Discussion
Did my first proper 'long' run over the weekend, 250ish mile round trip. Stopped off at a Tesco on Saturday afternoon for an hours charge and a mooch round town to top up by 15% and got home last night with 15% remaining. No issues with the charging network so that's calmed some worries I'd been having. Car is an absolute dream on long runs and gets some nice looks on the motorway too, happy days.
BenA27 said:
Did my first proper 'long' run over the weekend, 250ish mile round trip. Stopped off at a Tesco on Saturday afternoon for an hours charge and a mooch round town to top up by 15% and got home last night with 15% remaining. No issues with the charging network so that's calmed some worries I'd been having. Car is an absolute dream on long runs and gets some nice looks on the motorway too, happy days.
Yeh, said that to the other half... it's a real mile muncher - looking forward to doing Cambrdige-italy and then hope again in the summer in a year or so 
Mine is a year old tomorrow. On the whole I think it's a fantastic car, it's perfectly quick enough, effortless to drive, and has averaged 3.2 miles/kWh over 10000 miles. Build quality remains the big question mark. Mine has far too many squeaks/rattles/vibrations, and my local Volvo dealer is probably sick of the sight of it. I recently had an xc40 Recharge courtesy car for a week and it felt much better put together. I also think ride quality is compromised too much with the option 20" wheels that I went for, but they do look great.
Mines now 20 months old, 45k+ miles though! Getting around 32kwh per 100 miles at the moment (winter) so that's about 3.1 miles/kwh or 220-230 miles from a charge. Loads more in the summer. Still charging mostly overnight, and at 7.5p, still costing pretty much f
k all. No huge issues at all really, the odd squeak but no more than anything else semi-posh I've ever driven.
Anyway, as this is Pistonheads, here's a gratuitous picture of my filthy dirty 'Winter' Polestar and my new little toy, a shiny black bit of Pork. If you don't like squeaks, vibrations, induction and exhaust noises, let alone a recalcitrant short shift manual stick thing, you'd hate it. In the real world, it wouldn't see which way the Polestar went....
Perfect combination though
k all. No huge issues at all really, the odd squeak but no more than anything else semi-posh I've ever driven.Anyway, as this is Pistonheads, here's a gratuitous picture of my filthy dirty 'Winter' Polestar and my new little toy, a shiny black bit of Pork. If you don't like squeaks, vibrations, induction and exhaust noises, let alone a recalcitrant short shift manual stick thing, you'd hate it. In the real world, it wouldn't see which way the Polestar went....
Perfect combination though
As a bit of a counterpoint, I've had mine 3 weeks now and have been on one longish drive in it.
What has disappointed me is charging times.
I left home on Sunday morning with 90% charged and an estimated range of 190 miles.
By the time I'd reached somewhere for lunch I'd done about 90 miles and was on about 45%. I found a public charger and had to download the app. All good so far. I charged for about an hour but had only added about 20% capacity.
I continued to my destination (110 miles from home) and found a car park with a public charger using the same network I'd downloaded the app for so added another 20% in an hour or so.
When I got home I was on 16% and an estimated range of 40miles.
I plugged the car in to charge overnight and in the 7 hour window I only "filled" it to 86%.
I've got a 180 mile round trip coming up and am already planning the stop on the outbound journey. Depending on how long I have there I might have to top up on the way back which will mean I get home later and will have to work into the evening.
I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
What has disappointed me is charging times.
I left home on Sunday morning with 90% charged and an estimated range of 190 miles.
By the time I'd reached somewhere for lunch I'd done about 90 miles and was on about 45%. I found a public charger and had to download the app. All good so far. I charged for about an hour but had only added about 20% capacity.
I continued to my destination (110 miles from home) and found a car park with a public charger using the same network I'd downloaded the app for so added another 20% in an hour or so.
When I got home I was on 16% and an estimated range of 40miles.
I plugged the car in to charge overnight and in the 7 hour window I only "filled" it to 86%.
I've got a 180 mile round trip coming up and am already planning the stop on the outbound journey. Depending on how long I have there I might have to top up on the way back which will mean I get home later and will have to work into the evening.
I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
Whole bunch of questions arise from slow charging experiences. First one is what was the network? What was the rating of the chargers you used? What was the ambient temperature? (A cold battery is a slow charging one) In any event, sometimes very slow chargers do happen occasionally. Managed an amazing 40kW from an Ionity charger once (on an iPace) and instavolts routinely did no better than 43 on the ipace. In Scotland I used one charger rated at 35kW (most rapids are 50). The best I ever saw in the ipace was about 90kW
Generally don’t charge my wife’s c40 in public but the one time we did (Gridserve at Burton in Kendal) we got something around 100kW
Generally don’t charge my wife’s c40 in public but the one time we did (Gridserve at Burton in Kendal) we got something around 100kW
CoupeKid said:
....
I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
And this is why people eventually tend to get a Tesla (and I say that having owned 6 electric cars including an i-pace, Leaf/s, and an e-niro)I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
As you found, not all public chargers are the same speed. Many are no faster than your home charger. And those which are fast are often annoying to use (apps not working, chargers not connecting reliably etc) or are broken.
CoupeKid said:
As a bit of a counterpoint, I've had mine 3 weeks now and have been on one longish drive in it.
What has disappointed me is charging times.
I left home on Sunday morning with 90% charged and an estimated range of 190 miles.
By the time I'd reached somewhere for lunch I'd done about 90 miles and was on about 45%. I found a public charger and had to download the app. All good so far. I charged for about an hour but had only added about 20% capacity.
I continued to my destination (110 miles from home) and found a car park with a public charger using the same network I'd downloaded the app for so added another 20% in an hour or so.
When I got home I was on 16% and an estimated range of 40miles.
I plugged the car in to charge overnight and in the 7 hour window I only "filled" it to 86%.
I've got a 180 mile round trip coming up and am already planning the stop on the outbound journey. Depending on how long I have there I might have to top up on the way back which will mean I get home later and will have to work into the evening.
I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
Completely depends on how fast the public chargers were that you chose. If you got on a destination charger they’re typically only as fast as your home charger will be. What has disappointed me is charging times.
I left home on Sunday morning with 90% charged and an estimated range of 190 miles.
By the time I'd reached somewhere for lunch I'd done about 90 miles and was on about 45%. I found a public charger and had to download the app. All good so far. I charged for about an hour but had only added about 20% capacity.
I continued to my destination (110 miles from home) and found a car park with a public charger using the same network I'd downloaded the app for so added another 20% in an hour or so.
When I got home I was on 16% and an estimated range of 40miles.
I plugged the car in to charge overnight and in the 7 hour window I only "filled" it to 86%.
I've got a 180 mile round trip coming up and am already planning the stop on the outbound journey. Depending on how long I have there I might have to top up on the way back which will mean I get home later and will have to work into the evening.
I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
EddieSteadyGo said:
CoupeKid said:
....
I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
And this is why people eventually tend to get a Tesla (and I say that having owned 6 electric cars including an i-pace, Leaf/s, and an e-niro)I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
As you found, not all public chargers are the same speed. Many are no faster than your home charger. And those which are fast are often annoying to use (apps not working, chargers not connecting reliably etc) or are broken.
I do occasional significant trips in mine (Worcester -> Ipswich, Worcester -> St Ives, Wocester -> Gatwick), and generally, I've found Ionity, Instavolt and new main Gridserve locations deliver. But, I only see the claimed 150kw between about 20% and 60%, then it tails off, to kind of 100, 75 and eventually 50kw once I hit about 80-85%, even 20kw above 90kw.
It has a charge curve that tails off quite rapidly once out of that 20-60%.
I've also had cra@p charger experiences - older upgraded Ecotricity / Gridserve boxes where I've been getting 30-40kw, even though I'm down at 25-30% which is frustrating, usually not down to the car but a fault with the unit - they can go into limp mode. I've experienced this at Ionity too, twice, once at Cullompton and once at Cobham just before Christmas. On both occasions, the charge was free, which kind of cheered me up. Actually, three times recently, I did Beaconsfield Gridserve (new, quite nice) with my Wife's Zoe at Christmas, and that only cranked out 30kw initially. Unplugged it, plugged in again and it was fine at 50kw.
When its REALLY cold, like -10 as it has been on a few days this winter, I've also got up and found its not at 90% as expected, its been 83-84%. Normal winter, like today, at +2, its pretty much 10hrs from almost empty to 100% without fail.
It has a charge curve that tails off quite rapidly once out of that 20-60%.
I've also had cra@p charger experiences - older upgraded Ecotricity / Gridserve boxes where I've been getting 30-40kw, even though I'm down at 25-30% which is frustrating, usually not down to the car but a fault with the unit - they can go into limp mode. I've experienced this at Ionity too, twice, once at Cullompton and once at Cobham just before Christmas. On both occasions, the charge was free, which kind of cheered me up. Actually, three times recently, I did Beaconsfield Gridserve (new, quite nice) with my Wife's Zoe at Christmas, and that only cranked out 30kw initially. Unplugged it, plugged in again and it was fine at 50kw.
When its REALLY cold, like -10 as it has been on a few days this winter, I've also got up and found its not at 90% as expected, its been 83-84%. Normal winter, like today, at +2, its pretty much 10hrs from almost empty to 100% without fail.
Edited by dgswk on Tuesday 7th March 18:18
8bit said:
EddieSteadyGo said:
CoupeKid said:
....
I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
And this is why people eventually tend to get a Tesla (and I say that having owned 6 electric cars including an i-pace, Leaf/s, and an e-niro)I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
As you found, not all public chargers are the same speed. Many are no faster than your home charger. And those which are fast are often annoying to use (apps not working, chargers not connecting reliably etc) or are broken.
Tesla chargers are generally >150kw as well, and while often you might not reach that, I've yet to see 50kW or lower, which is the max of a lot of public "fast" chargers.
Other than that, working with the sat nav, it IS a breath of fresh air and takes a lot of the "stress" off long trips in an EV. It just plans everything but allows easy overruling and gives you a clear picture of how your trip is going to look. I understand that some interfaces now are catching up, but from what I've seen and heard, Tesla is still the gold standard. I thought Polestar would be close, but just took a P2 owner through Europe and he commented on how clear it all was in the Tesla compared to his car.
ajap1979 said:
Yep, Pork + Polestar is a perfect combo, although I couldn't live without my little up! GTI too.
Ha ha, my 3rd car is the kids 2006 Renault Clio with 90k miles. Which is actually okay, its got 60bhp, every body panel has hail stone dents in it (seriously, the shell looks like orange peel), but its been the only manual in the house for a good while and we are all very fond of it. Its Mum and Dad's free Friday taxi. Still no advisories on the MOT, it will never die!!!I don't count my Wife's Zoe, but to be fair, for what we pay on a lease, its an exceptional daily for those who don't care - and those who care about creature comforts and effortless commuting.
I see so many petrolheads going to / talking about EV + Special Car, and you can't beat a bit of Pork! I very very seriously considered the droptop - Boxster or 911 - but then mine turned up and I fell for it. For a while I reckoned Polestar + Exige would be close, and even sat on the Emira waiting list for a while, but Mrs S had a view on that. And when you've just earned a free kick on a 911 with your better half, you don't walk away....
8bit said:
Why would a Tesla be any better in that regard? Surely it can only charge as fast as the charger can supply power? It was said on this very thread that the Tesla charger network is opening up to other brands too.
My point was really that you don't need to use the public charging network if you have a Tesla. And I personally wouldn't rely on using the Tesla network for non-Teslas. Yes, it's possible, but it's also limited in terms of locations. And the whole point of Tesla building its own network was about selling more Tesla cars. So it doesn't make sense from their perspective to dilute the experience of Tesla owners, and give up one of their USPs, to properly upon up their network in order to get a few extra pounds of charging revenue.It might open up faster in the US, as Tesla want to make sure they get the massive new federal tax incentives (which are hugely beneficial to Tesla in the US). But apart from that, I think you will see token gestures from Tesla rather than wholehearted commitment to open up their chargers.
ZesPak said:
Need a quote on that. I thought (initially) it was about making an EV viable for everyone?
Pah. If it was for altruistic reasons they would have been open from the start. Nor would it be very limited now. I mean, it's their main USP, and is the reason many choose a Tesla (including myself) so it would be foolish on their part just to give this all up.CoupeKid said:
As a bit of a counterpoint, I've had mine 3 weeks now and have been on one longish drive in it.
What has disappointed me is charging times.
I left home on Sunday morning with 90% charged and an estimated range of 190 miles.
By the time I'd reached somewhere for lunch I'd done about 90 miles and was on about 45%. I found a public charger and had to download the app. All good so far. I charged for about an hour but had only added about 20% capacity.
I continued to my destination (110 miles from home) and found a car park with a public charger using the same network I'd downloaded the app for so added another 20% in an hour or so.
When I got home I was on 16% and an estimated range of 40miles.
I plugged the car in to charge overnight and in the 7 hour window I only "filled" it to 86%.
I've got a 180 mile round trip coming up and am already planning the stop on the outbound journey. Depending on how long I have there I might have to top up on the way back which will mean I get home later and will have to work into the evening.
I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
Sounds a real faff What has disappointed me is charging times.
I left home on Sunday morning with 90% charged and an estimated range of 190 miles.
By the time I'd reached somewhere for lunch I'd done about 90 miles and was on about 45%. I found a public charger and had to download the app. All good so far. I charged for about an hour but had only added about 20% capacity.
I continued to my destination (110 miles from home) and found a car park with a public charger using the same network I'd downloaded the app for so added another 20% in an hour or so.
When I got home I was on 16% and an estimated range of 40miles.
I plugged the car in to charge overnight and in the 7 hour window I only "filled" it to 86%.
I've got a 180 mile round trip coming up and am already planning the stop on the outbound journey. Depending on how long I have there I might have to top up on the way back which will mean I get home later and will have to work into the evening.
I thought that public chargers would charge much quicker than my home charger and I'd be able to add 50% or something in 30 minutes, not several hours.
I’ll stick with the 2014 Skoda diesel (700 mile range/£30 a year car tax) until the EV compromises are resolved..
James6112 said:
Sounds a real faff
I’ll stick with the 2014 Skoda diesel (700 mile range/£30 a year car tax) until the EV compromises are resolved..
Anything can be a faff… if you make a faff of it. I’ll stick with the 2014 Skoda diesel (700 mile range/£30 a year car tax) until the EV compromises are resolved..
I regularly make 300 mile round trips to visit my parents and I’ve not once had an experience where I’ve felt that charging has impacted on my journey. You’ve just got to know how to do it.
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