EV range for 148 mile motorway commute

[LeeM135i]

Thanks for all the information and ideas. Budget is around £20k so looking at Nissan Leaf, e Golf etc etc so I think the range won't be enough given the comments so far.

I have been looking at electric as we have 2 x petrol cars in the house already, my wife has a Mercedes B200 and I have a Mercedes C63S. I have been trying to calculate the most cost effective way of making the journey, I could just take the 63 but it would be ruinous on fuel and consumables, its also not a great car to park in a customers car park, just screams you pay me to much!

At some point we will trade my wife car in and get an electric as she only drives locally so I might be able to buy her a shorter range electric car and take the B200.

I have also looked at buying C220d and just using that but I want to try and make a small contribution to the environment and reduce the costs of what will be several hours sat on the motorway, unfun driving. The office is also in the Bath/Bristol area and I don't want to get stung with a LEZ charge in the future.

The office has a charger so I can plug it in when I get there and leave it plugged in every day to get back to 100% and I can either get a 7kw box at home or plug it in on Friday night when I get home and unplug it when I leave on Monday morning using a 3 pin socket.

I like the idea of an appliance car that doesn't need significant service and maintenance or cost a lot to fuel.......

Lots to think about again thanks for all the information.

[lost in espace]

MG ZS has a range of 250 real world in the summer for a bargain price, have look at leasing maybe. I have a Leaf, and wouldn't go near Chademo for my next car, Gridserver ripping out all the 2x Chademo and replacing with 1x Chad/CCS and 1x CCS causing an issue. Having said that not every car works well with CCS. Having driven EVs for 7 years the charging network/nightmare has never been worse.

[Merry]

lost in espace said:

MG ZS has a range of 250 real world in the summer for a bargain price, have look at leasing maybe.

No idea about what it'll do in the summer but my MG ZS LR is doing somewhere between 190 and 210 miles at the moment. So it'd probably work.

I know someone with an eNiro and that would do that sort of mileage too for a bit more money.

[therams]

My 58kwh Vw Id.3 is showing 150 miles at 100% charge at the moment. Colder temperatures and my driving style won’t be helping but the furthest I’d risk it without planning a mid journey charge at the moment would be about 110 miles of motorway

I have a regular commute of 110 miles round trip, 90% of that is the M1

[akadk]

When you get to 0m range, it gave me 1 more then it gave up

[kambites]

LeeM135i said:

Thanks for all the information and ideas. Budget is around £20k so looking at Nissan Leaf, e Golf etc etc so I think the range won't be enough given the comments so far.

No I don't think you're going to get a reliable 150 mile year-round motorway range for £20k at the moment. £25k maybe, but not £20k.

Edited by kambites on Monday 17th January 19:51

[LeeM135i]

kambites said:

LeeM135i said:

Thanks for all the information and ideas. Budget is around £20k so looking at Nissan Leaf, e Golf etc etc so I think the range won't be enough given the comments so far.

No I don't think you're going to get a reliable 150 mile year-round motorway range for £20k at the moment. £25k maybe, but not £20k.

Edited by kambites on Monday 17th January 19:51

Thanks Kambites, Ive looked at the MG website which has a range by driving style/ road used, its surprising how much extra power motorway speed driving uses. Might have to go with one more diesel before moving to electric.

[Europa Jon]

Wise move. EVs with decent range are still too expensive for most of us. Give it 5 years and there will be plenty of used BEV choice for mere mortals.

[kambites]

LeeM135i said:

... its surprising how much extra power motorway speed driving uses...

Not really when you consider that aerodynamic drag increases with the square of speed!

[annodomini2]

kambites said:

LeeM135i said:

... its surprising how much extra power motorway speed driving uses...

Not really when you consider that aerodynamic drag increases with the square of speed!

For an ICE car, around town the engine is operating outside of it's peak efficiency, therefore fuel consumption increases, also it's using fuel running, but going no where.

An EV has regenerative braking, which reduces the energy used and the motor uses very little when stationary.

An EV is roughly 3x more energy efficient thermally (car dependent), than an ICE.

So the aerodynamic drag at motorway speeds is a smaller factor in the efficiency of an ICE than with an EV.

[LeeM135i]

annodomini2 said:

kambites said:

LeeM135i said:

... its surprising how much extra power motorway speed driving uses...

Not really when you consider that aerodynamic drag increases with the square of speed!

For an ICE car, around town the engine is operating outside of it's peak efficiency, therefore fuel consumption increases, also it's using fuel running, but going no where.

An EV has regenerative braking, which reduces the energy used and the motor uses very little when stationary.

An EV is roughly 3x more energy efficient thermally (car dependent), than an ICE.

So the aerodynamic drag at motorway speeds is a smaller factor in the efficiency of an ICE than with an EV.

Thanks again all.

Understand the laws of aero and that at low speed you drive through air and high speed you drive through soup but I was trying to understand if ICE and EV work the same. The C63S gets 30ish MPG on the motorway and 10ish MPG in town so I wondered if EV would give more range on the motorway. Makes perfect sense now you have laid it out like this ICE burns fuel standing still and accelerating EV doesn't standing still and recoups what it used to accelerate when braking, that's why EV is better as a city car than a motorway cruiser.

Think I need to stick to a diesel this time round as I am tight on the budget and don't want to sell the 63.

[ds666]

akadk said:

When you get to 0m range, it gave me 1 more then it gave up

Time remaining in charge “54hours “ 😂😂😂
Are you still there ?

[LeeM135i]

ds666 said:

akadk said:

When you get to 0m range, it gave me 1 more then it gave up

Time remaining in charge “54hours “ ??????
Are you still there ?

Did smile at the 54h 12m, after 54 hours its important to wait for the last 12m

[TheRainMaker]

LeeM135i said:

ds666 said:

akadk said:

When you get to 0m range, it gave me 1 more then it gave up

Time remaining in charge “54hours “ ??????
Are you still there ?

Did smile at the 54h 12m, after 54 hours its important to wait for the last 12m

54 hours

[TheDeuce]

LeeM135i said:

Thanks for all the information and ideas. Budget is around £20k so looking at Nissan Leaf, e Golf etc etc so I think the range won't be enough given the comments so far.

I have been looking at electric as we have 2 x petrol cars in the house already, my wife has a Mercedes B200 and I have a Mercedes C63S. I have been trying to calculate the most cost effective way of making the journey, I could just take the 63 but it would be ruinous on fuel and consumables, its also not a great car to park in a customers car park, just screams you pay me to much!

At some point we will trade my wife car in and get an electric as she only drives locally so I might be able to buy her a shorter range electric car and take the B200.

I have also looked at buying C220d and just using that but I want to try and make a small contribution to the environment and reduce the costs of what will be several hours sat on the motorway, unfun driving. The office is also in the Bath/Bristol area and I don't want to get stung with a LEZ charge in the future.

The office has a charger so I can plug it in when I get there and leave it plugged in every day to get back to 100% and I can either get a 7kw box at home or plug it in on Friday night when I get home and unplug it when I leave on Monday morning using a 3 pin socket.

I like the idea of an appliance car that doesn't need significant service and maintenance or cost a lot to fuel.......

Lots to think about again thanks for all the information.

With the amount of money you would save Vs petrol (especially seeing as the office will let you charge there..) I'd say it's possibly worth finding a way to finance an EV even if your original budget is a bit short.

Could you not just lease one? For a few hundred a month you could have a brand new EV that would easilyeet your needs. That same few hundred a month will go on petrol if you dont get an EV.

You're actually just about the perfect candidate for an EV, given that you can charge at either end of the commute.

[LeeM135i]

TheDeuce said:

LeeM135i said:

Thanks for all the information and ideas. Budget is around £20k so looking at Nissan Leaf, e Golf etc etc so I think the range won't be enough given the comments so far.

I have been looking at electric as we have 2 x petrol cars in the house already, my wife has a Mercedes B200 and I have a Mercedes C63S. I have been trying to calculate the most cost effective way of making the journey, I could just take the 63 but it would be ruinous on fuel and consumables, its also not a great car to park in a customers car park, just screams you pay me to much!

At some point we will trade my wife car in and get an electric as she only drives locally so I might be able to buy her a shorter range electric car and take the B200.

I have also looked at buying C220d and just using that but I want to try and make a small contribution to the environment and reduce the costs of what will be several hours sat on the motorway, unfun driving. The office is also in the Bath/Bristol area and I don't want to get stung with a LEZ charge in the future.

The office has a charger so I can plug it in when I get there and leave it plugged in every day to get back to 100% and I can either get a 7kw box at home or plug it in on Friday night when I get home and unplug it when I leave on Monday morning using a 3 pin socket.

I like the idea of an appliance car that doesn't need significant service and maintenance or cost a lot to fuel.......

Lots to think about again thanks for all the information.

With the amount of money you would save Vs petrol (especially seeing as the office will let you charge there..) I'd say it's possibly worth finding a way to finance an EV even if your original budget is a bit short.

Could you not just lease one? For a few hundred a month you could have a brand new EV that would easilyeet your needs. That same few hundred a month will go on petrol if you dont get an EV.

You're actually just about the perfect candidate for an EV, given that you can charge at either end of the commute.

Agree it would make a ton of sense to lease / finance an EV as the finance would be about the same as putting fuel in it but with it being a new job for a new company I don't want to finance a car which I am then stuck with it if the job doesn't pan out.

[Bannock]

Given everything you've said so far OP, I'd be minded to take the wife's B200 for the first few months (leaving her your car at home), whilst you see if the job pans out. Then if it does look at a lease on a MG ZS or MG5 EV.

Or, buy a shed money S60 diesel or some such, for the early days, and sell it if the job doesn't work out.

[LeeM135i]

Bannock said:

Given everything you've said so far OP, I'd be minded to take the wife's B200 for the first few months (leaving her your car at home), whilst you see if the job pans out. Then if it does look at a lease on a MG ZS or MG5 EV.

Or, buy a shed money S60 diesel or some such, for the early days, and sell it if the job doesn't work out.

We have looked at buying her a small EV as her office is only 10 miles away and she only goes in twice a week but she does love her B200 and won't drive the C63. Need to see if I can persuade her that she only needs a cheap short range electric car for the next 6 months with a view to her having the B200 back and PXing the small electric car for something with more range later in the year.

[Bannock]

LeeM135i said:

Bannock said:

Given everything you've said so far OP, I'd be minded to take the wife's B200 for the first few months (leaving her your car at home), whilst you see if the job pans out. Then if it does look at a lease on a MG ZS or MG5 EV.

Or, buy a shed money S60 diesel or some such, for the early days, and sell it if the job doesn't work out.

We have looked at buying her a small EV as her office is only 10 miles away and she only goes in twice a week but she does love her B200 and won't drive the C63. Need to see if I can persuade her that she only needs a cheap short range electric car for the next 6 months with a view to her having the B200 back and PXing the small electric car for something with more range later in the year.

I've heard worse plans. I bought a second hand Leaf 24, 4 years ago, then traded it up for a Leaf 30 just over a year back. My Missus has loved them, and we do pretty much all of our mileage in it now. She doesn't want to consider ever going back to ICE. Brilliant cars for local running about. It's been like having free motoring. I keep an bigger ICE estate car as well but it's now only done 5k miles in the last 3 years.

Are you thinking of keeping your C63 in that scenario?

[NugentS]

Not sure if anyone has said to the OP yet

Your round trip of x, remember it needs to be done potentially 5 days a week, So you need to be able to charge overnight enough to continue the process through the week. Its no fun running out on thursday cos you haven't had long enough to charge on the (for example) 4 hour Octopus Go window each night.