Discussion
Greg_D said:
don't forget to add in the fact that the Renault doesn't qualify for the full EV grant, you only get £3,750, instead of the £5k of the i3, so add another £1,250 to the comparator cost. You're realistically looking at less than £5k difference, like for like.
sorry that's not correct. The list price of an intens is 20k. the govt grant is 25% up to a limit of 5k. Irrespective, like with all cars, deals can be done and I don't care who is paying the downdraft. I am all in for 14.5k.
http://www.renault.co.uk/cars/electric-vehicles/zo...
The battery lease debate will run and run, but they have now introduced a much cheaper tarrif for low mileage (up to 3k a year) owners. Perfect for me then. £45 a month.
As for the customer service - he clearly had a shocker. So did the chap in the US with a dodgy 911 and so have all the 991 GT3 owners. Doesn't seem to have impacted sales yet.
In my particular case I have dealt with a london dealer who has supplied about 30 cars, knows exactly what he is doing and is responsive to emails. Shocked?! I was....
Only time will tell whether the car performs as well. I pick it up on Friday so I'll soon be able to judge. in the mean time, they have finally released a granny cable to allow charging from a boggo domestic socket.
moribund said:
When you're spending £15-20k then £5k is rather a lot you know!
Very PH to dismiss 5k on a car that'll save you far less than that vs. an ICE equivalent.
Over 3 years my i3 will save me £5k per year vs my old 5er. That's £7.5k on tax and £7.5k on fuel over the three years. Very PH to dismiss 5k on a car that'll save you far less than that vs. an ICE equivalent.
Picked the car up today. 20 miles home, dual carriage way and urban stop start. Blooming marvellous. Super smooth drivetrain, more than fast enough (rather sprightly 0-40). So much kit included- touch screen, sat nav, good stereo, Bluetooth inc music streaming, reversing sensors, reversing camera, voice command, auto headlights and wipers, cruise. And the thing I think I will love the most on hot/ cold mornings- remote hvac activation from keyfob or iPhone.
As first impressions go, this has been a very good one. Wonder what will happen when I need to charge it.
As first impressions go, this has been a very good one. Wonder what will happen when I need to charge it.
squirejo said:
Picked the car up today. 20 miles home, dual carriage way and urban stop start. Blooming marvellous. Super smooth drivetrain, more than fast enough (rather sprightly 0-40). So much kit included- touch screen, sat nav, good stereo, Bluetooth inc music streaming, reversing sensors, reversing camera, voice command, auto headlights and wipers, cruise. And the thing I think I will love the most on hot/ cold mornings- remote hvac activation from keyfob or iPhone.
As first impressions go, this has been a very good one. Wonder what will happen when I need to charge it.
Excellent, please keep us updated. I may not personally like the battery lease and Renault customer service might leave something to be desired but the Zoe itself seems like an excellent achievement.As first impressions go, this has been a very good one. Wonder what will happen when I need to charge it.
Always easy to find excuses for a drive with a new car. Been out and about, all urban. I had read the step off regeneration can be harsh but not on mine- very smooth. While I had time on my hands I also went to a public charger (source london) to make sure it worked an I knew what to do. Easier than filing up with petrol. Plug into car and charger, wave source london card at charger and away you go. It feels quite strange driving past petrol stations knowing they are redundant....
Edited by squirejo on Saturday 10th May 15:17
Bonefish Blues said:
Naive question - is there any anti-theft measure on the (presumably full of expensive metal) cable as standard?
Pretty car, BTW.
On the charging station side of the ones I've used, the cable is locked in until the card you used to initiate the charge is swiped to release it. On the car end, my Gen2 Leaf (and other models) can secure the cable via a switch on the dash. Helps to prevent people disconnecting you for no reason too!Pretty car, BTW.
Looks good and glad to hear that so far you are enjoying it, how are you finding low speed manouvering (sp?) I've found that the nature of the gearbox is very all or nothing so slow speed mavnouvering can be a bit trick, particularly when putting one in a showroom.
I think they are a great car and the technology is fantastic, I hope you gave many happy years with it.
I think they are a great car and the technology is fantastic, I hope you gave many happy years with it.
I've now had entire day experiences with Fluence, Zoe, and Leaf. For me Zoe wins hands down - packed with tech and had the best range out of the 3 cars (all 2013 plates). I think I was least impressed with the Leaf. The range in non-ev mode absolutely plummeted even though I was driving carefully.
If only Zoe didn't have this infernal battery least issue...
If only Zoe didn't have this infernal battery least issue...
Just a brief update. I am on holiday this week and don't have the Zoe with me, proving that it will remain my urban wheels. Its just not feasible yet to venture into unchartered charging waters!
On that note, like all EV owners and including PH staff (see Tesla S review) I have had a few mixed experiences with on street chargers of late. The good news is the one local to home remains reliable and fast, as is one in a local shopping centre. However I was less successful at a charger near work (which already had a hateful g wizz plugged into the 3pin socket- could that have affected it?) and so far my new evse lead will not work with any standard socket I have tried.
Moral of the story I think is to top up as and when its convenient,rather than working from full to empty like a petrol car.
This would be very easy if I had a charger at home....
Otherwise the car remains excellent. Its very swift round town- quite the Q car in many ways- and impressed 3 previously sceptical colleagues on a trip across London. I also like driving round in something unusual.
All the stuff works well, but I have found the satnav takes a while to wake up when you first start the car, which is just when you need it to respond to your inputs! Too clever for its own good I think, as it checks traffic conditions.
In summary, 3 weeks and 250 London miles completed and I still like it. A lot. Getting used to different chargers and managing for the occasional disappointment is key.
On that note, like all EV owners and including PH staff (see Tesla S review) I have had a few mixed experiences with on street chargers of late. The good news is the one local to home remains reliable and fast, as is one in a local shopping centre. However I was less successful at a charger near work (which already had a hateful g wizz plugged into the 3pin socket- could that have affected it?) and so far my new evse lead will not work with any standard socket I have tried.
Moral of the story I think is to top up as and when its convenient,rather than working from full to empty like a petrol car.
This would be very easy if I had a charger at home....
Otherwise the car remains excellent. Its very swift round town- quite the Q car in many ways- and impressed 3 previously sceptical colleagues on a trip across London. I also like driving round in something unusual.
All the stuff works well, but I have found the satnav takes a while to wake up when you first start the car, which is just when you need it to respond to your inputs! Too clever for its own good I think, as it checks traffic conditions.
In summary, 3 weeks and 250 London miles completed and I still like it. A lot. Getting used to different chargers and managing for the occasional disappointment is key.
squirejo said:
Moral of the story I think is to top up as and when its convenient,rather than working from full to empty like a petrol car.
This would be very easy if I had a charger at home....
You don't have an external wall charger at home, why not, part of the package when purchasing a ZOE is having one installed?This would be very easy if I had a charger at home....
HTP99 said:
You don't have an external wall charger at home, why not, part of the package when purchasing a ZOE is having one installed?
Because like most Londoners, I don't have off street parking. As per other threads anyone can have a charger installed with govt grants. The 7kw one, provided with a Zoe, would be a £95 supplement without.
squirejo said:
HTP99 said:
You don't have an external wall charger at home, why not, part of the package when purchasing a ZOE is having one installed?
Because like most Londoners, I don't have off street parking. As per other threads anyone can have a charger installed with govt grants. The 7kw one, provided with a Zoe, would be a £95 supplement without.
Apparently there are so many clauses regarding making sure the car is suitable for the customers needs etc, that it can be a minefield and if the dealer is deemed to have mis-sold the car they can actually be liable for the Government grant, for complaints made by the customer up to 5 years after purchasing the car.
HTP99 said:
Ahh ok, interesting as we; I sell Renaults however our branch isn't an EV dealer, but due to our location we would be ideal , have been lead to believe that if you have off street parking only we shouldn't sell you one for the very reason that you can't charge it from home, apparently it can cause major issues with the Government grant and could actually get the dealer in a spot of bother as you could say it was mis-sold as you are unable to charge the car at home.
Apparently there are so many clauses regarding making sure the car is suitable for the customers needs etc, that it can be a minefield and if the dealer is deemed to have mis-sold the car they can actually be liable for the Government grant, for complaints made by the customer up to 5 years after purchasing the car.
Just a note that someone posted regarding needing to pay £95 for the upgrade to the 30kw wall box. You don't need to pay that at all when you buy a ZOE, it's included and you get the upgraded one as part of the Wallbox included scheme. You would have to pay for the upgrade if you were a normal person off the streets wanting an upgraded wall box installed though.Apparently there are so many clauses regarding making sure the car is suitable for the customers needs etc, that it can be a minefield and if the dealer is deemed to have mis-sold the car they can actually be liable for the Government grant, for complaints made by the customer up to 5 years after purchasing the car.
Secondly we wouldn't not sell an EV to a customer just because they didn't have off street parking; people just need to be properly qualified and aware of all the factors that will affect them and their driving habits.
Lastly the only pre-requisites for the scheme are:
- off street parking
- o2 telephone signal in your area
Your car looks really nice squiresjo. Good colour as well.
squirejo said:
14 minutes.
Long enough to take a piss, buy and eat a flaccid sandwich, and take a Renault Zoe battery from 35 to 80%.
For free.
Thanks to the Ecotricity mega fast chargers now on motorways. Dont wait for Tesla- ......it could not have been easier.
interesting, how does that all work then, do you need to register and get a card or something, is the cable tethered to the charging station or do you need a double ended charger, does the zoe have a charger like this!Long enough to take a piss, buy and eat a flaccid sandwich, and take a Renault Zoe battery from 35 to 80%.
For free.
Thanks to the Ecotricity mega fast chargers now on motorways. Dont wait for Tesla- ......it could not have been easier.
my car is equipped thusly:
would that get the job done?
i take it they have a website with a location list?
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