Another 'Help me buy my first EV' thread

Gobthemagician

Hi everyone. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on this. I'm currently driving a 04 Toyota Yaris. Very reliable and economical little car but I need to change it in the next few months as it's pushing on. I've been thinking of an EV for a while now but cars in general are not my strong suit at all so I'd appreciate any input ye'd have for me. I don't know anyone with an EV either so am at a bit of a loss.
Budget is €12,000, cash. I've seen 2014 Nissan Leafs for around that budget so am thinking this would make the most sense.
Single, usually only myself in the car and some work-related equipment in the back.
Daily commute of 60-70km. No charge point at work. National and regional roads.
Live in long-term rented accommodation, landlord would have no problem with home installation but is the €600 dependent on my being the actual home owner?
Considering my commute, would the Leaf need to be charged every day?
I love the positive environmental impact driving an EV would bring but tbh money is reasonably tight (I saved for a long time to get the €12,000 to buy a new car) so after the initial purchase, my primary focus would be on saving money on fuel costs for the next few years. I'd be hoping to save over €2,000 / yr on petrol and would love to keep the car for 4/5 years - am I being in any way realistic or does battery degradation make that laughable?
I could hold off on buying a new car (current NCT not up until Jan 2019) and maybe stretch the budget slightly if that would make more sense for long-term saving.
Please advise.
Thanks a million!

ewj1978

heya,
is it 60-70 round trip?

Gobthemagician

yes, 70km total round trip

Sabre Man

Gobthemagician wrote: »

yes, 70km total round trip

What kind of roads / speed limits?

Realistically you'd need to charge a 24kW Leaf every day with that kind of distance.

Gobthemagician

Thanks for taking the time to reply, good to know re battery.
National & regional roads, speed limit up to 100km/hr

Evd-Burner

Remember that you will also save money on tax and a small bit on maintenance.

Gobthemagician

Evd-Burner wrote: »

Remember that you will also save money on tax and a small bit on maintenance.

All very welcome! So am I right in thinking I should be looking for a 2014 Gen 1.5 for long term saving, as opposed to a Gen 1?

ewj1978

Get a 1.5 import from the Uk for 8-10 sterling. save yourself a bit of cash.

goz83

Gobthemagician wrote: »

All very welcome! So am I right in thinking I should be looking for a 2014 Gen 1.5 for long term saving, as opposed to a Gen 1?

You have the budget for a 1.5 so thats what I would recommend.

Gobthemagician

Thanks for yer help. Found it a bit confusing doing the research tbh - Gen 1, 1.5, 2; different battery sizes; battery degradation & factors that speed that up; range; charging options; grants, etc and without knowing anyone who actually has one, it’s hard to get a “real life” review of the Leaf. However, I now know what to look for so thanks. If anyone has anything else to add, please feel free.

Y2K86

Evd-Burner wrote: »

Remember that you will also save money on tax and a small bit on maintenance.

How?

Going to take a long time to get 12k back and if its a loan with interest, it's more like 17k ( 7.5% boi car loan)

Yaris is very cheap to maintain, tax on the 1.0l is similar to the Leaf and a used Leaf will require work for ncts too

Suspension, tyres, tracking, lights, everything on a regular car besides the motor and battery pack is in the Leaf, they need maintenance too as they get older and as a much bigger and rarer car I am guessing it will have more expensive parts

350km a week is maybe 30e a week on fuel

If OP wants a change of car then of course fair play, but don't see a big saving here compared to a Yaris

The J Stands for Jay

Y2K86 wrote: »

How?

Going to take a long time to get 12k back and if its a loan with interest, it's more like 17k ( 7.5% boi car loan)

Yaris is very cheap to maintain, tax on the 1.0l is similar to the Leaf and a used Leaf will require work for ncts too

Suspension, tyres, tracking, lights, everything on a regular car besides the motor and battery pack is in the Leaf, they need maintenance too as they get older and as a much bigger and rarer car I am guessing it will have more expensive parts

350km a week is maybe 30e a week on fuel

If OP wants a change of car then of course fair play, but don't see a big saving here compared to a Yaris

6.3l/100km on a 14 year old Yaris?

Y2K86

McGaggs wrote: »

6.3l/100km on a 14 year old Yaris?

Was thinking more like 7l

Why not?

Should be possible between 80-100, not over 100 as doesn't have gearing for it

waynegalway

Hi

I did a bit of research when thinking about getting my LEAF, and I put it all together in a blog post.

Let me know if you find it useful, or if you still have questions.

Here it is: https://waynegibbons.wordpress.com/electric-vehicle-qa/

Wayne

waynegalway

Y2K86 wrote: »

Was thinking more like 7l

Why not?

Should be possible between 80-100, not over 100 as doesn't have gearing for it

350km at 7l/100km comes to about €33.
350km in a LEAF (at 15kWh/100km) would be about €2 (or even less on a night meter).
So the saving is €31 per week. Over a 48 week working year, that's €1488 of a saving.

What's the tax on a Yaris? About €200? So there's another €80 saving there per year.

So a clear cut saving of about €1568, at least.

I say at least, because if you factor in weekend mileage, the savings will increase. Plus, if the OP drives on tolled roads, there's the potential for even more savings when the discounts kick in.

And that's not even accounting for maintenance. Yes, a LEAF has many shared moving parts with any other type of car, but no oil changes, no timing belt, and brake pad wear is much reduced due to the regenerative braking.

Plus: petrol prices are only going one way, so over time the savings will increase.

So, I'd say savings in the region of €2k per year are very achievable.

jca

waynegalway wrote: »

Hi

I did a bit of research when thinking about getting my LEAF, and I put it all together in a blog post.

Let me know if you find it useful, or if you still have question.

Here it is: https://waynegibbons.wordpress.com/electric-vehicle-qa/

Wayne

That is a brilliant blog. I've tried many of the threads here but they just end in the usual boards way, two numptys bickering like kids in the sand pit.

waynegalway

jca wrote: »

That is a brilliant blog. I've tried many of the threads here but they just end in the usual boards way, two numptys bickering like kids in the sand pit.

Thanks.

I actually found the EV drivers on Boards to be very patient and helpful, and some of the info on that webpage comes from answers I got here. So I can't agree with you on the bickering numpty comment!

My blog post is obviously very LEAF-centric, and there's not much reason for fellow LEAF owners to bicker. I can kinda see where you're coming from when drivers of competing models get into a debate, but I tend to not get involved! If you're thinking of getting a LEAF, I'm happy to help....if you're thinking of getting any other model, well good luck to you, but I won't slag it off!

Wayne

Y2K86

waynegalway wrote: »

350km at 7l/100km comes to about €33.
350km in a LEAF (at 15kWh/100km) would be about €2 (or even less on a night meter).
So the saving is €31 per week. Over a 48 week working year, that's €1488 of a saving.

What's the tax on a Yaris? About €200? So there's another €80 saving there per year.

So a clear cut saving of about €1568, at least.

I say at least, because if you factor in weekend mileage, the savings will increase. Plus, if the OP drives on tolled roads, there's the potential for even more savings when the discounts kick in.

And that's not even accounting for maintenance. Yes, a LEAF has many shared moving parts with any other type of car, but no oil changes, no timing belt, and brake pad wear is much reduced due to the regenerative braking.

Plus: petrol prices are only going one way, so over time the savings will increase.

So, I'd say savings in the region of €2k per year are very achievable.

All true

Its still 6 years pay back

For what is a very limited car,

In 6 years it might not even make the commute anymore or not much more than it anyway

waynegalway

Y2K86 wrote: »

All true

Its still 6 years pay back

For what is a very limited car,

In 6 years it might not even make the commute anymore or not much more than it anyway

Yep.

What other kind of car pays for itself in 6 years though? In fact, what other type of car ever pays for itself, full stop?

Battery degradation in a 24kWh LEAF is in the region of 2% per annum. So buying a 2015 one now (very do-able in the €12k budget of the OP), it should have around 94% battery capacity. In another 6 years, it might be down to 82%. That's still enough to cover 90-95km from a charge. Even if the OP wants to change, that car will be valuable for someone living in a city who wants to get into an EV for as cheap as possible (bearing in mind that in 6 years from now, a lot of people will want to move into an EV, so demand for 2nd had ones might be higher than for equivalent petrol/diesel cars....as long as a buyer can live with the kind of range it will give, and most city dwellers can, it will be an attractive car).

And worst case scenario, it will still be worth at least €2k just for the battery.

KCross

Y2K86 wrote: »

All true

Its still 6 years pay back

For what is a very limited car,

In 6 years it might not even make the commute anymore or not much more than it anyway

What's your logic on the 6yr payback?
The OP has said "I need to change it in the next few months as it's pushing on..."

There is no 6yr payback. He has to buy a new ICE or a new EV and the budget is €12k. The EV, based on his commute, will save him the quoted figures year on year. Its money in his back pocket relative to buying a comparable ICE (Yaris or other).

I think what you are saying is it's a 6yr payback relative to keeping his old Yaris (Is that what you meant?) but thats not what the OP has asked for. Its not a bangernomics question. He needs to change either way as per his OP.

peposhi

KCross wrote: »

What's your logic on the 6yr payback?
The OP has said "I need to change it in the next few months as it's pushing on..."

There is no 6yr payback. He has to buy a new ICE or a new EV and the budget is €12k. The EV, based on his commute, will save him the quoted figures year on year. Its money in his back pocket relative to buying a comparable ICE (Yaris or other).

I think what you are saying is it's a 6yr payback relative to keeping his old Yaris (Is that what you meant?) but thats not what the OP has asked for. Its not a bangernomics question. He needs to change either way as per his OP.

I second that.

The OP needs to buy a car and 12k is the budget.
Any ICE will cost him 5-10 times more to run, maintain etc.
An EV pays for itself with the savings you’ve made so instead to spend another 12k on fuel, maintenance and tax over the next 5 years the OP could potentially have €10k saved towards a new car (or just a battery replacement for a fraction of that)
There are 20 moving parts in an EV as opposed to 2000 in an ICE - what are the chances of anything going wrong in either case? 14 years old ICE vs 3(2) years old EV... can’t beat that

Gobthemagician

Just want to thank everyone for their comments, advice, etc. It's massively appreciated. waynegalway, your blog is fantastic - my head was melted with research, your blog is very clear and simple so thanks.
Just to clarify, I don't expect the car to actually pay for itself. However, the goal is to buy an EV that I would hold on to for a number of years so rather than buying a €12,000 petrol / diesel car and then spending around €40 / week on fuel, this just makes a lot more sense for me I think.
Can I just ask about a comment mentioned on the thread that a 2014 Leaf might not be capable of making my commute in 6 years time... is this true? If so, would it be a case of changing the battery and away I go again or am I naively over-simplifying things?

goz83

Gobthemagician wrote: »

Just want to thank everyone for their comments, advice, etc. It's massively appreciated. waynegalway, your blog is fantastic - my head was melted with research, your blog is very clear and simple so thanks.
Just to clarify, I don't expect the car to actually pay for itself. However, the goal is to buy an EV that I would hold on to for a number of years so rather than buying a €12,000 petrol / diesel car and then spending around €40 / week on fuel, this just makes a lot more sense for me I think.
Can I just ask about a comment mentioned on the thread that a 2014 Leaf might not be capable of making my commute in 6 years time... is this true? If so, would it be a case of changing the battery and away I go again or am I naively over-simplifying things?

70km round trip will be covered for many years. Plug in each night.

waynegalway

Gobthemagician wrote: »

Can I just ask about a comment mentioned on the thread that a 2014 Leaf might not be capable of making my commute in 6 years time... is this true? If so, would it be a case of changing the battery and away I go again or am I naively over-simplifying things?

Hi

Thanks for your comment. I recorded a short podcast of a journey in my LEAF, which you might like. You can listen here:

https://anchor.fm/waynegibbons/episodes/EV-Microcast-2-e164lu

Anyhow, as I mentioned, battery degradation in the 24kWh is actually quite slow (there are reports out recently that suggests the 30kWh battery degrades faster than the 24). All things being equal, and based on a 2014 LEAF being 10 years old in 6 years time, I'd say even at that stage it should be good for 80km from a charge.

Have a Google and see what drivers of the original LEAF from 2011 are still getting. Bear in mind the original one from that year has a different (less efficient) battery and heating system than the Gen 1.5, but at least it will give you an idea of what the longer term prospect is like.

If you choose to, you can always put a newer battery in at any time, but at the current prices this would be equivalent to replacing an engine in a normal car and so may or may not be worth it. Over time, I'd be surprised if reconditioned batteries don't come down drastically in price, though.

ELM327

Y2K86 wrote: »

All true

Its still 6 years pay back

For what is a very limited car,

In 6 years it might not even make the commute anymore or not much more than it anyway

No other car pays for itself at all.
Even over a 14 year ownership you'll still have said au revoir to many thousands of euros.

At least with the leaf you have cheaper monthly costs, and are driving a 21st century tech not a 19th.

Gobthemagician

Me again.... I'm sure ye're thrilled I've been in contact with the dealer re this car http://www.electricautos.ie/viewanad.php?ad_id=1990560 and, as a clueless newbie, I again need yer advice on how good a car this appears to be? It's over the budget but the low mileage and 6.6kw charger makes me think it could be worth it.....opinions please? NCT not due until next year. Not registered in Ireland yet. The dealer would register it in my own county upon purchase.
I'm living about 3 hours drive away from Naas so haven't viewed the car or anything yet, all contact has been via email so far.
Also, am I right in thinking that the only grant I'd be entitled to from SEAI is the €600 home charging grant? Not that I'm complaining, mind! Just to clarify, do I buy the car, then apply for grant or is the dealer involved in the grant application process in any way?
Thanks a million again!

jca

Gobthemagician wrote: »

Me again.... I'm sure ye're thrilled I've been in contact with the dealer re this car http://www.electricautos.ie/viewanad.php?ad_id=1990560 and, as a clueless newbie, I again need yer advice on how good a car this appears to be? It's over the budget but the low mileage and 6.6kw charger makes me think it could be worth it.....opinions please? NCT not due until next year. Not registered in Ireland yet. The dealer would register it in my own county upon purchase.
I'm living about 3 hours drive away from Naas so haven't viewed the car or anything yet, all contact has been via email so far.
Also, am I right in thinking that the only grant I'd be entitled to from SEAI is the €600 home charging grant? Not that I'm complaining, mind! Just to clarify, do I buy the car, then apply for grant or is the dealer involved in the grant application process in any way?
Thanks a million again!

Great spec but that colour is rotten. The metallic red is my favourite colour I saw a lovely one in Aldi car park yesterday, chrome door handles, the works.

waynegalway

Gobthemagician wrote: »

Me again.... I'm sure ye're thrilled I've been in contact with the dealer re this car http://www.electricautos.ie/viewanad.php?ad_id=1990560 and, as a clueless newbie, I again need yer advice on how good a car this appears to be? It's over the budget but the low mileage and 6.6kw charger makes me think it could be worth it.....opinions please? NCT not due until next year. Not registered in Ireland yet. The dealer would register it in my own county upon purchase.
I'm living about 3 hours drive away from Naas so haven't viewed the car or anything yet, all contact has been via email so far.
Also, am I right in thinking that the only grant I'd be entitled to from SEAI is the €600 home charging grant? Not that I'm complaining, mind! Just to clarify, do I buy the car, then apply for grant or is the dealer involved in the grant application process in any way?
Thanks a million again!

6.6kW charger is definitely a “must have” IMO, whereas the SVE spec isn’t. So, if you are absolutely tied to your budget of €12k, you’ll be more than happy with the mid-spec version (if you can find one at your budget). Generally speaking, the difference in price is about €1-1,500 between top and mid spec (all else being equal).

If you’re feeling adventurous, you could pick up a mid spec 6.6kW 151/152 in the UK for about £9k sterling. There would be a bit of an adventure bringing it back, but lots of people have done it at this point. You wouldn’t save a huge amount, depending how you value your time, but in purely financial terms it would be cheaper. I thought about it myself, but in the end I picked up a 151 from a private seller for less than it would have cost to go to the UK. I just got lucky.

peposhi

Gobthemagician wrote: »

Me again.... I'm sure ye're thrilled I've been in contact with the dealer re this car http://www.electricautos.ie/viewanad.php?ad_id=1990560 and, as a clueless newbie, I again need yer advice on how good a car this appears to be? It's over the budget but the low mileage and 6.6kw charger makes me think it could be worth it.....opinions please? NCT not due until next year. Not registered in Ireland yet. The dealer would register it in my own county upon purchase.
I'm living about 3 hours drive away from Naas so haven't viewed the car or anything yet, all contact has been via email so far.
Also, am I right in thinking that the only grant I'd be entitled to from SEAI is the €600 home charging grant? Not that I'm complaining, mind! Just to clarify, do I buy the car, then apply for grant or is the dealer involved in the grant application process in any way?
Thanks a million again!

What I love about the SVE over the SV is:
1. LED headlights - huge improvement compared to the SV and I love my light on a dark road.
2. 4 cameras or 360’ view around the car makes it a song to park even without park sensors.
3. Leather seats and door covers... I was one of the biggest critics of leather seats until I got one. Super easy to maintain.
4. BOSE sound system - it is not Bang&Olufsen but let’s be realistic - it has a good punch.
5. The look - much sporty look
6. The heat pack is a standard - it will worm up your bum, steering wheel and foot mirrors (when rear window defrost is on) and the car is a joy when our have it fully defrosted, warmed up and ready for you to drive at any given time of the day you have selected.
7. There’s more but let’s leave to somebody else to point out

_dof_

Gobthemagician wrote: »

Me again.... I'm sure ye're thrilled I've been in contact with the dealer re this car http://www.electricautos.ie/viewanad.php?ad_id=1990560 and, as a clueless newbie, I again need yer advice on how good a car this appears to be? It's over the budget but the low mileage and 6.6kw charger makes me think it could be worth it.....opinions please? NCT not due until next year. Not registered in Ireland yet. The dealer would register it in my own county upon purchase.
I'm living about 3 hours drive away from Naas so haven't viewed the car or anything yet, all contact has been via email so far.
Also, am I right in thinking that the only grant I'd be entitled to from SEAI is the €600 home charging grant? Not that I'm complaining, mind! Just to clarify, do I buy the car, then apply for grant or is the dealer involved in the grant application process in any way?
Thanks a million again!

I actually looked into buying that car, but in the end I decided to go for a new one. I had asked for a Leafspy report and they sent me one, it showed the battery is in excellent condition. (Leafspy is an app you an install on your mobile phone that can connect to a dongle you insert into the car and it can read lots of information about the battery etc.)

I also took a test drive in it and it's in great condition.

If you decide to go for it, or another Leaf which doesn't include the granny charging cable (a charging cable that you can plug into a regular domestic 3 pin socket, most Irish Leafs don't include it), then have a look over on the For Sale/Wanted thread, samih is selling one for a good price.

waynegalway

peposhi wrote: »

What I love about the SVE over the SV is:
1. LED headlights - huge improvement compared to the SV and I love my light on a dark road.
2. 4 cameras or 360’ view around the car makes it a song to park even without park sensors.
3. Leather seats and door covers... I was one of the biggest critics of leather seats until I got one. Super easy to maintain.
4. BOSE sound system - it is not Bang&Olufsen but let’s be realistic - it has a good punch.
5. The look - much sporty look
6. The heat pack is a standard - it will worm up your bum, steering wheel and foot mirrors (when rear window defrost is on) and the car is a joy when our have it fully defrosted, warmed up and ready for you to drive at any given time of the day you have selected.
7. There’s more but let’s leave to somebody else to point out

They’re all nice to have, for sure.

Just to let the OP know, preheating the car is standard on the SV model too, so it will remotely defrost and get nice and cosy before you get in. The SV doesn’t have heated seating and steering wheel as standard. Having said that, I think that because the seats in the SV are cloth, they’re not going to be as cold as leather anyway.

Not taking anything away from the top spec, it’s a lovely car.

Just making the point for the OP that given the budget, a 6.6 kW SV might be a better buy than a 3.3kW SVE. My personal preference would always prioritize the 6.6kW charger. If the OP can find a 6.6 SVE within the budget, or after saving up a bit more, then that’s great.

Gobthemagician

Thanks again to everyone. I'm going to view the car on Saturday so will update this thread afterwards.

Shefwedfan

Gobthemagician wrote: »

Me again.... I'm sure ye're thrilled I've been in contact with the dealer re this car http://www.electricautos.ie/viewanad.php?ad_id=1990560 and, as a clueless newbie, I again need yer advice on how good a car this appears to be? It's over the budget but the low mileage and 6.6kw charger makes me think it could be worth it.....opinions please? NCT not due until next year. Not registered in Ireland yet. The dealer would register it in my own county upon purchase.
I'm living about 3 hours drive away from Naas so haven't viewed the car or anything yet, all contact has been via email so far.
Also, am I right in thinking that the only grant I'd be entitled to from SEAI is the €600 home charging grant? Not that I'm complaining, mind! Just to clarify, do I buy the car, then apply for grant or is the dealer involved in the grant application process in any way?
Thanks a million again!

Phil is a gent, I bought 2 cars off him. He won't screw you either on price. Very competitive

_dof_ showed me the LeafSpy report on the blue car. It's first one I have personally seen with battery health at over 100 percent (SOH was 104 I think) and Hx was almost 110 percent. It also reported 67Ah of battery capacity which is several percent better than my old 152 had even when it was new.

Good colour too imo.

Gobthemagician

So I stretched the budget and bought it! Found it a real dream to drive (very smooth), and the silence - wow! Car was in really excellent condition, battery over 100%. Siobhán was a real pleasure to deal with as well, very thorough in her explanation of everything and wasn't in any way pushy. I bought a Zappi home charger too. Looking forward to getting it all set up but will hold on to my current car for a few weeks until I'm well used to the Leaf and get a handle on my range anxiety
Thanks so much to everyone for your help / information / comments, etc. Massively appreciated.

Best wishes from another EV convert,
Gobthemagician

waynegalway

Gobthemagician wrote: »

So I stretched the budget and bought it! Found it a real dream to drive (very smooth), and the silence - wow! Car was in really excellent condition, battery over 100%. Siobhán was a real pleasure to deal with as well, very thorough in her explanation of everything and wasn't in any way pushy. I bought a Zappi home charger too. Looking forward to getting it all set up but will hold on to my current car for a few weeks until I'm well used to the Leaf and get a handle on my range anxiety
Thanks so much to everyone for your help / information / comments, etc. Massively appreciated.

Best wishes from another EV convert,
Gobthemagician

Nice, well done. Best wishes to you for many years of safe and happy driving.

Keep us posted on how you’re adjusting to it. There’s not much of a learning curve, but getting the best efficiency is something that develops with time.

_dof_

Gobthemagician wrote: »

So I stretched the budget and bought it! Found it a real dream to drive (very smooth), and the silence - wow! Car was in really excellent condition, battery over 100%. Siobhán was a real pleasure to deal with as well, very thorough in her explanation of everything and wasn't in any way pushy. I bought a Zappi home charger too. Looking forward to getting it all set up but will hold on to my current car for a few weeks until I'm well used to the Leaf and get a handle on my range anxiety
Thanks so much to everyone for your help / information / comments, etc. Massively appreciated.

Best wishes from another EV convert,
Gobthemagician

Congratulations, well wear.
See, I told you it was a lovely car
I was also impressed by Siobhán, Before taking me on my test drive she wanted to discuss my car usage needs to understand if an EV would be right for me. That's very refreshing, no hard sell at all.

I thought you would need to get the offer letter for the SEAI charger grant before buying the Zappi or else they wouldn't cover it, you might want to check that out.

peposhi

_dof_ wrote: »

Congratulations, well wear.
See, I told you it was a lovely car
I was also impressed by Siobhán, Before taking me on my test drive she wanted to discuss my car usage needs to understand if an EV would be right for me. That's very refreshing, no hard sell at all.

I thought you would need to get the offer letter for the SEAI charger grant before buying the Zappi or else they wouldn't cover it, you might want to check that out.

The SEAI approval comes within 2-3 days after the application is submitted. Perhaps the OP can get the charger invoiced separate to the car and at a later stage so the purchase of it is “completed” after the approval is granted.

jca

Gobthemagician wrote: »

So I stretched the budget and bought it! Found it a real dream to drive (very smooth), and the silence - wow! Car was in really excellent condition, battery over 100%. Siobhán was a real pleasure to deal with as well, very thorough in her explanation of everything and wasn't in any way pushy. I bought a Zappi home charger too. Looking forward to getting it all set up but will hold on to my current car for a few weeks until I'm well used to the Leaf and get a handle on my range anxiety
Thanks so much to everyone for your help / information / comments, etc. Massively appreciated.

Best wishes from another EV convert,
Gobthemagician

That’s great, well done, best of luck with her. I’m sorry I didn’t take the plunge myself instead of playing safe and going with an ice. Everyone who drives one says they’ll never go back, they can’t all be wrong.

It's very difficult to drive any other cars afterwards especially a manual one. I had a culture shock when riding my motorcycle first time in a few months last week. It feels like a lots of work. Also couldn't believe how smelly the petrol station was (It was my second visit since July last year). A very quick rapid charger there though. I was able to charge 350 km or range in a couple of minutes. Take that CHAdeMO.

Shefwedfan

Gobthemagician wrote: »

So I stretched the budget and bought it! Found it a real dream to drive (very smooth), and the silence - wow! Car was in really excellent condition, battery over 100%. Siobhán was a real pleasure to deal with as well, very thorough in her explanation of everything and wasn't in any way pushy. I bought a Zappi home charger too. Looking forward to getting it all set up but will hold on to my current car for a few weeks until I'm well used to the Leaf and get a handle on my range anxiety
Thanks so much to everyone for your help / information / comments, etc. Massively appreciated.

Best wishes from another EV convert,
Gobthemagician

i was thinking you had bought when Phil done stock video and mentioned the car you posted was sold...

Best of luck with it. Siobhan and Phil are excellent people. Really look after their customers.

NIMAN

Well wear Gob. Nice car.

peposhi

samih wrote: »

It's very difficult to drive any other cars afterwards especially a manual one. I had a culture shock when riding my motorcycle first time in....

Especially after you have driven a car with an e-Pedal... brakes and gearboxes make no sense afterwards hahaha

Gobthemagician

Update - between sorting tax, insurance, home charger, etc it’s only today that I’m ready to drive the car.

I’ve another question for ye, however. My electrician installed the Zappi (& filled out the paperwork for the SEAI grant) yesterday. He seemed a bit overwhelmed with the whole thing to be honest and admitted afterwards that this was just his second installation. I wasn’t home at the time to witness him testing it but he says he did and all was fine. Thing is though I tried charging the car today for the first time using the Zappi but it won’t charge. The display says ‘ventilation’ in place of ‘charging’, which I can’t find anywhere in the Zappi handbook or on the internet. I’m guessing the car doesn’t need to be ventilated (seems ridiculous for that to be a problem in Ireland) so is it something to do with the installation? I’d be very grateful if anyone here could advise me. I’m currently charging it with the granny cable so it’s not a massively urgent problem, just a headwrecking one!
Thanks

peposhi

Gobthemagician wrote: »

Update - between sorting tax, insurance, home charger, etc it’s only today that I’m ready to drive the car.

I’ve another question for ye, however. My electrician installed the Zappi (& filled out the paperwork for the SEAI grant) yesterday. He seemed a bit overwhelmed with the whole thing to be honest and admitted afterwards that this was just his second installation. I wasn’t home at the time to witness him testing it but he says he did and all was fine. Thing is though I tried charging the car today for the first time using the Zappi but it won’t charge. The display says ‘ventilation’ in place of ‘charging’, which I can’t find anywhere in the Zappi handbook or on the internet. I’m guessing the car doesn’t need to be ventilated (seems ridiculous for that to be a problem in Ireland) so is it something to do with the installation? I’d be very grateful if anyone here could advise me. I’m currently charging it with the granny cable so it’s not a massively urgent problem, just a headwrecking one!
Thanks

Hmmm, could you post a picture of the display, please?

Gobthemagician

Hi Peposhi,
I can’t seem to copy & paste a photo of the display, which is odd as it’s never happened before (I’m guessing it’s because I’m a new boards user?)
However, I could copy & paste the link below showing the normal Zappi display. Mine is basically the same except in place of the word ‘charging’ it says ‘ventilation’ and there is what looks like steam rising from the little car in the right. The reason I don’t think it’s anything to do with the car though is that I charged the car with the granny cable last night and drove it around without a problem. I’ve been in contact with Siobhan & Philip re the problem, Philip is trying to figure it out but obviously I won’t hear back until tomorrow. I’ve also been on to the electrician again, he’s baffled and is adamant it’s nothing to do with the electrical supply / wiring. There’s nothing at all referencing ‘ventilation’ in the Zappi handbook or in their website!

https://goo.gl/images/HtoqzK

goz83

The only thing I can think of is that the unit is too hot and needs ventilation. Can you check if there are any vents on the unit which could be blocked? It's just a stab in the dark.

_dof_

According to :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772#Signaling it seems the vehicle can request ventilated charging, and the charger will only supply if it's in a ventilated area, e.g. outdoors.

So maybe that's what's happening, don't know why the vehicle would be requesting ventilated charging, maybe it's a setting in the car, although I doubt it. Maybe it's a setting in the charger somewhere hidden away to configure it as being in a ventilated area.

Could be a fault or some dirt on the connector which changes the resistance so that it loooks like the car is requesting ventilated charging.

peposhi

Gobthemagician wrote: »

Hi Peposhi,
I can’t seem to copy & paste a photo of the display, which is odd as it’s never happened before (I’m guessing it’s because I’m a new boards user?)
However, I could copy & paste the link below showing the normal Zappi display. Mine is basically the same except in place of the word ‘charging’ it says ‘ventilation’ and there is what looks like steam rising from the little car in the right. The reason I don’t think it’s anything to do with the car though is that I charged the car with the granny cable last night and drove it around without a problem. I’ve been in contact with Siobhan & Philip re the problem, Philip is trying to figure it out but obviously I won’t hear back until tomorrow. I’ve also been on to the electrician again, he’s baffled and is adamant it’s nothing to do with the electrical supply / wiring. There’s nothing at all referencing ‘ventilation’ in the Zappi handbook or in their website!

https://goo.gl/images/HtoqzK

Pity you are that far, I would have driven down to you and plug either my L30 or the L24 to see if the message stays the same.
I searched online too and so far had no luck. I am sure Phil will defo look into that and come back to you. He wouldn’t let things go until resolved.
If I come up to something that make sense I’d be in touch too. Most important is you are not stuck as the granny works.

Hmm... it really bugs me what is the reason...

Gobthemagician

Happy to report that the issue seems to now be sorted re the Zappi. I had the electrician out again this evening and as suspected, there was a problem with the way he had wired up the charger. Car is currently charging away happily

Thanks again to everyone for your input.
Gobthemagician

peposhi

Gobthemagician wrote: »

Happy to report that the issue seems to now be sorted re the Zappi. I had the electrician out again this evening and as suspected, there was a problem with the way he had wired up the charger. Car is currently charging away happily

Thanks again to everyone for your input.
Gobthemagician

Yes!
Great news!