Thinking of making the jump to electric

maynooth_rules

Thinking of taking the jump into electric cars, but am a little clueless.

Would like to get the Tesla model Y. But it's 46000 euro new here in Ireland. Second hand versions seem dearer strangely.

I do love my tech and a decent sized boot is important for me.

Drive 105 km a day commute for work.

Would be more comfortable spending closer to the 30k mark. Happy enough to go second hand.

Another option I was looking at was the MG 5. It's an estate so plenty of room in boot. But it's just so dull looking.

Any other options I should be thinking?

I cycle a bit so was thinking the boot size to throw the bike into. Maybe I am overthinking it

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058320503/thinking-of-making-the-jump-to-electric

For close to 30K, a used ID.4 1st Edition like this should suit your needs; https://www.donedeal.ie/view/35410463

MrMusician18

if you're concerned about the battery in a used EV, get yourself an OBD dongle like veepeak and car scanner app. The car should be charged to 100% an hour before the test drive This will allow the battery to balance and give reasonably accurate readings to obd scanner. For battery health reasons, the car shouldn't be kept above 80% for long periods of time however.

Key metrics to look out for are max energy content of the traction battery (at 20C ambient temperature this will give a good indication of battery degradation in an 2021 ID4 it should be no less than 73000Wh at) divide this value by 77000 to give percentage degradation. The sharpest degradation happens in the first year and is non-linear in a battery that's not abused. At lower ambient temperatures, like now, the value will be less, probably around 72000Wh at 10C.

Look also at max voltage in cell vs min voltage in cell, and which cell has the min voltage. In a new battery the cell with the min voltage will be constantly changing each time its measured. An older battery may have a weak cell and the cell remains constant. Ideally the voltage difference between max and min should be +/- 0.002V but I think it can go up to 0.040V before the BMS will throw a fault. A difference of about 0.010V is relatively normal in an older EV.

The last metric to check is the energy content of the battery when the display is showing 100%. This value is net of the inaccessible upper battery buffer and the accessible bottom battery buffer (i.e. the car doesn't come to a halt on 0%, it can run to about -2% in a pinch (display will still show 0% in the car afaik). Divide the energy value by 19500 and multiply by 100 and you'll get the real range of the vehicle in mixed driving in good weather. Divide by 22000 and multiply by 100 to get the mixed driving bad weather range.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121310088#Comment_121310088

That's some really good info, but it's maybe a bit much for someone who doesn't know about EVs, or dongles to check the battery health. Also the OP didn't mention batteries at all.

@ The OP, if you love your tech and want a boot big enough to take a bike, the Model Y is a pretty good option...though I would personally prefer to use a bike carrier than the boot if bicycle transport was frequent. The MG5 is a grand yoke, but it is, as you say, a bit on the drab side. I love the Tesla tech and efficiency, but if the MG5 was available when I was buying the M3, I would have gone with that for cost savings and the simple fact that it would do what I needed.

I'm glad it wasn't available though 😁

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121311809#Comment_121311809

Wouldn’t be too concerned about the battery health as it will likely be well within manufacturers warranty anyway.

You won’t find a Model Y here for €30K.

Redfox25

Mg4 maybe, could be too small but base model comes in around that price of 30k.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121311931#Comment_121311931

The VW battery warranty is shíte though.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121311809#Comment_121311809

Yeah, I got a bit carried away when someone mentioned ID4 and thought of all the battery things I'd have liked to have found in one place when I was buying.

Hopefully it's useful for another nerd!