EV Discussion thread

Grumpy_chap

I never got around to checking the plug and socket at a public charger but the weather has warmed up a bit now and on Friday and today the plug has gone in and out in exactly the way that it should - no stiffness or difficulty at all. Brings me back to my thinking that it could be down to temperature and something expanding / contracting differentially to something else.

Martyn1981

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81895805#Comment_81895805

I wonder if it could be an issue with your plug then? I was pondering a teeny variance from the norm for either your plug or socket, but if the public ones are OK, then maybe your plug?

Maybe worth checking with some other EV owners if you know some, testing their cars/plugs with yours.

Maybe some careful use of sandpaper or a file on your plug, not car. 😉

Grumpy_chap

Thanks Martyn,

It is a bit odd as the car / plug were fine for 2 years then last winter became stiff and that repeated in the recent cold weather.

silverwhistle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81895892#Comment_81895892

Well, I have noticed a correlation between age and stiffness myself..

JKenH

Why it will cost you more to drive your EV once it is V2G enabled.

I had been posting on the Energy board under the thread about the reduction in Octopus export rates from 15p to 12p/kWh and suggested a potential upside of reducing the export rate, i.e. the opportunity cost of driving a V2G capable EV (rather than exporting from it to the grid) falls from around 5p to 4p per mile. Rather than take that thread further off topic I thought I would raise the point here.

So far, other than Nissan Leaf drivers, no one has had to give this much thought but once we have V2G enabled cars, like it or not, we will have to face up to  the opportunity cost of lost export. One kWh of battery capacity will typically take an EV around 3 miles (yes, we can argue about that if you have an eUp or something else very efficient but it’s an average) - or it can earn you 12p (previously 15p) in export. Once you have V2G therefore driving will cost approximately 4p/mile in lost income. 

I have seen it posted many times on this board that “I fill my car up for free with solar PV” but if you are on metered export we all know that isn’t the case, just as using solar to run my ASHPs isn’t free. It will be the same with V2G.

So, when you buy your next V2G enabled EV just remember it will be costing you an extra 4p a mile to drive it compared to your old EV. 

Netexporter

I imagine V2G will mostly be used to satisfy the evening peak. You currently get in the region of 30p/kWh for exports at that time.

debitcardmayhem

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81897269#Comment_81897269

On a EV tariff ? where/which?

JKenH

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81897269#Comment_81897269

It might make sense if you have a lot of solar to go onto a tariff like Flux in the summer rather than stay on IOG but compared to a PW3 you are quite limited with V2G as to the rate at which you can discharge. It also makes it more expensive to charge your car and the opportunity cost of driving it works out at about 10p/mile with a 30p export rate.

JKenH

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81897289#Comment_81897289

I imagine we will see a lot more innovative tariffs but the opportunity cost of lost export income issue is likely to remain.

Netexporter

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81897289#Comment_81897289

I'm just pointing out the relative price differences. I'm sure special tariffs will be developed to make V2G attractive to customers as well as financially viable for the supplier. I think I'm right in saying that you can currently mic Octopus Go with Agile Outgoing, which would give those sorts of differentials.