Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

JKenH

Needing Chademo didn’t help on Saturday as of the two Gridserve charging stations at Cambridge services it was the CCS/Chademo one in use and the 2 x CCS station was free. (There were also several Ionity chargers which are solely CCS and didn’t appear on Zap-Map.) On Sunday all the spots were busy but the wait would have been shorter for a CCS. The situation I described at Northampton services would have affected CCS and Chademo users alike.

The ratio of new CCS/Chademo stations being added, which when compared to the number of new CCS cars/Leafs being sold might even favour Chademo users. (I don’t have any stats to support that BTW).

I have in previous posts made the same point you make about the overall benefits of EVs vs ICE cars and that is why I have stuck with my EV. Having a lot of solar PV which basically provides nearly all my home charging in summer is a huge factor in my sticking with my EV  but perhaps only around 3% of households have this so not something many new car buyers will be able to factor in. 

Having an ICE car to fall back on is also a consideration for some but as yet in 2+ years of owning an EV not a fall back I have exercised. That comfort blanket is there though for that emergency long run I have talked about in previous posts. I do wonder (this forum aside) what proportion of households have an EV as their only car.

silverwhistle

Fortunately now any emergency run would just leave me panting as aged parent has moved to my village, and their previous location and distance was one reason I didn't get an early Leaf!

In single car households I think the numbers with EVs might surprise us, but it would be interesting to know. It'll certainly be an out-of-date figure as the situation is very dynamic all round.

orrery

JKenH said:

Having an ICE car to fall back on is also a consideration for some but as yet in 2+ years of owning an EV not a fall back I have exercised. That comfort blanket is there though for that emergency long run I have talked about in previous posts. I do wonder (this forum aside) what proportion of households have an EV as their only car.

This seems to be a very odd position to be arguing. When we had discussions about battery size, was it not you that was very clear on the benefits of keeping battery sizes small for environmental reasons?

Some of us got rid of the ICE - in my case a change that was enabled by buying an EV with a large battery.

EricMears

orrery said:

This seems to be a very odd position to be arguing. When we had discussions about battery size, was it not you that was very clear on the benefits of keeping battery sizes small for environmental reasons?

Some of us got rid of the ICE - in my case a change that was enabled by buying an EV with a large battery.

Pretty much my position too plus we used to need an ICEV to tow a caravan but no longer have one,

Coastalwatch

Our four years of EV ownership has been little short of a revelation. No more smelly fumes, rattling tappets, oil and fuel filter changes, rusting exhaust pipes, leaking radiators, antifreeze checks, replacing clutches, big end failures, crankshaft regrinds, blown head head gaskets, leaking core plugs.

Is the EV charging infrastructure perfect, no, is it improving, certainly. Do I keep posting on FF forums about the wonders of EV's no, it would be insensitive and anyway I've got better things to do with my life.

Quite why anyone should subscribe to this forum and then post so negatively about it I really cannot begin to comprehend.

1961Nick

Coastalwatch said:

Our four years of EV ownership has been little short of a revelation. No more smelly fumes, rattling tappets, oil and fuel filter changes, rusting exhaust pipes, leaking radiators, antifreeze checks, replacing clutches, big end failures, crankshaft regrinds, blown head head gaskets, leaking core plugs.

Is the EV charging infrastructure perfect, no, is it improving, certainly. Do I keep posting on FF forums about the wonders of EV's no, it would be insensitive and anyway I've got better things to do with my life.

Quite why anyone should subscribe to this forum and then post so negatively about it I really cannot begin to comprehend.

You forgot pads & discs replacement that dealerships use to routinely milk you.

orrery

Coastalwatch said:

Quite why anyone should subscribe to this forum and then post so negatively about it I really cannot begin to comprehend.

Well, sometimes we do need a dose of realism. My own daughter (currently driving my old ICE) will be looking for a new car in the next 6 months and I'll be loath to recommend a pure EV over a PHEV. She has a 5 year old daughter and does tend to set off almost anywhere in Britain at a whim. I suspect that when she sees the prices and the lead times, she'll go for a more modern petrol

I had a recent experience trying to use a GeniePoint charger with the Bonnet app and it took me three goes to get it to charge - I suspect that car had some timing interaction re locking the doors which upset it. Either way, this reliability will need to improve significantly for Joe Public to buy in.

JKenH

I recall hearing that the MG ZS had an issue with charging and either the car needing to be locked or unlocked (I don’t recall which). Bjorn Nyland did a video about it iirc. Hopefully it’s sorted now but it is one of those niggles that shouldn’t be there. 

During the first year of EV ownership the main charging issue for me was not availability of chargers but usability with the myriad apps required. This year while I have found less chargers available but so many more are now contactless and I haven’t had to ring a call centre once. Where the contactless option exists I don’t even bother with the app even if it is cheaper. I just tap my card and away we go.

When on Sunday I saw my last resort charger was BP Pulse I groaned as a couple of years back I could never get them to work and avoided ever since but fortunately the ones at Huntingdon were contactless and started no problem - even easier than a petrol pump where a pin is required. That’s how it should be and should have been from day one and we would have had nowhere near as many Daily Mail stories or genuinely frustrated EV users. 

JKenH

1961Nick said:

Coastalwatch said:

Our four years of EV ownership has been little short of a revelation. No more smelly fumes, rattling tappets, oil and fuel filter changes, rusting exhaust pipes, leaking radiators, antifreeze checks, replacing clutches, big end failures, crankshaft regrinds, blown head head gaskets, leaking core plugs.

Is the EV charging infrastructure perfect, no, is it improving, certainly. Do I keep posting on FF forums about the wonders of EV's no, it would be insensitive and anyway I've got better things to do with my life.

Quite why anyone should subscribe to this forum and then post so negatively about it I really cannot begin to comprehend.

You forgot pads & discs replacement that dealerships use to routinely milk you.

Well, that’s a whole new can of worms that we had better not open on here.

Exiled_Tyke

orrery said:

Coastalwatch said:

Quite why anyone should subscribe to this forum and then post so negatively about it I really cannot begin to comprehend.

Well, sometimes we do need a dose of realism. My own daughter (currently driving my old ICE) will be looking for a new car in the next 6 months and I'll be loath to recommend a pure EV over a PHEV. She has a 5 year old daughter and does tend to set off almost anywhere in Britain at a whim. I suspect that when she sees the prices and the lead times, she'll go for a more modern petrol

I had a recent experience trying to use a GeniePoint charger with the Bonnet app and it took me three goes to get it to charge - I suspect that car had some timing interaction re locking the doors which upset it. Either way, this reliability will need to improve significantly for Joe Public to buy in.

Realism is good. Your example is a good one.

Some of us who've been around a while have become rather raw with the history of certain individuals who appeared to be more interested in debating why Green & Renewables shouldn't be supported rather than sharing news and exploring how practical issues might be solved.  These threads were initially set up and contributed to, by a number of people enthusiastic and dedicated to researching and sharing news of progress. In the past it has become clear that some sought to undermine these intentions. Some have been banned by the MSE moderators. Others have learnt to play by the rules.  

Some recent posts have caused concern that we may yet descend back into those times. Some of those posting, probably believe they are highlighting important issues or providing genuinely useful debate. Whilst other readers perceive them as trying to impede progress and thus create a feeling of 'we've been here before'.  As I said 'raw wounds' from previous experiences.    

So I guess those who were here from the beginning want a focus on progress and the future.  Issues, concerns, realism have a place. I think it's all about balance and recent discussions have highlighted that the balance doesn't fit with the  intentions of those who set these threads up and put so much effort into finding interesting, informative and relevant news.