EV first timer…be gentle with me
Discussion
Just bought my first EV! I’ve been toying with the idea for nearly a year and finally made the decision to go for it. The biggest driver is the ridiculous prices we are seeing at the pumps.
So any tips welcomed on what I need to know ie best App to use, methods of payment that make life easier, how to find chargers in use etc.
Thanks in advance
So any tips welcomed on what I need to know ie best App to use, methods of payment that make life easier, how to find chargers in use etc.
Thanks in advance
Home charger - game changer....
I am in the US, so cant offer advice on which ones to go for in the UK. But I would strongly recommend getting a decent one that has programable charge rates and the ability to select times / hours / rates for charging to maximize efficiency.
Dont do what I did and go for a tried and tested standard charger that is dumb - my electric company (PG&E, absolute F-ers) had flat rate costs, expensive, but no issues. This year? Yeah, forced everyone on to time of use costs.... damn it.... And the i3 doesnt really have the capability to selectively charge at particular times (can only do it via departure times, which sucks). So yeah, get recommendations from those on here - lots of good advice.
2/3 pin chargers are OK but you will likely find a time that you cant get a big charge. Getting a home charger makes everything just easier and simpler. Expensive, but worth it. And since you are looking at moving - make sure the location, panel and wiring is suitable for what you want / need. A lot of houses are simple (mine was), but some can be a nightmare of expensive re-wiring. If you pick a house that you want to try to buy, get a friendly electrician to help assess costs - heard horror stories about what should be a couple hundred quid end up being thousands.
Oh, and dont buy the Porsche charger - it looks nice, but are pretty cheaply made and really expensive for what it is - plenty of better alternatives and you dont need a branded one.....
I am in the US, so cant offer advice on which ones to go for in the UK. But I would strongly recommend getting a decent one that has programable charge rates and the ability to select times / hours / rates for charging to maximize efficiency.
Dont do what I did and go for a tried and tested standard charger that is dumb - my electric company (PG&E, absolute F-ers) had flat rate costs, expensive, but no issues. This year? Yeah, forced everyone on to time of use costs.... damn it.... And the i3 doesnt really have the capability to selectively charge at particular times (can only do it via departure times, which sucks). So yeah, get recommendations from those on here - lots of good advice.
2/3 pin chargers are OK but you will likely find a time that you cant get a big charge. Getting a home charger makes everything just easier and simpler. Expensive, but worth it. And since you are looking at moving - make sure the location, panel and wiring is suitable for what you want / need. A lot of houses are simple (mine was), but some can be a nightmare of expensive re-wiring. If you pick a house that you want to try to buy, get a friendly electrician to help assess costs - heard horror stories about what should be a couple hundred quid end up being thousands.
Oh, and dont buy the Porsche charger - it looks nice, but are pretty cheaply made and really expensive for what it is - plenty of better alternatives and you dont need a branded one.....
Tye Green said:
first time I've heard of someone buying a Taycan in order to avoid escalating fuel prices
Won't be the last, the black stuff is just over £2 a litre in some places right now.. insane. It'll be over £10 a gallon within a week at this rate, easily.Just imagine the running costs of a typical, similar value and power ICE.
Let's be fair, if you can afford the cars at that level you can likely afford the fuel whatever the price... But that's not the point.
Tips?
Get a home charger as soon as possible, using the 3 pin works if you don't do many miles (ie.10 a day), but going with a proper charger allows you to....
Take advantage of EV electricity tarriffs. Assuming you're not sitting smug on a current 10p/unit rate until 2023, change to someone like Octopus Go, and use their offpeak charging.
Look at something like the Ev.Energy app, which in return for managing your charging to be both cheap and green, gives you Amazon vouchers back to reduce the cost even further.
During winter, try and do your pre-heating of the car while it's still plugged in, as it'll save you range on the move. And when on the move, public charging is usually more expensive than at home, so try to avoid using it unless you have to, and when you have to use it as little as possible.
Finally, don't believe the WLTP, it's a test designed to allow comparison of cars, it has no relation to your actual range in the real world. The best way to get around that is know roughly how much range you actually have, and use a percentage view if it allows it. Saves paranoia.
Get a home charger as soon as possible, using the 3 pin works if you don't do many miles (ie.10 a day), but going with a proper charger allows you to....
Take advantage of EV electricity tarriffs. Assuming you're not sitting smug on a current 10p/unit rate until 2023, change to someone like Octopus Go, and use their offpeak charging.
Look at something like the Ev.Energy app, which in return for managing your charging to be both cheap and green, gives you Amazon vouchers back to reduce the cost even further.
During winter, try and do your pre-heating of the car while it's still plugged in, as it'll save you range on the move. And when on the move, public charging is usually more expensive than at home, so try to avoid using it unless you have to, and when you have to use it as little as possible.
Finally, don't believe the WLTP, it's a test designed to allow comparison of cars, it has no relation to your actual range in the real world. The best way to get around that is know roughly how much range you actually have, and use a percentage view if it allows it. Saves paranoia.
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
Tye Green said:
first time I've heard of someone buying a Taycan in order to avoid escalating fuel prices
and for the full effect he'll have pcp'd it as well.thus saving a fortune...
Actually it’s replacing an RRS which is rather thirsty and an A110 that I’ve just sold so a big saving on both cars road tax and insurance costs, also congestion charge when I go into london a couple of times a week. Plus my company offer free parking and car charging so it makes perfect sense and will save me money. Oh and be in a nice environment that is fun to drive. Is this still a car forum or have I moved across to Accountancy International without realising it?
We call it man maths.
Edited by TwoManyCars on Wednesday 9th March 18:04
As others have mentioned, ZapMap is probably the best app for route planning and identifying where to stop along the way.
I saw you mention driving into London - make sure you register your vehicle as an EV on the TFL website (it costs £10 per year) otherwise you will get clobbered with the congestion charge (and a fine if, like me, you weren’t aware of this little foible!).
Great choice of car, by the way!
I saw you mention driving into London - make sure you register your vehicle as an EV on the TFL website (it costs £10 per year) otherwise you will get clobbered with the congestion charge (and a fine if, like me, you weren’t aware of this little foible!).
Great choice of car, by the way!
TwoManyCars said:
And this is the reason I didn’t mention the car type in my original post! Why are their so many judgmental people on here??? Not all of us buy cars we can’t afford to buy outright.
Actually it’s replacing an RRS which is rather thirsty and an A110 that I’ve just sold so a big saving on both cars road tax and insurance costs, also congestion charge when I go into london a couple of times a week. Plus my company offer free parking and car charging so it makes perfect sense and will save me money. Oh and be in a nice environment that is fun to drive. Is this still a car forum or have I moved across to Accountancy International without realising it?
We call it man maths.
Amen brother!Actually it’s replacing an RRS which is rather thirsty and an A110 that I’ve just sold so a big saving on both cars road tax and insurance costs, also congestion charge when I go into london a couple of times a week. Plus my company offer free parking and car charging so it makes perfect sense and will save me money. Oh and be in a nice environment that is fun to drive. Is this still a car forum or have I moved across to Accountancy International without realising it?
We call it man maths.
Edited by TwoManyCars on Wednesday 9th March 18:04
phil4 said:
Tips?
During winter, try and do your pre-heating of the car while it's still plugged in, as it'll save you range on the move. And when on the move, public charging is usually more expensive than at home, so try to avoid using it unless you have to, and when you have to use it as little as possible.
Good call - yes, use the relevant app or settings for maximizing pre-heat / preparation to leave. Simple things like pre-heating the cabin before you leave makes a difference - a small one, but it does make a difference. Might as well warm the interior on mains electricity before you leave, rather than the battery!During winter, try and do your pre-heating of the car while it's still plugged in, as it'll save you range on the move. And when on the move, public charging is usually more expensive than at home, so try to avoid using it unless you have to, and when you have to use it as little as possible.
Also, the Porsche system, when using their navigation, will pre-heat the battery before you arrive at a charging station. The point here is that you are pre-warming the battery to accept the fastest charge before you arrive, so making the stop shorter and more efficient. But you need to ensure that the car knows about this, so use their navigation system and put in the points / recommendations for stops for charging. The Porsche navigation system is quite good, but if you havent done so already, you can use the companion app and send destinations from your phone. Then let it work out charging stops for you and you will be good to go. This makes a difference in really cold temps, not so much in summer - but worth tracking this to see if there is any advantage in warmer weather though.
Oh, and what spec Taycan did you get? Nice choice by the way. Jeep and Beetle owners have 'the wave' while Porsche owners have "whats your spec"?
Thanks for the useful replies, especially about registering for congestion charge (I didn’t know that and assumed automatically exempt) and also adding a charge point as a destination.
Reasonably specced, not over the top:- Jet black metallic, 14way heated memory seats, folding tinting mirrors, rear tints, pan roof, Turbo Aero alloys, 2+1 rear seat, sport+ with clock, sport sound, BOSE, PASM, heated steering wheel, a few other bits that I can’t remember!
Reasonably specced, not over the top:- Jet black metallic, 14way heated memory seats, folding tinting mirrors, rear tints, pan roof, Turbo Aero alloys, 2+1 rear seat, sport+ with clock, sport sound, BOSE, PASM, heated steering wheel, a few other bits that I can’t remember!
My tip tip is to have a go at public charging before you need to. I find it stressful some of time after six and a bit years of EV driving, so starting only when you have to is asking for trouble.
Instavolt are the most reliable. But I still need both the app and a bank card as on occasion one will not work and you need the other.
Which networks you sign up for depends on where you will be traveling - anywhere near Scotland and chargeplace Scotland is essential get an app sorted with their administrator swarco) and an rfid card. Again I have found I need both. Gridserve is the only network I have never had my credit card not work on but some have found them unreliable
Instavolt are the most reliable. But I still need both the app and a bank card as on occasion one will not work and you need the other.
Which networks you sign up for depends on where you will be traveling - anywhere near Scotland and chargeplace Scotland is essential get an app sorted with their administrator swarco) and an rfid card. Again I have found I need both. Gridserve is the only network I have never had my credit card not work on but some have found them unreliable
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff