EV Discussion thread

Martyn1981

silverwhistle said:

Yep, another former keen second hand buyer, and the only reason I bought my first ever new car, an EV,  back in 2020 was that the second hand EV choices didn't really meet my needs as a single car household and were over-priced in the market. (FWIW didn't want a Leaf with chargergate and Chademo, and most Zoes were lease..).

If there had been better SH offers I may well have jumped in sooner. As it is I've now got an MG4 standard range which I'll keep for ages despite people telling me that I need longer range..

Yep, same here. We were going to get a newer SH 39kWh IONIQ to replace our 28kWh model, but the clearance price on the new (74 pre-reg) 40kWh Leafs was too good to refuse. So went down that route.

Also gave the IONIQ to my Sis and family, to start them off early on their BEV adventures, as they were budgeting/targeting 2027(ish).

Hopefully, there are now lots of cheap(ish) SH BEV's available that will suit households with more than one ICE, to replace their low use, city car, as a great way to dip toes in the BEV waters. If anything like us, with our 24kWh Leaf back in 2019), that shorter range second car BEV, will quickly become the main mileage vehicle, and first choice for any suitable trips.


Silly question, but I've forgotten what you had before the MG4, was it a MG5, as a dog walking friend is thinking of going BEV, as he's facing a huge MOT bill for his ageing ICE, and has been eyeing SH MG5's. Any complaints, problems? [He doesn't do a huge amount of mileage, and has driveway parking for charging.]

MeteredOut

michaels said:

Seems like both of the above could be true - individual repairs are more costly but because the rate of repair is lower the overall cost is also lower.

My leaf in 10 years and 95k miles has needed tyres and suspension bits about as much as an ice vehicle and they have cost the same - however it has needed 0% as many oil changes, exhaust repairs and brake component changes as an ice of similar age and miles.

Exactly. It's maybe too in the lifetime EVs to make it meaningful, but an average "hours in the workshop" for ICE versus EV would be interesting. Maybe it could be compared based on an equivalent age of each.

EDIT: As you do, I asked ChatGPT. Not verified, but interesting

"On average, a 3-year-old EV will spend significantly less time in the shop for repairs compared to a 3-year-old ICE vehicle. EVs typically spend about 2-6 hours annually on repairs and maintenance, while ICE vehicles can spend 6-12 hours annually, with potential for more downtime if mechanical issues arise."

and

"A 5-year-old EV will still typically spend less time in the shop than a 5-year-old ICE car, even though both will have aging components. The EV might spend 4-10 hours annually on maintenance, while the ICE car could spend 8-16 hours, depending on the complexity and frequency of repairs needed. While EVs are not immune to significant repairs as they age, their simpler design and fewer mechanical parts generally lead to fewer and less time-consuming issues."

and 

"At the 10-year mark, a 10-year-old EV will still generally spend less time being repaired than a 10-year-old ICE car, even though the gap may narrow somewhat as both vehicles age. A 10-year-old EV will spend about 6-15 hours annually on repairs, while a 10-year-old ICE car may require 12-30 hours annually, with more frequent and sometimes more complex repairs (engine, transmission, exhaust systems).

Overall, EVs continue to have a lower total repair time compared to ICE vehicles, primarily due to fewer mechanical components, fewer moving parts, and simpler powertrains."

These were just the summaries. All 3 provided details of the typical repairs required for each type/age.

And, just for laughs

"If we imagine a 100-year-old EV and a 100-year-old ICE car, the EV would generally require less time to restore and repair, particularly because the components are simpler, and the only major concern would be the battery and some electrical systems. Total repair time for the EV could take 2-4 weeks, while the ICE car could take several months (2-6 months) due to its more complex and extensive restoration needs."

I also played about with other dates, and it did talk about the risk of battery replacement for older EVs.

michaels

Hmm - not sure my 10 year old EV has spent 15 hours on repairs and servicing....in its life to date

silverwhistle

Martyn1981 said:

Hopefully, there are now lots of cheap(ish) SH BEV's available that will suit households with more than one ICE, to replace their low use, city car, as a great way to dip toes in the BEV waters. If anything like us, with our 24kWh Leaf back in 2019), that shorter range second car BEV, will quickly become the main mileage vehicle, and first choice for any suitable trips.


Silly question, but I've forgotten what you had before the MG4, was it a MG5,

My next door neighbours and friends have two cars which they are running in to the ground, and certainly I have told them that an EV for the regular 45 mile EW commute would be the best way to save money so the range wouldn't have to be massive, and the ICE for longer trips.

My previous was an MG ZS, which I p/ex with the dealer for more than I paid. They had a good deal back in 2020 such that people were coming from some distance to buy, and I think back then most early adopters had done their own research so no active selling by the dealer at those prices. They did include both Type 2 and granny cables which was handy.

Cleverly who do on-site servicing of EVs run MG5s which have _very_ large mileages which, like their popularity with taxi drivers, must be a good sign. It's being superceded soon so there should be some good prices around.

Martyn1981

Many thanks, good tip about the taxi drivers, I'll pass it on.

Grumpy_chap

So, a colleague has mentioned that over the weekend he returned to his car and unplugged ready to drive away, but it was the wrong car so he plugged them back in.  I challenged the possibility of this given the need to use phone app / touchscreen to disconnect charging port and he suggested it was because the occupants were in the car and near their phones / app.

Can this be possible?
I'm doubtful given I know how rigid the process is.  
Also, unplugging a car while live charging might risk damage as some arcing would occur and, repeatedly, this would wear the plug / contacts.
Furthermore, it could be something people would see as a prank on the way back from the pub...

On a related subject, I have found my charge plug difficult to insert and remove.  A couple of times I have plugged in to charge and received a notification that the car was not correctly plugged in.  Is is possible there is dirt somewhere and, if so, how do I safely make the plug smoother to insert and remove.

Petriix

You can only unplug a car that isn't actively charging, otherwise the cable is locked in place. Sometimes people might hit the big red emergency stop button which would then stop charging, allowing the cable to be unplugged. They would have to hope that the particular brand of charger would have a quick reboot sequence and not require a remote reset or even an engineer visit to allow them to charge.

I recall once coming across a car which was plugged in but not charging, probably due to a glitch with the charger. I restarted the charge for them (it was free back then, but needed an app to authenticate) until they hit 80% then stopped it and switched the cable to my car. Because I had initiated their charge, I was able to stop it too. I think I did the right thing though I'm not sure the other driver believed my explanation as to how or why I had taken over their charging session. 

Magnitio

Grumpy_chap said:

On a related subject, I have found my charge plug difficult to insert and remove.  A couple of times I have plugged in to charge and received a notification that the car was not correctly plugged in.  Is is possible there is dirt somewhere and, if so, how do I safely make the plug smoother to insert and remove.

Spray some silicone lubricant on the plug and wipe with cloth if it's not inserting smoothly.

Grumpy_chap

Magnitio said:

Spray some silicone lubricant on the plug and wipe with cloth if it's not inserting smoothly.

Is "silicone sealant lubricant" what I call WD40?  (EDITED to correct error.)
I was concerned that might result in some corrosion.

MikeJXE

Silicone sealant is what you put round windows and baths 

WD40 is what loosens bolts amongst other things 

Silicone lubricant is like WD40