An E-piphany!

[squirdan]

not driven one yet but been in Joe's round the block and it was impressively smooth and torquey

but I have driven a Tesla model S and that was frankly superb. step off like nothing ive ever been in

will be interesting to se when the model x SUV comes out how many x5 and cayennes get chopped in

I will be observing Joe's with interest as my work carpark has chargers installed

truth be told though for a 10mile commute the best machine says Condor on the side

[squirejo]

2 weeks in and still loving it. Have been looking for opportunities to use public chargers and so it was this afternoon at a local shopping centre I 'filled up' for free again. It has very impressive traffic light rally skills given the torques from zero and the heat pump system kept the car ice cool in today's heat. It also caught quite a few admiring glances parked amongst the ferraris and Mercs outside the Berkeley Hotel last night. Or were they saying 'what the feck is that doing here?'

Either way I remain v pleased with it. I get the 'granny cable' on Tuesday which enables you to slow charge from a standars household socket. Perfect as my work car park has one and I am there for 12hrs a day.....

Note 2 articles about EVs in today's Sunday Times, one half page on page 5 of the main section about Tesla and their rapid charging stations. Note Ecotricity has already installed very fast chargers that do a Zoe or a Leaf in 30 mins on m4 and M40 services. Not used one of those yet.

[squirejo]

Just a brief update. I am on holiday this week and don't have the Zoe with me, proving that it will remain my urban wheels. Its just not feasible yet to venture into unchartered charging waters! Nor track days at Silverstone, better by GT3 than MP3.

On that note, like all EV owners and including PH staff (see Tesla S review) I have had a few mixed experiences with on street chargers of late. The good news is the one local to home remains reliable and fast, as is one in a local shopping centre. However I was less successful at a charger near work (which already had a hateful g wizz plugged into the 3pin socket- could that have affected it?) and so far my new evse lead will not work with any standard socket I have tried.

Moral of the story I think is to top up as and when its convenient,rather than working from full to empty like a petrol car.
This would be very easy if I had a charger at home....

Otherwise the car remains excellent. Its very swift round town- quite the Q car in many ways- and impressed 3 previously sceptical colleagues on a trip across London. I also like driving round in something unusual.

All the stuff works well, but I have found the satnav takes a while to wake up when you first start the car, which is just when you need it to respond to your inputs! Too clever for its own good I think, as it checks traffic conditions.

In summary, 3 weeks and 250 London miles completed and I still like it. A lot. Getting used to different chargers and managing for the occasional disappointment is key.

[squirejo]

14 minutes.

Long enough to take a p155, buy and eat a flaccid sandwich, and take a Renault Zoe battery from 35 to 80%.

For free.

Thanks to the Ecotricity mega fast chargers now installed on motorways. Dont wait for Tesla- ......it could not have been easier.

[911hillclimber]

14 mins is an obvious leap forward for all-electric to become a commuting viable vehicle.
How much longer to get to 99/100%?

Is the charging rate exponential, quick to get a significant boost in a short time, but risingly longer to get to a 'fuller' charge?

When will this cease to become free?

[alanchester]

What if there are more than two cars?

[Fuchs915]

Great real world thread, watching with mucho interest. I am changing jobs shortly moving into the congestion charging zone with a 35 mile each way commute and one of these is an option. Public transport is going to be around 5 grand a year, so just need to get my head around the economics.

[Splitpin]

I have a twizy as the local run about and love it, the down side is Renault don't keep parts for EV in the UK!

[squirejo]

14 mins is an obvious leap forward for all-electric to become a commuting viable vehicle.
How much longer to get to 99/100%?

Is the charging rate exponential, quick to get a significant boost in a short time, but risingly longer to get to a 'fuller' charge?

Yes - it takes substantially longer to reach 100%, charge rate slows. So why bother. It reaches 100% readily on overnight charging.

When will this cease to become free?

Uncertain - different operators will do different things. What's certain is that it remains a damn sight cheaper than pertol or diesel to fill up with electricity. Circa £1.50 per 100mile charge using a home charger.
The Govt have confirmed another 500mio funding for car purchase grants and infrastructure which should last a few years.

[squirejo]

What if there are more than two cars?

Bit like queing for the bog, no?
Most m-way areas have standard 7kw chargers (circa 3hrs empty to full) which in extrremis would get you to the next service station.
I have learned that you should not "fill up" when emp[ty - to do so runs risk of a long wait for a low loader - but instead to charge or top up as and when you can with no downtime. For me, that usually means carparks.

[squirejo]

Great real world thread, watching with mucho interest. I am changing jobs shortly moving into the congestion charging zone with a 35 mile each way commute and one of these is an option. Public transport is going to be around 5 grand a year, so just need to get my head around the economics.

I would suggest that unless you can guarantee being able to charge at each end of the journey, you borrow a zoe to check you can get there in comfort. The range appears smart - eg most of my use is stop start round town - yesterday on the mway to heathrow it used fewer miles of juice that miles that actually passed beneath the wheels. Plenty of other owners doing similar daily commutes.

BMW i3 range extender otherwise.

[impmad2000]

There is a lot happening in and around London especially. With government committed to £500M to expand low carbon technologies, there is plenty happening. At the LowCVP ( low carbon vehicle partnership) conference yesterday, they had Tesla S, BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf on display, along side a low carbon petrol fiesta 3 cyl turbo. The Tesla looks great, but £50k to £80k is expensive.
Boris is introducing a EV plan for London, like the Boris bikes. See https://www.sourcelondon.net/tfl-select ... on-forward
This is scheme should be very similar to that implemented in Paris. Take up in Paris has been such that some people have given up their cars ! Imagine checking the location of a car on your phone, booking it, paying for and driving to destination, parking it and walking away. Someone else can then use the car ! £4 of 30 minutes , or there abouts ! The average journey time in London was suggested to be ~ 40 minutes. The scheme is due to start implementation later in the year.
I'm interested to see what happens in the next few years

[Splitpin]

We collected our E car this week

[squirejo]

12 months have whizzed silently by. I know this because it had to go for a service. That essentially consisted of plugging it in and updating the software and sat nav, checking the tyre depth and brake pads. And charging me £105 including collection and delivery.

This car makes me smile every day. Whether it's the free parking or the ability to make very rapid progress without anyone realising it thanks to the silence, it's been and continues to be a winner. The range has improved a great deal with the weather so I only have to charge it once a week vs twice in winter.

I have thought a lot about an i3, probably a range extender, given the success of my project adopting new tech. It is a lovely thing. But it's also double the money for no net gain. A Zoe is now available for a frankly laughable £85 a month on a lease deal - plus battery hire that's about £125 a month for excellent motoring.

[Splitpin]

All UK Zoe's should come with the service pack included for 5 years, but the dealers still try to charge every time!