Random EV thoughts.....

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121949275#Comment_121949275

Yeah I've used the Maxol site as well and it's very good

I haven't been up since the Ionity hub opened but I'd probably use it because it's less of a detour

wassie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121949109#Comment_121949109

Agree on the AC chargers. I actually found it handy enough to parkup and charge overnight in NI last year on holiday. Took all the stress out of planning for chargers during the day. Just lower the charge rate so it was nearly full by the time we went to set off next day.

AUDI20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121940579#Comment_121940579

You can't tax a brand new car online, for the first time you have to go into your local car tax office and tax it and everything is then okay yearly from there. This is what the girl in the tax office told me, explaining that due to been a new car there is no previous record to go to online.

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951020#Comment_121951020

Rubbish. That lady must be keen to keep footfall numbers up in your local motor tax office.

wassie

Yep. All info is on the motor tax website here. Most important is the Vehicle Registration Certificate (as @CoBo55 posted) and the RF100 form provided by the Motor Dealer. Don't need insurance details anymore either.

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951020#Comment_121951020

Yes you can, I've done it with 3 cars. I've outlined what's needed, end of. Don't be spouting rubbish.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951020#Comment_121951020

ehh, yes you can. And have been able to do for many years. By default all new registered cars have their pin set to the last 6 digits of the vin.

People have been known to rock up to the garage on collection day with the tax disc already in their hands.

I taxed the eNiro in the garage while we were waiting on the keys to be handed over. That was back in 2021, and even then it was known, well established procedure.

mfceiling

Give some of you a laugh.

Brother in law called over earlier. Literally said hello then "I bought a VW ID3 and I'm telling you, combustion engines are done".

This is a lad who has owned various 911's and high powered BMW's. A complete petrol head. Had a fully specced 7 series that went in for repair work and they gave him and ID3 as a courtesy car for a few days. After a day he told them he'd take an ID3 and they could give him the difference back on the beemer!!

He's going next week to buy the Taycan turbo. Reckons he'll pick up one for decent money and he'll keep the ID3 as a runaround.

He has a lots of land and is looking at a big solar fit out as well. Was laughing and saying to me "jaysus I should have listened to you years ago. I just plug it in at night once or twice a week and I've a full tank in the morning for a few quid".

I never thought I'd see the day he'd give petrol the boot!!

Mad_Lad

I haven't seen the tax office in years, I remember having to go to the Naas tax office, take a ticket and wait for your number to show up. lol wow, we really have it handy now but it was a chance to chat to people in the queue to pass the time, a lot of younger folk now wouldn't talk to strangers.

What's worse is that I lived 10 Km from the Carlow Tax office, in Kildare but had to go to Naas lol. That used to annoy me a lot.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951692#Comment_121951692

Great story. And one that gets lost in here so much. Relative new comers come in and assume it’s a hippy forum with tweed suits drinking tea watching the grass grow. They forget that many regulars were big car heads for many years. Time moves on. Technology moves on. Just because someone drives an EV doesn’t mean they can’t respect a nice ICE. The flat 4 burble of an STi Impreza actually interests me more than a Porsche GT3 RS (but I still wouldn’t say no to one!)

Mad_Lad

Yeah until the novelty wears off and you want to drive something a bit more fun with gears and engine sound lol.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951727#Comment_121951727

Toyota has you covered 😉

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a44200432/toyota-ev-fake-manual-confirmed/

Gumbo

hasn’t happened yet.
Maybe it has for you as you had horrible mundane large commutes in small battery cars?

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121952426#Comment_121952426

? that was a long time ago……

eagerv

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121952426#Comment_121952426

Me neither, it's improving if anything..

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121952613#Comment_121952613

you seem to be still upset about it.

Dades

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951727#Comment_121951727

lol. The novelty of gears wears off pretty quick in the city and suburbs.

Fun with gears and an engine for me would be a 70's Italian roadster.

Most "manuals" aren't exactly fun filled joyboxes.

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951727#Comment_121951727

God no. I drive a company pool car occasionally that's manual and diesel, it's like heaven getting back into my EV, even better on a frosty late finish and lads are scuttering around with kettles of water as I glide away☺️☺️

CoBo55

Until you get a wet day and it won't start😉

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121952669#Comment_121952669

Never thought about the leaf experience until you mentioned it lol. I don't dwell on these things, yes it was madness to endure what I did but I was determined lol.

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121952923#Comment_121952923

You know, you have a point, I do now have a 500 cc Petrol Yamaha Tmax, old but good for learning, a lot faster than I thought and it's auto. No idea why a lot more people in Ireland aren't on them, they are really popular on the continent. It's a whole new experience to be honest, never thought I'd like it so much.

The other thing about many diesels/ice too is lag, coming from EV it's more than noticeable lol.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953099#Comment_121953099

In a car, your life depends mostly on your own ability to drive safely. Even if someone crashes into you, you're surrounded by a metal box which hopefully keeps you safe

On a bike, you're depending on every other driver to be doing their jobs properly

Personally, I don't like those odds

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953434#Comment_121953434

Yeah that's the sentiment by many people here but not on the continent where 2 wheel petrol bikes are everywhere.

While it's true that many motorcyclists had the right of way at the time of the crash, the realities are that they were going at speeds far in excess of what they should and far too many motorcyclists are on big cc bikes, way too powerful, many of them would die rather than ride a bike as "slow" as a 600 for example.

Ireland is a dangerous place with so much back roads, blind bends, high hedges but too many people ride way too fast on these roads, my idea of biking now is just to chill on a nice day not speed, chill enough but still be alert. Anyway , it's a new but pretty cool experience. Not having the gears also helps a lot.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953434#Comment_121953434

That’s why I stopped commuting on my bikes. Grew up on them. Driving them before I could drive a car. Driving them before I was in my teens 😂

But no way can you drive through Dublin on one anymore.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953537#Comment_121953537

I always got the impression that bikes were more popular in cities on the continent rather than intercity driving

The same could be said here, plenty of ebikes and scooters zipping around Dublin

They're more popular than petrol bikes here because there's no need for a licence or tax

Also in most large towns on the continent you can function in society without a car. Good luck doing that in Ireland anywhere outside the M50

Many years ago I was living in Sligo. I had no car or licence and no intention of getting either. No worries, said I, I'll just use the bus to get to work

Well I figured out pretty quickly why all the locals laughed when I said that. Four months of living with Bus Eireann commuter service and I'd seen enough

The bus turned up once with the door tied shut and we had to climb in the emergency exit 🫣

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953597#Comment_121953597

Ah, I just think attitudes in general are different here when it comes to petrol 2 wheels.

battery scooters have their place but petrol scooters/bikes are far more practical for anything other than a couple of miles very slow moving.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953664#Comment_121953664

Dunno about that, the folks I see on E-scooters don't seem to be driving to conserve battery

Scooters are basically designed for short hops, not sure anyone would be too happy driving one from Dublin to Galway

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953875#Comment_121953875

Yeah but small battery scooters are not practical for more than a few kms each way, they are slow by comparison, anyway just another mode of transport that I think is quite useful compared to 4 wheels.

A lot of these scooters are running well above legal power speed limits and no form of license, not good.

the_amazing_raisin

I suspect that's partly behind the move to E-scooters because you can use the cycle lanes

I know you aren't supposed to use the cycle lanes but I also don't see the guards stopping anyone doing it

Harder to get away with it on a petrol bike (not to say I haven't seen it done)

So you're safer in that you're separated from the cars

Theft is also a major problem, I still haven't braved cycling into the city for work because I'm worried some scrotes will just rob the bike from under me

Those cheapo battery powered angle grinders from Lidl really made bike ownership a lot harder

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953920#Comment_121953920

Yeah true, although I will say it would be nice if my cargo bike could legally have a bit more than 250W. It gets a tad heavy going uphill with the kids loaded on the carrier

I see the Dutch have a mini rolling road which they test the power of scooters and confiscate ones that are overpowered

I'm guessing they don't have the same class of criminals in the Netherlands because I'm confident something like that would be set on fire here within an hour