Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

EVandPV

JKenH said:

EVandPV said:

Grumpy_chap said:

I hope that, when I switch to EV from ICE, it will be a success and my only regret will be not doing so earlier.

That's certainly been my experience after 2 years with the Zoe.
Sure, it doesn't have anywhere near the level of tech a Tesla has but it's still so much nicer to drive than any ICE I've ever driven. 
That seems to be pretty common feedback from first time EV owners.

Not had any issues with range or range anxiety and now charge 100% at home although admittedly, I couldn't tell you the last time I drove more than 120 miles in a day.

You'd genuinely have to pay me (a lot) to go back to an ICE.

There has been quite a lot on the SpeakEV forum about the Zoe being very sensitive to chargers and refusing to charge on some AC chargers that other cars cope with fine. Perhaps if you just charge at home you haven’t encountered this problem. Again some real world testing by Renault would have sorted this issue before the car went out to the public. I don’t know if any modifications have been done by Renault but there does seem to be a generally dismissive attitude by manufacturers to customers pointing out their cars don’t work properly. 

Edit: here is a work round in case you do encounter the problem.
https://fuelincluded.com/2016/10/renault-zoe-battery-charging-impossible-bci/

Yes, I'd heard of some earlier 22kwh Zoe's having issues with some chargers due to the BMS reporting an earthing problem.
My understanding is that a BMS update had largely addressed this though.
Haven't heard of any ZE40 or ZE50 models experiencing this.

JKenH

EricMears said:

JKenH said:

 Rapidgate was foreseeable with only a minimum of testing yet Nissan still released the car.

'Rapidgate ' usually only happens after a third rapid charge the same day.  I had a 40 kWh Leaf for a couple of years and was never affected - but OTOH  never actually needed a fourth rapid without a very long 'rest'.  Not had the opportunity for doing very long journeys in my 62kWh model but don't anticipate experiencing this problem.

I’ve never been affected by Rapidgate either but it’s one of those word association things. Mention 40kwh Leaf and folks think Rapidgate. The perception is bigger than the problem for most people but it shouldn’t have happened. Nissan either knew about the problem and decided still to launch the car or they didn’t do enough testing. Either way it has blighted the reputation of a very good practical car. 

Solarchaser

I like the idea that more mainstream car manufacturers will sort out the EV niggles, especially as I think we are really coming to the end of the EV being "early adopters" only.

However a couple of weeks ago I seen a citreon Picasso on fire in the hard shoulder.... thats not that unusual a site, and usually nothing to do with the ice part of the car.

So I guess we will see.

Why do you see so many tesla complaints, probably for a few reasons, tesla has alot more fanboys than other brands, it also has alot more tech nerds than other brands.
And really you expect a £50k car to just work!

JKenH

Solarchaser said:

I like the idea that more mainstream car manufacturers will sort out the EV niggles, especially as I think we are really coming to the end of the EV being "early adopters" only.

However a couple of weeks ago I seen a citreon Picasso on fire in the hard shoulder.... thats not that unusual a site, and usually nothing to do with the ice part of the car.

So I guess we will see.

Why do you see so many tesla complaints, probably for a few reasons, tesla has alot more fanboys than other brands, it also has alot more tech nerds than other brands.
And really you expect a £50k car to just work!

It has been said that Tesla doesn’t need to advertise because of all the Tesla fans spreading the word and that policy seems to be working as I read that the next couple of quarters are sold out already. That is the power of living on the internet but it can have its downside. 

Tesla has also closed its PR department and relies on Elon Musk to smooth any problems over with a dismissive tweet every now and then. The fanboys love that but it can alienate anyone who feels they have a genuine problem and so they go on forums to moan. They then get called trolls and shills by the fanboys and the battles rage on. 

I am not aware of any other brand that divides opinion as much as Tesla and perhaps that is down to the polarised nature of discussion about Tesla. That’s what was refreshing about the warts and all review of your Tesla experience. 

Martyn1981

Solarchaser said:

I like the idea that more mainstream car manufacturers will sort out the EV niggles, especially as I think we are really coming to the end of the EV being "early adopters" only.

However a couple of weeks ago I seen a citreon Picasso on fire in the hard shoulder.... thats not that unusual a site, and usually nothing to do with the ice part of the car.

So I guess we will see.

Why do you see so many tesla complaints, probably for a few reasons, tesla has alot more fanboys than other brands, it also has alot more tech nerds than other brands.
And really you expect a £50k car to just work!

I'm not sure, but I think the phantom braking issue is down to the radar, and the noise the computer has to deal with when the radar and cameras are providing info at the same time. So the deletion of the radar may resolve that, but not sure.
The shadow testing of vehicles with just cameras seems to have gone fine, and vehicles are now being delivered without radars.

One downside though of the radar deletion will, or might be, the ability of the car to see a problem two vehicles ahead. There are  vids of Tesla's giving emergency braking warnings, even though the vehicle in front is driving normally, but the radar has bounced under the car, and noticed the vehicle in front of that one has stopped or slowed massively. Of course, the result sometimes is that the Tesla gets rear ended, but at least avoids the pile up ahead!

Lots of info in the last day or two on this when Andrej Karpathy (Tesla’s head of AI) shared a huge update on Tesla FSD at the CVPR virtual computer vision conference. But the link has gone!!

Edit - Tesla is to hold an AI day in a month (or so). It's supposedly about recruiting, but folk expect some updates on FSD.

CKhalvashi

JKenH said:

Solarchaser said:

I like the idea that more mainstream car manufacturers will sort out the EV niggles, especially as I think we are really coming to the end of the EV being "early adopters" only.

However a couple of weeks ago I seen a citreon Picasso on fire in the hard shoulder.... thats not that unusual a site, and usually nothing to do with the ice part of the car.

So I guess we will see.

Why do you see so many tesla complaints, probably for a few reasons, tesla has alot more fanboys than other brands, it also has alot more tech nerds than other brands.
And really you expect a £50k car to just work!

It has been said that Tesla doesn’t need to advertise because of all the Tesla fans spreading the word and that policy seems to be working as I read that the next couple of quarters are sold out already. That is the power of living on the internet but it can have its downside. 

Tesla has also closed its PR department and relies on Elon Musk to smooth any problems over with a dismissive tweet every now and then. The fanboys love that but it can alienate anyone who feels they have a genuine problem and so they go on forums to moan. They then get called trolls and shills by the fanboys and the battles rage on. 

I am not aware of any other brand that divides opinion as much as Tesla and perhaps that is down to the polarised nature of discussion about Tesla. That’s what was refreshing about the warts and all review of your Tesla experience. 

I wouldn't have a Tesla for the exact reasons you've mentioned.

Trying to do things a little differently in business is one thing (we do that, it works relatively well), but I don't like the way the company operates in relation to many areas.

The other reason Tesla as a brand puts me off is that I personally believe in life we should be discreet. To me, someone driving a Tesla comes over as being very show-y, where with the Ioniq there is a petrol version, and VW have it right with the ID3, which to most people looks like a Golf.

Martyn1981

Couple of news items from different sides of the planet.

China BEV sales almost into double digits for May:

12% Plugin Vehicle Share In China!

May was the third month in a row that the plugin vehicle share reached the double-digit mark, hitting 12% (9.4% full electrics/BEV). That kept the 2021 share at 10% (8.3% BEV), and considering that the second half of the year is usually China’s strongest, we can now safely assume that the country’s plugin vehicle market share will end comfortably above the 10% mark this year and the total tally of the year will exceed 2 million deliveries!

And a US Government study confirms that the cost of maintaining a BEV is 40% lower than for an ICEV - Note this doesn't include fuel cost savings.

It’s Official: US Government Says Electric Vehicles Cost 40% Less To Maintain

In its latest study, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy says,

“The estimated scheduled maintenance cost for a light-duty battery-electric vehicle (BEV) totals 6.1 cents per mile, while a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) totals 10.1 cents per mile. A BEV lacks an ICEV’s engine oil, timing belt, oxygen sensor, spark plugs and more, and the maintenance costs associated with them.”

NigeWick

EricMears said:

JKenH said:

 Rapidgate was foreseeable with only a minimum of testing yet Nissan still released the car.

'Rapidgate ' usually only happens after a third rapid charge the same day.  I had a 40 kWh Leaf for a couple of years and was never affected - but OTOH  never actually needed a fourth rapid without a very long 'rest'.  Not had the opportunity for doing very long journeys in my 62kWh model but don't anticipate experiencing this problem.

Not for me it wasn't. And, there was a video of a German suffering it on the first charge when it was about 30C outside.

Coastalwatch

By coincidence our 40kW N-connecta Leaf went in for it's third year service and first MOT yesterday, so following recent posts thought it might be appropriate to post the outcome.

Relieved to discover the health check on the battery saw it with all twelve segments intact and the comment "Your score is very high and very good for your battery".

Admittedly we're happily retired and potter around locally with a mileage of just 15952 to date of which the last twelve months of lockdown added a mere 2394 miles!

We have taken extended journeys but two or three times a year requiring fast charging when en route. Usually after a couple of hours on the road and in need of a stop for a comfort break etc anyway. We've been fortunate to always find chargers at planned stops available, until the last time, when calling into Cobham Extra Services to discover the Ecotricity pumps were all in the process of being replaced. Fortunately it was just another twenty miles further to Clacket Lane Services where we had a choice of two pumps from which to charge. We haven't as yet been on a journey requiring two fast charging sessions consecutively.

When at home, charging is handled by Zappi whenever the battery falls under the 85% mark, although generally this may be anywhere between 40 & 85%.

Other than on extended journeys I haven't felt the need to engage cruise control etc so have little experience with it, but impressed with what it appears to offer. Typically maintaining a safe distance between ourselves and vehicles in front. But, being a bit of a control freak, always alert to taking back control, if you'll pardon the expression, when congestion or junctions require negotiating.

To date total fuel cost has averaged 1.8p/mile so we're delighted with how it's performed for us and, looking ahead, also anticipating being able to activate V2H/G when the opportunity arises.

Solarchaser

Solarchaser said:

So as I said I've had the Tesla for 4 weeks, and thought it was a good time to put up my evolving thoughts on the tesla.

The good.
Very smooth car, power delivery and composure on the road is very good.
The acceleration is awesome
Very settled at speed
Very quiet
Very efficient 
Love sentry mode (side note, don't pull your knickers out of your rear near a Tesla, it will record it🙄🙈)
Supercharging is the gold standard in charging
Adaptive cruise control 

The bad.
Huuuuge glass roof/rear windscreen but you can hardly see anything out of the back (though I do like my seat as low as possible)
I really don't like the lack of dials
Huge screen but a 20 character max on the radio station, so you can't see what tune is being played, same with USB pen. So frustrating that one.
Everything has to be controlled from the screen, even rear heated seats, just silly imo.
Can't hang up a Bluetooth call from the steering wheel, only the screen. 
Adaptive cruise control

The ugly.
The self steering mode is a total waste of time, it requires you to constantly move the steering wheel, and though you may think you do, unless you are in an American film, you don't tend to move the steering wheel on a constant road, and generally don't push against resistance, you sit with the wheel balanced, but self steering thinks you have let go as no resistance so starts flashing at you or complaining. 
It also cuts out when you indicate to overtake etc, so imo pointless.

Lane assist, initially I thought this was quite good, a safety improvement like the old rumble strips that have saved many lives (including my own several times).
However it cannot be fully disengaged. 
Even if you turn off its various modes, it's still there.
So what's the problem?
When you go to overtake you indicate, and lane assist is happy,  but when you move back in to the slower lanes you don't indicate, and unless you make a pretty dramatic change of direction, lane assist tries to keep you in lane, and in my opinion it's bloody dangerous, it doesn't do it as you approach the lane, it does it when you are crossing into the lane, for me the point where I'm checking my mirrors again to make sure nothing was hiding in my blind spot before fully committing to the lane change, and the feeling you get is very similar to when a car gets very close on the motorway and the air between you pushes you away. To say its somewhat disconcerting is a big understatement. 
It also mutes your music and beeps (sometimes).
So you can turn that part off,  lots of warnings from Elon,  but you can apparently turn it all off.
Except not really, because now what it does on unindicated lane changes is wobble the wheel a little, very similar to if you rolled over a little bit of rumble strip.
Enough to give you that slightly confused look on your face, before dismissing it.
***** edit. I was an idiot, you can switch it off******

Hey its not the only car with lane assist right? Plenty of cars have it, but you can usually turn it off.

In finishing I'd say I'm a big leaf fan, I think they are great wee cars, and plenty nippy too.
However as the Tesla was on 4% from the long drive, I decided to nip into town with the wee leaf.... man that bloody Tesla, its totally ruined my leaf experience,  the regen is nowhere near enough, it leans too much, its too slow.
Sorry leaf. You do still have dials and a far better dashboard though 🤪

So it turns out I owe Elon an apology. 
You can switch off the lane assist.
I'd only moved it from "assist" to "warn" instead of switching it off.
Switched it off and now no more wheel wobble on lane changes.

Sorry Elon... you are still a bit weird though