The Electric Car Thread

Wipers on my Hyundai are a bit crap – slow to respond, so when it starts to rain heavily or an oncoming vehicle splashes your windscreen there’s a good 3 second bit where you cannot see at all.  The ones on the Merc are more consistent (but not perfect) but they do at least respond very quickly.  They also have a single tap wipe which the Hyundai doesn’t have.

Auto wipers on my eNiro are probably my only complaint thus far.

Scroll wheel re-configured, so hopefully more straightforward control over the wiper speed now… Thanks

All the above functionality sounds interesting.

I’m sad I’m missing out on that..

..cos my auto wipers are only controlled by the rain 🤣🤣🤣🤣😜

Lolz…

DrP

(Not technically true… I can adjust the sensitivity and wipe speed, but as it uses a traditional rain sensor, it’s fine)

Turns out that the reason the satnav didn’t know about any of the CPS chargers in the Highlands is that I’d filtered out everything below 100kW. Seems like only the Tesla public ones are missing.

Amusingly, the satnav knows about CPS chargers but the ChargeMyHyundai app does not!

@davy90 just for future ref. I believe there is a manual release for the charging flap. It’s inside the boot on the left (presumably directly behind the charging flap), possibly a pull cord of some description

Ta, I’ve already found that, lately I’ve watched enough tech bros on YouTube, sifted through Tesla and reddit forum posts covering all the issues I’ve encountered, feel like a Tesla expert, just don’t have the accessories….

Even got an email back from SeaSucker telling me their rack is fine to use on a Model Y, early cracked Model 3 roof panels being an older Tesla problem (obvs)… – didn’t bring the bike in the end as the forecast was sadly accurate, lots of rain.. which we’re getting..

So the Hyundai satnav knows about loads of chargers, but the ‘filter’ page only allows you to filter on a small subset of those.  That makes no sense.  I can’t plan a route using only those networks supported by Electroverse.

Of course I could manually plan and navigate using an app but it seems rather idiotic to not be able to filter on anything that’s on the map.

My, effectively Hyundai, satnav has a shedload of filters you can apply to the charging points including by provider.

So the Hyundai satnav knows about loads of chargers, but the ‘filter’ page only allows you to filter on a small subset of those.  That makes no sense.  I can’t plan a route using only those networks supported by Electroverse

I think the issue there is that Electroverse isn’t a charger provider itself but a way of paying on the other networks.

There is a dedicated Electroverse app which works on carplay which may help?

I don’t use the satnav in the Corsa e. Android auto from the phone. Easy enough to plan a route with charge points whilst I’m nowhere near the car.

I think the issue there is that Electroverse isn’t a charger provider itself but a way of paying on the other networks.

I went to the Electroverse page and found a list of the networks they’re paired with.  The silly part is that the satnav knows about Gridserve and Applegreen (for example), they are on the map, but you cannot filter by them.  Why would you not be able to filter a map by providers that are on it?

 including by provider

Yes, I can filter by provider – but the providers in the filter page are not the same as the providers on the map.

Anyone else finding Intelligent Octopus a bit s*** recently? I keep plugging in, getting a Smart charging plan message and then the next morning it just says it didn’t reach the intended charge – last night instead of putting about 90 miles on it gave up after 1.5kWh!
I’m changing back to controlling it myself via the Zappi app for now and just charging between 11.30 and 5.30, which I know works properly!
Have emailed Octopus to see if they can work it out.

<quote>anyone else finding Intelligent Octopus a bit s*** recently? </quote>

no, ours has been working fine – ohme home pro charger controlled by IO.

It would appear to be something to do with IO not talking to the Tesla properly, although it always used to work fine. In all honesty it works better without using IO as I can set the charger to charge for free during the day from solar, and then boost at night for the hours when it’s cheap, so actually better and more reliable than IO smart charging.

 as I can set the charger to charge for free during the day from solar, and then boost at night for the hours when it’s cheap

Surely if you’re charging from solar during the day you’re effectively paying 15p/kwh to do it, as that’s what you’d get for exporting that power. Charging at night is half the price…

Solar panel export tariffs pay you half of the output of the panels, regardless of how much you use yourself. So daytime charging via solar is free as it has no effect on what you earn from the panels.

Solar panel export tariffs pay you half of the output of the panels, regardless of how much you use yourself.

Eh? Export tarriffs pay what the meter says you’ve exported… If you use all the solar generated power for charging the car, you export nothing and get paid nothing.

No they don’t. Maybe new ones do but older export tariffs, including mine, pay 50% of the total output of the panels measured by the separate meter installed next to the panels. What you get paid is regardless of how much you use yourself versus how much you export.
I don’t even have any way of measuring how much has been exported.

To quote from the feed in tariff info:

‘FiT export payments are ‘deemed’, so you’re not paid for the exact amount you export. Instead, you’ll be paid for 50% of the electricity you generate’

I am still car pontificating and seriously considering a third (EV) car and sticking the current SMax on limited mileage for heavy duty stuff.

Use

45-65 miles a day mixed driving (suburban, motorway, urban) on four consecutive days plus a longer day once or twice a week (say 120-140 miles).

This may come to nothing but I think these two would tick the (budget and use) boxes combined with a 7kW home charger:

• Hyundai Kona 64 kWh
• Kia Niro 64 kWh

I can’t quite understand the adverts on Auto trader saying they have a 7kW charger I’m assuming that’s their max AC charging rate as they’re also quoting public/DC charging at up to 100kW?

Neither have the mad fast charging of the Ioniq 5 or EV6 but I think that would be ok and I am sure I could get my bike in the boot and if going solo I could also get to my family in East Anglia with modest extra charger faff.

I can’t quite understand the adverts on Auto trader saying they have a 7kW charger I’m assuming that’s their max AC charging rate as they’re also quoting public/DC charging at up to 100kW?

Car chargers aren’t really chargers at all. They’re just electricity supplies for the chargers that are built in to each car. Each car will have an AC charger -usually 7kw or 11kw- and a DC charger, the max speeds of which vary widely from car to car.
Domestic single phase AC on most houses will only supply 7kw max. Three phase AC maxes out at 22kw but very few cars, Leafs and Zoes, will do 22kW

TBH i reckon 95% of EV charging is via home 7kW chargers….

Even if your car is a slowish rate on a fast charger (CCS), in the grand scheme of things it won’t adversely affect your life.

Once you realise this, the world is your oyster, and you can pick a car that suits your budget and range.

DrP

Thanks both.  Seems we can tick the 80% of use thing fairly easily on those vehicles and then the debate is can we create some drive space for a third car and keep the old SMax ticking over for the heavy stuff for a few more years.  🤔

What heavy stuff?

FiT export payments are ‘deemed’, so you’re not paid for the exact amount you export. Instead, you’ll be paid for 50% of the electricity you generate’

FiTs were a government subsidy which has ended for new installations, they’re not an export tariff.

I’m aware they’re no longer available, but if you’re on one it is long term, and as I explained earlier it does mean that any solar generated electricity used does not affect payments and therefore can be free for daytime car charging (when I remember to do it).
It is an export tariff! I am being paid for exporting electricity…

I know, but you called it an export tariff which was creating confusion.

I’m at the Carlisle Starbucks again. I now refer to it as the Seagull Starbucks because there is a seagull nesting on the ground next to the drive through. Electroverse reckoned that there were 10/12 free and the car thought there were only 2/12. I assumed that Electroverse would be correct but it wasn’t.

Impressive lineup of cars here though, including a Taycan and an EQS. I feel poor.

Electroverse reckoned that there were 10/12 free and the car thought there were only 2/12. I assumed that Electroverse would be correct but it wasn’t.

Just checked zapmap,  it agrees with your car, only 2/12 available. Electroverse app still showing 10/12 available

Just checked chargefinder and it looks like a few of the faster charging cars have left and there is 1 old ioniq and 4 other cars being fed by electricity 🤔

Unless you are doing 200 miles+, you wouldn’t even need to think about going near a charger with either a Kona or a Niro.

In the real world they are good for 220-275 miles year round, unless you drive like a beller.

For all the moaning about charging speed, the EQS had to move to a different parking spot because it had finished charging before the driver finished their coffee.

5.1 miles per kWh today, the Ioniq is doing really well despite the slow charging. The auto routing is great, we drive for 2hrs and charge/eat for 30-40 mins. Or more than 2hrs now because this is the M6 and it’s Friday afternoon.

A Kona is now probably a good bet, they are a little more plush inside I think.

Taking the P2 a few hours northwest today, to visit Legoland…!

Charged it to 100% last night (usually limit to 90)…

80 odd miles each way.. will be no issues, and probably the longest drive I’ll be doing in months…

My point..? I guess that actually… An EV with even a 200* mile range is certainly fine for most people…

DrP

* The p2 will prob do about 240 in summer…even though it’s a advertised as 290!! We’ve established it’s not the most efficient!

We (4 of us) did Birmingham and back in the i3 on Wednesday.  182 miles and arrived home with 12% remaining.  65mph cruise control all the way.

That’s over 200 miles from 37kWh.  So around 5.5m/kWh.

For all the moaning about charging speed, the EQS had to move to a different parking spot because it had finished charging before the driver finished their coffee.

What does that anecdote tell us about charging speeds ?

And how big was the coffee?

” had to move to a different parking spot because it had finished charging before the driver finished their coffee”

That’s a common issue for me. It’s usually just a quick splash and dash so I wait with the car, but on the rare occasions I do a significant charge on rapids it’s usually not long enough to do anything useful whilst waiting – even a coffee stop normally has the car charge where I need it to be before I’m done so have to go move the car.

Maybe a future for rapids at motorways etc when EVs are genuinely mainstream is to have more than one connector per actual charger, so you can plug in, set the car for however much juice you want and come back when YOU are ready, not when the car is done.
Also improved queuing – plug the car in and head off whilst waiting for your turn, then the car starts when it’s “turn” comes around.

The above would mean people spending less time waiting around in their cars (then rushing back to them) and more time inside the services. Where they are likely to spend money so I can see service station operators loving this system.

Hmmmm – now how to Patent this ?

Both the Kona and Niro use the same battery and motor as Hyundai is the parent company of Kia. Having recently got rid of a Kia Soul that i had for nearly three years the max actual range I ever got out of it was 270 miles with some to spare the least was a very cold winter run with the heating on low was 220 miles and i’m not the steadiest drivers trying eek every mile out of an EV. Pisses all over my VW id3.

What does that anecdote tell us about charging speeds ?

That the engineers at Mercedes Benz prioritised charging speed over cup holders.