Switching to EV

ace_irl

Hi Everyone,

The time has come for me to start considering changing car and I've been thinking that going electric could be the best option for me.

I only do small driving daily to and from work, about 40KM total a day (this is the highest of the estimate) and I would be able to install a charger at home for just the cost of the charger (my dad is registered to install it). There's also chargers in the garage near me if I need it.

I don't need to worry about space in the car because 95% of the time it's just me in it. For this reason I was looking at the Renault Zoe. I don't think I'm in a position to buy a brand new one so I was looking at the possibility of importing one but it's very difficult to find any that are not battery leased and I'm not sure how the lease would operate if I imported it? Has anyone any experience in doing this?

Another option I came across on AT was the Mercedes - Benz B250e, it's the first time I've come across this one and I can't recall it being mentioned here before, does anyone have any experience with this car?

All advice is appreciated!

KCross

iirc the B250e has no rapid charging and they dont make it anymore. Open to correction.

ace_irl

Would rapid charging be an issue? Maybe they don't make it anymore, I only found a handful of them on AT and I think they were all 2015-2017 so that would make sense.

KCross

ace_irl wrote: »

Would rapid charging be an issue?

Yes, it matters, but depends on you.

Having no rapid charging means it is truly a city only car. Anything beyond the range of the car will effectively be out of bounds for you as you wont be able to guarantee that when you get to your destination that you can charge the car unless you are visitng a relative or work where there is a charge point.

I think the B250e has a range of about ~100km so you cant really go beyond 50km from your house as you will need the other 50km to get you home.

If that's not an issue for you and/or you have a 2nd car in the house for those journeys then fine.

It will also, obviously, make it harder to sell on so you'd need to get it at a keen price now.

ace_irl

Ah yes I see your point. I was planning on holding on to my current car (it's 14 years old and worth nothing at this stage) and giving it to my sister to learn in meaning I would still have a fairly cheap petrol car for any long distance stuff but I don't think it would be a great idea to upgrade to a car that could be so restrictive and out dated.

Have you any insight into the Zoe?

KCross

ace_irl wrote: »

Have you any insight into the Zoe?

No, sorry, other than dont buy a battery leased one, which you already knew!

What's your budget, there might be other options besides Zoe.
Have you ruled out the Leaf (the looks are marmite)? You are more likely to get one of those cheap than any other EV.

ace_irl

KCross wrote: »

No, sorry, other than dont buy a battery leased one, which you already knew!

What's your budget, there might be other options besides Zoe.
Have you ruled out the Leaf (the looks are marmite)? You are more likely to get one of those cheap than any other EV.

Yeah, I think battery leasing would actually lead to an EV costing me more then my car does at the moment, that's based on the figures I found online of €79 per month rental fee.

Budget wise I'd like to keep around €10-11K. I'd look at £10-11K if it was getting me a good deal and I'd be happy to import.

I've tried to like the Leaf, I just don't find the look of it appealing and for the amount of money I'd be spending I can't justify getting a car I don't like.

KCross

At that budget your options are very limited for BEV.

If the Leaf is out then I'd say the Zoe is your only other option really as the others wont have come down to that price point yet.

Having said that, maybe n97_mini's thread on the Ampera might suit you too....
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057920829

It would be around your budget, it would be nearly all EV only driving for you with the option of doing long distance if/when you need to.

Worth considering.

ace_irl

Thanks for that, it's definitely worth considering. I think the VRT exemption might be ending this year for hybrids though. I'm not too sure.

I think the Zoe will be the best option, I'm gonna keep checking auto trader for them and hopefully by the start of next year there will be a few on it to look at.

Thank you for your help!

Bixler3

ace_irl wrote: »

Thanks for that, it's definitely worth considering. I think the VRT exemption might be ending this year for hybrids though. I'm not too sure.

I think the Zoe will be the best option, I'm gonna keep checking auto trader for them and hopefully by the start of next year there will be a few on it to look at.

Thank you for your help!

I bought a Zoe recently only because Renault currently have 0% finance on the car at the moment. The finance is over five years so I ended up with the same repayments as my previous car and got a great trade in to close the deal. With no petrol costs you can add that saving into your monthly calculations, possibly making a new Zoe affordable for you. I bought it from Michael Grant Motors in Sandymount. Very happy with the decision to buy.

glassmullan

ace_irl wrote: »

Thanks for that, it's definitely worth considering. I think the VRT exemption might be ending this year for hybrids though. I'm not too sure.

I think the Zoe will be the best option, I'm gonna keep checking auto trader for them and hopefully by the start of next year there will be a few on it to look at.

Thank you for your help!

I have two Zoe's and we have been driving them for quite a while. if you have any question please feel free to ask. Both mine are battery owned. I am looking to up grade one to a longer range Zoe so selling one if interested? It was just serviced yesterday and in perfect condition, 152 with 56k Km. two front tires changed recently. PM if interested as it would be cheaper price than NI or the UK and you would not have to travel.

unkel

glassmullan wrote: »

Both mine are battery owned. I am looking to up grade one to a longer range Zoe so selling one if interested? It was just serviced yesterday and in perfect condition, 152 with 56k Km. two front tires changed recently. PM if interested as it would be cheaper price than NI or the UK and you would not have to travel.

What sort of money are you looking for and what spec is it and at what speed does it charge?

Zenith74

ace_irl wrote: »

I've tried to like the Leaf, I just don't find the look of it appealing and for the amount of money I'd be spending I can't justify getting a car I don't like.

Have you looked at the Tekna Leafs? I had the same feeling as you, but the tinted windows and larger wheels on the Tekna I think make it a bit more bearable. Then when you factor in all the features - comfortable leather seats all round, heated leather steering wheel/seats, BT, GPS, cruise control, decent weight so sturdy on motorways when needed - and how cheap you can pick them up, I think they're a great starter EV! Liked our first one so much we bought a second a month later.

If you can find a Tekna in a nice colour at a local Nissan garage it would be worth going and test driving it.

Having said that I know nothing about the Zoe, other than the fact they are quite a small car and from a few reports here not so comfortable for longer times in the seat...

TonyEVW

I got a VW golf earlier in the year and would never look back. Initially used a 3 pin adapter to plug in for an 8 hour overnight charge. eventually installed a Zappy fast charger which can bring back up the charge in 2 to 3 hours. My daily round trip is 54km. The trip is part motorway part country roads. the avarage fuel consumption to date is 13.2kW/100km at 15c/kW this is around €60 per month.

One thing I noticed is that consumption can vary by as much as 36% depending on driving style this is much more noticeable on an EV then on an ICE. The ICE has a large fuel over head of 60% that is used for waste heat and noise so any driving efficiency is hardly noticeable.

On a fast charge Unit 45kW the Golf charged up from 50% in half an hour on a return trip from Donegal.

unkel

TonyEVW wrote: »

at 15c/kW this is around €60 per month.

Get a night rate meter. You will save yourself about €400 per year :cool:

Soarer

ace_irl wrote: »

Yeah, I think battery leasing would actually lead to an EV costing me more then my car does at the moment, that's based on the figures I found online of €79 per month rental fee.

Budget wise I'd like to keep around €10-11K. I'd look at £10-11K if it was getting me a good deal and I'd be happy to import.

I've tried to like the Leaf, I just don't find the look of it appealing and for the amount of money I'd be spending I can't justify getting a car I don't like.

A shiny black Tekna Leaf, complete with wind deflectors, tinted windows, and LED lights is a fine looking car to my mind.