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Things like range drop would give me anxiety if I was to ever purchase an electric van -
I used to think like that. In practice, it has been a total non issue. You soon get used to it and motorway stops take about 5 minutes longer, a handful of times per year.
I've not had range anxiety but I rarely do long distance drives. When I do, I've been able to charge without any issues, so never been a problem.
Suspect when the petrol engine was first introduced people had range anxiety as well, but plenty petrol stations available and likewise, plenty EV chargers are around.
It does require a change to your journey behaviour, but stopping to charge isn't a bad thing... fast chargers are more pricey but get you going far sooner.
Ive been loosely following the pv5, reading the reviews etc, since a thread here and year ago which brought it to my attention.
I said then I quite liked its different and futuristic looks. One review described it as 'Star wars' and now its front end makes me think of Leia disguised as the bounty hunter!
As for utility.....I'm keen to see the 7 seat passenger version arrive, see how versatile it's seating is and how it drives. I'd like it to have a higher range but then the longest trip I currently do is about 225 miles and I'll stop twice on that usually (sometimes one of the kids needs a wee or something forces even more stops!) So 170 miles and an hour to charge would be fine in reality. So long as the charging infrastructure is there i guess.
For now, the 3 kids will continue to squeeze across the back seat of the octavia and I'll keep saving!
As an actual work van driver, not a delivery driver. I feel manufacturers are missing a trick.
They’re reducing battery capacity to keep payload weight up. A large chunk of small to medium vans never carry anything like their plated weights but need to travel decent distances.
300 mile real world range really would be needed keep an E Van out of the ball ache range for myself.
Especially after experiencing the E-Transit custom. Buggering about with apps, finding a fast charger which then charges 79p per kw, consuming 2.2kw mile..
Or even 2.2 miles per kWh.
Our van has a solar panel on it - how would that work for an electric van such as this?
I read this question as "Could we have the same set up - separate leisure battery charged by solar?" Yes, potentially the same, but your battery is almost certainly also charged, while driving, from a DC-DC charge, supplied from the alternator. Obviously this bit would be missing.
For our use, the PV5 with the bigger battery is looking like acceptable range. It would cover our UK needs with occasional charge stop offs, and we are finished doing big hit euro road trips focussed on the "destination". If we did them ev, the format would be different to make the journey part of the holiday.
But I'd really like a smaller MPV van. The current battery size Berlingo is borderline, but other offerings are just too low on range. The eCourier is the perfect size, but the claimed 127 miles motorway is going to be under 100 in colder months. We do a regular autumn Galloway trip that is just a few hours, but would need a big charge part way and there are only 7kW chargers locally meaning unloading everything on the night we arrive, then into the village and a 1.5 mile uphill pedal home (often in the rain and dark) as no chargers at the accomodation. We can start looking at 2 stop strategies but that is getting a bit silly for what is normally a 2.5 hour trip and wanting a usable vehicle first thing the next day.
In reply to Jamesoz.
Wow, that's still more costly than my petrol car. The charging infrastructure needs paying for i guess. I hope it soon gets more competitive.
Based on my earlier comment…
I'd have a Buzz Cargo, but still too expensive.
I had a look on Van Trader at lunch time and I reckon the VW prices have dropped quite a bit in the last few months. 2 year old ones are now around £21k + VAT. Maybe the introduction of this will cause the second hand prices to drop more because it won’t make sense to buy a second hand Buzz for nearly the cost of a new Kia. Well here’s hoping anyway!
Wow, that's still more costly than my petrol car.
Well yeah, but that’s the cost for a fast charge that you use infrequently because most fill ups are done at home overnight at a cost of 27p per Kw. £19 for a 70Kw battery, (which is a massive one) even if you don’t have an overnight cheap charging tariff.
I could have bought a nearly new seven Seat Vivaro Life Electric for the same price as I bought a diesel version (same spec). The electric just wouldn't get me into Wales and over to the West coast on one charge (140 miles) with a load of camping crap.
Well yeah, but that’s the cost for a fast charge that you use infrequently because most fill ups are done at home overnight at a cost of 27p per Kw.
7p on my Octopus tariff. A full charge of 280 miles is about £4.50.
Well yeah, but that’s the cost for a fast charge that you use infrequently because most fill ups are done at home overnight at a cost of 27p per Kw.
7p on my Octopus tariff. A full charge of 280 miles is about £4.50.
Ours costs nothing to charge with solar panels and battery storage a trip to Cheltenham and back is 70 odd quid every week electric anything is great for local anything long range and diesel reigns supreme
Wait until the Chinese models flood the market and you will have a toy vehicle that you can change battery like a toy, by then I might be able to afford one. LOL
didn't Tesla trial something like this? a hot swappable battery at a forecourt, but it didn't go beyond a trial.
I think this would help shut the 'can't take a 20 min break every few hours' ICE defenders, but it would require the development of a universal standard battery interface, which may compromise range on a lot of vehicles. so maybe battery tech needs to continue to improve.
I do like that Kia van, it'd make a great little camper.
Over 15 years ago I was a sustainability conference in Melbourne. There was an Israeli(?) company Better Place that was seeking to start a scheme where you did a quick battery swap at roadside stations. IIRC they had identified a Renault-based EV as the vehicle. They'd chosen Australia as the place to do the pilot, claiming that once they'd proven it was feasible here then it would be a no-brainer that it would work in most countries.
Given that was the last I heard of them, I'm assuming they just didn't get any funding.
OK, went and searched it. About 4 years later: 2012 Renault Fluence Z.E. battery-swapping electric car coming to Australia
Bankrupt by 2013.
Ours costs nothing to charge with solar panels and battery storage a trip to Cheltenham and back is 70 odd quid every week electric anything is great for local anything long range and diesel reigns supreme
I use my solar and battery for daytime consumption and export the rest as the savings are better than using them to charge the car. I don't know where you live but it would be a very long trip to spend more overall than you would on diesel. Bearing in mind you set off fully charged and can arrive home empty.
Pretty much all the chargers I use ar around Europe are cheaper than diesel for an equivalent car. Avia on the autoroute 39 cents at the last services used. Tesla 33, 39, 44, and 49 depending on site and time of day. supermarkets often around 35 cents. Unsurprisingly the most expensive are in petrol stations such as Total Energy and then diesel is cheaper.
That range was apparently achieved at an average of just under 20mph. Range is pretty much a non issue due to modern charging speeds, 15 mins got me a another 150 miles range in my Buzz last week on the very rare occasion that I charge away from home.
Yeah yeah I get that home charging is very much cheaper. Hence my comment, I guess it's the infrastructure being paid for. Anyway, i didn't mean to derail the thread away from pv5 talk, sorry.
I've been keeping an eye on these since they were announced. I've considered a Buzz for when my current car gets replaced but I just don't think they are very good for carrying bikes compared to my current MPV due to the surprising lack of height to the load space if you have rear seats.
I am hoping the PV5 doesn't suffer from a similar fate, but it doesn't look that promising from what I've see of the way the rear rows fold / move.
I am hoping the PV5 doesn't suffer from a similar fate, but it doesn't look that promising from what I've see of the way the rear rows fold / move.
Using measurement from a mk1 eyeball watch youtube, it doesn't look anywhere near as useful in the back as a Berlingo/Rifter/Combo XL
hopefully someone will produce something as useful and flexible as my Caravelle - if I can then get a used one for 20k ill be a happy man. 250 mile range will be fine assuming decent fast charging
Havent VW paused manufacturing of the Buzz and Multivan due to poor sales. The Kia van should be good.
Wouldn't surprise me, they're both horrifically expensive to buy or lease. (The ID Buzz Commercial is okay actually). Another issue I found when I looked at each of them was they're being marketed like the old Transporter was, at Transporter money, but they're MPVs really.
£60k-£70k for a VW Sharon with a depreciation curve like a Pumpkin in November, or a 7 seater EV with no boot and a poor WTLP rating.
I am hoping the PV5 doesn't suffer from a similar fate, but it doesn't look that promising from what I've see of the way the rear rows fold / move.
Using measurement from a mk1 eyeball watch youtube, it doesn't look anywhere near as useful in the back as a Berlingo/Rifter/Combo XL
hopefully someone will produce something as useful and flexible as my Caravelle - if I can then get a used one for 20k ill be a happy man. 250 mile range will be fine assuming decent fast charging
The PV 5 has a smalker footprint than my Skoda Superb. Perhaps the bigger PV7 when it arrives might hit ghe sweetspot between saily usability and interior size.
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/kia/366485/new-kia-pv7-will-be-10-vans-rolled-one
The PV 5 has a smalker footprint than my Skoda Superb. Perhaps the bigger PV7 when it arrives might hit ghe sweetspot between saily usability and interior size.
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/kia/366485/new-kia-pv7-will-be-10-vans-rolled-one
Hard to tell, but that looks to be more T6 / Transit Custom sized than the PV5. Still a concept but that looks great. LWB version double cab please.
I am hoping the PV5 doesn't suffer from a similar fate, but it doesn't look that promising from what I've see of the way the rear rows fold / move.
no, that looks shit. The rear seats need to fold/roll to give a flat load space for it to be useful.