EV Discussion thread

MikeJXE

Veteransaver said:

 one as a runabout but the cabin is so much like my Mk7.5 Golf, I didn’t want two cars the same. 

Got 6 mi per kWh in my Ioniq the other day at 8C. 25 mile journey that took about 40 mins, even had the heating on.
If we are going to compare relative efficiency of EV Vs ICE then you can only really look at the fuel source and work it out from there. A gallon of petrol contains around 40kWh.
My battery is 38kWh and I can get anywhere between 140 miles and 220 miles on it.
So effectively slightly more than 140-220mpg equivalent.
So roughly 3-5 times more efficient than a petrol ICE. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

I'm not that smart by all accounts 

But my thoughts would be does not efficiency rely on costs, theres not point it being more efficient if it costs more is there ? 

JKenH

Veteransaver said:

JKenH said:

Magnitio said:

JKenH said:

Magnitio said:

My wife's EV has just consumed 4.8m/kWh for 72 miles, which exceeds WLTP. It took her 15 seconds to plug it in when she got home. Myth busted.

That’s very efficient. Well done. What EV does she have?

2020 e-Golf. I accept that it has been achieving around 3.6m/kWh when temperatures have been around freezing as it doesn't have a heat pump, but in this mild weather it is very efficient. My petrol car uses between 10 and 20% more when it's very cold, and is particularly poor on short journeys.

Ah, yes, the e-Golf is supposed to be very efficient. I have read a few reviews that suggest they perform better than the WLTP figures might suggest.  Good choice. I did think about getting one as a runabout but the cabin is so much like my Mk7.5 Golf, I didn’t want two cars the same. 

Got 6 mi per kWh in my Ioniq the other day at 8C. 25 mile journey that took about 40 mins, even had the heating on.
If we are going to compare relative efficiency of EV Vs ICE then you can only really look at the fuel source and work it out from there. A gallon of petrol contains around 40kWh.
My battery is 38kWh and I can get anywhere between 140 miles and 220 miles on it.
So effectively slightly more than 140-220mpg equivalent.
So roughly 3-5 times more efficient than a petrol ICE. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

That’s very impressive. I used to be on a Kia EV Facebook group and e-Niro users would report those sort of figures (around town). I think the WLTP figure for the Hyundai 38kWh is 198 wh/mile. It looks a nice slippery shape.  I recall Mart saying his 28kWh Ioniq is also very efficient. What is it with all these “official” reports bemoaning how EVs fall so far short of their WLTP range in cold weather. https://insideevs.com/news/707165/tesla-model-3-highland-falls-short-norwegian-winter-range-test/

I’ll pass on your EV/ICE comparison - that’s a rabbit hole we went down a week or two ago.😉

paul991

I am now looking for a EV next car .How often do non business users drive over 200 miles in a trip .I know I only do 4 0r 5 trips a year like that.

silvercar

paul991 said:

I am now looking for a EV next car .How often do non business users drive over 200 miles in a trip .I know I only do 4 0r 5 trips a year like that.

Once a month, in a Tesla M3 LR. I wouldn’t do it in the second car, my 39kwH Leaf.

JKenH

paul991 said:

I am now looking for a EV next car .How often do non business users drive over 200 miles in a trip .I know I only do 4 0r 5 trips a year like that.

A lot more, when I had an EV, it seems. I never really noticed it before.😉

Perhaps it depends on where you live and work and where your friends and family live and what your hobbies and holiday interests are. I was brought up in Lincolnshire, went to University,  met friends there from all over the country who then got jobs all over. I lived in Croydon, married a lass from the Home Counties moved to Leeds and Bradford for work before eventually settling back in Lincolnshire so all my life I have been driving all over the country for social reasons. We holiday all over the UK (although we have a motorhome for that) but it is till driving - 350 miles down to Cornwall last year. One of my hobbies is motor racing and I drive to circuits all over the UK.

My son lives exactly 100 miles away so a round trip to his house is just 200 miles but we usually meet up at some other location for grandkid's birthday parties so 250 miles is not unusual. My daughter lives in Thailand and likes to fly in and out of Manchester Airport. She visits with family at Christmas and in the summer and I often (not always) do a taxi run to the airport which again is over 200 miles round trip. (I have reported in the past how badly that once went in winter). My daughter also borrows my car when she is here and put 2500 miles on it in the summer, visiting friends in the Lake District, Wales, Somerset, Lowestoft and Hertfordshire. (That didn’t help my average mpg).

I am now at an age where many of the people I know are dying. In December 2022 I drove 390 miles in the day (195 miles each way) to Surrey for a funeral  when it was -7C and didn’t take a break on the downward leg. Later this month we are going to a funeral in Wrexham and then on to the wake in Oswestry then back home all in the day. I haven’t worked it out yet but I know it’s over 300 miles. When I took my Leaf to Wales in 2022, the charging took a fair bit of planning but this year I can comfortably do the run in my Golf without having to think about refuelling. In theory I could find somewhere to charge an EV while at the wake but would I want the hassle? Perhaps it wouldn’t be very close and probably I would have to go out and move it half way through.

My usage pattern may well be unusual and maybe that’s why an EV hasn’t worked for me. I do, though, know loads of people who have lived locally all their lives, their families are local and apart from a holiday only drive locally so an EV is a much better fit for them. 

I don’t think enough attention is paid to lifestyle when we talk about whether or not an EV is suitable. We look at off street parking but don’t really look at usage patterns as much as we should. Perhaps that’s why many people were unsympathetic to and dismissive of the problems I encountered during EV ownership and don’t understand why I now drive a petrol car. 

Everyone can live with an EV if they have to or want to. It’s just about the level of inconvenience we are prepared to put up with and that will inevitably vary from both a situational and psychological perspective. It seems I have a low tolerance for inconvenience. 

Martyn1981

paul991 said:

I am now looking for a EV next car .How often do non business users drive over 200 miles in a trip .I know I only do 4 0r 5 trips a year like that.

Perhaps once a month. But I do think there is still a two-tier system in the UK (other European countries seem far better) with Tesla's being 'super easy, barely an inconvenience', but other vehicle owners sometimes running into problems. That'll improve over time, even if we all have to lean on Tesla unlocking more of their supercharger locations as a stop-gap.

Back when we dipped our toes in the water, and got a 24kWh Leaf (~60 miles of reliable range), alongside our petrol Zafira, I was utterly shocked at how little mileage we used the Zafira for, especially as BEV driving is so, so much nicer.

JKenH

Interesting statistic from Norway the Toyota BZ4X outsold the Tesla Model 3 in 2023. 

The most successful model by far was the Tesla Model Y, which recorded 23,085 new registrations in Norway for the year as a whole. This gives the Model Y a market share of 18 per cent for 2023 (after 10 per cent in 2022). The VW ID.4 follows far behind with 6,614 new registrations over the year (5.2 per cent market share), the Skoda Enyaq with 5,740 new registrations (4.5 per cent) and the Toyota bZ4X with 5,395 new registrations (4.2 per cent).

https://www.electrive.com/2024/02/02/norway-saw-4717-new-electric-cars-in-january-2024/

EricMears

paul991 said:

I am now looking for a EV next car .How often do non business users drive over 200 miles in a trip .I know I only do 4 0r 5 trips a year like that.

Not very often at all !  Probably only if we're staying somewhere overnight in which case I try and arrange some destination charging; 'granny lead' if we're staying with a non EV owner who will let us use a 13A plug or when looking for an AirBnB  I try and find one offering EV charging but pricing is extremely variable.  Many  hosts just pass on their actual cost of power but some charge a 'little' extra.  One I checked offered charging at 50ppu on the (somewhat flimsy !) excuse that they had a 'green tariff'.

Veteransaver

MikeJXE said:

Veteransaver said:

 one as a runabout but the cabin is so much like my Mk7.5 Golf, I didn’t want two cars the same. 

Got 6 mi per kWh in my Ioniq the other day at 8C. 25 mile journey that took about 40 mins, even had the heating on.
If we are going to compare relative efficiency of EV Vs ICE then you can only really look at the fuel source and work it out from there. A gallon of petrol contains around 40kWh.
My battery is 38kWh and I can get anywhere between 140 miles and 220 miles on it.
So effectively slightly more than 140-220mpg equivalent.
So roughly 3-5 times more efficient than a petrol ICE. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

I'm not that smart by all accounts 

But my thoughts would be does not efficiency rely on costs, theres not point it being more efficient if it costs more is there ? 

Why would cost would ever come into a system's efficiency? You are talking about cost effectiveness.
Increasing the cost of electricity would not mean an EV is any less efficient, it would just mean it is not cost effective.

Spies

When did IONITY prices go up? It was 66p/kwh when using Electroverse for the longest time, I just checked and it's now gone up to 71p and that includes the 5% discount.