EV Charger Cost.

piperm87

Petriix said:

As others have pointed out, the car's on board charger is a limiting factor. A dedicated EVSE is a good idea from a safety point of view and will shave a third off your charging time, but it hardly seems worth it for your PHEV.

As you dislike using the engine so much you're probably better off going for a full EV as soon as possible. Depending on your driving pattern, you might find the cost is minimal (or even negative). 

Its a company car on a 3 year lease. The model kuga I wanted was discontinued and my order got cancelled before it was built so i got lumbered with the phev. Its a lovely car and i can get 45miles to a charge most days but the petrol engine is a let down.. i dont understand why a 'eco warrior' battery car as such a big fuel guzzling engine.

Petriix

piperm87 said:

Petriix said:

As others have pointed out, the car's on board charger is a limiting factor. A dedicated EVSE is a good idea from a safety point of view and will shave a third off your charging time, but it hardly seems worth it for your PHEV.

As you dislike using the engine so much you're probably better off going for a full EV as soon as possible. Depending on your driving pattern, you might find the cost is minimal (or even negative). 

Its a company car on a 3 year lease. The model kuga I wanted was discontinued and my order got cancelled before it was built so i got lumbered with the phev. Its a lovely car and i can get 45miles to a charge most days but the petrol engine is a let down.. i dont understand why a 'eco warrior' battery car as such a big fuel guzzling engine.

There's nothing 'eco warrior' about a PHEV. They exist to solve a purely psychological problem.

Bigwheels1111

PHEV makes no sense to me.
Big engine, heavy battery limited range.

Hybrid like a Prius, 55 -60 mpg great.
No plugging it in.

Full EV speaks for itself.

If the MG4 were made into an estate I would snap one up.
MG4 twin motor is said to have a 0-60 in 3.7 seconds.

Chickereeeee

Bigwheels1111 said:

PHEV makes no sense to me.
Big engine, heavy battery limited range.

Hybrid like a Prius, 55 -60 mpg great.
No plugging it in.

Full EV speaks for itself.

If the MG4 were made into an estate I would snap one up.
MG4 twin motor is said to have a 0-60 in 3.7 seconds.

Strange, I view it the other way around:

PHEV - short journeys (ie most of them) via battery charged at home. Occasional  trips via ICE. 90% of trips - no emissions. (depends on use case.)

Hybrid: a load of extra complexity  just to get what an efficient pure diesel would give you ( and maybe some pure petrol engines). ALL miles are powered by fossil fuels.

[Deleted User]

Do bear in mind that the electrical range of all EVs and PHEVs falls away dramatically as the temperature reduces; heating and wipers get turned on etc. My first EV (an i3 REx) would happily do 80+ miles in the summer but only about 50 miles in the Winter.

Grumpy_chap

Bigwheels1111 said:

PHEV makes no sense to me.
Big engine, heavy battery limited range.

Hybrid like a Prius, 55 -60 mpg great.
No plugging it in.

Chickereeeee said:

Strange, I view it the other way around:

PHEV - short journeys (ie most of them) via battery charged at home. Occasional  trips via ICE. 90% of trips - no emissions. (depends on use case.)

Hybrid: a load of extra complexity  just to get what an efficient pure diesel would give you ( and maybe some pure petrol engines). ALL miles are powered by fossil fuels.

Well, I previously had a Toyota Auris Hybrid and found it was no more fuel efficient than the petrol Focus I have now.  So, that is all the weight and complexity for none of the gain.  As a self-charging hybrid, the battery was so small and so restricted it was virtually impossible to drive anywhere on actual battery.

PHEV - a friend has recently acquired a NIRO PHEV and he is experiencing the same issue I had with the Toyota - when driving, even sedately, the car fires up the ICE as the computer thinks you need the power.

My brother recently acquired a BMW i3 full-EV and that is far better than the PHEV, though is a limited range so he keeps an ICE also.

It is all-EV or all-ICE for me, any kind of hybrid seems pointless.  As the range of EV is increasing, plus improving charging network, the need for a back-up ICE will dwindle.  The MG options are very near to offering good solutions (apart from the "zero" crash test rating).  Otherwise, we all need to be able to afford a TESLA.

Chickereeeee

Grumpy_chap said:

Bigwheels1111 said:

PHEV makes no sense to me.
Big engine, heavy battery limited range.

Hybrid like a Prius, 55 -60 mpg great.
No plugging it in.

Chickereeeee said:

Strange, I view it the other way around:

PHEV - short journeys (ie most of them) via battery charged at home. Occasional  trips via ICE. 90% of trips - no emissions. (depends on use case.)

Hybrid: a load of extra complexity  just to get what an efficient pure diesel would give you ( and maybe some pure petrol engines). ALL miles are powered by fossil fuels.

Well, I previously had a Toyota Auris Hybrid and found it was no more fuel efficient than the petrol Focus I have now.  So, that is all the weight and complexity for none of the gain.  As a self-charging hybrid, the battery was so small and so restricted it was virtually impossible to drive anywhere on actual battery.

PHEV - a friend has recently acquired a NIRO PHEV and he is experiencing the same issue I had with the Toyota - when driving, even sedately, the car fires up the ICE as the computer thinks you need the power.

My brother recently acquired a BMW i3 full-EV and that is far better than the PHEV, though is a limited range so he keeps an ICE also.

It is all-EV or all-ICE for me, any kind of hybrid seems pointless.  As the range of EV is increasing, plus improving charging network, the need for a back-up ICE will dwindle.  The MG options are very near to offering good solutions (apart from the "zero" crash test rating).  Otherwise, we all need to be able to afford a TESLA.

I think the PHEV issue you mention varies by vehicle size/model/manufacturer, but I don't disagree with you last paragraph.

Jenni_D

Grumpy_chap said:
The MG options are very near to offering good solutions (apart from the "zero" crash test rating).  Otherwise, we all need to be able to afford a TESLA.

That's because it doesn't yet have a Euro NCAP rating. Info suggests it'll be 5 once it is tested.

CKhalvashi

Bigwheels1111 said:

PHEV makes no sense to me.
Big engine, heavy battery limited range.

Hybrid like a Prius, 55 -60 mpg great.
No plugging it in.

Full EV speaks for itself.

If the MG4 were made into an estate I would snap one up.
MG4 twin motor is said to have a 0-60 in 3.7 seconds.

The only cars to make sense in such a setup came from Hyundai, where the petrol engine to an extent functions like a 'normal' hybrid.

We decided we could live with an EV though and to be honest, I haven't noticed any drawback compared to a petrol/hybrid. The main benefit comes from reduced running costs. We have good enough charging infrastructure in the UK (and Europe) to make anything else obsolete IME.

Grumpy_chap

CKhalvashi said:

The only cars to make sense in such a setup came from Hyundai, where the petrol engine to an extent functions like a 'normal' hybrid.

It was my understanding that all PHEV cars also functioned as a normal hybrid, so if driving on ICE there would be charge of the battery from any excess energy (coasting) and the car could then run on battery or battery assist if needed.  
Essentially like the Auris hybrid I had, but with a bigger battery plus the ability to charge the bigger battery using an external plug

As I read your post, it seems to suggest that is not the case.  I may have misunderstood the comment.