Everything you always wanted to know about electric vehicle (but were afraid to ask)

FintanMcluskey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119190316#Comment_119190316

None of those cars can do 400km motorway driving at 120km/h in winter without having to charge

Whats the range for motorway driving during Winter?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119190085#Comment_119190085

Hiw much did the solar stuff cost?

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119190328#Comment_119190328

Not quite sure, a bit different per car, but for those it is ballpark more like 300km. Nowhere near 400km

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119190362#Comment_119190362

You can ask a single person how much their solar setup cost, but it's a bit meaningless. You can buy a single panel and an inverter yourself for €200 in total and just plug it into a 3 pin socket - it will take the base load of your house when the sun is out in full. It will pay for itself in about 3 years. On the other end you could go with a rip off SEAI installer like active8 and spend €20k (after subsidy) for a large setup including battery. It will never pay you back what you spent. Have a look or ask in the renewable energy forum to get a better idea of what sort of setup you could get for whatever budget you have.

Evd-Burner

Rip off seai installers is damn right. That's why I went DIY myself, 4300 for zappi and 4.5kWp of solar E/W.

With the reduction on the mortgage and the electricity savings I reckon 2 to 3 years payback. If I take the mortgage out of it I reckon an 8 year payback with DIY, that's a 12.5% return on investment per year at current prices, would be hard to get that elsewhere.

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119190316#Comment_119190316

Hi unkel, yeah it’d be 80-90% motorway at realistically 120kph (I’ve a heavy right foot!!).

I wouldn’t mind a 15 min 150kwh fast charge stop when the battery is at a low soc (my understanding is this is when you get a high charge rate?).

However I’m mostly on the M7-M9 route from dublin to waterford and there is very little in the way of fast charging at the kilkenny/ waterford end unfortunately, also I would have to factor in the cost of a fast charge at a fast charge site (whatever that is per KWH).

I’d be making that trip maybe 3 times per week.

Also I figure that going with that figure of 300kms in winter, if I had to do a typical trip down the M11 and back up the M9 and M7 I’d arrive at the 150KWH charger at circle K M9 at kilcullen with 33% battery left (so 200kms used out of the 300kms at winter range).

How fast would the 150kw charger then charge at with the battery at 33% full? Would I get the full 150 kw?

It would only be 50kms to the house with 100kms left but just to be sure I’m factoring in having to charge to bring the battery level back up to maybe 50%, then do the rest at home.

So with 100kms left (33%/24.75kwh ), and I want to get to 50% which would be 200kms (75kwh battery in Tesla LR 50%=37.5Kwh) that means I have to add 100kms (400kms/75kwh =5.3kms per KWh), therefore to add 100 kms that’s 100kms/5.3kms= 18.86 kWh to be added. - the 150kw charger costs 0.46kwh, so 18.86 x 0.46= €8.67.

Can someone check my maths please!! 😂

Also if I get the full 150 kw how long would I take to add the extra 100 kms (18.86kwh),

so using an online calculator I make that 6 mins:

https://www.inchcalculator.com/electric-vehicle-charging-time-calculator/

Grumpypants

If you have 100km left and are only 50km from home. Just drive home.

A 50km buffer is loads. EVs are good at giving pretty accurate range. If you are worried you could drop to 110km/ph for a section.

I'd only fast charge if it is an emergency.

But in case you do want to fast charge, it's not really the charging time that is the delay. Most cars will add well over 100km in 10-20 mins. So pop to the toilet, grab a coffee and hop back in. The waiting is usually waiting to plug in as the car owner in front hasn't grasped the idea of the fast charge and are topping up over 80% at a crawl.

Sabre Man

The Tesla navigation system is very accurate and you can display a trip graph that will tell you how much battery you can expect to have left at the end of your journey. It will also advise you to slow down if necessary.

Sabre Man

In this video, Blake shows you what you missed if you didn't attend the recent Dublin EV Owners meet up. You'll stop by for the next one, right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTlCm94HGrA

ddarcy

https://www.peugeot.ie/electric-and-hybrid/drive-electric/electric-driving-range.html

Saw this on the Peugeot website. Basically they show if you drive normally, no ac at 20C you get full range. But it shows changes as well showing drop in range. Actually impressed with Peugeot information on e-cars

Sabre Man

Blake was lucky enough to attend the launch of the all-new VW ID.5. In this video, he takes a look and the exterior and the interior and goes for a drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI87-OxjHqA

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119230734#Comment_119230734

No real innovation except for a sloping tailgate. Be far more impressed if VW were announcing they could actually deliver their existing EV models in a reasonable time frame, especially the ID3 which would be far more useful to the majority of Irish families

Sabre Man

To be fair, VW are hardly the only ones not being able to deliver new cars in a timely fashion. Hopefully the situation will get better soon, although I think it's unlikely.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119231646#Comment_119231646

Oh I agree but I think that it's a bit hollow to be making a fanfare about the introduction of a new car model that doesn't even add anything new to the existing range which they can't currently deliver to their customers. I suppose from a VW perspective it represents an opportunity to milk that customer base for an even higher profit margin while continuing to blame the war for reneging on their commitment to deliver lower margin EVs.

But as you say its not like the other manufacturers aren't pursuing the same strategy

markpb

To be fair, car models are designed and sold for almost a decade so any supply issues in 2022 will be irrelevant to VW in 2028 or later.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119231894#Comment_119231894

As I said I think VW would get a better hearing if they focused on delivering their existing models to the customers from whom they have already taken their deposits and made commitments to deliver on than making a fanfare about a new model which is essentially an ID4 wearing a different belt. Obviously others will have different views

fafy

This is a very interesting read, probably nothing new, but new to me, charge your car at night rate, and sell back to the grid at peak rate, using Vehicle To Grid, or, use car battery to power home during peak, so basically, using your EV as a battery backup, like many do with PV:

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/consumer/vehicle-grid-charging-could-your-electric-car-pay-bills

Sabre Man

Are you worried about battery degradation? In this video, Inge talks to Nikolaus Mayerhofer, Chief Technology Officer of the Austrian company Aviloo, who has developed a battery test kit that you can use to measure the the battery health of an electric car or plug-in hybrid car. 

In our next video we will be using this kit to compare two Teslas of similar age but very different mileage. Please subscribe so you don't miss it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2z1SXN3caU

Sabre Man

Do you worry about battery degradation? In this video we compare two Teslas of similar age but with very different mileage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA_2I_ncLH4

MightyMunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119190708#Comment_119190708

Have a look at abetterrouteplanner, it's an app or website. You put in the car type, can change weather etc to see worst case. Will calculate the best charging stops and gives times etc....

Remember the likes of Kilcullen on the MO are undersized and often full. You might be safer charging at one of the bigger sites nearer Dublin like Ionity in Kill.

Not sure in the exact route but this is for a Model 3 LR, Dublin-Wexford-Waterford-Dublin. Looks like you'd make it without stopping in summer but probably need around 10kwh in winter. Any options for destination charging, you'd only need an hour to get the 10kwh from a standard 3phase AC charger.

dunnerc

Hi i travel Dublin to Falcarragh in Donegal once a month Summer and Winter , its approx 285km. Is there anyway a 58KWH Cupra Born

would make it without stopping , if i keep my speed at 100km/per hour

dunnerc

Thats motorway speed at 100km/hour

innrain

A better route planner thinks you can pull it of if temperatures are above 10°C. Below that it recommends a 6 min stop at Monaghan. There are Lifford and Leterkenny on the way as back ups. 5 mins at either would keep range anxiety in check.

dunnerc

Cheers for that , pulled the plug on a Cupra Born a few weeks ago 😁

Sabre Man

Even if it's possible to drive without stopping to charge it's not a bad idea to stop somewhere for a quick bathroom break and top up your battery a little bit in case there is an unexpected diversion.

smackyB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119045332#Comment_119045332

Just to follow up on this in case anyone is in the same situation and happens across this thread:

• Rented from Europcar in Toulouse, they were the only business renting EVs when I was booking. Price was same as their ICE offerings so was a no-brainer to go for it. The car indicated on the booking was a Peugeot e-208 which was exactly what I got, happy days.
• Staff wanted to know if I'd be travelling far as for some reason the car only comes with a granny cable so public charging wasn't an option. They seemed dubious that the car would go more than 150km but the car has an advertised 300km range (which it turned out was pretty accurate). The lack of a charging cable for public charging wasn't an issue for me so I didn't question it but on the booking it did say public charging was supported.
• Longest trip was to and from the airport, about 120km which the car did no problem. Charged it up overnight at the house not a bother.
• Great car to drive, really enjoyed how nippy it was vs your standard ICE car rental. Only quibble was that the android/iOS carplay was disabled for some reason, maybe they didn't pay for the option? Also couldn't figure out how to work the cruise control.
• Dropped back with a little over half the charge left, no worrying about refilling the petrol tank.

All in all would 100% go for the option again!

Red Silurian

Has anybody taken the plunge on the CCS upgrade for Nissan Leaf offered by Muxan or Range Therapy? Interested to hear if it works well or not

rocky

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119357715#Comment_119357715

Surely fast CCS DC charging would have worked? They come with cables attached 😀

The type 2 to type 2 cable they would have provided charges from public AC at 7.4kw, compared to 100kw DC (e.g. Ionity)

smackyB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119358350#Comment_119358350

Didn't realise that, assumed you needed your own cable - good to know!

innrain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119358350#Comment_119358350

They guys at the rental desk know nothing about electrics. I got a leaf in the spring and the guy didn't know what battery size it is, was adamant that I have to return the car at 100% and charged me for a petrol tank.