Complete newbie with some questions

DelBoy Trotter

I’m contemplating jumping into the EV world for the first time. I’ve test driven an Audi Q4 and a VW ID4 so far and was a fan of the Q4. The Q4 was 3 years old, with the larger battery and was at the top of my budget range. I’ve some very basic questions, I’ve googled these but there are a lot of answers and I don’t know which is the most up to date!

I only do approximately 6-8k km a year. The majority of my journeys are within Dublin, with a handful of trips to Galway and Kerry.


Are there any grants available for buying a used EV? Or towards a home charger?


I live in a new build, and it’s ready to have a home charger installed. What sort of money should I budget to get one installed? Any recommendations on chargers to get or avoid?

I’ve noticed a lot of people saying that air con/heating affects the range. What sort of effect should I expect? Is it negligible or does it make a marked difference?

Can anybody explain the charging network to me?! Can every EV car use every charger out there? There seems to be a number of different chargers available, do you need to have a seperate account for each brand of charger? How do you activate the charging when you park up? Is it an app on your phone or a swipe card?

CMOTDibbler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058391531/complete-newbie-with-some-questions

Are there any grants available for buying a used EV? Or towards a home charger?

Yes. There's an SEAI grant of €300 for chargers. Some installers look after this for you. There are no grants for second hand EVs.

I live in a new build, and it’s ready to have a home charger installed. What sort of money should I budget to get one installed? Any recommendations on chargers to get or avoid?

Around €1k for installation after the grant. Best to look at the home chargers thread for more info.

I’ve noticed a lot of people saying that air con/heating affects the range. What sort of effect should I expect? Is it negligible or does it make a marked difference?

On average a reduction of about 20% from summer range to winter range. You can sometimes do better than that depending on the weather and your driving style. Also things like heated steering wheels and seats help reduce the power usage.

Can anybody explain the charging network to me?

Yes. It's pretty straightforward. Most work off an app, some will work directly from your debit/credit card. Most modern cars use the CCS standard which is the predominant connector out there for DC (fast+ charging). Main ones are ESB - you can get a free card from them or use the app (the card is quicker). After that, it's what you'll likely meet on your journey, so use an app like ABRP for route planning. Also Google maps now has charge stations built in and if you're lucky enough to have a car with Google built in, it will give you your estimated state of charge (SoC) at your destination or any charge stops you intend to make along the way. Also tells you whether they're free or not. In real time.

Buddy Bubs

You got good answers above, just on the car you're choosing have a look at a few more too, the Audi Q4 would probably be seen as not particularly worth the premium over its rivals but if you like it you like it and if you're getting good price on it, it's a very decent car. Very spec dependent, there's plenty of very basic ones out there from around 2022 which had very little equipment to keep it under 60k grant threshold.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058391531/complete-newbie-with-some-questions

Don’t pay €1k for an EVSE, especially if your prewired as all new builds are. €699 and this includes connection back to the CU.

The Audi is a lovely car, traditional layout and you’ll feel like you’re in a traditional Audi instead of a modern EV. If that floats your boat then brilliant.

Only thing I’d say is the ID4 will be more efficient and cover more range than the Audi, even the one with the bigger battery. The Audi is well known for its bad efficiency in EV terms but the off set for that is the Audi luxury interior.

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123102407#Comment_123102407

An Enyaq might be the sweet spot here between the two ? More premium interior than an ID.4 and better value than a Q4.

joe1303l

Edited

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123102499#Comment_123102499

I think the OP is considering a Q4 e-tron not the original Fat e-Tron. An ID.4 wouldn’t be any more or less efficient than a Q4 as they are built on the same platform etc.

Buddy Bubs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123102660#Comment_123102660

I actually think it's nicer than either of them. And i think id4 is nicer outside than q4 but interior lets it down a bit in the early ones.

Lack of nicely specced Q4s out there due to price unfortunately

Plenty of other options outside the vw group too for OP, never owned one but the Koreans have great offerings too

DelBoy Trotter

Thanks for all the replies so far. There is a good bit to learn, and I'm taking everything on board. Should all EVs come with both the granny cable and type 2 cable? Or does each manufacturer do things differently?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123102499#Comment_123102499

You've actually hit the nail on the head as to why I like the Q4…it's that the layout and looks are more like a traditional car!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123102682#Comment_123102682

As pointed out above, it is the Q4 I am looking at, rather than the original e-tron.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123102660#Comment_123102660

Thanks for the suggestion, I might try to go see an Enyaq this weekend!

crl84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123105642#Comment_123105642

Re first question, no they don't. It depends on manufacturer and even dealer sometimes. Query it when viewing and if you decide to buy, see if they'll chuck it in for free. Each are less than a hundred quid retail, so dealer should be able to at least throw in one or the other, or the missing one if one is included, at little cost to them.

Buddy Bubs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123105677#Comment_123105677

Surely they all come with a type 2?

CMOTDibbler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123106795#Comment_123106795

Yeah, I think he was referring to a granny charger which some manufacturers like Kia and Hyundai are no longer including. I'd query the €100 price from a manufacturer. I've seen prices of over €300 for them, Tesla are €200. Alternatives from the likes of Amazon can be around (usually above) €100. But be careful that they are the correct ones as there are often 3 phase and other types that look similar but won't work.

Oscar_Madison

Expand your horizons a bit in terms of car choice. With low % finance a brand new EV MAY be better than trying to finance a second hand one- you might also get better range and more up to date technology along with a better guarantee - think of how you will use the car, what back up ICE car might you still have for certain non regular journeys ?

Like others here, your EV will become the goto car and the ICE if you have one will sit in the driveway - but do consider all needs - passengers, luggage space, range etc

A lot of new Chinese cars hitting the market this year also that might meet your needs but at a much lower cost and price

crl84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123106795#Comment_123106795

Nope. MG4 was only supposed to come with Granny charger by default. My (and some other dealers) included the Type 2 for free. Have read of people buying from the same dealer that didn't get the Type 2 though. Granny charger came in an MG branded carry bag.

Type 2 was a 3rd party one, can't remember what.

Pretty sure I've read of other vehicles only coming with Granny charger too.

crl84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123107453#Comment_123107453

I meant <€100 from 3rd party retailers.

I agree that dealers charge far more than that if you were to buy from them, same as with most add-ons like matts and ceramic coating etc. which are subject to huge markups.

Dealer will be getting them in at wholesale/ex-VAT at signicantly less than they charge for them and less than what the average person can find them for online for, so throwing it in for free when you're spending tens of thousands with them and it costs theml dealer less than 100quid shouldn't be that big of an ask.