Is an EV a realistic option for...
Discussion
... a regular 200 mile round trip once a week all year round. Mainly motorway (cruise at indicated 75-80) plus some A-roads; little bit of uncongested town either end.
Don’t want to have to recharge en route. Must have a rear hatch and a decent size boot.
Want to go electric but is there a suitable EV out there other than something luxury costing an arm and a leg? The advertised ranges that I see suggest yes, but in the real world...?
Don’t want to have to recharge en route. Must have a rear hatch and a decent size boot.
Want to go electric but is there a suitable EV out there other than something luxury costing an arm and a leg? The advertised ranges that I see suggest yes, but in the real world...?
Maxym said:
That was interesting; thanks. Good result from the e-Niro.
I presume that after a couple of years the range diminishes as the battery deteriorates. Correct?
yes, but not much really. there are EVs out there with well over 150k and only a few percent battery reduction.I presume that after a couple of years the range diminishes as the battery deteriorates. Correct?
to answer the question directly, yes you can, and budget dependent, i would get a tesla model Y long range (when they come out in the uk, soon).
worst case scenario is during the coldest months there is a ***possibility*** you may need a splash and dash at a supercharger for literally 5-10 mins.
aestetix1 said:
e-Niro or a Kona will be fine.
I'd steer clear of the Teslas, especially the new ones. The yoke steering is completely jank and they are moving to a subscription model for some features. The gear shift is a joke when you are trying to park too, you have to use the touch screen!
Model S issue, not relevant to either the 3 or Y. All manufacturers moving to subscription model, Audi will even sell you Matrix lights in their app..I'd steer clear of the Teslas, especially the new ones. The yoke steering is completely jank and they are moving to a subscription model for some features. The gear shift is a joke when you are trying to park too, you have to use the touch screen!
Maxym said:
Thanks for the replies so far. The Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 sound promising.
You are looking at a starting price > £40k for either with the larger battery (which you'll need) or £550+ a month on a 3 year, 30k lease deal. In comparison the e-Niro LR on the same terms is closer to £350.All depends on your budget obviously.
SWoll said:
You are looking at a starting price > £40k for either with the larger battery (which you'll need) or £550+ a month on a 3 year, 30k lease deal. In comparison the e-Niro LR on the same terms is closer to £350.
All depends on your budget obviously.
Budget flexible if it's the right car. But good point; thanks.All depends on your budget obviously.
Is there any prospect of charging at the destination even if its slow? Would turn a marginal round trip into a definite one.
I was doing this every day 5 years ago to a client site with charging facilities. The BIK wan't so favourable and car options at the time were limited to Model S for what I wanted, but on reflection it was a journey profile that could have lent itself very favourably to EV motoring especially if there's a charger you can reliably hook up to. I was in a petrol car but would have saved a fortune with an EV.
My woefully inefficient (by most standards) 2019 e-tron does about 160 miles if you drive on the motorway with a heavy right foot and AC or heating on. I could stretch that to nearer 200 by driving more conservatively.
I was doing this every day 5 years ago to a client site with charging facilities. The BIK wan't so favourable and car options at the time were limited to Model S for what I wanted, but on reflection it was a journey profile that could have lent itself very favourably to EV motoring especially if there's a charger you can reliably hook up to. I was in a petrol car but would have saved a fortune with an EV.
My woefully inefficient (by most standards) 2019 e-tron does about 160 miles if you drive on the motorway with a heavy right foot and AC or heating on. I could stretch that to nearer 200 by driving more conservatively.
Edited by theboss on Wednesday 21st July 13:16
theboss said:
Is there any prospect of charging at the destination even if its slow? Would turn a marginal round trip into a definite one.
I was doing this every day 5 years ago to a client site with charging facilities. The BIK wan't so favourable and car options at the time were limited to Model S for what I wanted, but on reflection it was a journey profile that could have lent itself very favourably to EV motoring especially if there's a charger you can reliably hook up to. I was in a petrol car but would have saved a fortune with an EV.
My woefully inefficient (by most standards) 2019 e-tron does about 160 miles if you drive on the motorway with a heavy right foot and AC or heating on. I could stretch that to nearer 200 by driving more conservatively.
No, no chance of any charging at the destination...I was doing this every day 5 years ago to a client site with charging facilities. The BIK wan't so favourable and car options at the time were limited to Model S for what I wanted, but on reflection it was a journey profile that could have lent itself very favourably to EV motoring especially if there's a charger you can reliably hook up to. I was in a petrol car but would have saved a fortune with an EV.
My woefully inefficient (by most standards) 2019 e-tron does about 160 miles if you drive on the motorway with a heavy right foot and AC or heating on. I could stretch that to nearer 200 by driving more conservatively.
Edited by theboss on Wednesday 21st July 13:16
Your e-tron experience is encouraging (as regards alternatives, obvs).
Thanks.
Not a hatch[1], but judicious packing and the occasional use of a trailer, means that a Tesla Model 3 LR works fine for an almost weekly 1.5hr/100 mile each way[2] trip to our place in France. We can (granny) charge at destination if staying for a few days, but quite often we go just for the day, and don't bother getting the cable out; tomorrow I will be doing just that to open up for local workmen[3].
In the summer we can leave with 90% and return with 15%; winter sub-zero temperatures mean leaving at 95% and limping back on 8-10%. There are however Superchargers en route, so a quick 'charge and dash' is always possible. I have a 11kW 3 phase charge point at home in Geneva, so it takes not even half the night to top up back to 80-90% upon our return.
9000 miles covered so far since last November, and couldn't be happier. Not a cheap car to buy, but the massive fuel/road tax/maintenance savings over an equivalent ICE vehicle, means total cost of ownership over 5 years will be a lot less than the Audi diesel estate it has replaced. And it's a whole lot quieter (and quicker) too. Should have bought one 12 months before.
Bonne soirée!
[1] I would have waited for a Model Y, but impatience got the better of me. Always had hatches/estates before, but we carry loads of stuff between the two houses (including wooden bed frames and other furniture, plants, shrubs, etc,) and it's really not been a problem.
[2] Swiss/French motorways and local traffic levels means that one can travel at the speed limit for most of the journey.
[3] Day after tomorrow we are off to Tuscany for a week, 7 hours/400 miles each way, stopping at three Superchargers on the way for around 15-20 minutes each, just time to stretch our legs, have a drink and nibble on our picnic.
In the summer we can leave with 90% and return with 15%; winter sub-zero temperatures mean leaving at 95% and limping back on 8-10%. There are however Superchargers en route, so a quick 'charge and dash' is always possible. I have a 11kW 3 phase charge point at home in Geneva, so it takes not even half the night to top up back to 80-90% upon our return.
9000 miles covered so far since last November, and couldn't be happier. Not a cheap car to buy, but the massive fuel/road tax/maintenance savings over an equivalent ICE vehicle, means total cost of ownership over 5 years will be a lot less than the Audi diesel estate it has replaced. And it's a whole lot quieter (and quicker) too. Should have bought one 12 months before.
Bonne soirée!
[1] I would have waited for a Model Y, but impatience got the better of me. Always had hatches/estates before, but we carry loads of stuff between the two houses (including wooden bed frames and other furniture, plants, shrubs, etc,) and it's really not been a problem.
[2] Swiss/French motorways and local traffic levels means that one can travel at the speed limit for most of the journey.
[3] Day after tomorrow we are off to Tuscany for a week, 7 hours/400 miles each way, stopping at three Superchargers on the way for around 15-20 minutes each, just time to stretch our legs, have a drink and nibble on our picnic.
Michael_B]Not a hatch[1 said:
, but judicious packing and the occasional use of a trailer, means that a Tesla Model 3 LR works fine for an almost weekly 1.5hr/100 mile each way[2] trip to our place in France. We can (granny) charge at destination if staying for a few days, but quite often we go just for the day, and don't bother getting the cable out; tomorrow I will be doing just that to open up for local workmen[3].
In the summer we can leave with 90% and return with 15%; winter sub-zero temperatures mean leaving at 95% and limping back on 8-10%. There are however Superchargers en route, so a quick 'charge and dash' is always possible. I have a 11kW 3 phase charge point at home in Geneva, so it takes not even half the night to top up back to 80-90% upon our return.
9000 miles covered so far since last November, and couldn't be happier. Not a cheap car to buy, but the massive fuel/road tax/maintenance savings over an equivalent ICE vehicle, means total cost of ownership over 5 years will be a lot less than the Audi diesel estate it has replaced. And it's a whole lot quieter (and quicker) too. Should have bought one 12 months before.
Bonne soirée!
[1] I would have waited for a Model Y, but impatience got the better of me. Always had hatches/estates before, but we carry loads of stuff between the two houses (including wooden bed frames and other furniture, plants, shrubs, etc,) and it's really not been a problem.
[2] Swiss/French motorways and local traffic levels means that one can travel at the speed limit for most of the journey.
[3] Day after tomorrow we are off to Tuscany for a week, 7 hours/400 miles each way, stopping at three Superchargers on the way for around 15-20 minutes each, just time to stretch our legs, have a drink and nibble on our picnic.
Très interessant. Merci beaucoup!In the summer we can leave with 90% and return with 15%; winter sub-zero temperatures mean leaving at 95% and limping back on 8-10%. There are however Superchargers en route, so a quick 'charge and dash' is always possible. I have a 11kW 3 phase charge point at home in Geneva, so it takes not even half the night to top up back to 80-90% upon our return.
9000 miles covered so far since last November, and couldn't be happier. Not a cheap car to buy, but the massive fuel/road tax/maintenance savings over an equivalent ICE vehicle, means total cost of ownership over 5 years will be a lot less than the Audi diesel estate it has replaced. And it's a whole lot quieter (and quicker) too. Should have bought one 12 months before.
Bonne soirée!
[1] I would have waited for a Model Y, but impatience got the better of me. Always had hatches/estates before, but we carry loads of stuff between the two houses (including wooden bed frames and other furniture, plants, shrubs, etc,) and it's really not been a problem.
[2] Swiss/French motorways and local traffic levels means that one can travel at the speed limit for most of the journey.
[3] Day after tomorrow we are off to Tuscany for a week, 7 hours/400 miles each way, stopping at three Superchargers on the way for around 15-20 minutes each, just time to stretch our legs, have a drink and nibble on our picnic.
I think I should check out the Midel Y although the EV6 and Ioniq 5 and even the Kia Niro look appealing now.
FWIW I currently get about 40 mpg (even 43 with a bit more care) on each leg of my 200-mile round trip, though that does include an indicated 65 through miles of M1 roadworks. I'm thinking that my driving style might help get more than most out people do out of an EV's battery.
Maxym said:
Très interessant. Merci beaucoup!
Je t'en prie 
I'm just back two hours ago from our quick 300km dash to Burgundy and back. Empty autoroutes, sunny weather, 1.5hrs each way. Arrived 10h30, back on the road at 15h30. Did all I wanted to do in the house/garden, including consuming a tasty Spanish omelette and salad on the terrace watching the butterflies in the herb garden. Back home at 17h, with 15% showing (mostly at 140km/h on the motorway), it'll be back to 90% again before I go to sleep.
Next stop is the Aosta supercharger tomorrow morning between the Mont Blanc tunnel and Milan, on the way towards Bologna, Modena and Florence
Maxym said:
I think I should check out the Model Y although the EV6 and Ioniq 5 and even the Kia Niro look appealing now.
I couldn't wait for the Model Y, which would have been my preferred choice over the Model 3. But my 11 year old diesel estate was becoming horrendously expensive to maintain once over 180k miles, and given my travel profile and the ability to charge at both ends (both houses have 3 phase installations), it was a no-brainer to go electric sooner rather than later.Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff