EV Discussion thread

michaels

What about a nissan Ariya, I know not a snob badge but the 63k battery should get your range?  Carwow from 41k

Grumpy_chap

silverwhistle said:

It occurs to me that the MG4 longer range, with more goodies too, could do your commute.

I believe you are correct.

silverwhistle said:

it does strike me that the day a week commute is rather a tail wagging the dog. 

I do understand that thought, but I disagree. 
Since COVID my annual mileage has been very low, to the point of challenging whether I even need a car.  I have found a lot of pleasure from walking which I can with the time spent on the commute gained.  My mileage has crept up latterly, but I can't say by how much as the milometer display is broken.
So, that one day a week is going to be the bulk of the car use.  I also have to consider the likelihood that one day per week in the office will be a frequency that gradually increases.

silverwhistle

The variables and the weight that we give to each one are personal and only known to ourselves, so no one else can make a decision for you, but we can all point out different perspectives.

I would never had accepted a 70 mile commute when I was working, from time reasons let alone cost. My mileage is low really, but there is much I do that needs a car, especially when public transport is so poor even if I use the train regularly. I don't use buses or taxis, those distances are for bicycles! But the driving pleasure of an EV is considerable, especially knowing you don't locally pollute, and yesterday even managed 16-20 free miles from my PV.

lisyloo

Absolutely. As a motorcyclist and cyclist a safety rating of 0 would not bother me, which doesn’t mean I don’t care (I go to great lengths) but it’s all relative.

I am perfectly happy to use other modes of transport where practical but there are unfortunately enough times when it isn’t practical, more so if you have a dog. Sundays are pretty near a write off for public transport unless you are going to a city center.

Martyn1981

Grumpy_chap said:

silverwhistle said:

It occurs to me that the MG4 longer range, with more goodies too, could do your commute.

I believe you are correct.

silverwhistle said:

it does strike me that the day a week commute is rather a tail wagging the dog. 

I do understand that thought, but I disagree. 
Since COVID my annual mileage has been very low, to the point of challenging whether I even need a car.  I have found a lot of pleasure from walking which I can with the time spent on the commute gained.  My mileage has crept up latterly, but I can't say by how much as the milometer display is broken.
So, that one day a week is going to be the bulk of the car use.  I also have to consider the likelihood that one day per week in the office will be a frequency that gradually increases.

Remember to place it in context though, as you may only have to stop a couple of times a year when all issues are against you, unless you're willing to drive a bit slower on those days. So a 5 min stop on rare occasions would be less than the 'regular' 5 min stop you'll have to do with an ICEV.

Of course, that 5 min stop assumes the chargers and apps work!!!!!!

70sbudgie

Had my 3.5 year old Zoe (EV, not a child!) in the garage today for a "rattle". Turns out that the anti roll bar (part of the suspension) has worn enough to move around and knock.

The garage seemed quite keen to point out that it is usually an effect of driving style (and maybe a little bit of road surfaces). 

It got me thinking more about my driving style. I thought I took great effort to drive efficiently, using eco mode for at least 90% of my driving, gentle breaking and accelerating, etc etc. Averaging about 4m/kWhr. (It was 4.4 before the garage reset all the computers!)

But, one of the things I love about driving an EV is its responsiveness. And there are a lot of windy roads and roundabouts where I drive. So maybe the moments when the girl racer escapes have taken their toll on the suspension?

thevilla

Take it with a pinch of salt. I'm old enough to remember when all Ford Cortinas had dropped doors because their owners "slammed them".  Was nothing but a smoke screen for bad design.  1960s but I bear a grudge.

michaels

70sbudgie said:

Had my 3.5 year old Zoe (EV, not a child!) in the garage today for a "rattle". Turns out that the anti roll bar (part of the suspension) has worn enough to move around and knock.

The garage seemed quite keen to point out that it is usually an effect of driving style (and maybe a little bit of road surfaces). 

It got me thinking more about my driving style. I thought I took great effort to drive efficiently, using eco mode for at least 90% of my driving, gentle breaking and accelerating, etc etc. Averaging about 4m/kWhr. (It was 4.4 before the garage reset all the computers!)

But, one of the things I love about driving an EV is its responsiveness. And there are a lot of windy roads and roundabouts where I drive. So maybe the moments when the girl racer escapes have taken their toll on the suspension?

The ARB droplinks are the only thing we have had done on our 7.5 year old leaf - local fitter total cost 60 quid including parts, dread to think what the stealer would have charged.  I think the extra weight of the batteries and straddling speed humps are the big things that wear these, driving economically you slow down / accelerate less for speed bumps than you might otherwise.

silverwhistle

70sbudgie said:

But, one of the things I love about driving an EV is its responsiveness. And there are a lot of windy roads and roundabouts where I drive. So maybe the moments when the girl racer escapes have taken their toll on the suspension?

Yes, sounds a bit like me, and having replaced an MG ZS with the MG4, an only EV design with rear wheel drive, the responsiveness and road holding is a different matter.

But sometimes an EV engenders a relaxed cruisy attitude so I don't anticipate problems in the long run.

70sbudgie

michaels said:

70sbudgie said:

Had my 3.5 year old Zoe (EV, not a child!) in the garage today for a "rattle". Turns out that the anti roll bar (part of the suspension) has worn enough to move around and knock.

The garage seemed quite keen to point out that it is usually an effect of driving style (and maybe a little bit of road surfaces). 

It got me thinking more about my driving style. I thought I took great effort to drive efficiently, using eco mode for at least 90% of my driving, gentle breaking and accelerating, etc etc. Averaging about 4m/kWhr. (It was 4.4 before the garage reset all the computers!)

But, one of the things I love about driving an EV is its responsiveness. And there are a lot of windy roads and roundabouts where I drive. So maybe the moments when the girl racer escapes have taken their toll on the suspension?

The ARB droplinks are the only thing we have had done on our 7.5 year old leaf - local fitter total cost 60 quid including parts, dread to think what the stealer would have charged.  I think the extra weight of the batteries and straddling speed humps are the big things that wear these, driving economically you slow down / accelerate less for speed bumps than you might otherwise.

The dealer quoted me £135 to replace, and I booked it in, but now I know it isn't an EV issue, I want to see if I can get a local garage to do it for me. I couldn't persuade any of the local garages to do a diagnostic check on my Renault EV, so had to go to the dealer. 😞 

They gave me a petrol SUV as a courtesy car. 😞 At least it was an automatic so I didn't have to remember how to use gears!