Discussion
Hi guys,
First post in here and I’m not actually sure why I’m posting, there’s not really a question I want to ask but feel I need to say what I’m going through, probably looking for opinions as it’s only the wife I can really discuss this with.
The wife and I have decided to give EV ownership a go.
I’m in the process of finding out costs to upgrade the house to a 3 phase system as I would ideally like a 11 or 22kw charger. If expensive to upgrade we would stick to a 7kw one. I have 3 large 100amp fuses but looks like only 1 connected, going to speak to an installer / sparky to see what I actually have.
We were looking to go and start with an entry level EV, because, well, I don’t have £50k+ or a £600 monthly budget free to buy a fast EV and it’s only going to do about 7-8k mile a year.
Went to see the new MG4, it’s actually a nice wee car, got messed about a bit with a test drive and in the mean time went to see the Mini CooperS EV. We both had a quick 15 min run each in it and enjoyed it. We currently has a 17 reg Clubman cooperS so we know the quality etc on them. Only real issue with this is it’s small, the limited range and the fact that I believe there’s a whole new model due out next year.
Being near Glasgow, I popped along to the Arnold Clark Innovation centre. I wasn’t sure what to expect To be honest, I’m not an Arnold Clark fan at all but there is no sales at the centre, solely there for information and test drives.
After talking to one of the guys there it turns out they have the new E-Tech Megane in. Had a look round it and a few other EVs there and we were about to leave when he told us to take the Megane a run. Our details given and keys given to us, were told on you go, be back in 30-40 mins and left to it.
Lovely car actually, bigger than and double the range of the Mini but also more money…..
Anyway, popped into the renault branch on the way home to get figures and we are about £90 a month more and £2k more on GFV over the Mini.
So, I now have a 24hr test drive on the Mini, hopefully tomorrow evening onwards and another hour and a half test drive on the Megane tomorrow.
Now £90 extra a month I can handle, so do I just get the Megane or am I being to harsh in discounting the Mini. The wife keeps asking “have you chosen a car yet?” And I am actually struggling!
The wife would use it for commuting and the odd trips / weekends away we go. Planning for charging would be required.
I also have my wee shed panda 100hp for my commute and a Westfield for the sunny days.
I know this isn’t a global crisis, but it’s a dilemma on my mind and just needed to ask for opinions from you EV guys. Is it a good idea to start with?!? lol.
Cheers.
Paul.
First post in here and I’m not actually sure why I’m posting, there’s not really a question I want to ask but feel I need to say what I’m going through, probably looking for opinions as it’s only the wife I can really discuss this with.
The wife and I have decided to give EV ownership a go.
I’m in the process of finding out costs to upgrade the house to a 3 phase system as I would ideally like a 11 or 22kw charger. If expensive to upgrade we would stick to a 7kw one. I have 3 large 100amp fuses but looks like only 1 connected, going to speak to an installer / sparky to see what I actually have.
We were looking to go and start with an entry level EV, because, well, I don’t have £50k+ or a £600 monthly budget free to buy a fast EV and it’s only going to do about 7-8k mile a year.
Went to see the new MG4, it’s actually a nice wee car, got messed about a bit with a test drive and in the mean time went to see the Mini CooperS EV. We both had a quick 15 min run each in it and enjoyed it. We currently has a 17 reg Clubman cooperS so we know the quality etc on them. Only real issue with this is it’s small, the limited range and the fact that I believe there’s a whole new model due out next year.
Being near Glasgow, I popped along to the Arnold Clark Innovation centre. I wasn’t sure what to expect To be honest, I’m not an Arnold Clark fan at all but there is no sales at the centre, solely there for information and test drives.
After talking to one of the guys there it turns out they have the new E-Tech Megane in. Had a look round it and a few other EVs there and we were about to leave when he told us to take the Megane a run. Our details given and keys given to us, were told on you go, be back in 30-40 mins and left to it.
Lovely car actually, bigger than and double the range of the Mini but also more money…..
Anyway, popped into the renault branch on the way home to get figures and we are about £90 a month more and £2k more on GFV over the Mini.
So, I now have a 24hr test drive on the Mini, hopefully tomorrow evening onwards and another hour and a half test drive on the Megane tomorrow.
Now £90 extra a month I can handle, so do I just get the Megane or am I being to harsh in discounting the Mini. The wife keeps asking “have you chosen a car yet?” And I am actually struggling!
The wife would use it for commuting and the odd trips / weekends away we go. Planning for charging would be required.
I also have my wee shed panda 100hp for my commute and a Westfield for the sunny days.
I know this isn’t a global crisis, but it’s a dilemma on my mind and just needed to ask for opinions from you EV guys. Is it a good idea to start with?!? lol.
Cheers.
Paul.
I honestly don’t think you’ll find you need the 3-phase supply. 7.2KWh charging is more than enough to top up your usage overnight. Even if you are heavy mileage users I just don’t see you’ll be needing more than 32A single-phase can provide. I get around 28 miles per hour on my 7.2KWh charger, which even limiting myself to Intelligent Octopus overnight rates gives me 170~ miles overnight (56% charge).
Add in the fact that I never really go below 30% and rarely charge above 85%, a 6-hour charge window sees me at my charge limit every single time.
You’ll soon realise as an EV driver that empty to full almost never happens, and you charge little and often.
Add in the fact that I never really go below 30% and rarely charge above 85%, a 6-hour charge window sees me at my charge limit every single time.
You’ll soon realise as an EV driver that empty to full almost never happens, and you charge little and often.
Don't go three phase - my business partner did because she is renovating a large house and it justified the extra power. But then was told by octopus a suitable smart meter to use the cheap nigh time tariff wasn't available so she's stuck charging at the capped rate, once her current fixed rate expires.
You really don't need to anyway. If you charged every night for the 6 cheap rate hours (it's automated, you don't need to plug it in or unplug at a specific time) that's enough charging to complete about 35,000 miles a year.
As for choice of car, get the one that fits with the highest range you can afford, it'll mean you can do virtually all charging at home which costs next to nothing on the cheap rate. Also compare true costs of purchase vs lease, often a lease special deal can put you in a totally different class of car if you move quickly.
You really don't need to anyway. If you charged every night for the 6 cheap rate hours (it's automated, you don't need to plug it in or unplug at a specific time) that's enough charging to complete about 35,000 miles a year.
As for choice of car, get the one that fits with the highest range you can afford, it'll mean you can do virtually all charging at home which costs next to nothing on the cheap rate. Also compare true costs of purchase vs lease, often a lease special deal can put you in a totally different class of car if you move quickly.
Edited by TheDeuce on Sunday 2nd October 19:03
Edited by TheDeuce on Sunday 2nd October 19:04
You currently may Not need 3 Phase but looking to the future of maybe having more than one EV needing to charge in a cheaper off peak window.
Another reason might be that a single 100Amp supply might limit extra loads being available i.e. Cooking, Heat Pump, Hot Tub, Shower, A/C
Grid tied Solar could also be a reason to need 3 Phase to spread the total load or overcome feed in limits..
Another reason might be that a single 100Amp supply might limit extra loads being available i.e. Cooking, Heat Pump, Hot Tub, Shower, A/C
Grid tied Solar could also be a reason to need 3 Phase to spread the total load or overcome feed in limits..
Modiman46 said:
You currently may Not need 3 Phase but looking to the future of maybe having more than one EV needing to charge in a cheaper off peak window.
Another reason might be that a single 100Amp supply might limit extra loads being available i.e. Cooking, Heat Pump, Hot Tub, Shower, A/C
Grid tied Solar could also be a reason to need 3 Phase to spread the total load or overcome feed in limits..
Yet still a pointless thing to contemplate whilst only single phase works with the cheap off peak tariffs.Another reason might be that a single 100Amp supply might limit extra loads being available i.e. Cooking, Heat Pump, Hot Tub, Shower, A/C
Grid tied Solar could also be a reason to need 3 Phase to spread the total load or overcome feed in limits..
Anyway, most households with multiple EV's and smart charging could easily cope with the 100a limit. Heat pumps aren't mainstream yet but I'm pretty certain that when they are, they will have some form of smart control built in too. The future of energy usage and cost basically comes down to smart and intelligent scheduling. Not 'more is easier'.
Modiman46 said:
You currently may Not need 3 Phase but looking to the future of maybe having more than one EV needing to charge in a cheaper off peak window.
Another reason might be that a single 100Amp supply might limit extra loads being available i.e. Cooking, Heat Pump, Hot Tub, Shower, A/C
Grid tied Solar could also be a reason to need 3 Phase to spread the total load or overcome feed in limits..
Granted we don't have an overnight tariff but in summer there were times when we had the car charging, hot tub, 3 AC units, oven, washer, dryer etc all running no problem on 100A. Unless you have a very big house 100A should really be enough. I've got a mate with a house much bigger than mine, a Model S and a Model X and he does just fine off 100A and a single 7kw car charger.Another reason might be that a single 100Amp supply might limit extra loads being available i.e. Cooking, Heat Pump, Hot Tub, Shower, A/C
Grid tied Solar could also be a reason to need 3 Phase to spread the total load or overcome feed in limits..
If we had two EV's I'm certain a single charger would be enough and even worst case scenario that we both got home with dead batteries I could granny charge enough to get me to a supercharger or probably where I wanted to go.
I'm sure there are edge cases out there but I'm sure a single charger and a 100A house circuit would be enough for most families.
Thanks for all the replies folks!
Wasn’t expecting such quick replies.
You have eased our minds on the 7kw charger. I’ll still investigate the 3 phase though, as mentioned on the last reply, it’s more for future proofing our home and options.
Charging wise, I’ve missed all the rises so far, we are still on a fixed rate till March next year.
Think we are 16p or 17pkw just now but that will probably double easily when the fix rate is finished. Think our gas is only 2.7p a unit, that’s gonna be 4 or 5 fold increase as well as whatever the standing charges will be. Not looking forward to that!
Also as mentioned, I’m not that keen on the design of the new 23/24 Mini, loosing its roots at the rear in particular.
You might tell from my writing, I’m keen on the Megane, the wife the Mini. lol
I’ll keep you guys informed in how it goes.
I’ll try and take some pics of the Megane if anyones interested or wanting to see anything specific on it.
Cheers again.
Paul.
Wasn’t expecting such quick replies.
You have eased our minds on the 7kw charger. I’ll still investigate the 3 phase though, as mentioned on the last reply, it’s more for future proofing our home and options.
Charging wise, I’ve missed all the rises so far, we are still on a fixed rate till March next year.
Think we are 16p or 17pkw just now but that will probably double easily when the fix rate is finished. Think our gas is only 2.7p a unit, that’s gonna be 4 or 5 fold increase as well as whatever the standing charges will be. Not looking forward to that!
Also as mentioned, I’m not that keen on the design of the new 23/24 Mini, loosing its roots at the rear in particular.
You might tell from my writing, I’m keen on the Megane, the wife the Mini. lol
I’ll keep you guys informed in how it goes.
I’ll try and take some pics of the Megane if anyones interested or wanting to see anything specific on it.
Cheers again.
Paul.
pd2 said:
Thanks for all the replies folks!
Wasn’t expecting such quick replies.
You have eased our minds on the 7kw charger. I’ll still investigate the 3 phase though, as mentioned on the last reply, it’s more for future proofing our home and options.
Charging wise, I’ve missed all the rises so far, we are still on a fixed rate till March next year.
Think we are 16p or 17pkw just now but that will probably double easily when the fix rate is finished. Think our gas is only 2.7p a unit, that’s gonna be 4 or 5 fold increase as well as whatever the standing charges will be. Not looking forward to that!
Also as mentioned, I’m not that keen on the design of the new 23/24 Mini, loosing its roots at the rear in particular.
You might tell from my writing, I’m keen on the Megane, the wife the Mini. lol
I’ll keep you guys informed in how it goes.
I’ll try and take some pics of the Megane if anyones interested or wanting to see anything specific on it.
Cheers again.
Paul.
Glad you're so receptive, but please do research three phase properly. It could exclude you from cheap night time charging for many years and all signs are that nightime discounted charging of EVs is the way forward in this country.Wasn’t expecting such quick replies.
You have eased our minds on the 7kw charger. I’ll still investigate the 3 phase though, as mentioned on the last reply, it’s more for future proofing our home and options.
Charging wise, I’ve missed all the rises so far, we are still on a fixed rate till March next year.
Think we are 16p or 17pkw just now but that will probably double easily when the fix rate is finished. Think our gas is only 2.7p a unit, that’s gonna be 4 or 5 fold increase as well as whatever the standing charges will be. Not looking forward to that!
Also as mentioned, I’m not that keen on the design of the new 23/24 Mini, loosing its roots at the rear in particular.
You might tell from my writing, I’m keen on the Megane, the wife the Mini. lol
I’ll keep you guys informed in how it goes.
I’ll try and take some pics of the Megane if anyones interested or wanting to see anything specific on it.
Cheers again.
Paul.
We made the jump early this year to go to an EV and I'll echo what others have said, 7Kw is plenty enough and I work with someone who runs his Tesla 3 on 3 pin!
We were lucky and still was able to get the grant for an EV charge point.
In 7 months, 7.7k miles the only time we needed to charge away from home was on a trip to Kilwinning to see the in laws!
I would say range and charge speed is king for any long distance stuff.
You seem set on the Megane but the new Kia E Niro is pretty decent and been getting good reviews.
We were lucky and still was able to get the grant for an EV charge point.
In 7 months, 7.7k miles the only time we needed to charge away from home was on a trip to Kilwinning to see the in laws!
I would say range and charge speed is king for any long distance stuff.
You seem set on the Megane but the new Kia E Niro is pretty decent and been getting good reviews.
The new Megane has received good reviews and as you have said the MINI is small and has less range.
https://youtu.be/6yvN4EtIRvQ
https://youtu.be/6yvN4EtIRvQ
Martyn76 said:
The new Megane has received good reviews and as you have said the MINI is small and has less range.
https://youtu.be/6yvN4EtIRvQ
For sure great spec's and love the outside, then the dash looks rather like some 1980s Philips video recorder oops. If you can get past that its charging is definitely better than it competitors like the ID3. In terms of the Mini the Megan is going to lack style and that sporty feel. Partially the latter, you be fine with a 32a single phase charging point. https://youtu.be/6yvN4EtIRvQ
Martyn76 said:
The new Megane has received good reviews and as you have said the MINI is small and has less range.
https://youtu.be/6yvN4EtIRvQ
For sure great spec's and love the outside, then the dash looks rather like some 1980s Philips video recorder oops. If you can get past that its charging is definitely better than it competitors like the ID3. In terms of the Mini the Megan is going to lack style and that sporty feel. Partially the latter, you be fine with a 32a single phase charging point. https://youtu.be/6yvN4EtIRvQ
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