Realistic range for EV's
Discussion
I'm looking at the possibility of getting an electric car as an effort to save a bit of money commuting. I currently commute in a 2014 S3 which I'm going to be selling (Bored of it and tend to borrow my other halfs Fiesta ST as it's much more fun).
I'd be looking at leasing either through a personal lease or a salary sacrifice lease through work maybe PCP if there are any good deals.
My main concern is range, I commute 26 miles each way to work mostly B-roads due to the direct way to my work goes through Aberdeen rush hour traffic and until they finish the bypass I'd rather not go that way. No charging points nearby work either.
so is there anything on the market that's relatively inexpensive that can manage that (as much as id like a tesla budget wont stretch that far), I don't fancy running out of charge 5 miles from home. I have a driveway and garage so putting it on charge overnight is no problem.
I'd be looking at leasing either through a personal lease or a salary sacrifice lease through work maybe PCP if there are any good deals.
My main concern is range, I commute 26 miles each way to work mostly B-roads due to the direct way to my work goes through Aberdeen rush hour traffic and until they finish the bypass I'd rather not go that way. No charging points nearby work either.
so is there anything on the market that's relatively inexpensive that can manage that (as much as id like a tesla budget wont stretch that far), I don't fancy running out of charge 5 miles from home. I have a driveway and garage so putting it on charge overnight is no problem.
A Renault Zoe would do that. The range figures under the European measurement (NEDC) tend to be wildly optimistic so I prefer the American one (EPA). Worst case is probably 60-70 miles in the winter (full heating etc), but should have a marked improvement in the summer, over 100 miles. Unlike petrol cars, stop-start traffic won't hugely affect your range 
At a squeeze driving really slow I can get 5 miles per kWh from my Leaf which equals about 100 miles.
Normal driving, not in Eco mode, heater on, I'm seeing about 4 miles per kWh which equals 80 miles of real life range.
Nissan has just released a new leaf with a bigger battery - 25% bigger, which apparent can do 100-120 miles in real life range, but been a new model the deals on them aren't great.
For a 50 miles commute, a Leaf or Zoe will be fine, both are available on cheap PCP deals. As others have said, unlike petrol cars, been stuck in traffic actually helps range, because the motor uses far more electricity than the heater/lights etc, and the faster your moving the more electricity the motor is using.
Normal driving, not in Eco mode, heater on, I'm seeing about 4 miles per kWh which equals 80 miles of real life range.
Nissan has just released a new leaf with a bigger battery - 25% bigger, which apparent can do 100-120 miles in real life range, but been a new model the deals on them aren't great.
For a 50 miles commute, a Leaf or Zoe will be fine, both are available on cheap PCP deals. As others have said, unlike petrol cars, been stuck in traffic actually helps range, because the motor uses far more electricity than the heater/lights etc, and the faster your moving the more electricity the motor is using.
All the latest EVs will easily do your commute with range to spare.
Cost wise the Zoe will be the cheapest I would think.
Very good lease/PCP deals on at the moment.
Leaf is another which can be leased/PCP's for less than £200 pm.
They offer 4 day test drives on the Leaf so you can see how you get on with it.
Cost wise the Zoe will be the cheapest I would think.
Very good lease/PCP deals on at the moment.
Leaf is another which can be leased/PCP's for less than £200 pm.
They offer 4 day test drives on the Leaf so you can see how you get on with it.
strudel said:
The thing about a leaf for me is the pricing is too close to an i3, which you can pick up for 25k new. The i3 was a much nicer car imo.
If you're just looking for cheap motoring the Zoe hits the button.
The Leaf is MUCH cheaper than the i3, don't look at the list price, go and speak to the dealers. Your get next to no discount on an i3, a Leaf, even the 30kWH version you can get £2.5K off the list price already!!If you're just looking for cheap motoring the Zoe hits the button.
I went to test drive an i3 with my in-laws. It's nicer than the Leaf, but not when it costs so much more - A specced up i3 is close to £40K before the £5K EV grant.
The Leaf is also much bigger than the i3, and quieter at 20-30 mph.
The in-laws ended up going for the Zoe, smaller than the i3, but not by much, and about £200/month less without needing any deposit.
Leaf Acenta all day long. (I have one, it is utterly superb).
It will do the trip with ease and in comfort. You will have many toys onboard and if you find the right deal you should be able to pay for it from fuel savings alone. On winter mornings it will be all lovely and warm before you get into it. A huge bonus I'd imagine.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Anyone who doesn't use an EV for this kind of daily commute needs their head seeing to (unless they only have one car). 50 miles of the kind of motoring you're doing probably means £40/week in fuel and I'd wager a fair bit in wear/tear/depreciation/repairs. Let's call it £250/month. Well allow £2/day to charge the car and £200/month gets you into a PCP with money to spare.
It will do the trip with ease and in comfort. You will have many toys onboard and if you find the right deal you should be able to pay for it from fuel savings alone. On winter mornings it will be all lovely and warm before you get into it. A huge bonus I'd imagine.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Anyone who doesn't use an EV for this kind of daily commute needs their head seeing to (unless they only have one car). 50 miles of the kind of motoring you're doing probably means £40/week in fuel and I'd wager a fair bit in wear/tear/depreciation/repairs. Let's call it £250/month. Well allow £2/day to charge the car and £200/month gets you into a PCP with money to spare.
budfox said:
Leaf Acenta all day long. (I have one, it is utterly superb).
It will do the trip with ease and in comfort. You will have many toys onboard and if you find the right deal you should be able to pay for it from fuel savings alone. On winter mornings it will be all lovely and warm before you get into it. A huge bonus I'd imagine.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Anyone who doesn't use an EV for this kind of daily commute needs their head seeing to (unless they only have one car). 50 miles of the kind of motoring you're doing probably means £40/week in fuel and I'd wager a fair bit in wear/tear/depreciation/repairs. Let's call it £250/month. Well allow £2/day to charge the car and £200/month gets you into a PCP with money to spare.
I'm not sure about that. From my calculations a micra at half the price would cost nowhere near that in fuel and maintenance and would be much less expensive to run over 3 or 4 years.It will do the trip with ease and in comfort. You will have many toys onboard and if you find the right deal you should be able to pay for it from fuel savings alone. On winter mornings it will be all lovely and warm before you get into it. A huge bonus I'd imagine.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Anyone who doesn't use an EV for this kind of daily commute needs their head seeing to (unless they only have one car). 50 miles of the kind of motoring you're doing probably means £40/week in fuel and I'd wager a fair bit in wear/tear/depreciation/repairs. Let's call it £250/month. Well allow £2/day to charge the car and £200/month gets you into a PCP with money to spare.
By all means justify an EV on green grounds but they don't seem to be a cheap way of doing things yet.
REALIST123 said:
I'm not sure about that. From my calculations a micra at half the price would cost nowhere near that in fuel and maintenance and would be much less expensive to run over 3 or 4 years.
By all means justify an EV on green grounds but they don't seem to be a cheap way of doing things yet.
The green aspect of motoring means nothing to me. I couldn't care less.By all means justify an EV on green grounds but they don't seem to be a cheap way of doing things yet.
The Micra is of course a lot smaller car and I think people need to make financial comparisons with buying a different new car of a similar size and equipment level.
My very rough calculations assume that you're using the Leaf for lots of short journeys. The sort where a conventional car uses a fair bit of fuel:
1000 miles/month at around 30-35mpg = 30 gallons = £180/month. That pays for a Leaf. There will be some cost for electricity but then there is no VED.
Once second hand cars are considered then there are very cheap ways to run a car. We have an Aygo and it costs peanuts to run. But, when comparing a new car that is the size of a Leaf and as well equipped (and the Leaf is very well equipped) I'm confident that to within a few pounds, the fuel savings pay for the car.
gangzoom said:
strudel said:
The thing about a leaf for me is the pricing is too close to an i3, which you can pick up for 25k new. The i3 was a much nicer car imo.
If you're just looking for cheap motoring the Zoe hits the button.
The Leaf is MUCH cheaper than the i3, don't look at the list price, go and speak to the dealers. Your get next to no discount on an i3, a Leaf, even the 30kWH version you can get £2.5K off the list price already!!If you're just looking for cheap motoring the Zoe hits the button.
I went to test drive an i3 with my in-laws. It's nicer than the Leaf, but not when it costs so much more - A specced up i3 is close to £40K before the £5K EV grant.
The Leaf is also much bigger than the i3, and quieter at 20-30 mph.
The in-laws ended up going for the Zoe, smaller than the i3, but not by much, and about £200/month less without needing any deposit.
Either way, you can get a Jag XE for the same money.
strudel said:
The leaf starts at 20k (non flex), and the i3 starts at 25, both after the grant. A fully specced Leaf is 25-27k (24kwh/30kwh) plus options, and the dealer really seem disinclined to offer discounts. So on paper, the i3 specced the way I want at 31.5k (that's a lot of options) vs the Leaf Tekna at 28k is a no brainer to the BMW in my book.
Either way, you can get a Jag XE for the same money.
£28k for a Leaf! Lol, I'll sell you mine for £20k especially as it only cost me £18k! Tekna 24kwh with all options bar the solar pannel, even got that silly white pearl paint! You need to change dealers if thats the best offer you've had. Either way, you can get a Jag XE for the same money.
IMO you'd have to be mental to buy an EV outright unless its a Tesla. The residuals certainly on mainstream Renaults and Nissans is abysmal.
It's fairly silly to buy any car outright with the interest rates the way they are, keep the money in the bank and go finance imo.
Had a four day test drive of a Leaf, I quite liked it but it was looking about 66 miles on the motorway at 60mph (with heater, lights, cruise etc). Almost stranded at the services because all the chargers except the 7kw one were out. When I left it was quoting 97 miles, which gave me a 20 mile margin, so not impressed with the accuracy! I've never had a petrol station let me down.
Other than that it's a nice car and very quiet to drive. Around town and anything within 50 miles there and back is not a worry.
Dealer showed a scheme where if the company you work for recommends a Nissan you get 22% off, with seemingly no catch. That puts a full spec Leaf down to almost 20k...
Had a four day test drive of a Leaf, I quite liked it but it was looking about 66 miles on the motorway at 60mph (with heater, lights, cruise etc). Almost stranded at the services because all the chargers except the 7kw one were out. When I left it was quoting 97 miles, which gave me a 20 mile margin, so not impressed with the accuracy! I've never had a petrol station let me down.
Other than that it's a nice car and very quiet to drive. Around town and anything within 50 miles there and back is not a worry.
Dealer showed a scheme where if the company you work for recommends a Nissan you get 22% off, with seemingly no catch. That puts a full spec Leaf down to almost 20k...
If your pushing the range on the current Leaf wait till Dec/Jan to try the 30kWh one. The extra battery on that should in theory see 100 miles even in worst conditions. The issue with the motorway rapid chargers is they are FREE to use. When was the last time a petrol station allowed you to fill up for free?
A new car will be OK but probably not with much headroom. My Leaf when nearly new used 2/3 (8 of 12 battery bars) to do a 42 mile round trip to work. This is mostly motorway at 60 mph, no heater. Advice is not to 100% charge it so using 80% mode gave 10 battery bars leaving only 2 after the round trip.
2 1/2 years on and 30K I have lost one battery long term degradation bar. In cold weather I think it would now struggle to do 50 mile round trip without having to go artificially slowly.
Maybe my car's battery degradation is unusually high. Fortunately I can charge at work now.
2 1/2 years on and 30K I have lost one battery long term degradation bar. In cold weather I think it would now struggle to do 50 mile round trip without having to go artificially slowly.
Maybe my car's battery degradation is unusually high. Fortunately I can charge at work now.
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