Feedback on 6 weeks EV ownership
Discussion
I found this post from someone on LinkedIn regarding their first 6 weeks with an EV - interesting.
Well folks, for those that followed my EV car journey, here’s why I’m NOT opting for an EV Company Car in my new position….⬇️🪫⚡️
1. They are a pain in the a***
2. They are a pain in the a***
3. They are a pain in the a***
But seriously, I loved the car (I had an AUDI E-tron 55 top spec) however it was the most unpractical vehicle I have ever owned. I was grateful for the opportunity to switch to EV but I wish I’d taken one on a short term one month lease prior to making the switch.
So here’s my 8 top tips for ANYONE sitting there thinking about making the switch to EV with their company car…..
1. Get the car you want on a short term hire, or any EV car. It’s a life change, and I wish I’d trialled before I switched.
2. They lie to you about the mileage, it’s all a load of complete rubbish. If they tell you 280 miles to a full charge it’s actually 50% less if you want to drive like a normal person does or drive how you did before in a normal petrol / diesel car.
3. You don’t charge them to 100%, they advise 80% so actually the mileage they state on a full charge doesn’t matter anyway.
4. Be prepared to load your credit card into about 15 different apps, every charging station is run by a different provider - you’ll be forever sat their setting up new accounts.
5. The charging stations break a lot, plus you’ve got to wait for the person in a hybrid to stop charging their car to give them 30miles - it’s annoying.
6. Charge / range anxiety is a real thing, I thought I was hard enough for it not to bother me - but trust me, it’s a nightmare.
7. I can confirm you don’t just ‘pop for a coffee’ when it’s charging, 150KW chargers are always 100KW and they are like hens teeth. 22KW chargers are about as much use as a chocolate fire guard.
8. You’ll really appreciate time and how much extra time you need to add to your daily life to handle owning an EV.
I’m typically a very positive person but unfortunately on this occasion I feel responsible due to my precious EV posts….I’m sorry if you made the decision to switch based on my previous posts (I’m not responsible 😜)
Yours sincerely,
A 6 week EV car owner.
====================================================================
Well folks, for those that followed my EV car journey, here’s why I’m NOT opting for an EV Company Car in my new position….⬇️🪫⚡️
1. They are a pain in the a***
2. They are a pain in the a***
3. They are a pain in the a***
But seriously, I loved the car (I had an AUDI E-tron 55 top spec) however it was the most unpractical vehicle I have ever owned. I was grateful for the opportunity to switch to EV but I wish I’d taken one on a short term one month lease prior to making the switch.
So here’s my 8 top tips for ANYONE sitting there thinking about making the switch to EV with their company car…..
1. Get the car you want on a short term hire, or any EV car. It’s a life change, and I wish I’d trialled before I switched.
2. They lie to you about the mileage, it’s all a load of complete rubbish. If they tell you 280 miles to a full charge it’s actually 50% less if you want to drive like a normal person does or drive how you did before in a normal petrol / diesel car.
3. You don’t charge them to 100%, they advise 80% so actually the mileage they state on a full charge doesn’t matter anyway.
4. Be prepared to load your credit card into about 15 different apps, every charging station is run by a different provider - you’ll be forever sat their setting up new accounts.
5. The charging stations break a lot, plus you’ve got to wait for the person in a hybrid to stop charging their car to give them 30miles - it’s annoying.
6. Charge / range anxiety is a real thing, I thought I was hard enough for it not to bother me - but trust me, it’s a nightmare.
7. I can confirm you don’t just ‘pop for a coffee’ when it’s charging, 150KW chargers are always 100KW and they are like hens teeth. 22KW chargers are about as much use as a chocolate fire guard.
8. You’ll really appreciate time and how much extra time you need to add to your daily life to handle owning an EV.
I’m typically a very positive person but unfortunately on this occasion I feel responsible due to my precious EV posts….I’m sorry if you made the decision to switch based on my previous posts (I’m not responsible 😜)
Yours sincerely,
A 6 week EV car owner.
It's not that interesting, some of the stated facts are plain wrong and pretty much the rest of it comes down to someone trying to live with an EV that I assume they can't charge at home, at least not in an entirely practical manner so they missed virtually all the benefits and were left solely with the frustrations - frustrations which don't actually affect the majority of those that switch to EV.
And why has this plum been on linkedin 'recommending' people get an EV ahead of even driving one himself
And why has this plum been on linkedin 'recommending' people get an EV ahead of even driving one himself
In fairness, if you are used to ICE where you can mostly just pick a car that you like the looks of within budget, it’s a bit of a step to start analysing journeys, looking at likely chargers on common routes and whether they actually work or what speeds they are, dryrun common journeys on ABRP to see how much time is added with different cars, look at how feasible charging at home is, consider summer vs winter and the phase of the moon, etc. And then when you get a car it is indeed 15 apps and planning this that and the other.
Which I think is largely represented in the bullets. If you’re into it sure no big deal but if you just want to get on with things, not so much.
Which I think is largely represented in the bullets. If you’re into it sure no big deal but if you just want to get on with things, not so much.
1) Have some basic intelligence and do a little reading, you don’t need a month’s test drive to work out if an EV is a good fit for your needs, just an honest good think.
2) 50% lol. I think (extrapolated, as I only charge my Model 3 Perf to 85% day to day) my mileage per 100% charge would come in around 240-260, on a theoretical 300~ that’s not bad at all.
3) Feel free to charge 100% when you need it though, just not if the car is going to sit unused with a high SoC.
4) Just get an Octopus Electric Universe card, most of the major providers are part of the “network”, and Tesla for the rest, even if you aren’t a Tesla owner these days!
5) I’ve stumbled across a handful of broken chargers, this is a real issue with the smaller providers as they simply can’t keep up with maintenance IMO. One of the only genuine concerns ruined by a whine about PHEV drivers, who have just as much right IMO.
6) No, it’s not. I’ve never experienced range anxiety.
7) You do on a Supercharger, and I have done on an Ionity. Never used any other >50kWh charger networks to comment.
8) 90% of the time it SAVES me time that I’d otherwise be in or driving to a petrol station. Get home, plug in and forget. Wake up, precondition and ignore the winter ritual of defrost/demist/warm up.
2) 50% lol. I think (extrapolated, as I only charge my Model 3 Perf to 85% day to day) my mileage per 100% charge would come in around 240-260, on a theoretical 300~ that’s not bad at all.
3) Feel free to charge 100% when you need it though, just not if the car is going to sit unused with a high SoC.
4) Just get an Octopus Electric Universe card, most of the major providers are part of the “network”, and Tesla for the rest, even if you aren’t a Tesla owner these days!
5) I’ve stumbled across a handful of broken chargers, this is a real issue with the smaller providers as they simply can’t keep up with maintenance IMO. One of the only genuine concerns ruined by a whine about PHEV drivers, who have just as much right IMO.
6) No, it’s not. I’ve never experienced range anxiety.
7) You do on a Supercharger, and I have done on an Ionity. Never used any other >50kWh charger networks to comment.
8) 90% of the time it SAVES me time that I’d otherwise be in or driving to a petrol station. Get home, plug in and forget. Wake up, precondition and ignore the winter ritual of defrost/demist/warm up.
I think his observations are extremely perceptive.
Which car you choose is immaterial - none of them consistently manage the claimed range - yes, even the Tesla's. I have had three EV's now, and none has got anywhere near the advertised range, even under supposedly "idyllic" conditions.
The observations about charging similarly I completely endorse. And that problem, far from improving, is getting very much worse as the number of EV's being registered vastly outpaces the number of new charging points being created. The situation might well improve in future, but at the moment it is definitely going backwards. The comment about 150kW chargers regularly dispensing only 100kW, or even less, is also bang on the money.
A home charger definitely helps, but those of us that need our cars for longer journeys on a consistent basis continue to be poorly served. The running costs difference evaporates if you have to charge regularly on the road as well - my last fast charge cost almost £70!
I am a fan, but also a realist, and I readily admit that there is an awful long way to go.
Which car you choose is immaterial - none of them consistently manage the claimed range - yes, even the Tesla's. I have had three EV's now, and none has got anywhere near the advertised range, even under supposedly "idyllic" conditions.
The observations about charging similarly I completely endorse. And that problem, far from improving, is getting very much worse as the number of EV's being registered vastly outpaces the number of new charging points being created. The situation might well improve in future, but at the moment it is definitely going backwards. The comment about 150kW chargers regularly dispensing only 100kW, or even less, is also bang on the money.
A home charger definitely helps, but those of us that need our cars for longer journeys on a consistent basis continue to be poorly served. The running costs difference evaporates if you have to charge regularly on the road as well - my last fast charge cost almost £70!
I am a fan, but also a realist, and I readily admit that there is an awful long way to go.
distinctivedesign said:
I think his observations are extremely perceptive.
Which car you choose is immaterial - none of them consistently manage the claimed range - yes, even the Tesla's. I have had three EV's now, and none has got anywhere near the advertised range, even under supposedly "idyllic" conditions.
The observations about charging similarly I completely endorse. And that problem, far from improving, is getting very much worse as the number of EV's being registered vastly outpaces the number of new charging points being created. The situation might well improve in future, but at the moment it is definitely going backwards. The comment about 150kW chargers regularly dispensing only 100kW, or even less, is also bang on the money.
A home charger definitely helps, but those of us that need our cars for longer journeys on a consistent basis continue to be poorly served. The running costs difference evaporates if you have to charge regularly on the road as well - my last fast charge cost almost £70!
I am a fan, but also a realist, and I readily admit that there is an awful long way to go.
Might as well compare ICE claimed mpg to real life, which again effects cost and range.Which car you choose is immaterial - none of them consistently manage the claimed range - yes, even the Tesla's. I have had three EV's now, and none has got anywhere near the advertised range, even under supposedly "idyllic" conditions.
The observations about charging similarly I completely endorse. And that problem, far from improving, is getting very much worse as the number of EV's being registered vastly outpaces the number of new charging points being created. The situation might well improve in future, but at the moment it is definitely going backwards. The comment about 150kW chargers regularly dispensing only 100kW, or even less, is also bang on the money.
A home charger definitely helps, but those of us that need our cars for longer journeys on a consistent basis continue to be poorly served. The running costs difference evaporates if you have to charge regularly on the road as well - my last fast charge cost almost £70!
I am a fan, but also a realist, and I readily admit that there is an awful long way to go.
With the Tesla network coming online for everyone, I would say that virtually everyone could make an EV work even with lots of longer trips - obviously there will be exceptions but those people can and should buy a diesel until BEV improves sufficient to switch. There's about two decades before anyone really has to consider giving in and switching. I imagine in that time frequent longer journeys will become less fashionable anyway for various factors.
I'm pretty sure this guys experience would have been chalk and cheese if he had a home charger. And anyway, why listen to the words of a person that admits they had been recommending EV's to people ahead of ever using one themselves? Once someone drops that sort of bombshell I tend to ignore whatever there view is on everything else.. It's safer that way.
F20CN16 said:
User error
(I do over 1k a month in my I-PACE)
Same, and I never worry about range or struggle with charging. It is annoying to find a broken charger but zap-map etc make that quite unlikely these days. If you're home charging the need to use public chargers is typically so limited as to not really be a factor in the decision anyway.(I do over 1k a month in my I-PACE)
Edited by F20CN16 on Tuesday 29th November 19:16
If however I was frequently driving several hundred miles for work.... I'd get a new job.
Evanivitch said:
Why would you want to let your colleagues, customers and supply chain know you're so inept?
LinkedIn seems to be a magnet for these kinds of people.I was as anti EV as some of the nutters that frequent PH but for some bizarre reason I decided to hire one from the now closed EV Experience Centre.
I was completely clueless and made a few mistakes during the 5 days I had one but by the end I'd decided (to my astonishment) that I could make one work, provided I adjusted my perceptions of how to use a car. Only small changes but think the problem is that some people just aren't adaptable. You don't need to change your life but if you expect to use different tech the same way as your old tech then it's going to be difficult.
There are some genuine issues with EV's but other than a few of those points, the guy's just an idiot.
DMZ said:
No you don’t have any problems what so ever or don’t mind changing how you live your life to suit the limitations of your car but while this is an amazing statistical sample of one, it doesn’t exactly mean that it works for everyone else or that there aren’t problems or limitations.
You mean like the problems and limitations I laid out in my previous post - where I said that for some people a diesel is the obvious choice?I would never change my life to suit a car. I would however change my life if I spent 300 miles/5 hours a day driving around.. Boring..
An alternative view from an EV owner for nearly 3 years (though dont have it at the moment - situations changed)
Someone on LinkedIn said:
1. Get the car you want on a short term hire, or any EV car. It’s a life change, and I wish I’d trialled before I switched.
Personal choice, jumped in with two feet and bought a 2017 BMW i3 - did my research and figured out it would work. And it worked for the dog too, as it was easier for her to get in and out of! Nice car.Someone on LinkedIn said:
2. They lie to you about the mileage, it’s all a load of complete rubbish. If they tell you 280 miles to a full charge it’s actually 50% less if you want to drive like a normal person does or drive how you did before in a normal petrol / diesel car.
With the i3 I got very consistent range out of it. Most cases it was above what it stated, but in the i3 forums, they call the range a GOM or guess-o-meter. It isnt super accurate, but then again, neither is the range on an ICE car. But hey, I got excellent range and usually got more than was advertised. And BMW didnt tell me to not charge to 100% eitherSomeone on LinkedIn said:
3. You don’t charge them to 100%, they advise 80% so actually the mileage they state on a full charge doesn’t matter anyway.
BMW didnt say to only charge to 80% - fast charging should be managed, but slower charging at home didnt impact anything. Did over 30,000 miles in ours and didnt get any degradation in the battery.Someone on LinkedIn said:
4. Be prepared to load your credit card into about 15 different apps, every charging station is run by a different provider - you’ll be forever sat their setting up new accounts.
Nope, didnt do that - used ChargePoint (BMW partnership) and had a card and no app. Just use the card and pay and go. Worked great. Only once did I use a Electrify America charger and that was crap.Someone on LinkedIn said:
5. The charging stations break a lot, plus you’ve got to wait for the person in a hybrid to stop charging their car to give them 30miles - it’s annoying.
Again, didnt use public charging that often and found them available where I wanted and it was perfectly fine. Not once did I have an issue. Though EA was a bit of a pain to sort out the payment, but that was an issue on the day.Someone on LinkedIn said:
6. Charge / range anxiety is a real thing, I thought I was hard enough for it not to bother me - but trust me, it’s a nightmare.
It was at first, but then I learned to relax and trust the range guides. Some simple changes in behavior extends the range significantly. And you dont charge to full every time - charge to what you need and a little margin of error. Its a different experience.Someone on LinkedIn said:
7. I can confirm you don’t just ‘pop for a coffee’ when it’s charging, 150KW chargers are always 100KW and they are like hens teeth. 22KW chargers are about as much use as a chocolate fire guard.
Used fast chargers twice and worked a treat. Otherwise it was smaller chargers, but hey the i3 has a small battery so didnt matter.Someone on LinkedIn said:
8. You’ll really appreciate time and how much extra time you need to add to your daily life to handle owning an EV.
Nope, saved me a lot of time. No visiting gas stations, set to precondition before leaving (cooling in summer, warm in winter - didnt clear the windscreen once!). And on hot days, its awesome to leave the aircon on and zip into the supermarket and come back out to a cool car! Nice. So no, not inconvenient at all. Loved it. Situations changed so dont have it at the moment, but fully expect to back in EV ownership in the next 12-18 months. So much hate.... use cases people - they dont fit to everyone's requirements. But if they do fit, they are awesome.
Hi all,
Just some feedback from a recent trial I had in one of the new 'diesel' cars, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and the benefits of more range than I'm used to in my old electric car.
Here's my thoughts...
1) The range is INCREDIBLE! You really can tell how transformational this can be for just about anyone. I regularly do 200 miles a day in my normal car, could the diesel do it?! YEP! Absolutely nailed it. It can easily go as far as most of us typically go, a big thumbs up.
2) Charge times were far less than I'm used too which is great. The only problem is I had to go to a place that smells of fumes each time to do it, and was forced to enter a s
te mini-mart to pay when I was done. I think this bit might be a bit of a ploy tbh, inside the mini-mart there were people getting fleeced £4 for a coffee, buying crap wine and spray cans of something called 'de-icer', I'm not sure what that's for - perhaps these new cars don't defrost themselves in the morning?
3) The cost was a surprise. I'm used to paying about £300 a year to fuel my normal car. I charged up from near empty and thes did me for £103 in one hit! The car reported a range of 521 miles when I got back in... That's definitely a downside imo, it costs thousands extra to make the thing move. The greater range is still really good even though I don't think I'll make use of it very often, but it's a very expensive perk.
4) The drive was very relaxing, several times I almost nodded off. This happy way of trundling around the place was unfortunately upset when I attempted to nip into a tight space on a busy roundabout. I don't know what happened, it might have been a faulty car or perhaps the way I was driving it? I pushed down hard on the accelerator and ahead of moving it made a roaring noise for about a second and some mechanical stuff went on, and then it sort of started to move forwards and then surged forwards. This will take some practice and it's definitely something to watch out for.
5) The pre-conditioning function didn't seem very good. By not very good, I mean I couldn't work out how to do it - maybe I didn't have the right app for the car? Anyway, without pre-conditioning it was cold to get into and it wasn't just me that felt the cold, the car drove like a sack of ste for the first ten minutes. The cabin heater was also frankly odd, it seemed to get hotter the longer I drove, I don't know why it can't just go straight to full power
6) I'm not getting on very well with researching home charging. I knew that would be the case because it was just a temporary trial, but because of the amazing range I'm thinking about maybe getting one for keeps. I noticed at the public charging station there was a 'BP' logo on each charger. I found this BP (British Petroleum it turns out) on the web. I was looking for their home charger options but alas, all I found was page after page about carbon offsetting and something called a biofuel. I'm sure there are home charging options if you spend more time looking into it. I have at least measured up and the tanker can definitely fit down my cul-de-sac so all good on that front. I'm hoping I can then bulk buy and it'll be closer to the cost of my normal car to run.
7) I'm not very happy talking about this but a Nissan Leaf rinsed me leaving the lights
I obviously wasn't trying very hard so it didn't matter but... The guy at the dealership said I was borrowing the one 'with a bit of poke' so, a minor disappointment to have my pants whipped down by a Nissan hatchback.
8) Quirks! There's a funny little chimney at the very back of the car, kinda hidden underneath. When you first start it a tiny bit of smoke (like from a coal fire) comes out, and then it's more like steam/vapour after that. It's fun, but you can't really appreciate it once you're inside and driving along. I do wonder if these cars catch on, is whatever is coming from that chimney thing safe? I don't really care on my drive but if there were a thousand in a subterranean car park or tunnel one day in the future it might get a bit much. Perhaps a gimmick too far and not really needed - it was fun though.
9) After about two weeks a message came up that said 'check oil'. I presume this was some sort of reminder set by the last person to borrow the car, but it was actually useful! I did check and we're almost out of sunflower oil - that's a neat feature! I can see myself setting all sorts of useful reminders if I get one full time. Another came up saying something about ad-blu?! I guess it means something to someone.
10) Probably just a software fix required, but the car doesn't accelerate smoothly at all. It starts OK, then there's a little lull, then another surge and so on. A bit odd but I'm guessing I'm not the only one that felt a bit like an idiot making progress that way, so I'm sure they'll fix it.
In conclusion, I think there's a few rough edges but that is only to be expected with a new type of car. The caracterful vibrations and occasional stubbornness to respond added a lot of character. I don't really need the extra range but it's quite tempting, it would stop me waking up in the middle of the night worrying about it so... I might just need to do some man maths and work out if I can afford the running costs. If so, I think I'll take the leap! But only if that BP company can fit a home charger - I can't get on without that these days.
I hope this helps some of you. I apologise for advising you all to buy other cars previously.
Just some feedback from a recent trial I had in one of the new 'diesel' cars, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and the benefits of more range than I'm used to in my old electric car.
Here's my thoughts...
1) The range is INCREDIBLE! You really can tell how transformational this can be for just about anyone. I regularly do 200 miles a day in my normal car, could the diesel do it?! YEP! Absolutely nailed it. It can easily go as far as most of us typically go, a big thumbs up.
2) Charge times were far less than I'm used too which is great. The only problem is I had to go to a place that smells of fumes each time to do it, and was forced to enter a s
te mini-mart to pay when I was done. I think this bit might be a bit of a ploy tbh, inside the mini-mart there were people getting fleeced £4 for a coffee, buying crap wine and spray cans of something called 'de-icer', I'm not sure what that's for - perhaps these new cars don't defrost themselves in the morning?3) The cost was a surprise. I'm used to paying about £300 a year to fuel my normal car. I charged up from near empty and the
s did me for £103 in one hit! The car reported a range of 521 miles when I got back in... That's definitely a downside imo, it costs thousands extra to make the thing move. The greater range is still really good even though I don't think I'll make use of it very often, but it's a very expensive perk.4) The drive was very relaxing, several times I almost nodded off. This happy way of trundling around the place was unfortunately upset when I attempted to nip into a tight space on a busy roundabout. I don't know what happened, it might have been a faulty car or perhaps the way I was driving it? I pushed down hard on the accelerator and ahead of moving it made a roaring noise for about a second and some mechanical stuff went on, and then it sort of started to move forwards and then surged forwards. This will take some practice and it's definitely something to watch out for.
5) The pre-conditioning function didn't seem very good. By not very good, I mean I couldn't work out how to do it - maybe I didn't have the right app for the car? Anyway, without pre-conditioning it was cold to get into and it wasn't just me that felt the cold, the car drove like a sack of s
te for the first ten minutes. The cabin heater was also frankly odd, it seemed to get hotter the longer I drove, I don't know why it can't just go straight to full power 6) I'm not getting on very well with researching home charging. I knew that would be the case because it was just a temporary trial, but because of the amazing range I'm thinking about maybe getting one for keeps. I noticed at the public charging station there was a 'BP' logo on each charger. I found this BP (British Petroleum it turns out) on the web. I was looking for their home charger options but alas, all I found was page after page about carbon offsetting and something called a biofuel. I'm sure there are home charging options if you spend more time looking into it. I have at least measured up and the tanker can definitely fit down my cul-de-sac so all good on that front. I'm hoping I can then bulk buy and it'll be closer to the cost of my normal car to run.
7) I'm not very happy talking about this but a Nissan Leaf rinsed me leaving the lights
I obviously wasn't trying very hard so it didn't matter but... The guy at the dealership said I was borrowing the one 'with a bit of poke' so, a minor disappointment to have my pants whipped down by a Nissan hatchback.8) Quirks! There's a funny little chimney at the very back of the car, kinda hidden underneath. When you first start it a tiny bit of smoke (like from a coal fire) comes out, and then it's more like steam/vapour after that. It's fun, but you can't really appreciate it once you're inside and driving along. I do wonder if these cars catch on, is whatever is coming from that chimney thing safe? I don't really care on my drive but if there were a thousand in a subterranean car park or tunnel one day in the future it might get a bit much. Perhaps a gimmick too far and not really needed - it was fun though.
9) After about two weeks a message came up that said 'check oil'. I presume this was some sort of reminder set by the last person to borrow the car, but it was actually useful! I did check and we're almost out of sunflower oil - that's a neat feature! I can see myself setting all sorts of useful reminders if I get one full time. Another came up saying something about ad-blu?! I guess it means something to someone.
10) Probably just a software fix required, but the car doesn't accelerate smoothly at all. It starts OK, then there's a little lull, then another surge and so on. A bit odd but I'm guessing I'm not the only one that felt a bit like an idiot making progress that way, so I'm sure they'll fix it.
In conclusion, I think there's a few rough edges but that is only to be expected with a new type of car. The caracterful vibrations and occasional stubbornness to respond added a lot of character. I don't really need the extra range but it's quite tempting, it would stop me waking up in the middle of the night worrying about it so... I might just need to do some man maths and work out if I can afford the running costs. If so, I think I'll take the leap! But only if that BP company can fit a home charger - I can't get on without that these days.
I hope this helps some of you. I apologise for advising you all to buy other cars previously.
Edited by TheDeuce on Wednesday 30th November 00:31
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