Changing to EV

Craigconnor07

Im thinking of taking the plunge and changing from my 2011 megane, 1.5 diesel to an EV but I’m not sure if my commute to work would be suitable for an EV. I’m a total EV virgin and never really thought of it as an option.

the commute is around 100km round trip 5 days a week on a secondary road, would I save much on charging than filling up on diesel or would I be better sticking with the a diesel car.

I was looking at maybe a second hand ioniq, says it has a range of around 230kms from a full charge, roughly how much would it be to fully charge it? I have a private driveway so I’d probably get a home charging port but there’s 2 public charging areas nearby, a petrol station and Lidl.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be most welcome.

Gumbo

The ioniq would do that trip easily all year round. You would not have to charge at all to or from work once you leave every morning at 100%.

charge at home on an EV rate or night rate or whatever you can get the cheaper version of. Let’s say it’s 15c a kWh.

0-100% charge will be about 28x.15=€4.20 to keep it similar and ignore charging losses etc.

But you won’t be charging from 0 every day but let’s imagine you would be. That’s €30 a week of fuel.

What are you currently spending on fuel alone?

then you have th additional savings such as lower insurance, less maintenance, lower motor tax etc

con747

...

the_amazing_raisin

I've had a few beers so please someone double check my math, but here goes

500km per week at sat 12kWh/100km for an Ioniq gives 60kWh per week. Cheapest night rate available is 5c/kWh from Pinergy, giving a weekly cost of €3

Electricity rates vary a lot, so do your homework on what works for you. Some of the tariffs are around 20c/kWh so €12 in electricity per week

As for a petrol car, assuming you're getting around 5l/100km you're looking at 25l per week. At €1.75/l that's €43.75 per week

At least €30 saved per week, that's a nice saving. Could almost afford 3 pints in today's prices 😬

Multiplying that out for the year, you're looking at €1500 savings at least

Craigconnor07

I’m currently spending around €50 every 8 days or so, depends on how much driving I do at the weekends. I had a quick look around at electricity prices, most companies are offering around 20c/kWh for charging at night and there’s the booster price for a couple of hours at crazy o’clock which is a lot cheaper but I don’t think I’ll be getting up at 2 am to plug it in 😬.

Also as I’ve never driven an automatic or EV, is there enough power there to overtake and stuff like that or are they just designed to cruise along. I’m used to dropping a gear and putting my foot down and having enough power there. My megane is only 110 bhp but it’s enough for the size of the car to comfortably overtake.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121089141#Comment_121089141

The car has a timer onboard, you just plug in when you get home and the car starts charging at the programmed times

In terms of acceleration, trust me you'll have enough. EVs have a wide power range and no annoying gear shifts to waste time. Unless you're reading an F1 car you'll be grand

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121089141#Comment_121089141

Have and have had Meganes and the 0 to 60 is about 11+ seconds, an ev like the Ioniq should be under 10 seconds and most ev's would be in the same range if not quicker.

sh81722

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121089141#Comment_121089141

Ioniq acceleration:

https://youtu.be/VJU2apSq6aU?si=66McicqghXNH-7A0

RoboRat

I have a 64KW MG4 and I do a 112km spin 3 days a week on secondary roads - the range is usually between 350km - 400km depending on how I drive. I use about 30% of the power per return journey (112km) but I'm not a conservative driver, so it could be done with less.

I had an 08 2.0l diesel Mazda and was paying on average, €260 a month for diesel. If I charged it solely off the grid at night rate, it would cost me around €34 for the same mileage.

Personally, I love my new EV and I'm glad I made the switch. The other benefits are reduced tax, insurance, and from what I have heard the servicing is far less (only have it for 3 months, so I can't comment yet). I worked out that over the year, it would save me over €3,200 - I charted this over 6 months to see if the switch was worth it. Thankfully, I have a large solar array so thus far, I haven't had to pay for much electricity. Realistically, the savings are greater as my wife now uses it whenever I don't use it, so her diesel cost has dropped about 40%.

I think that you need to have a home charge point for an EV to be worth it, I don't think we are set up as a country yet.

"Also as I’ve never driven an automatic or EV, is there enough power there to overtake and stuff like that or are they just designed to cruise along."

My MG4 is a frickin bullet, there is ample power as it's 204bhp (or thereabouts) and I have never been left wanting on the power front!

dashoonage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095934#Comment_121095934

Thanks roborat , im considering making the change to a LR MG4

RoboRat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121097380#Comment_121097380

I would highly recommend. The only bug bear is the lane keep assist (LKA). it's way too aggressive, especially on country roads. I turn it off every time and unfortunately due to NCAP safety, it switches back on as default every time I use the car. It's the only thing I would fault it on.... but I can live with that!

ShadowSA

Just be careful, sure you might save on the running costs but don't forget about the purchase cost of the car either cash or installments vs your current car which owes you nothing. Lot's of people seem to forget this.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121098707#Comment_121098707

This is true, but if someone is looking to change anyway then it makes sense to consider an EV if it's an option that will work

Craigconnor07

I’ve seen on other discussions about charging it at work, is it cheaper if you charge in your work place than public charging, I know it’s cheaper to home charge too but I don’t have a smart meter at the moment and don’t know when it’ll be upgraded so I can get better night rates. Do companies I get tax breaks or anything like that if they install charger ports?

RoboRat

Depends, some work places offer free charging for employees. If they don't, then ask... they might be open to it.

I don't have a smart meter but I have a day/ night meter and whilst there are some great EV rates on a smart meter, you need to read the fine print as some are quite restrictive (max amount you can charge per night). Even with my night rate i(0.22 per kw), its far cheaper than diesel.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100471#Comment_121100471

Charging in work is at the discretion of your employer. Tax breaks to install chargers but not for the power they give to you. No BIK on charging though.

You also don’t need a smart meter to get night rate rates.

Craigconnor07

I didn’t know you didn’t need a smart meter to get other rates. Any suppliers I was looking at just had a standard unit price for a normal meter then had a few different options for the smart. What places offer different rates for the normal meter?

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100534#Comment_121100534

As others said, charging at work can be anywhere from free to more expensive than at home. Depends entirely on your employer so check with them

Regarding electricity plans, this thread is good for tracking the latest deals

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058226818/best-electricity-plan-for-new-ev-owners

I think the best offer for a Day/Night (non smart) meter is from Energia, they're giving something like a 15% discount and there's a price cut from October

Craigconnor07

Thanks for all the help so far, would I be better asking these questions in the ev section instead of here? I only seen that section after I had made this discussion. I was just having a look about applying for the grant for the home charger, what would be a good make and product name to put in that section of the application form?

RoboRat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121101587#Comment_121101587

Depends... if you have solar or plan on investing in it then get a zappi. It's more expensive but it's a great system that works with or without solar... but if you are thinking of getting solar, then better to plan ahead as most chargers don't work with solar.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121101587#Comment_121101587

Aren't we already in the EV section? 🤔

Zappi is probably the most popular charger, there's lots of companies that do installation and customer support is generally very good

There's also EO, Wallbox, Ohme and a few others. The charger needs to have an internet connection to avail of the grant

If solar is on the cards at any point then a Zappi is probably the best option. Other brands have solar integration but it tends to be a seperate add-on

Even if you aren't planning to install solar but have a roof or a large open bit of ground then you might as well assume you'll install solar at some point. Once you start getting free energy into your car it basically becomes a drug

If solar is definitely not on the cards then any charger will do, although I'd advise getting one with load management for the house. If you end up running a lot of appliances during the charging window then it's best to ensure your charger will throttle itself to ensure you don't overload your grid connection

coolbeans

I believe there's an improved phase 2 of the MG4 out now. The newer version's got a rear wiper and other improvements. Dealers may have older stock so try to get the newer version if going down the MG road.

zg3409

On terms of savings I had a 110km daily commute on a 28kWh ioniq and I saved a fortune in fuel.

You can now buy that car for around 15,000 euro used and it will drive that range with battery to spare all year round.

A bigger battery is better particularly if you regularly do long trips as it helps you avoid public chargers which are often busy, blocked or broken.

Factor in cars depreciation into your figures. Typically depreciation is 20% year one, 10% each year after but it can vary a lot and used prices have dropped a lot in past 6 months due to increased supply and reduced demand.

I switched to EV 5 years ago when I realized every month I delayed I was losing money on fuel savings so I quickly switched early.

Craigconnor07

I’ve a budget of around €15,000, it just wouldn’t make economic sense to spend more, so what would be a better buy between a 2018 leaf and ioniq? Is there an upper mileage limit on each car that I should stay away from?

my wife has an another diesel car for long trips, I’ll just be using the EV for commuting, local journeys, stuff like that.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121122763#Comment_121122763

Definitely go for the Ioniq if you can find one

The Leaf uses the older Chademo plug for DC charging, and there's not many new chargers of that type being installed. In fact Ecars are starting to remove them

The Ioniq is more efficient over longer journeys and charges better too

I know you said you'd only use it for local journeys, but it tends to happen that drivers will start using their EV as much as possible since it's cheaper and generally more pleasant to drive

You might find yourself taking on journeys before long that require a fast charger, and the Ioniq is better on that front

MojoMaker

Ioniq definitely.

Craigconnor07

Whats the opinions on a 2105 or 16 eGolf?

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121123277#Comment_121123277

They're nice enough cars apparently, nicer spec than some of the competition

Range is somewhat limited, wouldn't want to go more than 100km

Would till vote for the Ioniq

...Ghost...

Leaf owner here 6 years. Go for Ioniq. Leaf is less efficient and uses a less common charge port. The 2018 Leaf is a nice car to drive, but as someone already said, you will want to use the EV more when you get it, so better go with the ioniq. 15k will get you into one.

Craigconnor07

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/34182115

Hyundai Ioniq EV *NCT 2025*

Any advice on this Ioniq? Says he’s open to offers too.

River Deep

Looks like OP is set on the Ioniq but would the Renault Zoe 50kWh also satisfy the requirements? Pros/cons (as I see them):

Pros:

* very efficient in terms of mileage for its battery size (52 kWh, WLTP 395 km). Real world is somewhat lower but I understand this to be the case for call EVs

* 50 kW DC "rapid” charging via CCS. I know there’s faster charging speeds than this available but there are also cars with lower!

* Can handle 22kW AC charging

* decent size in car screen with CarPlay/Android auto etc. Tactile climate control buttons (a must for me!)

* Fairly cheap 2nd hand at as low as 18k for 2020 reg full spec. Google Kenny’s in Galway - I can’t post links as I’m new

Cons:

* Will start with the big one. Zero star Euro NCAP rating in the most recent 2021 test. This compares to a 5 star rating obtained in 2013. I understand the reduction was primarily a result of them removing a side pilar air bag. Despite such a low rating, I’ve seen quite a few of these on the road - particularly in UK, so maybe people are either not aware or don’t mind so much?

* Depreciation seems high given that it costs approx 38k new in 2023 for full spec - compared to same spec 2020 reg listed by dealer mentioned above for 18k. Looks like the Zoe line itself is being discontinued in 2024 so don’t know how that will impact resale value going forward.

(Edited post for typos and clarity)