Some great deals on the Zoe at the minute, cheapest so far from dealer, £199 a month for 2 years no deposit for 10k miles. Includes free home charger install. Servicing cost are also minimal compared to normal car.

Take £80 of diesel i'm using per month at the minute of the £199, if charging at home and not availing of the currently free chargers about the place replace that with about £20 of electricity charges. So be £139 a month really and also free road tax compared to £180 or so i'm paying now so that's another £15 of that again, £124. I'll be selling one of the existing cars for about £2500, if I keep that and use it against the payments then i'm looking at £20 a month including car and fuel. If i've made a mistake let me know, i'm just up from nightshift so a bit sleepy still !

The Zoe takes about 4hrs to charge from empty to full from the free 7kW home charger and in about an hour from the 22kW ones about the place. Seems they are not really very well maintained tho since being given over to ESB. But I don't imagine needing to use them often, if ever unless in an emergency really. There are more about than you think, 160 double 22kW and 16 rapid chargers across the country.

Going for a test drive this week to have a nosey. The numbers all seems to work out for me, just trying to convince myself that it's a good idea !

almillar

Anyone got an electric car ? Been looking at a Renault Zoe.

14,000 grand for a 'puddle jumper' with poor range?

I don't know what a puddle jumper is, but do you realise the price of a Clio these days?!

Anyway, I've got a Zoe. £5,000 gov grant, and £5,000 Renault contribution helped! £320 deposit, £151 including battery per month for 2 years. I won't be buying it at the end of the PCP! Limited to 7,500 miles. Free 32A charger installation at your house. They're not that cheap now though.

You do need to think about your range. I've got a 16 mile commute in and out of Belfast so it's great for me instead of chugging along in my manual gas guzzler. In NI (and in the south) we've also got an excellent network of chargers, which are also fast.
If you do under 60 miles a day, and you're willing to charge every night, if necessary, go for it. Especially if it's a second car.

There's a NI guy over on the motoring forum who has a Nissan NOTE

That wouldn't be much use. I assume you mean Leaf.

I've got a 40 mile commute and wouldn't regularly venture 40+ miles from home for the range to be a problem for me. We also have another normal car that is sat doing nothing most of the time as she takes the train to work most days.

Perfect!

and in about an hour from the 22kW ones about the place

Hmm, not quite. Charging for 1 hour at these is a good use of your time, but you won't be full. The 1st Zoe motor could charge at 43kW (at IKEA, Shane Retail Park and others) and will hit 99% in around an hour. The newer, more efficient motor can only charge at 22kW (most other public charger speeds) so when I plug mine in, the predictor is usually around 2 hrs. It'll charge really fast up to 90%, and as a general guide, it's a waste of time to charge beyond that at these fast chargers. It will sit at 99% for ages BTW, balancing the cells. That's definitely something to save for when it's sitting at home, the odd time. Ask away with any questions!

qwert_yuiop

Someone's had an aixam electric car on car zone.ie for the last few months. Every few weeks he drops the price another few hundred. I might give him a call around June or so. How long would it take to get home from cork?