Leapmotor T03... am I the only one?
Discussion
ferret50 said:
SirGriffin said:
ferret50 said:
Can we talk about charging the wee beastie?
Where on the car is the charging point?
Will it charge from a 13A socket?
Thanks in advance, OP.
The charging point is at the front.Where on the car is the charging point?
Will it charge from a 13A socket?
Thanks in advance, OP.
Yes you can charge using a 3 pin socket, a cable is included. I've never done it.
Car also accepts type 2 AC charging at a max rate of 7 kWh, which is what I do most charging with, or faster DC charging at a max of 50 kWh. That's not as fast as other EV's, but the battery is smaller, so it's still fairly reasonable - a 30-80% fast charge will take about 35 min, slightly longer if it's very cold like now as it will warm the battery first.
(All together now, "nothing has broken or fallen off yet...)
Edited by SirGriffin on Friday 2nd January 15:12
This video has recently appeared, showing some very impressive handling abilities for a shopping car, and highlighting that there's some real engineering prowess in the design.
Note that the first slalom is accomplished at 128 kph, or 79 mph, way beyond the use most drivers will ever put it to. It might look a bit cutesy, but it's a proper little car!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ks6Uli6ingY
Note that the first slalom is accomplished at 128 kph, or 79 mph, way beyond the use most drivers will ever put it to. It might look a bit cutesy, but it's a proper little car!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ks6Uli6ingY
Alickadoo said:
SirGriffin said:
Forget the Porches, BMW'S etc on this site, this is the update you're all waiting for!
Er...I had to put air in a tyre. That's it.
Now repeat after me, class: " nothing else has broken or fallen off."
I went for a weekend away and it handled the long trip really well, except the adaptive cruise control, which is a bit rubbish, however that's a well documented issue and you can switch it to standard cruise control, so we'll forgive that.
Still motoring on...whoosh!
What's wrong with the adaptive cruise control?Er...I had to put air in a tyre. That's it.
Now repeat after me, class: " nothing else has broken or fallen off."
I went for a weekend away and it handled the long trip really well, except the adaptive cruise control, which is a bit rubbish, however that's a well documented issue and you can switch it to standard cruise control, so we'll forgive that.
Still motoring on...whoosh!
I tried the ACC on a recent trip away, and on fast A roads and motorway is was ok, but it doesn't work well enough to slow down for a roundabout for example. It can be a bit sudden in its application of brakes or acceleration, so it's not very refined. Some have said it can get confused passing lorries etc, but I didn't notice any such behaviour.
But, the car also gives you the option to use standard cruise control, so I used that.
It's amazing that the car has it all at the price point, along with the rest of the ADAS equipmemt, which by the way, is easily turned off with a button on the steering wheel if it annoys you - I just leave it on most of the time because it actually works quite well and doesn't really bother me.
Must say, with traction control and other gubbins, plus front wheel drive, it's handled the snow and ice this weekend no bother at all. Clever little car!
Admit it, you've all been waiting with bated breath for the latest update on the strange looking Chinese cuddly milk float...
...aaaannnndddd....nothing really. No explosions, fires, bits falling off, failures to proceed.
Still haven't seen another one, so I seem to be leading the (ahem) charge with it in my area. But they must be somewhere about...give me a wave if you pass me! I have seen one or two of the much larger B10 and C10 models, which seem mighty impressive machines.
I'd say the only part I don't like so much is the tendancy for condensation on the windows in bad weather, something I believe is common to many EVs. Some use damp absorbing pouches which I may try, and I've also seen that wiping the glass with shaving foam helps - I'm rather suspicious about that one, I may try it on a side window first and see what it does!
I won't complain about the admittedly loud pedestrian sounder either, as it proved very useful during recent periods of icy carparks, when people were gingerly tiptoeing across sheets of ice - hearing a pronounced "Woooooooo" behind them helped them to realise a car was behind them, and lead to them stepping aside, thus the sound did exactly what it's designed to do!
2000+ miles in and we're still rollin!
...aaaannnndddd....nothing really. No explosions, fires, bits falling off, failures to proceed.
Still haven't seen another one, so I seem to be leading the (ahem) charge with it in my area. But they must be somewhere about...give me a wave if you pass me! I have seen one or two of the much larger B10 and C10 models, which seem mighty impressive machines.
I'd say the only part I don't like so much is the tendancy for condensation on the windows in bad weather, something I believe is common to many EVs. Some use damp absorbing pouches which I may try, and I've also seen that wiping the glass with shaving foam helps - I'm rather suspicious about that one, I may try it on a side window first and see what it does!
I won't complain about the admittedly loud pedestrian sounder either, as it proved very useful during recent periods of icy carparks, when people were gingerly tiptoeing across sheets of ice - hearing a pronounced "Woooooooo" behind them helped them to realise a car was behind them, and lead to them stepping aside, thus the sound did exactly what it's designed to do!
2000+ miles in and we're still rollin!
ScoobyChris said:
Chris_i8 said:
Odd, I've not come across this negative on my ev research so far.
Is the A/C not working?
This is also a trait of the Leaf which either Heats (no a/c) or Cools (a/c) the cabin to adjust the temperature and there is no way to leave it on auto with a/c on all year round. My assumption was this was an EV battery saving trait - I even posted on here about it - but thankfully it seems to be in the minority.Is the A/C not working?
I bought a damp absorbing bag of beads which seems to work well but a tad annoying in a modern car!!
ScoobyChris said:
SirGriffin said:
Yes, thus is exactly it. Aircon on cold only. You get used to it, it doesn't spoil the car.
Tbh it does my head in, especially this time of year where you have to keep running the demisters!Chris
I've seen several tips about wiping shaving foam on the inside glass, then polishing it off, as a way of preventing misting up - I'm going to try it on a side window and see if it works! Update will follow...
Other than that, a great little car with big capabilities.
Edited by SirGriffin on Friday 23 January 14:59
- The "nothings gone wrong" EV update Pistonheads has been waiting for**
Yup folks, the appliance continues to do it's thing quietly and dependably. Which, after all, was exactly the brief I had for it. And yes, I do enjoy driving it, the quiet smoothness is pleasant, and the perky performance in day to day driving is as quick as any other car in the urban environment.
Of course, not everything is rosy in the garden. The window misting in this damp weather is a bit annoying, and I'd like the seats to be a bit wider - because I'm a bit wider...Also, I'm not thrilled with the lack of physical switches.
But overall, it's been a great little car so far. Woooosh!
EV is still ok shocker update!!
Yes folks, the little car is still trundling along faultlessly.
And, in positive news, the steaming up issue in damp weather has been solved - this was down to incorrect settings of the climate controls, caused partly by omitted info in the manual. Correct use makes the car nicer to use in poor weather, so a free improvement!
The car has just done a weekend break, and handles the motorway just fine. It's not the car you'd chose if you are a regular motorway high mileage driver, but it's perfectly capable for the occasional trip.
At motorway speeds of between 60-65 it will do about 130- 140 miles on a charge, which is not much different to other much more expensive EV's - motorway driving is not very efficient for EV's. It equates to about 2 hours of driving, at which point I like to stop for a break anyway on a journey, so plugging the car into a fast charger whilst stretching my legs, using the bathroom and getting a coffee is just what I'd be doing anyway, so as such driving an EV on a longer journey is pretty much a non event, at least for me anyway.
The little car continues to delight with its quiet refinement, and cheap running costs. It also provides quite a bit of curiosity from others!
If there's any downside of driving an EV, it's having to have about half a dozen different apps because of the disjointed charging network. However, I've never had any particular problems finding chargers anywhere I've wanted to go.
Whooosh!
Yes folks, the little car is still trundling along faultlessly.
And, in positive news, the steaming up issue in damp weather has been solved - this was down to incorrect settings of the climate controls, caused partly by omitted info in the manual. Correct use makes the car nicer to use in poor weather, so a free improvement!
The car has just done a weekend break, and handles the motorway just fine. It's not the car you'd chose if you are a regular motorway high mileage driver, but it's perfectly capable for the occasional trip.
At motorway speeds of between 60-65 it will do about 130- 140 miles on a charge, which is not much different to other much more expensive EV's - motorway driving is not very efficient for EV's. It equates to about 2 hours of driving, at which point I like to stop for a break anyway on a journey, so plugging the car into a fast charger whilst stretching my legs, using the bathroom and getting a coffee is just what I'd be doing anyway, so as such driving an EV on a longer journey is pretty much a non event, at least for me anyway.
The little car continues to delight with its quiet refinement, and cheap running costs. It also provides quite a bit of curiosity from others!
If there's any downside of driving an EV, it's having to have about half a dozen different apps because of the disjointed charging network. However, I've never had any particular problems finding chargers anywhere I've wanted to go.
Whooosh!
The issue was that it appeared that the Aircon could not be used to demist the windows, only the heater, which isn't as good. However it turns out that it is indeed possible to use the heater along with the Aircon, which is better because Aircon helps to dry the interior and keep prevent the windows steaming up.
- SUNDAY UPDATE YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!** Chinese EV has first problem!!!
We can't ignore the high fuel prices, so what's it like running the T03?
The official range - 165 miles. A good bit less in the colder weather, but if your plugged in every night you'll always have a full battery in the morning.
In the current weather, much improved range - currently showing nearly 180 miles on a full charge! Would it actually do that? Quite possibly not far off, here's why.
I average about 4.2 mpKwh on a weekly mix of urban and a 55 motorway trip. Yesterday, I did the 55 mile trip but since it was a nice day and I wasn't in a hurry, I took the back roads - lower average speed, more regen braking, and the car managed 5.7 mpKwh! What does that mean in range? It meant I travelled the 55 miles using an indicated loss of 34 miles range reduction! Woo! Depending on usage and driving style, this can be a very economical car.
The mileage range is always an estimate based on a number of factors, but I and other owners recon it's pretty accurate in the T03. For comparison, the same 55 trip on motorway uses approx 55 miles of range.
Charging costs are dependent of course on the electricity rate, but a smallish battery along with a good home EV rate could result in extremely cheap running costs. I can't charge at home, but I'm still pleased with the low costs I have using the right public chargers.
Very impressive little car indeed.
Happy Sunday everyone!
Yes, it's the update you've all really been waiting for on Pistonheads:
Repeat after me, class: "nothing has broken or fallen off"
But, for the vanishing small number of readers who are interested in this clever car, here's an update on the range now that better weather is here.
The official range is quoted at 165 miles. Autocar said they only managed 120 - goodness knows how they managed that, since many other journalists managed considerably more that that, they must have hammered the thing.
My last few charges to 100% have shown a range of 193 miles, and some owners have reported 200 miles. Would you actually get that? Well since EVs are most efficient around town, you might manage close to that if that's your regular motoring. Mines a mix of town and dual carriageway, so I average 5.3 mpKwh, however this last few days the car has managed an amazing 7.2 mpKwh!
If you read the reviews for the latest Citroen E3 electric car, it gets nothing like these figures, and many much larger and considerably more expensive cars aren't much better.
How often do I charge to 100%, and how far do I go on a charge? Generally, I charge to 100% all the time. This is because it's an LFP battery, much more tolerant of full charging than NMC batteries. Whilst it's generally not a good idea to sit at 100% even with an LFP battery, all my charging is done away from home, so driving home brings it down from a full charge anyway. Also, I use my car most days, so it's never sitting too long fully charged.
How far do I go on a charge? I've no idea - I don't really pay attention. I just put juice in it whenever it wants it, or whenever it's parked near a convenient charger. Charging and range anxiety are just not an issue, you learn to incorporate charging into other daily things. At the shops? Just plug it in while it's parked. At the gym? Just plug it in whilst you're on the treadmill. Coffee with friends? Just plug it in whilst chatting over your machiato. If I know I'm going to visit where one of the cheapest chargers I use is located, I'll run the battery down to about 30% - it will cost about £6 to fill it to 100%. Charging really just becomes an unnoticed part of life, and not a chore.
The adventure with this remarkable little car continues!
Repeat after me, class: "nothing has broken or fallen off"
But, for the vanishing small number of readers who are interested in this clever car, here's an update on the range now that better weather is here.
The official range is quoted at 165 miles. Autocar said they only managed 120 - goodness knows how they managed that, since many other journalists managed considerably more that that, they must have hammered the thing.
My last few charges to 100% have shown a range of 193 miles, and some owners have reported 200 miles. Would you actually get that? Well since EVs are most efficient around town, you might manage close to that if that's your regular motoring. Mines a mix of town and dual carriageway, so I average 5.3 mpKwh, however this last few days the car has managed an amazing 7.2 mpKwh!
If you read the reviews for the latest Citroen E3 electric car, it gets nothing like these figures, and many much larger and considerably more expensive cars aren't much better.
How often do I charge to 100%, and how far do I go on a charge? Generally, I charge to 100% all the time. This is because it's an LFP battery, much more tolerant of full charging than NMC batteries. Whilst it's generally not a good idea to sit at 100% even with an LFP battery, all my charging is done away from home, so driving home brings it down from a full charge anyway. Also, I use my car most days, so it's never sitting too long fully charged.
How far do I go on a charge? I've no idea - I don't really pay attention. I just put juice in it whenever it wants it, or whenever it's parked near a convenient charger. Charging and range anxiety are just not an issue, you learn to incorporate charging into other daily things. At the shops? Just plug it in while it's parked. At the gym? Just plug it in whilst you're on the treadmill. Coffee with friends? Just plug it in whilst chatting over your machiato. If I know I'm going to visit where one of the cheapest chargers I use is located, I'll run the battery down to about 30% - it will cost about £6 to fill it to 100%. Charging really just becomes an unnoticed part of life, and not a chore.
The adventure with this remarkable little car continues!
All together class, "nothing has broken or fallen off..."
At nearly 5000 miles in 6 months, I've used it far more than I thought I would! It's still running well.
Any drawbacks? I'd say the ride is a bit crashy at times, but then, because the car is so capable you have to keep reminding yourself that it's a small car, and small cars usually have busy rides, so I suppose it's the same as other cars. But a smoother ride would be nice.
The lack of Android auto is a big deal for many, but not for me - the satnav is good, and Bluetooth works well for phone and music.
I'm not a huge fan of touchscreens but every car has them, this car's isn't the worst of its type. But more switches would be nice.
And slightly wider seat bases would be nice, if, like me, your own er...rear is wider than average!
Other than that... whooosh!
At nearly 5000 miles in 6 months, I've used it far more than I thought I would! It's still running well.
Any drawbacks? I'd say the ride is a bit crashy at times, but then, because the car is so capable you have to keep reminding yourself that it's a small car, and small cars usually have busy rides, so I suppose it's the same as other cars. But a smoother ride would be nice.
The lack of Android auto is a big deal for many, but not for me - the satnav is good, and Bluetooth works well for phone and music.
I'm not a huge fan of touchscreens but every car has them, this car's isn't the worst of its type. But more switches would be nice.
And slightly wider seat bases would be nice, if, like me, your own er...rear is wider than average!
Other than that... whooosh!
drgoatboy said:
Thanks for keeping the updates coming.
The efficiency figures are pretty amazing.
Any signs of wear and tear? I had an mg4 on lease and generally good build quality, but cheap carpets got scruffier than I would have hoped after a couple of years. Got a few stone chips too but no worse than anything else, and as it had over 400bhp it didn't hang around so hardly surprising
I've had floor mats and seat covers on from new, to protect them so hopefully still good. It's a cheap car of course, but the fabric seats look well made. The efficiency figures are pretty amazing.
Any signs of wear and tear? I had an mg4 on lease and generally good build quality, but cheap carpets got scruffier than I would have hoped after a couple of years. Got a few stone chips too but no worse than anything else, and as it had over 400bhp it didn't hang around so hardly surprising
Edited by drgoatboy on Friday 15th May 14:05
The car still looks like new, paintwork looks good. Time will tell how everything ages, but when you think back to the horrors of Austin Metro's etc, I don't think quality could be any worse than those days.
How the car will age underneath though, for example, in the longer term remains to be seen - were I the legal owner I'd be tempted to do some preventative rust proofing - the car is built to a price. Be interesting to see what they are like 5/6 years down the line.
- PISTONHEADS MOST IMPORTANT UPDATE**
Trundling along continues without drama, which I'm mighty happy about. 100% trouble free? Almost...
The car lost it's ability to make phone calls, so the 12v battery was disconnected for a few minutes to reset everything, and it was back to normal after that. I'll live with that...
I've just been away visiting friends, the car managed 155 miles on a mixture of dual carriageway and fast A roads, including some steep hill climbing over the Dales. Given the official range is 165 miles, and that EV's are less efficient at higher speeds, I'd say that was a good result. Given that it equates to about 2.5 hours of driving, at which point I'd be stopping for a coffee/loo break anyway, the need to recharge the car at that point is hardly an issue. Fir those that wonder, it took about 50 minutes for a full charge charge to 100% - not lightening speed for sure, the cars "fast" charging speed is only 50 kWh, but hardly terrible on the occasional longer trip. Locally, I never run the battery that low on a daily basis.
Surprise and delight features? The ability, in this hot weather, to use the phone app to instruct the car to start the Aircon a few min before you get inside - lovely!
Aaaaannnnddd, in the latest exciting update...nothing has broken or fallen off after over 7000 miles. However, that doesn't mean all has been completely trouble free.
Whilst the car has continued to be trouble free, I did have to endure the inconvenience of a puncture, and this is where the lack of a supplied spare wheel becomes a very annoying issue. Fortunately, the tyre was able to be repaired rather than requiring replacement, a good job as the tyre fitters are unlikely to have a replacement of the correct size without ordering one. But a whole lot of hassle could have been avoided simply by being able to change the wheel, like cars used to be. So, the hunt is on to find a suitable wheel to have as a spare from another car.
Other than that, the car continues to whizz along happily, and proved very capable recently over the hills of the Yorkshire Dales - it may not be a sports car, but it can hustle along the A and B roads quite happily. It's even been camping, where it proved very able to swallow all my gear, and keep my electronics charged.
And, the efficiency continues to impress - the guesstimater (which has proved surprisingly accurate) showed a range of 201 miles on its last full charge - amazing for a car with an official range of 165 miles. And keep in mind that currently they are available now for about £12500 new, which seems very good value - Dacia and Leapmotor seem to be slugging it out at the moment for the title of the UK's cheapest car.
So far, I'm very impressed with the Leapmotor brand, and would definitely look at one of the other models in the future.
Whilst the car has continued to be trouble free, I did have to endure the inconvenience of a puncture, and this is where the lack of a supplied spare wheel becomes a very annoying issue. Fortunately, the tyre was able to be repaired rather than requiring replacement, a good job as the tyre fitters are unlikely to have a replacement of the correct size without ordering one. But a whole lot of hassle could have been avoided simply by being able to change the wheel, like cars used to be. So, the hunt is on to find a suitable wheel to have as a spare from another car.
Other than that, the car continues to whizz along happily, and proved very capable recently over the hills of the Yorkshire Dales - it may not be a sports car, but it can hustle along the A and B roads quite happily. It's even been camping, where it proved very able to swallow all my gear, and keep my electronics charged.
And, the efficiency continues to impress - the guesstimater (which has proved surprisingly accurate) showed a range of 201 miles on its last full charge - amazing for a car with an official range of 165 miles. And keep in mind that currently they are available now for about £12500 new, which seems very good value - Dacia and Leapmotor seem to be slugging it out at the moment for the title of the UK's cheapest car.
So far, I'm very impressed with the Leapmotor brand, and would definitely look at one of the other models in the future.
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