How often to use an EV

[Dave Hedgehog]

since like many i will be working for home for many many months my car wont get used (in theory i could be looking at 5+ months of no use)

how often should i take it out for a blast just to air out the cobwebs and stop the brakes rusting up.

once a week good enough?

[NNH]

Like any other modern electric item, if you don't use it for a few months then the next time you switch it on, it'll spend hours updating its software...

[fooman]

For something like torch or RC batteries if you are not using them for a long time is to not leave them flat or fully charged, but aim for 60% or so. Also make sure they don't drain to flat while stored. Perhaps same might apply to EV batteries?

[Monkeylegend]

Not good for many who will be paying £2/300 plus per month just to park it on their driveway.

[SWoll]

I imagine you'd happily leave it parked up somewhere for a fortnight whilst on holiday? If you really aren't going to be using it then the odd charge top up and run around the block every few weeks should suffice?

[Dave Hedgehog]

Monkeylegend said:

Not good for many who will be paying £2/300 plus per month just to park it on their driveway.

that's a good point, there are a lot paying £800+ a month

[Dave Hedgehog]

NNH said:

Like any other modern electric item, if you don't use it for a few months then the next time you switch it on, it'll spend hours updating its software...

the app tells you when updates are available and you can schedule them

[Monkeylegend]

Dave Hedgehog said:

Monkeylegend said:

Not good for many who will be paying £2/300 plus per month just to park it on their driveway.

that's a good point, there are a lot paying £800+ a month

That has got to hurt.

[Dave Hedgehog]

fooman said:

For something like torch or RC batteries if you are not using them for a long time is to not leave them flat or fully charged, but aim for 60% or so. Also make sure they don't drain to flat while stored. Perhaps same might apply to EV batteries?

the battery should look after itself if left plugged in, i was more thinking about the pumps, calipers, rotors, fluid channels (which their are a huge number) etc.

[SWoll]

Monkeylegend said:

Not good for many who will be paying £2/300 plus per month just to park it on their driveway.

That's essentially the case for anyone with a car on finance. No way you are going to be able to sell for a decent price for a while I'd suggest so everyone's basically stuck with what they have.

We've got 2 cars from Evezy at the minute and are returning one of them at the end of the month after what has gone on in the past week. Glad we now paid a little more for a monthly commitment subscription deal with a 7 day cancellation policy.

[Monkeylegend]

SWoll said:

Monkeylegend said:

Not good for many who will be paying £2/300 plus per month just to park it on their driveway.

That's essentially the case for anyone with a car on finance. No way you are going to be able to sell for a decent price for a while I'd suggest so everyone's basically stuck with what they have.

We've got 2 cars from Evezy at the minute and are returning one of them at the end of the month after what has gone on in the past week. Glad we now paid a little more for a monthly commitment subscription deal with a 7 day cancellation policy.

A wise decision

[Dave Hedgehog]

SWoll said:

We've got 2 cars from Evezy at the minute and are returning one of them at the end of the month after what has gone on in the past week. Glad we now paid a little more for a monthly commitment subscription deal with a 7 day cancellation policy.

turns out that was a very good move

[SWoll]

Indeed. Been stung with long term lease deals before where circumstances have changed so very wary these days. Obviously wasn't expecting this though and really feel for everyone who has leased etc. and been left with a £500+ a month bill for a car they will barely use.

It's the i3 that's going back. After waiting 5 months for the M3P I'll accept the sting of it not doing a huge amount of miles for a while and re-assess in a couple of months.

[theboss]

Monkeylegend said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

Monkeylegend said:

Not good for many who will be paying £2/300 plus per month just to park it on their driveway.

that's a good point, there are a lot paying £800+ a month

That has got to hurt.

If only the OP’s case they are working from home exclusively time with continuity of the income which enabled them to lease an expensive car in the first place, they’ll probably consider themselves luckier than most. They haven’t lost an income and the car is costing no more than if it were being used regularly.

It might suck, but it shouldn’t hurt.

[Monkeylegend]

theboss said:

Monkeylegend said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

Monkeylegend said:

Not good for many who will be paying £2/300 plus per month just to park it on their driveway.

that's a good point, there are a lot paying £800+ a month

That has got to hurt.

If only the OP’s case they are working from home exclusively time with continuity of the income which enabled them to lease an expensive car in the first place, they’ll probably consider themselves luckier than most. They haven’t lost an income and the car is costing no more than if it were being used regularly.

It might suck, but it shouldn’t hurt.

It would "hurt" me to be spending big money on a car that sits unused.

[SWoll]

Monkeylegend said:

theboss said:

Monkeylegend said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

Monkeylegend said:

Not good for many who will be paying £2/300 plus per month just to park it on their driveway.

that's a good point, there are a lot paying £800+ a month

That has got to hurt.

If only the OP’s case they are working from home exclusively time with continuity of the income which enabled them to lease an expensive car in the first place, they’ll probably consider themselves luckier than most. They haven’t lost an income and the car is costing no more than if it were being used regularly.

It might suck, but it shouldn’t hurt.

It would "hurt" me to be spending big money on a car that sits unused.

As above it's all about perspective. A lot of people are going to come out of this far worse and wouldn't have been fortunate enough to afford these kind of vehicles in the first place. I definitely count myself as incredibly fortunate.

[theboss]

Monkeylegend said:

It would "hurt" me to be spending big money on a car that sits unused.

In what way? Emotionally?

I was thinking more in terms of solvency. The fact that the guy is still earning his salary means he can continue to pay the car lease and all his other bills, whether it’s effectively wasted or not.

At a time when a vast number of people are losing their shirts, it’s hard to confuse such “waste” with terrible misfortune.

The only worry I would have about an expensive car sat on my driveway unused is that I suspect crime will increase and it may prove to become a liability.

On the other hand we would still need to travel by car (especially speaking for myself living rurally) and the avoidance of petrol stations is very attractive.

Obviously if the lights go off that’s another matter entirely, but then mobility wouldn’t be my first concern.

[aestetix1]

What car is it?

General advice for EVs is leave them at 50-60% charge when not using them for long periods. Check periodically as there will be some phantom loss while the car is parked. If your EV supports it turn it off completely or put it in hibernation mode or whatever the manufacturer calls it.

Keep an eye on the 12V battery too.

My advice would be take it out at least once a month. Do some shopping in it. Maintain the charge level and the 12V battery.

The manual will usually have something to say about this.

[Evanivitch]

Not forgetting, things like the air conditioning need to be run to keep the seals in the system working, but you can do that with a precondition from you app/fob if needs be.

I'd take it for a 10 mile run once a week to be honest, even if it's a non-stop loop straight back to the house.

[Monkeylegend]

theboss said:

Monkeylegend said:

It would "hurt" me to be spending big money on a car that sits unused.

In what way? Emotionally?

I was thinking more in terms of solvency. The fact that the guy is still earning his salary means he can continue to pay the car lease and all his other bills, whether it’s effectively wasted or not.

At a time when a vast number of people are losing their shirts, it’s hard to confuse such “waste” with terrible misfortune.

The only worry I would have about an expensive car sat on my driveway unused is that I suspect crime will increase and it may prove to become a liability.

On the other hand we would still need to travel by car (especially speaking for myself living rurally) and the avoidance of petrol stations is very attractive.

Obviously if the lights go off that’s another matter entirely, but then mobility wouldn’t be my first concern.

I suspect there will be many who will not be retaining full earnings and have already stretched themselves to have a new car on their driveway.

To then see it sit there while money they could need to cover other essential bills is being wasted on an unused car, well that has got to hurt. That chunk of unused metal will very quickly become an object of hate and family unrest.