Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

JKenH

Did anyone else notice the Jaecoo 7 at number 6 in the charts. I might have heard the name but if someone asked me to list Chinese car manufacturers it wouldn’t have been a name I could recall. 

Without asking anything away from the Puma electric (which I think you can get on lease for around £220/month including deposit) the August figures do look a bit odd.



Jaecoo have sold more cars this year (11,681) than Citroen, Lexus or Porsche without me ever noticing one on the road and having now seen photos the Jaecoo 7 is not a car you could miss. So far this year they have sold almost half the volume of BYD (24,333). The Chinese contribution is dominated YTD by MG (50,817) but if we ignore Polestar (which I perceive, perhaps wrongly,  as a European brand) then after Jaecoo, Omoda (again a brand I have heard of wouldn’t recall) comes next (9,900) then Leapmotor (who have a JV with Stellantis) can only manage 1048. The big Chinese names I recognise, like GWM (224) and XPeng (228), hardly make a splash. Meanwhile Tesla have only sold 26,951 - that’s barely more than BYD. I find this really odd as I have seen a lot of 2025 plate Teslas on the road this year but not that many BYD, and barely any Omoda and no Jaecoos. 

I acknowledge that we notice the cars we recognise more than ones we don’t but nevertheless I do wonder how many of the Jaecoos and the Omodas are actually making it onto the road and who is buying them (and why)?

Netexporter

Jaecoo are partnered with JLR, in China, which is, presumably, why their cars look somewhat like Range Rovers.

NedS

I'm not the most observant, but notice a lot of Tesla's (brand recognition, no doubt), and increasingly have noticed BYD and some Omoda's. I'm not sure I've ever knowingly seen a Jaecoo.

Exiled_Tyke

thevilla said:

Exiled_Tyke said:

Martyn1981 said:

thevilla said:

I ofter wonder how soon people buying PHEVs, assuming they actually plug in, regret not going full EV.  Trying to fit a journey into limited battery capacity and paying to service a redundant ICE.

I ponder the same, but flipping it, I can see a positive benefit from PHEV's, and that's because I not so secretively think of them as 'Trojan BEV's'.

For some people, BEV's may not yet work, but a PHEV will give people a positive experience (hopefully!) of driving in electric only mode. But more importantly, I hope that folk who wrongly (but genuinely) think that a BEV won't work for them, will change their mind after experiencing a PHEV, and move on to a BEV.

So that PHEV may teach, and build confidence, allowing for a partial then full move away from an ICE. But .... crucially, that PHEV will now go on to someone else SH, and another and another, helping to educate more and more people about BEV's. So the new PHEV sale may displace one new BEV sale, but ultimately help to transition many from ICE to BEV. [As viewed through my green tinted glasses.  ]

So, an evolutionary dead end, but perhaps a useful stepping stone for some, for now?

Absolutely right. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gone full BEV if I hadn't had a PHEV first.  And that one did pretty well with my mix of long and short drives (including a trip to France) averaging 85mpg for the petrol use. 

Was there a "wish I'd bought a BEV" moment or just natural progression?

 😁

Sorry for the delay in responding. I've just spent two days driving to the Dordogne (with pre-planned but trouble free charging stops).      I don't think it was either of these really.  I'd quite fancied a BEV as soon as ranges became practical but didn't have the courage to go for it. I guess at the time charging infrastructure was still a bit of a worry.    The PHEV made me much more aware of all things BEV and gave me the confidence to go all the way. 

That said, and in response to other comments here, the PHEV performed really well. On long journeys it got similar mpg to my previous diesel  (which I think is great as the PHEV was a brick of a mini SUV and petrol) .  And as I've mentioned here already, overall with lots of daily commutes averaged over 80mpg.   

JKenH

If I do get my extra panels I am thinking of getting a cheap BEV or replacing my Golf with a PHEV. It would make a lot of sense if my export is limited to do one or the other. The 19kWh Golf PHEVs (while pricey) appeal to me. They don’t do an estate version though. Your comments about petrol consumption are reassuring. Which PHEV did you have?

However, getting a Powerwall poses a dilemma. Do I go for IOF for the high export rates or IOG/Go for the cheap import rates? 

michaels

Exiled_Tyke said:

thevilla said:

Exiled_Tyke said:

Martyn1981 said:

thevilla said:

I ofter wonder how soon people buying PHEVs, assuming they actually plug in, regret not going full EV.  Trying to fit a journey into limited battery capacity and paying to service a redundant ICE.

I ponder the same, but flipping it, I can see a positive benefit from PHEV's, and that's because I not so secretively think of them as 'Trojan BEV's'.

For some people, BEV's may not yet work, but a PHEV will give people a positive experience (hopefully!) of driving in electric only mode. But more importantly, I hope that folk who wrongly (but genuinely) think that a BEV won't work for them, will change their mind after experiencing a PHEV, and move on to a BEV.

So that PHEV may teach, and build confidence, allowing for a partial then full move away from an ICE. But .... crucially, that PHEV will now go on to someone else SH, and another and another, helping to educate more and more people about BEV's. So the new PHEV sale may displace one new BEV sale, but ultimately help to transition many from ICE to BEV. [As viewed through my green tinted glasses.  ]

So, an evolutionary dead end, but perhaps a useful stepping stone for some, for now?

Absolutely right. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gone full BEV if I hadn't had a PHEV first.  And that one did pretty well with my mix of long and short drives (including a trip to France) averaging 85mpg for the petrol use. 

Was there a "wish I'd bought a BEV" moment or just natural progression?

 😁

Sorry for the delay in responding. I've just spent two days driving to the Dordogne (with pre-planned but trouble free charging stops).      I don't think it was either of these really.  I'd quite fancied a BEV as soon as ranges became practical but didn't have the courage to go for it. I guess at the time charging infrastructure was still a bit of a worry.    The PHEV made me much more aware of all things BEV and gave me the confidence to go all the way. 

That said, and in response to other comments here, the PHEV performed really well. On long journeys it got similar mpg to my previous diesel  (which I think is great as the PHEV was a brick of a mini SUV and petrol) .  And as I've mentioned here already, overall with lots of daily commutes averaged over 80mpg.   

How does charging work in France?  I sort of fear you either have to pay motorway service rates on the motorway or spend time coming off and have to pay extra on the peages for breaking the journey?

QrizB

JKenH said:

If I do get my extra panels I am thinking of getting a cheap BEV or replacing my Golf with a PHEV. It would make a lot of sense if my export is limited to do one or the other. The 19kWh Golf PHEVs (while pricey) appeal to me.

I was looking at VW iD 3s on AutoTrader earlier (yes, a dangerous pastime lol). Was surprised how much car you can get for £10k.

QrizB

michaels said:

How does charging work in France?  I sort of fear you either have to pay motorway service rates on the motorway or spend time coming off and have to pay extra on the peages for breaking the journey?

The Octopus Electroverse app covers France (and Spain, and so on).

Picking a random* service area on the A10 just north of Bordeaux, they're asking €0.55 per kWh at a 350kW DC charger, or €0.35 for 50kW. By UK standards that's a bargain; the 7kW AC charger in my local council carpark is more expensive than that!

* Aire de Terres de l'Estuaire.

silverwhistle

michaels said:

How does charging work in France?  I sort of fear you either have to pay motorway service rates on the motorway or spend time coming off and have to pay extra on the peages for breaking the journey?

Dead easy. Have now done 2 trips to Italy in my MG4, the first in a long day and the second, this year, with an overnight stop to make it more relaxed and to avoid a long wait at the Mont Blanc tunnel. 

With those distances it makes it worthwhile getting a (temporary) subscription to Ionity or Tesla, which brings down the cost even more than those quoted above. 

Prices vary but there isn't the autoroute premium you'd pay for FF. That said there are some cheaper providers off route such as our overnight stop with an Izivia charger whilst we had a meal near our hotel: £9.57 on Electroverse (via my Octopus electricity bill) for 40.2 kWh [23.8p]. IE charge are also a cheap provider and there are others.

michaels

Thanks both.  I feel the Fisker may need a run...

However the new Gen cars like the BMW ix3 that can add 2 hours motorway speed driving in a 10 minute stop are looking very interesting indeed or be it the prices are currently way outside my budget.