Mr Petrol's early thoughts on the move to EV
Discussion
TheDeuce said:
TheRainMaker said:
TheDeuce said:
I think the design of each BEV hugely effects how much 'fun' it is, regardless of power.
I think a big part of the problem is, they are just a bit too good at being safe.Fast but dull.
Maybe that could be a new car thing who knows, that and I've gone from a 500+ BHP rear wheel drive car to a 400+ BHP four wheel drive car.
I think the danger right now is comparing EV's based on power output as opposed to what the car is designed to deliver in driver terms.
"Fast but safe" could be levelled at many a car these days, especially EV's as they're all pretty new. That's not to say that's the potential of electrified cars - which was what this thread initially debated.
Did Volvo (or their subsidiary brand) ever set out to delight the hardcore driver? Other EV's are available and that list will only grow - already some are taking a far more performance (not just fast) direction.
We test drove the Ipace, Model 3, Model 3 Performace, Polestar 2, Audi e-tron, Volvo XC40 and I think if you were blindfolded you would be hard-pressed to tell which you were driving, all were perfectly fine for everyday driving (which is what they were made for).
I wouldn't say any of them would have cornering ability which is crazy
Doing a 0-60 dash in an EV is now no harder than opening an electric window, in fact, if my six year old could reach the pedals she could do the same 0-60 times as I could, it takes no skill at all.
I think that is where the problem lies, the cars now take zero skill to drive.
As I say perfect for a daily, super safe, quick and smooth, just no fun.
TheRainMaker said:
On the last point, no, but then none of the other options we had at the time did either.
We test drove the Ipace, Model 3, Model 3 Performace, Polestar 2, Audi e-tron, Volvo XC40 and I think if you were blindfolded you would be hard-pressed to tell which you were driving, all were perfectly fine for everyday driving (which is what they were made for).
I wouldn't say any of them would have cornering ability which is crazy
Doing a 0-60 dash in an EV is now no harder than opening an electric window, in fact, if my six year old could reach the pedals she could do the same 0-60 times as I could, it takes no skill at all.
I think that is where the problem lies, the cars now take zero skill to drive.
As I say perfect for a daily, super safe, quick and smooth, just no fun.
I have the iPace. Before choosing it I test drove an iPace, M3LR, E-tron and EQC. In the end I went for the iPace as the best of the bunch - I really wanted a RWD Taycan but just couldn't make the budget work once I saw the initial lease prices.We test drove the Ipace, Model 3, Model 3 Performace, Polestar 2, Audi e-tron, Volvo XC40 and I think if you were blindfolded you would be hard-pressed to tell which you were driving, all were perfectly fine for everyday driving (which is what they were made for).
I wouldn't say any of them would have cornering ability which is crazy
Doing a 0-60 dash in an EV is now no harder than opening an electric window, in fact, if my six year old could reach the pedals she could do the same 0-60 times as I could, it takes no skill at all.
I think that is where the problem lies, the cars now take zero skill to drive.
As I say perfect for a daily, super safe, quick and smooth, just no fun.
I fully agree that initially, they all sort of felt the same, although I did feel the iPace was more setup to make very brisk b-road progress. I'll freely admit that they all felt softer and less involved than the ICE cars I have had prior.
What I have learned is that the iPace quietly goes about the business of being stupidly rapid and composed through the twistier bits of road. If you weren't paying attention to the speed it carries down some roads you would never think it was going particularly fast because there is no roll, no noise, no fuss - just pace. For me, that level of progress in what makes a road car fast is hugely satisfying, probably because I'm an engineer and appreciate the work put in to the machine to achieve what it does, and also the satisfaction of progress.
Now, here's the tricky bit.. Does that make me a passionate and serious driver? Cars that quietly perform to a high level are less 'balls out fun', granted. But running conversely to that is the legion of petrol heads that look to more performance oriented cars as the GT3 because they perform better on a track - and they perform better because they can get around a track faster and with less drama than a lesser Porsche could. Throughout the history of sports cars the demand has been to make them quicker overall, to raise that bar of performance - that has been achieved by limiting wayward 'fun' tendencies and refining the machine to improve it dynamically. It has always been faster to go around a corner with less drama, it has always been faster to accelerate from standing without smoking tyres and a rear end fishtailing down the road.
I think it really depends on what a driver wants. If you want fun, to wrestle a car and feel like you made the difference, then regardless of power source, you need an older car. All the modern performance options are faster because they require less 'driving'.
I think the upset with EV is that an otherwise gradual progression is now lurching forwards - and at the same time rudely depriving drivers of engine sound and the pastime of changing gears... But they are ultimately seeking the same as ICE performance cars always have, superior all round performance. Currently (as per my previous post) they can only pull off that trick to 80%, at 100% push on a track their weight will scupper them. But that will also improve soon enough and at that point I think there will be two schools of passionate drivers - those that care most about mechanical fun and those that care most about driving a machine that has the highest outright performance potential.
Personally, I class both camps as real, passionate drivers. Long may both be welcome on these forums. I myself can happily enjoy all types of performance car for different reasons.
TheDeuce said:
I have the iPace. Before choosing it I test drove an iPace, M3LR, E-tron and EQC. In the end I went for the iPace as the best of the bunch - I really wanted a RWD Taycan but just couldn't make the budget work once I saw the initial lease prices.
I fully agree that initially, they all sort of felt the same, although I did feel the iPace was more setup to make very brisk b-road progress. I'll freely admit that they all felt softer and less involved than the ICE cars I have had prior.
What I have learned is that the iPace quietly goes about the business of being stupidly rapid and composed through the twistier bits of road. If you weren't paying attention to the speed it carries down some roads you would never think it was going particularly fast because there is no roll, no noise, no fuss - just pace. For me, that level of progress in what makes a road car fast is hugely satisfying, probably because I'm an engineer and appreciate the work put in to the machine to achieve what it does, and also the satisfaction of progress.
Now, here's the tricky bit.. Does that make me a passionate and serious driver? Cars that quietly perform to a high level are less 'balls out fun', granted. But running conversely to that is the legion of petrol heads that look to more performance oriented cars as the GT3 because they perform better on a track - and they perform better because they can get around a track faster and with less drama than a lesser Porsche could. Throughout the history of sports cars the demand has been to make them quicker overall, to raise that bar of performance - that has been achieved by limiting wayward 'fun' tendencies and refining the machine to improve it dynamically. It has always been faster to go around a corner with less drama, it has always been faster to accelerate from standing without smoking tyres and a rear end fishtailing down the road.
I think it really depends on what a driver wants. If you want fun, to wrestle a car and feel like you made the difference, then regardless of power source, you need an older car. All the modern performance options are faster because they require less 'driving'.
I think the upset with EV is that an otherwise gradual progression is now lurching forwards - and at the same time rudely depriving drivers of engine sound and the pastime of changing gears... But they are ultimately seeking the same as ICE performance cars always have, superior all round performance. Currently (as per my previous post) they can only pull off that trick to 80%, at 100% push on a track their weight will scupper them. But that will also improve soon enough and at that point I think there will be two schools of passionate drivers - those that care most about mechanical fun and those that care most about driving a machine that has the highest outright performance potential.
Personally, I class both camps as real, passionate drivers. Long may both be welcome on these forums. I myself can happily enjoy all types of performance car for different reasons.
Well I have had a GT3 (996) - on the road and in competition - and I have just ordered an i Pace after road testing all the above (as well as the Taycan). I was impressed. Perfect daily for me (my wife is going to take on the i3). I fully agree that initially, they all sort of felt the same, although I did feel the iPace was more setup to make very brisk b-road progress. I'll freely admit that they all felt softer and less involved than the ICE cars I have had prior.
What I have learned is that the iPace quietly goes about the business of being stupidly rapid and composed through the twistier bits of road. If you weren't paying attention to the speed it carries down some roads you would never think it was going particularly fast because there is no roll, no noise, no fuss - just pace. For me, that level of progress in what makes a road car fast is hugely satisfying, probably because I'm an engineer and appreciate the work put in to the machine to achieve what it does, and also the satisfaction of progress.
Now, here's the tricky bit.. Does that make me a passionate and serious driver? Cars that quietly perform to a high level are less 'balls out fun', granted. But running conversely to that is the legion of petrol heads that look to more performance oriented cars as the GT3 because they perform better on a track - and they perform better because they can get around a track faster and with less drama than a lesser Porsche could. Throughout the history of sports cars the demand has been to make them quicker overall, to raise that bar of performance - that has been achieved by limiting wayward 'fun' tendencies and refining the machine to improve it dynamically. It has always been faster to go around a corner with less drama, it has always been faster to accelerate from standing without smoking tyres and a rear end fishtailing down the road.
I think it really depends on what a driver wants. If you want fun, to wrestle a car and feel like you made the difference, then regardless of power source, you need an older car. All the modern performance options are faster because they require less 'driving'.
I think the upset with EV is that an otherwise gradual progression is now lurching forwards - and at the same time rudely depriving drivers of engine sound and the pastime of changing gears... But they are ultimately seeking the same as ICE performance cars always have, superior all round performance. Currently (as per my previous post) they can only pull off that trick to 80%, at 100% push on a track their weight will scupper them. But that will also improve soon enough and at that point I think there will be two schools of passionate drivers - those that care most about mechanical fun and those that care most about driving a machine that has the highest outright performance potential.
Personally, I class both camps as real, passionate drivers. Long may both be welcome on these forums. I myself can happily enjoy all types of performance car for different reasons.
ICE for the weekend is a 997 or a 2CV. Both brilliant, in different ways.
Discombobulate said:
Well I have had a GT3 (996) - on the road and in competition - and I have just ordered an i Pace after road testing all the above (as well as the Taycan). I was impressed. Perfect daily for me (my wife is going to take on the i3).
ICE for the weekend is a 997 or a 2CV. Both brilliant, in different ways.
Well exactly - drive the car you want to drive, when you want to drive it.ICE for the weekend is a 997 or a 2CV. Both brilliant, in different ways.
Although I would point out that both the cars you love to drive on the weekend, did at some point adopt technology that made them better at what they do whilst at the same time removing some of the drivers input and skill. I'm sure some French chaps were very proud of being able to traverse a field without breaking a basket full of eggs long before the 2CV made that a selling point
I don't believe there has been a single 'raw drivers car' discussed in this thread that couldn't at some point be argued has become less driver oriented and 'easier' than whatever went before it in evolutionary terms.
Perhaps a Caterham.. which admittedly has largely managed to ignore progress. But even then, chassis development has successively lead to cars that are faster around a track without requiring the driver to personally up their game. Wait a while for solid state cells and Caterham could release an electrified version which has a lower CoG than any previous model and more power - which is then best from a drivers point of view? Is a die hard car enthusiast supposed to overlook mechanical and dynamic superiority for the sake of being traditional? Don't die hard drivers want the machine to improve so they can perform better behind the wheel?
NB: on the iPace front, it's not the most 'drivers' car I have ever owned by a long stretch. But as an all rounder that can absolutely destroy a b-road should you choose to do so, it's remarkable. All that potential in an otherwise comfortable, luxury car.. Taking my petrol head hat off for a moment, as an all rounder, I think it probably is the best car to date that I have had. I've long loved the idea of a larger more high spec car but it's previously come at the expense of performance to an extent I couldn't accept (IE: a Range Rover etc), the iPace makes both possible with surprisingly little compromise. That is definitely something that was simply not possible prior to EV.
Edited by TheDeuce on Saturday 12th February 21:49
Definitely one where we'll have to agree to disagree here Deuce.
For me dynamic and mechanical superiority is important if you are setting lap times or looking to win races. For a special road car then character, driver interaction etc. are far more important measures IME and that is where the BEV drivetrain loses out in a big way.
For a car that needs to cover all the bases then EV is a great compromise, but for a car like the Caterham I just don't see it, no matter how light or quick it might go around a track.
For me dynamic and mechanical superiority is important if you are setting lap times or looking to win races. For a special road car then character, driver interaction etc. are far more important measures IME and that is where the BEV drivetrain loses out in a big way.
For a car that needs to cover all the bases then EV is a great compromise, but for a car like the Caterham I just don't see it, no matter how light or quick it might go around a track.
OK, so back to the early thoughts on the move to EV:
An unplanned trip caught me out. I'm guessing this a bit of a n00b / rookie error. So I recently read that the EV battery life won't really get into its stride until around 8 - 10 charges.
So kind of figured I didn't have any long trips "planned" so I'd just run it down till I got to 20% and do a full over night charge. More fool me, Saturday morning a long trip meant charging up on the. "Not a problem, I'll just use a rapid charger on the way"
And this is where things began to unravel. There's an Instavolt charge point at Banbury which looked like a good place to stop (the first option was still under construction \ upgrade...). it was pretty busy and shocker! The 150kw was shared across 8 bays! Didn't realise that was the case and saw 26Kw while charging!
Had a coffee, did some more research and Zap Map said there was a Rapid charger 1.6 miles away that was free. So had a coffee and went to the other charger. Plugged in and saw 104Kw charging and was able to continue my journey.
Lessons learned:
Friday night, no matter what, charge the car overnight.
Use zap map to assess how busy a charge point is before going to it!
I think once the weather improves I'll see better range from the battery. motorway speeds and cold temps seem to be Kryptonite to any EV.
Its all a bit of a learning experience but I am looking forward to getting an ICE car to deal with the adhoc stuff that catches you out.
I'm sure things will improve with the infrastructure over the next 6 months as Gridserve continue their rollout of updates.
Cheers,
T1b
An unplanned trip caught me out. I'm guessing this a bit of a n00b / rookie error. So I recently read that the EV battery life won't really get into its stride until around 8 - 10 charges.
So kind of figured I didn't have any long trips "planned" so I'd just run it down till I got to 20% and do a full over night charge. More fool me, Saturday morning a long trip meant charging up on the. "Not a problem, I'll just use a rapid charger on the way"
And this is where things began to unravel. There's an Instavolt charge point at Banbury which looked like a good place to stop (the first option was still under construction \ upgrade...). it was pretty busy and shocker! The 150kw was shared across 8 bays! Didn't realise that was the case and saw 26Kw while charging!
Had a coffee, did some more research and Zap Map said there was a Rapid charger 1.6 miles away that was free. So had a coffee and went to the other charger. Plugged in and saw 104Kw charging and was able to continue my journey.
Lessons learned:
Friday night, no matter what, charge the car overnight.
Use zap map to assess how busy a charge point is before going to it!
I think once the weather improves I'll see better range from the battery. motorway speeds and cold temps seem to be Kryptonite to any EV.
Its all a bit of a learning experience but I am looking forward to getting an ICE car to deal with the adhoc stuff that catches you out.
I'm sure things will improve with the infrastructure over the next 6 months as Gridserve continue their rollout of updates.
Cheers,
T1b
My wife has an I-Pace and really likes it. It does all the things she wants in a car. It’s luxurious, looks well, it’s sporty, is easy to drive, is magically charged (by me) whenever it’s needed, has plenty of space for family stuff, and with a small environmental footprint.
I’m very impressed with how it drives down a b-road just like The Deuce says. It is strangely enjoyable. But… is it really fun? I can’t really get my head around it. It’s not boring either. Impressive is maybe the word. To me the I-Pace and cars like it are in fact the EV sweet spot. Let’s call them very well specced SUVs with a lot of poke. I had a quick glance at an iX yesterday and it’s smack bang in this territory also and makes a lot of sense to me.
In contrast, I’m not sure about the Taycan. I’m sure it drives a bit better than the I-Pace but is that really going to change anything? A bit faster here and there, big whoopie. In a car like that I think I expect more than just shove and grip. That’s not to say that I won’t write glowingly about a Taycan Sport Turismo another week but then I think we’re back to the luxurious fast family lugger type format with a bit of sportiness on top.
I’m very impressed with how it drives down a b-road just like The Deuce says. It is strangely enjoyable. But… is it really fun? I can’t really get my head around it. It’s not boring either. Impressive is maybe the word. To me the I-Pace and cars like it are in fact the EV sweet spot. Let’s call them very well specced SUVs with a lot of poke. I had a quick glance at an iX yesterday and it’s smack bang in this territory also and makes a lot of sense to me.
In contrast, I’m not sure about the Taycan. I’m sure it drives a bit better than the I-Pace but is that really going to change anything? A bit faster here and there, big whoopie. In a car like that I think I expect more than just shove and grip. That’s not to say that I won’t write glowingly about a Taycan Sport Turismo another week but then I think we’re back to the luxurious fast family lugger type format with a bit of sportiness on top.
Credit where credit's due, having the fast chargers show up on your car gps with current occupation/vacancies makes traveling in an EV so much simpler.
Unfortunately, we're a long way off from having a universal API facilitating that. Tesla used to do it but realized it was an information gold mine for the likes of VAG for rolling out their own fast charger network, so shut it down.
Forgetting to plug in your car, just like your phone, can happen to all of us (happened to me once or twice as well), so a good fast charger network is a necessity.
Unfortunately, we're a long way off from having a universal API facilitating that. Tesla used to do it but realized it was an information gold mine for the likes of VAG for rolling out their own fast charger network, so shut it down.
Forgetting to plug in your car, just like your phone, can happen to all of us (happened to me once or twice as well), so a good fast charger network is a necessity.
I bought my Tesla 3 almost exactly a year ago and have had 15,000 trouble free and cheap miles.
I am not comparing it to a 'tuned' chassis/engine - although I could, having owned a few. It's a 4 door saloon. End of. I didn't buy it to hoon around the Evo triangle.
The Tesla charging network, which I have rarely used, is, when you need it, head and shoulders above everything else. Multiple fast chargers which all seem to work and are easy to use. The non Tesla network (which I have rarely used) was a bit hopeless with apps and cards and ultimately slow.
I can't fault the car. I have had less problems (none) in 15,000 miles than I had with Aston Martins, Bentley, Lamborghini, Morgan etc As a commuter car and an easy car to take most places - it's superb.
I will be driving through France in the summer. Not in the Tesla. That would be dull.
I am not comparing it to a 'tuned' chassis/engine - although I could, having owned a few. It's a 4 door saloon. End of. I didn't buy it to hoon around the Evo triangle.
The Tesla charging network, which I have rarely used, is, when you need it, head and shoulders above everything else. Multiple fast chargers which all seem to work and are easy to use. The non Tesla network (which I have rarely used) was a bit hopeless with apps and cards and ultimately slow.
I can't fault the car. I have had less problems (none) in 15,000 miles than I had with Aston Martins, Bentley, Lamborghini, Morgan etc As a commuter car and an easy car to take most places - it's superb.
I will be driving through France in the summer. Not in the Tesla. That would be dull.
Welcome to the frustrating world of non Tesla EV ownership OP.
Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
SWoll said:
Welcome to the frustrating world of non Tesla EV ownership OP.
Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
^This^Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
Have to agree that a two car garage is a must with an EV (if you're non Tesla).
Lesson learned and to be honest, it's only that 1% of the time you do >250 miles.
T1berious said:
SWoll said:
Welcome to the frustrating world of non Tesla EV ownership OP.
Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
^This^Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
Have to agree that a two car garage is a must with an EV (if you're non Tesla).
Lesson learned and to be honest, it's only that 1% of the time you do >250 miles.
JonChalk said:
T1berious said:
SWoll said:
Welcome to the frustrating world of non Tesla EV ownership OP.
Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
^This^Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
Have to agree that a two car garage is a must with an EV (if you're non Tesla).
Lesson learned and to be honest, it's only that 1% of the time you do >250 miles.
However, I started this thread to share my experiences. I'm 3 weeks in. The EV is our only car as the fun car will be at least another 9 months.
I'm pleased, nay, delighted you've never had a negative experience. By stark contrast in barely a month the infrastructure has proven a bit hit and miss.
I'm learning lessons and sharing them. Personally, I love my EV, however, I'm not loving the infrastructure at present.
I don't think currently we can sell EV as a perfect experience across the whole.
I wish I'd taken pictures of the contrast in two charge sites separated by less than 2 miles. One was packed and people were barely seeing 22Kw, another empty when I arrived and providing 104Kw.
As I stated, I'm sure things will improve over the next 6 months for non Tesla users.
I just don't think your experience is the norm. The few times I've spoken to other EV owners (At charge sites) the number of chargers broken at various service centers often comes up.
Plus as last year saw an increase of 22% total sales going to EV's, it's going to be something that gets worse before it gets better.
The Osprey charge point was hassle free and if I need a boost while doing a long stint, I'll be heading there first.
Edited by T1berious on Sunday 13th February 15:54
Six years and 66,000 electric miles in, long journeys (so 300-400 miles in a day) are painful. On my routes (Nw England, Scottish Borders to Edinburgh and mid wales to Aberystwyth) there is no such thing as >50kW unless happy to give over 70p to Ionity and even then not really in the right location and sometimes only 45kW. Even if you can find a working and available charger it’s 2 hours charging on a trip to Edinburgh, 1.5 to Aberystwyth and difficulties in finding one to charger at mean yet more time lost. In contrast, currently in Edinburgh and yesterday got free destination charging for about 8 hours so not always bad. Just a lot of the time
T1berious said:
JonChalk said:
T1berious said:
SWoll said:
Welcome to the frustrating world of non Tesla EV ownership OP.
Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
^This^Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
Have to agree that a two car garage is a must with an EV (if you're non Tesla).
Lesson learned and to be honest, it's only that 1% of the time you do >250 miles.
However, I started this thread to share my experiences. I'm 3 weeks in. The EV is our only car as the fun car will be at least another 9 months.
I'm pleased, nay, delighted you've never had a negative experience. By stark contrast in barely a month the infrastructure has proven a bit hit and miss.
I'm learning lessons and sharing them. Personally, I love my EV, however, I'm not loving the infrastructure at present.
I don't think currently we can sell EV as a perfect experience across the whole.
I wish I'd taken pictures of the contrast in two charge sites separated by less than 2 miles. One was packed and people were barely seeing 22Kw, another empty when I arrived and providing 104Kw.
As I stated, I'm sure things will improve over the next 6 months for non Tesla users.
I just don't think your experience is the norm. The few times I've spoken to other EV owners (At charge sites) the number of chargers broken at various service centers often comes up.
Plus as last year saw a 22% increase in EV sales, it's going to be something that gets worse before it gets better.
The Osprey charge point was hassle free and if I need a boost while doing a long stint, I'll be heading there first.
My driving habits haven't changed since moving to BEV, but I always have travelled (and planned to travel) outside peak periods - for the last 20 years or so, I am able to choose when I travel within reason, so late evenings / early mornings for long trips, avoid BH rushes, etc.
This may favourably affect charger availability from other BEV users, but liberal use of Zap-Map and WattsUp means I've never rocked up anywhere to find a broken or unavailable charger.
I loved my big noisy engines, German and Jap turbo cars and never thought I get into Ev's but bought a Telsa Model 3 Performance at the end of 2019 as my company car as the perks were good and I could still have another 'fast' car.
I also get bored easily and go through cars quick and since having the Tesla, I've also had an F80 M3, GR Yaris and a C63 AMG estate.
All those 3 have gone and the Tesla remains but thats going too next month and being replaced with... another Telsa Model 3 Performance.
It really is a super car and so rapid. You don't have to fanny about being in the right setting, activating some kind of launch control or even being in right gear. Just floor it from standstill or any speed and you're gone.
At low speeds around town, its fantastic too and really relaxing, very much a jekyll and hyde type of car and the super quick steering rack is great.
Pushing on on B roads, the suspension does wallow and float and am tempted to change it. Thats my biggest gripe with it.
Its not a track car but i never took any of my other cars on track and for a real world, daily driver, I love it and it puts a smile on my face.
The W205 C63 I recently had was really disappointing as I loved the one I had 8 years ago. It was the latest facelift but the gearbox was often clunky (I only ever drove it manual mode on the paddles), waiting for the engine to warm up (and the interior in Winter/demisting it when in a rush) was a pain after to being used to instant on electric, scraping the ice off it as theres no defrost button on my phone was also annoying. It did feel very dated and even the noise that I thought i missed so much really wasn't an issue either.
In fact, I felt very self conscious at time flooring it with all the noise it made. There is something to be said about an EV when you floor it almost silence.
Is my EV perfect, of course not but even if money were no object, for me, I just don't think there is a perfect car out there.
Saying all the above, if it wasn't for the company car perks, I wouldn't be in an EV now. Sometimes you need to live with things for at least a week to 'get' them. I always mocked and looked down on EVs.
Ive only used public charging a handfull of times as always charge from home but for reference, a full charge was pretty much the same mileage on a full tank on the x3 cars I mentioned above.
Would love a Porsche Taycan but the exterior dimensions are just too big for my needs and 3 kids in back just wouldn't work either.
I also get bored easily and go through cars quick and since having the Tesla, I've also had an F80 M3, GR Yaris and a C63 AMG estate.
All those 3 have gone and the Tesla remains but thats going too next month and being replaced with... another Telsa Model 3 Performance.
It really is a super car and so rapid. You don't have to fanny about being in the right setting, activating some kind of launch control or even being in right gear. Just floor it from standstill or any speed and you're gone.
At low speeds around town, its fantastic too and really relaxing, very much a jekyll and hyde type of car and the super quick steering rack is great.
Pushing on on B roads, the suspension does wallow and float and am tempted to change it. Thats my biggest gripe with it.
Its not a track car but i never took any of my other cars on track and for a real world, daily driver, I love it and it puts a smile on my face.
The W205 C63 I recently had was really disappointing as I loved the one I had 8 years ago. It was the latest facelift but the gearbox was often clunky (I only ever drove it manual mode on the paddles), waiting for the engine to warm up (and the interior in Winter/demisting it when in a rush) was a pain after to being used to instant on electric, scraping the ice off it as theres no defrost button on my phone was also annoying. It did feel very dated and even the noise that I thought i missed so much really wasn't an issue either.
In fact, I felt very self conscious at time flooring it with all the noise it made. There is something to be said about an EV when you floor it almost silence.
Is my EV perfect, of course not but even if money were no object, for me, I just don't think there is a perfect car out there.
Saying all the above, if it wasn't for the company car perks, I wouldn't be in an EV now. Sometimes you need to live with things for at least a week to 'get' them. I always mocked and looked down on EVs.
Ive only used public charging a handfull of times as always charge from home but for reference, a full charge was pretty much the same mileage on a full tank on the x3 cars I mentioned above.
Would love a Porsche Taycan but the exterior dimensions are just too big for my needs and 3 kids in back just wouldn't work either.
Edited by stabilio on Sunday 13th February 16:40
TheRainMaker said:
FYI BEV sales grew 5% last year taking total BEV sales to 11.6% 
(UK figures).
Whoops! My bad(UK figures).
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/business-tech%2...
It was hybrids and EV's accounted for 26%
I stand corrected
JonChalk said:
T1berious said:
SWoll said:
Welcome to the frustrating world of non Tesla EV ownership OP.
Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
^This^Brilliant if you can charge at home to cover 90%+ of your needs, a bit of a lottery if you need to regularly access public charging.
After 3 years I'm of the opinion an EV city car with 100+ mile of range and an interesting ICE car for occasional longer trips and sunny days is the way forward.
Have to agree that a two car garage is a must with an EV (if you're non Tesla).
Lesson learned and to be honest, it's only that 1% of the time you do >250 miles.
But if I had to choose just one direction for the rest of my life, it would be EV now. I'd miss ICE very much but realistically EV is superior overall (as car, not just a plaything).
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff