Plug in Hybrid options
Discussion
Zero7 said:
Looking for a Hybrid for my elderly mum, she's 78 but still driving well. She has an old Corolla which is near retirement so looking for a plug in Hybrid, most of her trips are short, 2-5 miles or the odd 30 -40 mile round trip. As such I don't think a self charging one was a good option as she won't stretch it's legs on the motorway enough to charge the batteries.
She's not mentally ready to go full EV, that panic of running out of battery power, and I get that as she's elderly. Want to get something in the next month or so, looking at 2nd hand but fairly new, what would you guys recommended, sort of corolla size.
I think a FHEV (don’t call it a self-charging hybrid, that’s a BS marketing term invented by Toyota) will be most appropriate. She's not mentally ready to go full EV, that panic of running out of battery power, and I get that as she's elderly. Want to get something in the next month or so, looking at 2nd hand but fairly new, what would you guys recommended, sort of corolla size.
Will your mother remember to charge it? She’ll have to get a home charger installed too in order to get the most benefit from it.
georgeyboy12345 said:
What about when she needs to do a 40 mile journey?
I don’t buy the whole “unnecessary petrol engine” thing, the car also has 5 seats, but most of the time there is only 1 person in the car. Should she therefore buy a BAC Mono as the other 4 seats are unnecessary?
Well yeah even an old Leaf will do 40 miles easily, in fact quite a bit more. A newer one will do even more of course.I don’t buy the whole “unnecessary petrol engine” thing, the car also has 5 seats, but most of the time there is only 1 person in the car. Should she therefore buy a BAC Mono as the other 4 seats are unnecessary?
The seat thing is self evidently a false comparison. And what is there not to get? If you only do maximum 40 mile journeys, then you don't need to add a petrol engine to any BEV, doing so would be unnecessary. Adding the petrol engine adds complexity, and therefore maintenance and running costs, to the proposition, unnecessarily. Because you don't need it. That's what unnecessary means. Adding 4 seats doesn't do that to an ordinary hatchback, so even though tthey're not needed, they don't have any negative impact on running costs, so it's pointless talking about them. It would become necessary if you wanted a car which can handle non-stop journeys over and above the range of any given BEV. But we're takling about a specific use case here, that of the OP's Mum.
An EV is the perfect solution for someone needing a car, but never does more than the quoted 40 miles in any given day. A PHEV is a worse solution because it adds unnecessary running costs.
But, of course, if the OP and his Mum deicde that's what they want, then that's up to them and I hope they find something they are very happy with. That's why I joined the thread to mention a couple fo PHEV models which might satisfy them. However I'd say that taking the next step to a full BEV won't be a materially different driving experience to a PHEV, nd in some ways would be better, and you still have to remember to charge both(if that's your worry), so it's not such a great leap to make to go from PHEV to BEV.
Edited by Bannock on Friday 20th May 11:05
Bannock said:
blank said:
Leon hybrid is also worth a look.
The Leon/Golf/A3/Octavia can run almost as a full EV if you only ever did 20-30 miles between charges.
The Leon/Golf/A3/Octavia can run almost as a full EV if you only ever did 20-30 miles between charges.
In which case, buy a full BEV instead of carrying an unnecessary petrol engine around and incurring the unnecessary running and maintenance costs of that. Even an old 24kwh Leaf is going to easily do 20-30 miles and more between charges and cost pretty much nothing to service, maintain and also zero in VED.
e.g.
https://youtu.be/dTDQrx9AbZ0
Obviously if you NEVER drive more than 40 miles from home then a full EV will be a better option than a PHEV all else being equal.
I don't think either of you would regret it. My Mum (74) is desperate to be able to buy an EV to take advantage of her solar panels and domestic battery array a bit more. Couple of things to sort out finacially and she should be able to do it in a couple of years. She loves my Leaf. I think she'll probably go for an MG ZS as she's after somethig a bit more sitty-up with some ground clearance as she lives down an unmade track.
Good luck whatever you choose, keep us posted!
Good luck whatever you choose, keep us posted!
Edited by Bannock on Tuesday 24th May 12:43
I don't know, I suppose you'll need to shop around. I've bought 2 second hand Leafs, both from Nissan dealers. The cars and service have been fine, but I probably overpaid a little. I think it's probably worth it though for peace of mind. I get the car serviced at the main dealer every year to keep up with any software updates, and it also earns a year's free brekdown recovery (which I've never needed). Also, servicing is way cheaper than for an ICE car so paying main dealer prices is fine.
Bannock said:
I don't know, I suppose you'll need to shop around. I've bought 2 second hand Leafs, both from Nissan dealers. The cars and service have been fine, but I probably overpaid a little. I think it's probably worth it though for peace of mind. I get the car serviced at the main dealer every year to keep up with any software updates, and it also earns a year's free brekdown recovery (which I've never needed). Also, servicing is way cheaper than for an ICE car so paying main dealer prices is fine.
Cheers, look like we will be going 2nd hand - 2019 or 2020 model. as all the new ones are 'Pipeline stock' which in old speak means, we don't have any stock. Zero7 said:
Bannock said:
I don't know, I suppose you'll need to shop around. I've bought 2 second hand Leafs, both from Nissan dealers. The cars and service have been fine, but I probably overpaid a little. I think it's probably worth it though for peace of mind. I get the car serviced at the main dealer every year to keep up with any software updates, and it also earns a year's free brekdown recovery (which I've never needed). Also, servicing is way cheaper than for an ICE car so paying main dealer prices is fine.
Cheers, look like we will be going 2nd hand - 2019 or 2020 model. as all the new ones are 'Pipeline stock' which in old speak means, we don't have any stock. Zero7 said:
Cheers, look like we will be going 2nd hand - 2019 or 2020 model. as all the new ones are 'Pipeline stock' which in old speak means, we don't have any stock.
Don't know what she drives now, but the Leaf is a larger car than most people would think.Would look into the earlier e-up suggestion or a Hyundai Kona (which is actually about 30cm shorter than the current Leaf!).
.Bannock said:
I don't think either of you would regret it. My Mum (74) is desperate to be able to buy an EV to take advantage of her solar panels and domestic battery array a bit more. Couple of things to sort out finacially and she should be able to do it in a couple of years. She loves my Leaf. I think she'll probably go for an MG ZS as she's after somethig a bit more sitty-up with some ground clearance as she lives down an unmade track.
Good luck whatever you choose, keep us posted!
Well, we pulled the trigger on a 20 plate Nissan Leaf from Cazoo, they have been a bit poor sorting a few small scratches out but we are getting there. Initially my mum found the car to be quite big (coming from a 03 plate Toyota Corolla). However she's soon got used to it and 'really likes' it. She only drove 8 miles last week and has only need to do one charge so far. I drove it along a dual carriage way and country road 30 mile trip and it was spot on. Good luck whatever you choose, keep us posted!
Edited by Bannock on Tuesday 24th May 12:43
Also got decent money for the Toyota
Zero7 said:
Bannock said:
I don't think either of you would regret it. My Mum (74) is desperate to be able to buy an EV to take advantage of her solar panels and domestic battery array a bit more. Couple of things to sort out finacially and she should be able to do it in a couple of years. She loves my Leaf. I think she'll probably go for an MG ZS as she's after somethig a bit more sitty-up with some ground clearance as she lives down an unmade track.
Good luck whatever you choose, keep us posted!
Well, we pulled the trigger on a 20 plate Nissan Leaf from Cazoo, they have been a bit poor sorting a few small scratches out but we are getting there. Initially my mum found the car to be quite big (coming from a 03 plate Toyota Corolla). However she's soon got used to it and 'really likes' it. She only drove 8 miles last week and has only need to do one charge so far. I drove it along a dual carriage way and country road 30 mile trip and it was spot on. Good luck whatever you choose, keep us posted!
Edited by Bannock on Tuesday 24th May 12:43
Also got decent money for the Toyota
Zero7 said:
Scrump said:
Do you need a motorway journey to charge the batteries on a non plug in hybrid?
I thought they worked best around town where the frequent braking charges the batteries and they have sufficient stored energy to assist the ice when accelerating from standstill etc. Taxi drivers seem to like using the prius for town work.
My wife's old Toyota self charging hybrid didn't charge much until you gave it a run on the motorway. This was about 4 years ago so perhaps technology has moved on I thought they worked best around town where the frequent braking charges the batteries and they have sufficient stored energy to assist the ice when accelerating from standstill etc. Taxi drivers seem to like using the prius for town work.
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff