Random EV Thoughts 2 - The Jimnying

electricus

I had the same issue a couple of years ago changing with my Zappi.

The advice from myenergi was to contact ESBN to check for voltage fluctuations. The electrician who called couldn’t find any faults, but he approved the upgrade from 8 to 12kva and there was no charge.

It turned out that the Zappi had a fault and needed replacement. Luckily that was covered by warranty.

josip

There's a bad batch of Garos from a few years ago. Known issue among sparks.

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123390756#Comment_123390756

Yes, it was the same for me when they did mine. Incoming mains cables were inspected also and deemed suitable for 12kVa. I was also quoted the €2K+ charge for a 16kVa upgrade if required, I didn’t bother.

MojoMaker

It must have been the 16kva upgrade I was thinking carried a stiff cost.

mr chips

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123377716#Comment_123377716

Did one of those longer trips over the last few days, 186 miles/298km each way, so I'll share the figures for consumption etc here in case anyone finds it useful (NB - Kia eNiro FE).

On the way south, it was slightly cool outside, maybe 13 degrees or so IIRC when we set off just after 4pm and 10 degrees by the time we arrived about 7.45, so a journey time of about 3 hours 40. We set out with a 100% full battery and an indicated range of exactly 250 miles (400km). For the first 97 miles/155km the cruise was set at 67mph, then once it was clear that the GOM was pretty accurate (it had gone down by 99 miles, i.e. used 2 more miles than what had been the predicted range), the cruising speed was increased to 75mph. Barring some heavy traffic due to a collision at the start of the Westlink in Belfast which added about 10 minutes to the trip, plus the two short stretches between there and Banbridge that are limited to 60mph and the 100kmh limit on the M50, we were able to maintain those cruising speeds the whole way. We arrived with 48 miles of range left, so used 202 miles of predicted range to travel an actual 186 miles. Pretty sure we were driving into a steady breeze as well, but nothing significant.

On the return trip today, the cruise was set at 68mph for the whole trip. It was warmer this time, 18 degrees or so when we set out, and there was no wind to speak of. The aircon was in use for about half an hour altogether - otherwise the air vents and occasional blast of an open window was enough to keep us cool. There were two stretches of the M50 that were stop-start thanks to collisions, which caused about 15-20 minutes of a delay. Other than that (and a couple of brief stop-offs which added a mile to the return trip), we were able to maintain that cruising speed all the way. We started out with a 100% battery which this time predicted 244 miles of range - probably thanks to the higher-speed driving I'd done the day before, through constant heavy drizzle for about 55km. However, we arrived home after driving 187 miles/299km still with a predicted 73 miles/116km of range remaining, i.e. a theoretical 260 miles/416km of range from 100-0%. The journey time was about 15 minutes longer than the outbound one, but given the congestion on the M50 the difference was pretty marginal - I reckon about 10 minutes extra at most over the whole trip. Finished with a consumption rate of exactly 4 miles/kWh.

I'm quite happy with that combo of range/consumption/travel time. One other thing is that on our way south, we passed the exit for the N7 with an indicated 78 miles/125km of range remaining. That should put the Portlaoise plaza within reach for a charging stop when we head south-west, which is 49miles/78km from there. If it turns out that really cold/wet weather in winter makes a serious difference to the range, I reckon going as far as Mayfield before stopping to charge should still be perfectly achievable.

Exiled Rebel

Just watched fully charged shows video from the Shanghai autoshow. Just wow is all I can say...the Chinese are absolutely flying it.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the CATL sodium ion battery which is coming out in June. Then there's the battery that can charge at 1.2-1.3MW speeds. 450km range in 5 minutes.

The ICE is fucked.

mr chips

I was saying similar earlier today when having a chat about advances in EVs. We're still less than 6 weeks into EV ownership, and while our eNiro was the best EV we could afford and has already met all our expectations thus far, I won't deny that by today's standards it's on the cusp of no longer being what you would call a long-range EV - in fact that's probably already the case. Many of the more recent and upcoming mid-size, mid-price EVs can drive a fair bit more than the eNiro's 350-400km before needing to charge, and already most EVs built in the last 4-5 years can charge significantly faster, which peaks at only 72kW under the right conditions. Our need for a car that can regularly handle trips up to 450km with just one charge (ideally of less than 30 minutes) is already a bit of an outlier, but even we will never need an EV that can do more than 500km without a charging stop. By the time we get our next "main" EV, the eNiro will only be seen as a medium-range option.

It made me wonder why so many people still persist with ICE at all, when even a car that first came to market some 7 years ago can already meet the needs of a regular long-hauler like me with minimal compromise. Maybe the stuff that'll be available in a couple of years will be the tipping point.

innrain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123396168#Comment_123396168

I think the answer is because people are still hang on the range and range anxiety. And I think it is normal considering that it requires a change of mindset. You will see that after a while you wouldn't care that much about the range of your car. Maybe with the eniro not quite because it insists in displaying the remaining range there in your face. I have 3 EVs in the family and the last one is shorter range than the first two. At the time of purchase I didn't know its WLTP range, and I still don't. Couldn't care less. I drive between 100 -150 km daily. I charge the car when it drops below 35%. If it is at 39% in the evening I don't bother If it is at 35% I'll consider it, if it is at 31% I'll plug it in definitely. I have one EV that can do Killarney to Dublin without stop. I've done it once in four years. Every other time I stopped for a reason or another most common some in my family requires therapy at Kildare Village.

I'm back from a trip on the continent where I had the unpleasant surprise to drive an ICE and it felt so backwards. Sorry for Mazda lovers but whatever Mazda3 I had was the most terrible car I drove in years. It may have stem from the fact that people smoked in that car and the smell came from the AC filters, but it also has to do with the fact that was completely under powered. Especially when climbing the Pyrenees the engine was screaming like a jet at the take-off. These fact are always overlooked but I'll happily drive an EV and have to do the charging in exchange of a comfortable drive. So yeah long therm ICE is doomed for most of us.

mr chips

I guess the range of the early Leaf and Clio are what informs a lot of people's mindsets, despite all the progress since the time when those were the only EVs within reach of people buying used. But even though I'm still waiting for a spark to come back to me about installing a chargepoint (round here, getting an electrician out can literally take months as they all have more work than they can handle and can pick & choose the handiest/most lucrative jobs), in reality I still don't have to worry about range as the granny charger has actually given us most of the juice we've needed since getting the car. It's only been public charged five times, for a total of maybe 500 out of 5000km driven.

What's even better for us is that nearly all the rest is home charging coming from solar surplus, so we've covered that 4500km virtually free of charge - maybe a few quid in total from the times when I forgot to plug it out once the sun started going down? The 3-pin charger can provide anywhere from 0.5 to 2.1kW depending on how I set it - today is intermittently bright/cloudy, so I have it charging slightly more slowly at 1.2kW as the excess left over from running the house isn't as much as it can be on really bright days. But it's still trickling away while I'm indoors doing admin and I might not have to head out again today at all, so the SOC will get from 51% when I plugged it in to maybe 63-64% before I unplug it this evening. From tomorrow it's to be brighter and I'm working from home most of the week, so it'll cover my other half's 30km commute for three days, trickle charge when it suits us and still easily be above 80% SOC by the weekend. From next month, I'm thinking of putting the equivalent of what we'd have spent on diesel in a savings account so it can earn us a few quid - we've already saved the cost of what I was quoted for the dreaded coolant change.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123397517#Comment_123397517

Agree on the Leaf still living in people's heads. On the solar generation being free,its only the case if you don't have a feed in tariff. My solar generation diverted to the car cost me 19c per kwh. I regularly have to top up my low range leaf during the day but it makes more sense to charge exclusively at night

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123397873#Comment_123397873

My 151 leaf24 is charged mainly at night. The car is timed to start charging from whatever % up to 80% at 2am when electricity costs 13 cents.

There's 10 bars left, it costs €2.38 to fill the battery from 0 to 100% which is enough range to cover 100km. My Ateca on the other hand costs circa. 10 to 11 euro in petrol to cover the same distance. We use the leaf solely from Thursday to Sunday when I'm WFH or off at the weekend and if necessary the 12km round trip to the shops on a Tuesday when I also WFH. It covers circa. 250km per week. I love the little banger.

mr chips

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123397873#Comment_123397873

True - if I had the sort of feed-in tariff and night-rates you have, I'd probably do the same as you. Mine here in NI is structured differently from those in the south, though - I get a flat rate annually in respect of every unit of renewable energy generated (even when it's used to supply the house), which works out at around £550pa. Then on top of that I get paid for exporting to the grid, but only at 5p per unit. Meanwhile the cheapest night rate available to me costs something like 15p/kWh, which I think is a fair chunk more expensive than what's available in the south. So as things stand, I'm better off using up all the power generated here during the day.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123398112#Comment_123398112

I've my L30 since 2018 and have put up just shy of 160k kms on it. It used to have over 160km range but now at 57% soh is lucky to get 60km.

Nonetheless I drive it everyday as a local runaround covering at least 40km per day but sometimes up to 120km, which necessitates a top up during the day. I'll run it into the ground as it's worth sfa as it is great for local short journeys which saves wear and tear on the M3 and smax.

The point I was making is that anyone I know sceptical of EVs will reference the Leafs shite range and battery and are surprised I went for a second EV after my experience. I do my best to tell them that EVs have moved on....

NIMAN

Any electrical/charging cable experts on here to answer a question i think I might already know the answer to!

At work my Leaf used to only ever charge at 3.6kw max. I did a bit of research and discovered that the charge unit at work was putting out the 11kw by producing 3.6 x 3. And the Leaf isn't capable of receiving this.

After I changed to the ID3, I had seen others get 10.7kw speeds. When I plugged in I got 3.7kw again. Changed to another cable and got 3.7kw. I liked to use these 2 cables as they are coiled and stay off the ground.

I then tried the cable that came with the car and got 10.7kw.

I am assuming the 2 original cables I owned can't carry such a load? Have they less pins connected? I see the voltage is different.

These are my 2 cables:

And this is the one that came with the id3:

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123426086#Comment_123426086

The first 2 are single phase cables, you can see from the 1P+N on the label

The cable that came with the ID.3 is a 3 phase cable, means it has 3 live cables to the 1 in in the others

The ID.3 will charge at 11kW max on a 3 phase charger. On a single phase it will charge at 7kW max

It sounds like the charger at work is limited to 11kW 3 phase, which means it will put out 3.6kW per phase

This is why the ID.3 was charging slower on the other 2 cables, it was limited to 1 phase

Similarly any car which only supports 1 phase charging like the Leaf will be limited to 3.6kW by the charger

NIMAN

Thanks for the clarification

September1

I remember (or misremember?) that one of Hyundai EVs had dropped side mirrors for cameras, but were such models ever sold in Ireland?

the_amazing_raisin

Ooooooohh

https://www.electrive.com/2025/05/15/toyota-unveils-estate-version-of-bz4x/

I'm not a fan of the standard Bz4x but this estate version looks awesome IMO

Hopefully it comes to Ireland, could be a good seller

Can't say I'm a fan of all the brown though, a few brighter colours would be nice

Buddy Bubs

When are these green plates coming in?

I'm getting a 252 reg EV so what are proppes thoughts? Are they optional from whatever date they come in or compulsory?

Nigzcurran

Optional and bit gimmicky in my opinion. The green will be on the right hand side so the reg plate will be packed tight especially if you have a big reg number

Buddy Bubs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123458440#Comment_123458440

Yeah i don't know if I want it or not. Probably not. I know you've the option to retrofit existing EVs too.

Until there's something like low emissions zones or whatever i don't think I'll bother

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123458395#Comment_123458395

They are optional. And a virtue signal by users as there’s no benefit at all. I wouldn’t be putting them in.

It would be different if we had a city toll or congestion charge or could use bus lanes etc

CMOTDibbler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123458539#Comment_123458539

Might be useful if going abroad where it's recognised for congestion zones. Though that idea is very fragmented at the moment. France (or maybe some cities there) require the Crit'Air sticker.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123458647#Comment_123458647

It's largely left up to city authorities which kind of makes sense for residents since they're the ones suffering from poor air quality

However it does make a coherent system difficult to implement

Taking France as an example, the government requires you display the Crit Air sticker in cities that implement it but what that means is up to each city

Paris for example will just ban all diesels on days when air pollution is bad. Other cities might have looser regulations or just time limits on certain types of vehicles

Coming back to Ireland, I don't see any ULEZ type zones being brought in by the current government

The priorities for the current government seem to be slow rolling any move towards electrification, and ruining Dublin as much as possible for everyone who lives there. A ULEZ zone would run contrary to those

Okay, fair enough I am mostly joking. However things like ULEZ zones require leaders to stick to their plan in the face of backlash. I don't really see much appetite for controversy from the current crop of jellyfish in charge

witnessmenow

Any suggestions on where to pick up the compressor from an Hyundai/kia "tire mobility kit"?

We got a new ice car this week that didn't have the temporary tyre repair fluid in the kit anymore and I haven't got a chance to replace it yet. My wife is doing an airport collection run tomorrow, so I said I'd throw the ioniqs in for the trip, and I discovered while the kit is there and fluid is in it, the compressor isn't!

I see evbreakers have one from a kia soul which I assume will work, but are they a bit funny in regards shipping down here? Their website doesn't seem to allow you to change country from the UK. Newry is a bit of a spin from me!

There is a few ioniqs on find a part , but I don't see the compressor or the tire mobility kit listed, would it be typical they just might not list something like this and it's worth giving a ring?

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123459310#Comment_123459310

Any compressor should do. You could pick one up in Halfords today. Also I think I saw one in Lidl recently, but can't be sure on that.

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123460869#Comment_123460869

Some Aldi stores still have stock of a 12v one for €19.99.

josip

According to the IEA, more than 20% of new cars sold last year were EVs. That is expect to rise to more than 25% in 2025.

https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2025/executive-summary

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123460869#Comment_123460869

No these compressors have a special holder for a can of goo, so as an option you can add tyre sealant if you want. I got a real spare wheel, can if goo, and compressor and puncture repair kit

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123463914#Comment_123463914

I would never recommend using tyre sealant. Destroys your tyres.