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Sorry another question. The last time I got a walk charger installed it cost me £100 (6 yrs ago with gov grant)
How much do they cost now and are grants available?
About five hundred pounds with the grant. Bit less if you're with Octopus Energy, and for two hundred pounds they'll sell you an Ohme Smart Cable which can connect to a 32A commando socket.
Depending on the car you might be able to charge it directly off a 32A commando socket with a cheap adapter, but you're going down an 18th amendment rabbit hole with regard to PEN fault detection and earthing.
How much do they cost now and are grants available?
Just paid £800 including grant for a zappi + hub with armoured cable in the SE.
I think there's bigger grants available in Scotland?
thanks for the answer @daffy. seems the easiest option.
the notion of the revenue shortfall hit me while in the car at the weekend watching all the teslas zooming past me.
Revenue shortfall - assuming you're talking about the Exchequer - the smart thing to do would have been to give tax breaks to promote EVs but at the same time ensure they were being developed and built in the UK along with their batteries, so they could get their money back from corporation tax and higher employee wages.
@twrch The turbines are protected against s[pinning too quickly - connecting it to the grid won't add any resistance! There are motors in them, gearboxes, even transformers at the base, just no power lines to the grid.
The CA sabotaging the planning process was not a 'story'. It happened, I know 'cos I was in the planning meeting and watched it happen!
Planning for Bryn Blaen (submitted in 2014) has been consented:
http://pa.powys.gov.uk/online-applications/advancedSearchResults.do?action=firstPage
in 2016, pretty sure it was built after that.
You can't spin a wind turbine too quickly, the blades stall once they reach a critical speed.
Yep. I am out of date though. It didn't have a connection for a few years, but seems as though it is now fixed up:
https://www.powersystemsuk.co.uk/project/15252-bryn-blaen-wind-farm/
I think the original plan was for it to go into the new HV power line plan that never happened.
But are they putting the same driving effort in ?, no gear changes so pretty much just coasting along 😉
connecting it to the grid won’t add any resistance!
Of course it does. It provides the electrical load, without which the turbine would spin relatively freely (like running a Kickr turbo trainer without plugging it in). Wind turbines not in use get the brakes applied and are stationary.
The CA sabotaging the planning process was not a ‘story’. It happened, I know ‘cos I was in the planning meeting and watched it happen!
You initially said the CA sabotaged the HV line (and which was the basis for my whole interest, because you claimed that turbines were built but are spinning uselessly because the Conservatives blocked the necessary power lines). I suppose they sabotage everything related to renewable power.
Some potential future issues for the Mach-E
https://insideevs.com/news/543122/mustang-mache-battery-slow-overheating/
It will provide electrical resistance, not the mechanical resistance to stop the blades spinning. That would be done by a brake/gearbox or locking the motor somehow.
Anyway, they've been connected now. The HV line was intended for several windfarms to connect into at once. It probably wouldn't have been built in time to connect Bryn Blaen in 2016/17 but presumably that farm would've connected to it, had it been built. I'm not accusing the local conservative assoc of sabotaging anything other than that project but it certainly happened as I watched several individuals raise objection after objection to it and I know for a fact it was the CA as one of it's members told me so!
Tesla Model 3 the best selling car in Europe in September. 🙂 I hope that sends a message to Europena manufacturers, it's the first time a best seller is non European built.
t will provide electrical resistance, not the mechanical resistance to stop the blades spinning.
Electrical resistance will slow the blades, too 🙂
Tesla Model 3 the best selling car in Europe in September. 🙂 I hope that sends a message to Europena manufacturers, it’s the first time a best seller is non European built.
I honestly think they're either, too arrogant, too incompetent or too in denial to realise that Tesla and the Chinese are coming to eat their lunch. Only Herbert Diess at VW has any idea what's coming. He recently called a crisis management conference at VW and stated that it takes VW three times longer to make an ID3 than it takes Tesla to make a Model Y- and that's a Model Y made in China but Tesla's Model Y production at Giga Berlin will be even faster than China. Next year Tesla will be bigger than Renault, Kia and Hyundai. Hertz just signed a contract for 100,000 EVs from Tesla and according to Elon Musk they didn't get any discount.
I honestly think they’re either, too arrogant, too incompetent or too in denial to realise that Tesla and the Chinese are coming to eat their lunch.
I don't think they are arrogant or incompetent, they are clearly working hard on it. They are working slower because they have a more traditional approach. Tesla have some good range but I'm not sure what else they have. And I suspect the extra range comes from pushing the batteries harder. But I'm absolutely sure they know Tesla are worth worrying about.
And I suspect the extra range comes from pushing the batteries harder
How do you push a battery harder? 🤔
8 year / unlimited mileage warranty on Tesla batteries anyway.
How do you push a battery harder?
Allowing users to charge to 100% so that you can claim it's got more range, but then telling them not to do it to prolong the life. Other manufacturers don't let you charge up all the way. They don't really need to do this as they do actually have more range anyway, so I take that back about it being the only reason.
Tesla have some good range but I’m not sure what else they have
1. Speed
2. Acceleration
3. Supercharger network
4. Best infotainment
5. Nav system that integrates battery charge status, driver efficiency and the supercharger network (very important for EV noobs and fleet customers like Hertz)
6. Different design language (you may not like it but plenty do)
7. Efficient use of space. Just look at the boot (and froot) capacity of the Model Y vs its SUV competition.
8. Over the air updates (I think only Polestar and maybe VW have this now also)
9. Excellent efficiency
10. "Dog" and "camp" modes
11. Not forming anti-competitive cartel for the purchase of steel like VW, Daimler and BMW
12. Not forming a cartel, unlike Daimler, BMW, Porsche and Audi, to avoid deploying environmental improvement tech to its full extent as demanded by EU law
Tesla have some good range but I’m not sure what else they have.
as above, 2 year + driver - full screen Netflix, lots of games, BBC TV live and BBC iplayer full screen, full screen web browser etc. nationwide Super charger network, lots of car menu stuff that isn't available from the OEMs yet or still fragmented. Most Tesla UI stuff is still a few years ahead of the pack, but the old car manufacturers will (have to) catch up I presume.
A lot of car companies have played it safe with EVs derived from fossil fuelled cars in their existing range. Packaging issues can only be overcome with a ground-up approach.
I think I’m about to order an Ioniq5 through my work scheme! Top spec car is cheaper than an Enyaq once you add all the packs i want.
A lot of car companies have played it safe with EVs derived from fossil fuelled cars in their existing range. Packaging issues can only be overcome with a ground-up approach.
Which is what Kia have done with the Niro and what people are starting to do with the other cars. Tesla had no history when they started, they had a market to take, not one to keep, so they could afford to take risks with the design.
Also, their QC is poor. Panel gaps are really bad on all the cars I have seen.
My local Kia dealer(Villach, AT) now has the EV6 available to test. I didn't get to drive it yet but I did get to have a good nose around on Monday.
For me it looks a lot better in the flesh. From the picture I always preferred the Ioniq 5 but now I have seen them both my opinion has changed. The cockpit feels premium and is very nice. The back seats were less comfortable than I expected, mainly due to height between floor and seats. There was plenty of leg space. My major disappointment is with the boot space. I have an E Niro which I have to give back in August and the boot space seemed less usable in the EV6. It is certainly deeper but the sloping roof cuts down on usable space. This was the 2WD version and the front space was just enough for some charging cables, which is fine, but I guess the AWD version is almost pointless.
Considering the E-Niro has been a little too small for our family uses I think we won't now consider the EV6. We don't need the performance and premium feel. The new EU MG5 comes out here in Q1 so I hope that suits our needs and can be delivered on time. Only thing it misses is AWD will would be preferred considering out local roads in winter.
Also, their QC is poor. Panel gaps are really bad on all the cars I have seen
Apparently the Chinese built ones (now shipping to Europe due to the delays with the Berlin plant) are better build quality. No clue if they come with Communist Party embedded malware though...
I think Tesla will still be riding high for 3-4 years but then it's customer service/after care issues will start to bite once other manufacturers offer a decent range of alternatives. They're currently 99.999% about shifting cars, which is great until something does go wrong with your car and you need them to care about sorting it out
but the old car manufacturers will (have to) catch up I presume.
I don’t think they can get their heads around the software tbh..
I got an immersive sound feature added a few weeks ago, just appeared overnight.
How many times is everything an option that can’t be retrofitted when you buy a car.
When Im more flush I’ll probably spend a few quid on upgrading the software for the enhanced autopilot or wait for the sub service for the month I actually drive long distance.
The Tesla software is also very good, can’t see the others keeping up with releases when they will be wanting to shift you into another car if you wanted that new software feature released in the newest car.
The other brands are happy to rinse you with every option ticked.
I've just emailed MG asking for my order to be rolled over onto the new version.
Realistically it probably won't make that much difference but given my ordered car is due late December and the new versions are Q1 2022 then I might as well.
I don’t think they can get their heads around the software tbh..
I got an immersive sound feature added a few weeks ago, just appeared overnight.
How many times is everything an option that can’t be retrofitted when you buy a car.
That'll come, because Tesla have started doing it. They aren't stupid, but they kept their existing business model because it suited them. Why give customers new stuff on their existing cars, when you can persuade them to upgrade their car to get the new stuff?
Wait, Teslas let you watch Netflix whilst driving? You know, I'm pretty sure that this tech has been around for a while but fairly sure it's a bad idea for a few reasons...
A lot of car companies have played it safe with EVs derived from fossil fuelled cars in their existing range. Packaging issues can only be overcome with a ground-up approach.
That's happening now - Hyundai/Kia, VW etc. Remember that the traditional manufacturers still have to fund their move to EV by continuing to make the ICE cars that they invested millions in, so they still needed to use their existing plant. Tesla got their money from investors (I assume) so were able to start fresh with new factories and new platforms from the beginning.
Excellent efficiency
Really though? They claim 310 miles from the Model 3 Performance, What Car got 239 miles, and they got 2.8 miles per kWh. That's not really very efficient at all. I get 4.5-4.8 from my car, on open roads and motorways. And given we usually do town driving we actually get more than the quoted WTLP range.
Another listicle puts the Model 3 about the same as my car tested at 4.5m/kWh.
Allowing users to charge to 100% so that you can claim it’s got more range, but then telling them not to do it to prolong the life.
I mean, you could do this every day but you'd need to have a really specific set of circumstances for it to work (ie, a trip that's exactly at the limit of the car's range most of the time). Tesla would still warranty the battery if you did.
In reality if you think you're going to need to fast charge en-route it's quicker to surf in the lower percentages of the battery because that's when it charges fastest - it's something like 250kW from 0-25%, then it tapers off.
With their LFP batteries Tesla say that you can and should charge them to 100% when at home.
At 74 mph my Model 3 LR averages 232 Wh/mile. So charging to 90% and not letting it fall below 10% still gives a usable range of nearly 300 miles, and a supercharger will add electricity at ~900 miles/hour. My made-in-China Model 3 has no panel gap or paint issues.
At 74 mph my Model 3 LR averages 232 Wh/mile
That's 4.3 miles/kWh. That's decent, probably largely due to it being an aerodynamic car shaped vechicle rather than an SUV I would guess.
Over the air updates
I read that as 'built-in hacking opportunity' - not something I would want on a very desirable theft target or something with life-threatening failure consequences.
I made a useful bingo card for contributors to this thread.
Nice one Flaperon. You could also add "I don't like Elon Musk"
That's just a reason not to buy a Tesla, not EVs more generally.
I read that as ‘built-in hacking opportunity’ – not something I would want on a very desirable theft target or something with life-threatening failure consequences.
To my knowledge nobody has pinched a model 3 in the Uk to date. It's one of the bestselling cars out there.
I don't think anyone has hacked one either.
Why do people keep making up reasons for Tesla's being shit? 🤷♂️
You missed 'I haven't got a drive'.
Or
"I frequently need to jump in my car and drive 500 miles without a toilet break/peeing in a boittle, stop for 5 minutes to refuel and drive another 500 miles."
something with life-threatening failure consequences.
Cars fail catastrophically without the need for over the air updates anyway 🙂
Why do people keep making up reasons for Tesla’s being shit?
Fanboi-ism
Musk is a ****
Their approach comes from the software/tech industry, and as that's an industry I work in I think I'd rather not have that applied to cars.
Anyway I don't think they are shit, they are good EVs but not (any more) head and shoulders above the rest. I'm not looking at buying one though because I think they are horrendously ugly (this coming from someone who drove a Mk2 Prius for 15 years), I don't like the giant tablet design (personal preference), the ones you can tow a caravan with are way out of my price range, and the reports of quality issues put me off.
My actual reason is 'I don't do enough miles to make it worthwhile from an environmental or economic perspective'.
Another thing I noticed is insurance. A mk1 leaf is group 22 and that's pretty much the cheapest, slowest, least desirable ev.
But I look forward to trying one someday.
Another thing I noticed is insurance.
Our insurance is basically the same as it always has been. I didn't check the groups. But yes, don't rush out and buy one just because.
Not sure what I should really do if we go to one car after the Hyundai goes back. Is it really worth leasing say, an iD4, or should I just buy my own Passat GTE? Or, given the low miles we'd do in such a scenario, just get a diesel.
Another thing I noticed is insurance. A mk1 leaf is group 22 and that’s pretty much the cheapest, slowest, least desirable ev.
That's weird. I'm paying about £360 for fully comp on a new e-Niro
I find the Tesla bashing weird. I know a lot of people with Teslas, there's got to be 6 or 7 on my road (30 houses) alone. They seem happy, and don't seem to suffer the terrible quality problems people in the UK moan about.
Yes - lots of cars built ground up as EV's.... I started listing with Tesla, Kia, Hyundai, VW/Seat/Skoda, Audi, ...
I find the Tesla bashing weird.
I don't bash them, I point out where I think they are being a bit sneaky, and I point out that they aren't the most incredible cars out there any more.
I don’t bash them, I point out where I think they are being a bit sneaky,
But you are happy to consider a VW ID4 from a company that was fined billions for cheating emissions tests which affected the health of millions of people then fined another 100 million for forming a steel purchasing cartel then another £752 million for colluding with BMW and Daimler to restrict the deployment of improved emissions equipment.
But you are happy to consider a VW ID4 from a company that was fined billions for cheating emissions tests
Yes. I don't think VW are morally superior. I just think that Tesla are sneaky. That alone probably wouldn't stop me from buying one.
I think acting illegally and being proven guilty multiple times trumps "being a bit sneaky" on the morals scale. Anyway its enough for me to boycott VW Group products
I'd be interested to know what you think "being a bit sneaky" means.
Give up, uponthedowns internet 'facts' trump actual ownership experience on here.
Give up, uponthedowns internet ‘facts’ trump actual ownership experience on here.
😉😃
Electrical resistance won't slow the blades, that's mechanical/physical resistance, like leaning against a wall. It's possible to add a resistor or some kind of device that would absorb some of the energy from the motor before passing it into the grid, but why would you want to do that?
Electrical resistance won’t slow the blades, that’s mechanical/physical resistance, like leaning against a wall. It’s possible to add a resistor or some kind of device that would absorb some of the energy from the motor before passing it into the grid, but why would you want to do that?
Electrical resistance will of course slow the blades. That's why a dynamo hub powering a light will have more drag than a dynamo hub with the light switched off.
Probably just as well you edited out your original post to remove the part about it being basic GCSE physics.
The insurance is weird, both our Soul and Expert are much higher groups than anything previous, and a lot of the quotes were an extra £350+ each on the Panda/Vivaro they replaced, but then a couple were much much cheaper. The Soul ended up £100 more expensive than the (2011) Panda a year which is fair, and the van ended up £100 cheaper than the 11 Vivaro. I think while they are higher group, this is overruled by data showing EVs are involved in less accidents, I guess 🤷
Yeah, but parts might be/are more expensive and damage _might_ be harder/more expensive to repair, so putting the premiums up a bit.
I _think_ our Niro will be more expensive than the Passat, but the way we have the Passat insured is on a per km basis with an ODB2 dongle, whereas the Niro is a fully comp, all you can eat thing
That’s why a dynamo hub powering a light will have more drag than a dynamo hub with the light switched off.
Thank you, that's a much better example than my effort with a turbo trainer.
If electrical resistance doesn't slow the blades, then it would also mean you can apply a bigger and bigger electrical load and the turbine will keep spinning at the same rate, meaning unlimited energy output!
It’s possible to add a resistor or some kind of device that would absorb some of the energy from the motor before passing it into the grid
The scenario we're talking about is unconnected wind turbines spinning freely. You could add an electrical load, instead of applying the brakes, but a 2MW resistor would be quite a beast, and then there's the question of what to do with all that heat. It's about 2,000 domestic electric heaters. This does raise another interesting point - while that would be a of heat/energy in one place, the entire maximum output of a 2MW wind turbine is only enough to heat a few hundred homes (which would drop considerably when you take the turbine utilisation factor and transmission/distribution losses into account).
I was trying to say there is a difference between mechanical and electrical resistance. Ok, connecting it up will add electrical resistance, which could slow the blades, but bear in mind that you want it to generate as much as possible and therefore have the least resistance between generation and point of use.
I imagine there is an electrical brake and possibly a mechanical lock aswell.
Well after making the switch to an EV a few weeks ago am now getting used to it and have just done our first long trip away at half term.
The thing that really stands out is how patchy and poorly maintained some of the charging infrastructure is. Staying at a YHA, we were reliant on finding a decent fast charger to be able to get around / back home.
There were three nearby, however one completely out of order, another completely refusing my card details in its app and the final one being at Lidl, allowing only 1 car to charge at a time even with multiple plugs available on the only fast charger in town requiring a 'dawn raid' to get charged.
The majority of our use is from / to home, so this is an occasional issue, but I don't see how without a national roll out of decent charge points, away from motorway service locations, there is going to be a shift of the majority to EVs?
I've also learned that when planning a trip, I will NOT rely on chargers owned by 'charge your car'
In the run till flat comparatives on Youtube the Teslas do very well. I'd take what Whatcar write with a pinch of salt. I predict you'd get the claimed figures, Molgrips, if you drove it like you do your Ioniq.
If you want to do cross-continent trips the Tesla long range cars and charging network still put the opposition to shame. If you want to do better you have to pay Porsche money and even that fails one you leave the Berlin-Munich 'bahn with it's 300 + kW public chargers.
Asking drivers not to charge to 100% unless they need to is just common sense. ICEs have a red line at say 7000rpm but I think if you test drove one and reved it to 7000 in first gear from cold the sales person would suggest it wiser to avoid that in the interest of engine life.
The majority of our use is from / to home, so this is an occasional issue, but I don’t see how without a national roll out of decent charge points, away from motorway service locations, there is going to be a shift of the majority to EVs?
I’ve also learned that when planning a trip, I will NOT rely on chargers owned by ‘charge your car’
I agree. With only 1% of the car parc EVs the non-Tesla charging network is barely adequate. We're way behind the curve of charger rollout needed if even 25% of cars are to be EVs.
We need more rapid chargers both at MSAs and on the highways. I also think we need them in hubs of at least 8 like Tesla superchargers and not scattered about in one's and twos at the back of some retail park or hamburger joint carpark. Moto Rugby services charge hub is a good example of what we need more of.
For longer trips you'll learn always to have a plan A, B and C for charging and also which networks to depend on and which to avoid. My go tos are Instavolt followed by Osprey and if I'm on a motorway include Gridserve. All these three take contacless payment so no faffing with apps or unreliable mobile signal. Never tried them yet but MFG get good reports- also contactless payment.
Avoid anything owned by BP which includes BP Pulse and CYC. Also avoid Geniepoint.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Geniepoint at a Morrisons on our journey. This gave us a great fast charge while we ate in the shop cafe. Will keep an eye out for the others though - thanks for the suggestions. CYC though - terrible - there was a charger in the main town car park near our accommodation, but was completely offline 🙁
I personally can't see any benefit for me to get an electric car. I am not spending £40k on a tin box.
I'm hybrid working now, but i used to cycle every day until I got splattered. Shattered spine, but back on bike now.
We're now back in 2 days a week. I will take the 90's MTB down the long route to the office via the canal, rather than sit in traffic. No car will change that. My current bike lugger is a 20 year old Nissan. It works. So why would I get rid. The environmental cost of getting a new leccy run around is huge. Fark that..
was pleasantly surprised by the Geniepoint at a Morrisons on our journey. This gave us a great fast charge while we ate in the shop cafe.
I got chatting to a couple who seemed to be having trouble with the GeniePoint charger at Morrisons Penrith. They couldnt get the charger started and it wouldn't release their car for over an hour. Fortunately I was able to point them literally across the street to the Instavolt chargers I was using. My other experience of Geniepoints has been something like one trouble free charge out of 4 and I avoid them if at all possible.
Use Zap-map to filter charger networks and types when you plan your journey and read the recent user postings to make sure a charger has been operational in the days before you commit to it.
couldnt get the charger started and it wouldn’t release their car
we had this with a pod point too - seems to be where its all done through the app and the connection to the charge point doesn't work. will bear this in mind in future thanks. Zap-map has been a godsend already - hadn't seen that can filter on networks too though.
I personally can’t see any benefit for me to get an electric car....
House!
Every so often I flick through the lease deals on Autotrader. Ioniq 5s have gone up to £450 or so, but for £490 I could get an EQA.. mm.. but then again, nearly five hundred quid a month is a shit-ton of money!
If we go to one car, the most likely option for us I think is going to be a used Passat GTE.
Waiting for the delivery of my new Citroen EC4, was the same cost as leasing a 1.2 petrol. I'm looking forward to the quieter, more relaxing and much cheaper daily commute. No more smelly diesel fuel pumps 🤢
Zap-map has been a godsend already – hadn’t seen that can filter on networks too though.
Most useful zap-map filters are "Networks" to filter for a reliable network, "Connector Type" to filter for rapid and the power of rapid you prefer and "Payment Type" so you can choose those that are contactless payment with no need for an app.
When we EV drivers don't have to do this BS before every long trip and can leave on a journey with no planning and nothing but a carefree smile and a contactless debit card then I'll know we're getting somewhere with charging infrastructure but unfortunately that day is years away.
it wouldn’t release their car for over an hour.
My car did this once when it was charged and if you pop the bonnet there should be a lever that releases the cable manually. Well, there is on KIA anyway.
I had fun with the fast charger at the Torridon Hotel a couple of weeks ago.
I couldn't see or work out where you were supposed to wave the Chargeplace Scotland card to initiate the charge.
So I tried to use the app, but there was no Three signal (or any reliable mobile signal I later learned) to set things off.
After a drink in the bar, I managed to use the free wifi from the hotel to fire up the app and get things started.
Just need a bit of tenacity and lateral thinking; thankfully, that's what Mrs OTS is for. 🤣
My car did this once when it was charged and if you pop the bonnet there should be a lever that releases the cable manually. Well, there is on KIA anyway.
I've had the issue where my cable is stuck in the charge point.
I’ve had the issue where my cable is stuck in the charge point.
Luckily I've not had that.
Sounds familiar, Oldtennisshoes. Except the bar wi-fi was too slow as it was running on old copper. It was a remote village in Spain. They told us where to walk to to get a mobile signal so I returned to the car and waited while Madame did the walk, when the charger came to life thanks to Madame I plugged in.
Re Geniepoint
I've been using them (well, Engie, but exactly same chargers, app, helpdesk etc) around West Yorkshire for almost 100% of my charging over the last 2 years. Coincidentally the years of free charging finished today and the West Yorks Engie chargers have now been combined into Geniepoint, so I'll have to use the home charger a bit more from now on. Anyhow, I've found the hardware is pretty poor for some reason, resulting in more downtime or user problems than you would expect to be normal. Things like the screen reading your RFID card is really flaky and quite often I've given up and used the app instead (local Osprey's card reader works every time), I quite often had problems with the charger and my car making a handshake (local Osprey works every time). All the chargers seem to suffer from breakdowns and these ones are all brand new or no more than 2 yrs old, none of them seem to be long term reliable, in some cases off line for quite a period of time if they required parts.
On a positive note, at least with their app you can see which chargers are broken, occupied or available to use. Also always got thru to helpdesk quickly.
I just did some maths for when we come to change the car - leasing an Ioniq 5 (shorter range model) on 10k/year would save about £50/mo on fuel, given my estimated mileage, and it'd cost about £40/mo more than I am currently paying for the finance on the Merc and its warranty.
The longer range model is a lot more money though.
Waiting for the delivery of my new Citroen EC4, was the same cost as leasing a 1.2 petrol.
Nice car the EC4. There's roughly a £10k price difference between the entry level petrol manual version and the EC4 so that's an interesting set of lease figures. Obviously with leasing you are paying for the depreciation but it shows how the maths work and why purchasing a new EV is out of the question for most people.
I’ve wanted to switch to an EV for a while. The new generation with bigger batteries, at reasonable lease rates (esp with my work salary sacrifice ) have made it a reality.
Still can’t decide between an Ioniq5, Enyaq or EV6.
The EV6 is more expensive than it’s stablemate, but does look nice inside & out……
Electrical resistance will of course slow the blades. That’s why a dynamo hub powering a light will have more drag than a dynamo hub with the light switched off.
Guys, while this has little to do with EVs, a light that is on presents a lower resistance to the dynamo than one that is off. The high resistance (normally provided by the switch) prevents current flowing. No current, no power, no light. It is power being taken from the dynamo to the bulb that causes the drag.
Counter-intuitive I know, but correct.
We can go on to talk about voltage collapse for close up faults if you want, but I’ll have to charge (money 😉) for that.
Back to EVs?
You missed ‘I haven’t got a drive’.
I'll bite.
Why is that not a legitimate concern?
Speaking of legitimate concerns, as a male-centric discussion we seem to have missed a point:
scattered about in one’s and twos at the back of some retail park or hamburger joint carpark
How busy are these places? How well lit are they? How closely are they monitored?
How safe are they for a lone female after hours?
Was sent this the other day and I have to admit it's not something I'd ever considered.
I’M not going to sit here and bore you with all the usual reasons why Britain is not ready for EVs.
Because I’ve discovered something more worrying: It’s not safe. Especially for women on their own.
Allow me to explain.
One of the safest places to be is a petrol station forecourt. They’re bristling with cameras, back-lit like a Hollywood film set, and there’s usually someone at the till watching.
Even in a dodgy part of town at three in the morning, you know you can stop, bang a tenner in and be on your way again in minutes.
But what I found on a lap of Scotland ahead of COP26 is the complete opposite for electric car drivers.
You are a sitting duck.
Take Ullapool as an example, although there are many places like it all over Britain. There’s an EV charger tucked away in the corner of a car park behind a load of lorry trailers.
No canopy. No CCTV. No proper lighting. No one to help. You’ll be sat there for 45 minutes with a big arrow above your head.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/16557105/scotland-road-electric-corsa-green/
Please excuse the source and the rest of the article, it's predictably negative but that bit I've quoted is a fair point and not exactly unique. Here's the Chargeplace Scotland charging hub in Kilmarnock for instance:
https://goo.gl/maps/fKZB7ruJ3a5vWeUo7
Now right behind that is a gimbal mounted camera but there's a lot of hidden space under that canopy. The charger at the school next door to my house is on the far side of a mostly unlit car park, same with the one up the hill at the sports centre and the one at the leisure centre. I can see why someone may be very reluctant to use them. Obviously some areas are worse than others but they are poorly sited in a lot of cases.
Some stats from my first long trip in an ID4.
256 mile trip Newcastle to Craobh Haven (20 miles south of Oban). One charge required in Glasgow (osprey charger, nice).
2.8 miles per kWh. Fully loaded boot, two kids two adults with medium sized roof box. NCL-Glasgow. No massive amounts of rain but windy. Avoided doing 70.
Home trip dropped to 2.7 miles per kwh but I was hitting 70 often and the weather awful with high winds and crazy rain with a lot of surface water.
Net: I think the worst you can do must be close to 2.5 if you stick bikes on too.
Actual motorway (mainly) real range probably then around 210-220 in winter with roof box.
(Also Lochgilphead CCS charger didn't work but the type2 did). Three pin plug in the cottage charged at roughly 2.5% per hour.