1/2 an acre was actually cheap as chips when we bought it and still is up in the north. How the dickens do you track posts? I can’t even track posts that I’ve written!
What are your main concerns?
carrying four bikes
Allan sports do towbar and boot mounted 4 bike racks I believe available on amazon maybe, I've no idea how bad the range is hit with 4 bike frames strapped to the back (I presume taking wheels off would help)
Boot size,
5 large banana boxes size I believe (Bjorn Nyland). obviously with 4 people in you can't drop the back seats but you'd defo fit 4 front wheels and 4 ikea blue bags full of 4 peoples biking kit in the boot boot (plus you have a small front boot as well).
The state of the electrics in my house and the inevitable sucking through the teeth when the installation team arrive to fit a charger.
I had a similar problem, my consumer unit was old style fuses that when they blew you just put a new bit of wire in. I had the whole consumer unit upgraded but it wasn't silly money (small house). They left an rcd or whatever for an electric shower cable which then became my ev point (went mixer rather than electric shower). I also have a new cutout installed by the DNO (that's free) before the smart meter installers will touch it.
Having to learn to like coffee for something to do when it’s charging.
If you're talking tesla then you can sit and watch netflix / youtube or you can play video games, all on the big screen. I've found public charging is not a chore at all and passes quickly. My car's IP address appears to be in Spain, so I can watch all sorts of British TV shows that presumably due to copyrights I can't get on youtube on my laptop or TV with a UK IP address.
NB bear in mind you have to pay for subscriptions to stuff like netflix and spotify, I think the tesla over the air service is going to stop being free soon as well. you can still do music and free spotify from your phone tho and may be able to use your phone as a wifi hotspot to tether to the car and use your phone data, I'll have to cross that bridge when it comes.
Don't forget that a chunk of your charging if not most of it will be at home during the night, if you get your electrics sorted.
The fact I live in a triangle of the country with zero superchargers.
Same here, having one nearby might be nice I suppose, but really the main point of them is for long distance motorway journeys. The idea is Local journeys should be all possible from you're home charger (or in my case currently, one of 7 local free public rapid chargers on my commute).
On the living near a supercharger thing, how far away are they? I reckon ideal is about 1.5 hours from home along your common route, that way it might be a useful stop on a long journey home. Much closer and you're fairly unlikely to want to use it anyway.
On shonky electrics and charging at home, a 16A commando socket might be an easy and cheap circuit to fit if you're having trouble or want something temporary. I'm a year in and still don't have a proper charge point at home.
On having to like coffee for something to do when charging, beware. I like coffee but am a snob, so I hate Starbucks.
or in my case currently, one of 7 local free public rapid chargers on my commute).
Are they on Chargemap or Plugshare? If not where are they and how do you get access? I'm planning a trip to the UK once Covid has settled down and preferably before 31/12 when things get more complicated for us foreigners.
Zap-map has a filter for free chargers Edukator I’ve one around the corner from me that’s free it usually depends on local authorities.
Zap-map then, thanks, Drac.
Are they on Chargemap or Plugshare? If not where are they and how do you get access?
Quite a few local councils have done a deal with Engie using national funding. https://ev.engie.co.uk/ this is where you register, link to the map is at the top and bottom of the page. All are free to use until Oct 2021
Drac is right about zap-map however weeks ago I added the details of a new local Engie charger and zap-map have done sod all about adding it on.
Thanks B.A.Nana, I signed up to Engie and I'm now fine if I go to Yorkshire (which seems to be the only area covered), I need to researche other areas.
It takes them ages to add new chargers.
Kia is off the lease list now. Down to a top of the range Leaf+ or bottom of the range tesla.
Tesla is £750 a year more.
A great choice to have but a tough one!
Major factor putting me off the tesla is no apple car play for podcasts. Back to bluetooth streaming. 👎🏻
Are you prepared to support the UK car industry?
Decent point, yes, I suppose so.
Also just discovered that the tesla is £20 extra a month tax because it's over £40k. Not something I would normally need to know, my hilux is 24yrs old and cost £3k...😬
I dont know much about the Kia, but my Model X is great and if the 3 is of a similar build then i know what i would do.
It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you get into the swing of charging mid trip, its not bad....a quick loo break and some lunch and you can soon pass half an hour.
Their fast charging network is growing all the time too.
I think I’d rather have this than the Tesla...
https://hypebeast.com/2020/8/aviar-r67-1967-ford-mustang-tesla-model-s-electric-car-ev-custom-built-classic-muscle-car
Are you prepared to support the UK car industry?
Exactly how many electric cars are being mass-produced in the U.K.? Enquiring minds would like to know...
The Leaf which is one of the OP's stated options.
I think I'm pretty close to going for an e-Niro '4'. Pre-reg so a small discount, but still eye-watering as I've only ever bought second-hand before. Got a 3.5-year PCP offer which I feel instinctively wrong about, or I can afford (I think!) a 5 year HP deal on it.
Wanted to wait a couple more years or so before doing this so that there was a second-hand market but some rotter stole my Octavia estate. Half of me's like "do PCP, then move onto hopefully something a bit bigger by then" and the other half doesn't trust that and thinks that after 5 years I'll still do alright selling it on and if not I can just drive it for years more.
It'd be smaller on storage than we're used to which would be fine a lot of times but means a range-sapping roof box on some trips and/or bikes up there on the rack too. Most of the time I'd be able to chuck my bike in the back with the seats down though I think, I normally don't ride with the family.
It defies physics and stuff, but yet another half of me is like "just put the insurance settlement on a second-hand Civic estate or something you idiot, save the money for exciting things like decorating the bedrooms".
Huh, now this thread's made me realise I could also get a Tesla M3 with a tow hitch for the same kind of monthly cost but over 6 years. I don't know if I want to even think about that.
Ordered an Audi E-tron last week through the missus work, some daft deal where it was actually cheaper to lease than a Ford Fiesta, including the charger, maintenance, tyres and insurance!
Get the Tesla M3 with a tow hitch. Never had a car this simple or fun.
That choice is so easy: Tesla. Nicer than the eNiro in every way except for the boot vs hatchback.
Supercharger network makes long journeys a pleasure. Even if you do have to pay for the electricity with a model 3.
without the (factory fitted) tow hitch you can ‘post’ 2 bikes into the car through the boot if you take at least the front wheels off.
edit. Saw the eNiro was off the list. Unsurprising, likely none available. Model 3 over the Leaf too. Leaf is good, but Tesla is bigger, simpler on the inside, and more convenient. Bluetooth works well. And if you want, you can pay ~£10/month on the SR+ to get Spotify, TuneIn, and included 4G.
I’ve driven all three + the IPace. So has my SO. model 3 won out.
And if you want, you can pay ~£10/month on the SR+ to get Spotify, TuneIn, and included 4G.
Bear in mind you need to have a premium Spotify account to use in a Tesla, so that's another £10/month (unless you wangle 6 month free trials). Then you might want Netflix so that's another £5/month or whatever level you choose. So, it starts to get quite pricey if you want all the entertainment. I believe you could use your phone as a hotspot and use the phone data, which (if you have the spare data) I think gives you the same as Tesla Premium Connectivity except sat nav satellite maps and live traffic data.
Obv. if you don't want to pay then you can still bluetooth stuff from your phone.
Also for people who have all their music and podcasts with Apple, apparently siri works really well for this sort of use.
Ordered an Audi E-tron last week through the missus work, some daft deal where it was actually cheaper to lease than a Ford Fiesta, including the charger, maintenance, tyres and insurance!
Hopefully 4 more weeks or so for mine to be delivered. 😀
