Electric car test drive - Peugeot iOn
Discussion
Piston head virgin here, so here goes. My family and I are to test driving the soon to be released Peugeot iOn (electric car) for a week, Peugeot have installed a charger and will be delivering the car soon. Also, the review will be camcorded and edited for the breakfast TV show Daybreak.
Now, I’m not much of a piston head so would appreciate the wealth of experience from you guys in terms of the kind of things I could/ should be reviewing, I can think of the obvious, how far it will go on a full charge, speed, charge times and charge costs and TCO over a 3 or 4 year period ( because these things are expensive). I was also thinking of taking it to a local small independent garage and getting the mechanics point of view as to what this kind of impact this technology will mean for their industry (last face it they’re removing the combustion engine, it must have some impact).
Anyway that’s where I run out of ideas. I have thought about reviewing interior, features etc, but like I said I’m not much of a petrol head and don’t have much reference as to what's good build quality/ features and what isn’t.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Now, I’m not much of a piston head so would appreciate the wealth of experience from you guys in terms of the kind of things I could/ should be reviewing, I can think of the obvious, how far it will go on a full charge, speed, charge times and charge costs and TCO over a 3 or 4 year period ( because these things are expensive). I was also thinking of taking it to a local small independent garage and getting the mechanics point of view as to what this kind of impact this technology will mean for their industry (last face it they’re removing the combustion engine, it must have some impact).
Anyway that’s where I run out of ideas. I have thought about reviewing interior, features etc, but like I said I’m not much of a petrol head and don’t have much reference as to what's good build quality/ features and what isn’t.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
What about the reaction of pedestrians/cyclists to the fact theres no noise from the engine, does it necessitate increased alertness from the driver?
How much does the range change if you do things like charge an iphone and run a satnav and the radio all at once?
How much could it be improved by ripping out the electrics and putting a juicy petrol engine in instead
How much does the range change if you do things like charge an iphone and run a satnav and the radio all at once?
How much could it be improved by ripping out the electrics and putting a juicy petrol engine in instead
wildh said:
Piston head virgin here, so here goes. My family and I are to test driving the soon to be released Peugeot iOn (electric car) for a week, Peugeot have installed a charger and will be delivering the car soon. Also, the review will be camcorded and edited for the breakfast TV show Daybreak.
Now, I’m not much of a piston head so would appreciate the wealth of experience from you guys in terms of the kind of things I could/ should be reviewing, I can think of the obvious, how far it will go on a full charge, speed, charge times and charge costs and TCO over a 3 or 4 year period ( because these things are expensive). I was also thinking of taking it to a local small independent garage and getting the mechanics point of view as to what this kind of impact this technology will mean for their industry (last face it they’re removing the combustion engine, it must have some impact).
Anyway that’s where I run out of ideas. I have thought about reviewing interior, features etc, but like I said I’m not much of a petrol head and don’t have much reference as to what's good build quality/ features and what isn’t.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Can you do a standing burnout? What happens when you put your foot down while holding it on the brakes - do the motors burn out? If you do a reasonable sized jump, does the car hit the bump stops due to excess weight, and if so, do the batteries remain in situ?Now, I’m not much of a piston head so would appreciate the wealth of experience from you guys in terms of the kind of things I could/ should be reviewing, I can think of the obvious, how far it will go on a full charge, speed, charge times and charge costs and TCO over a 3 or 4 year period ( because these things are expensive). I was also thinking of taking it to a local small independent garage and getting the mechanics point of view as to what this kind of impact this technology will mean for their industry (last face it they’re removing the combustion engine, it must have some impact).
Anyway that’s where I run out of ideas. I have thought about reviewing interior, features etc, but like I said I’m not much of a petrol head and don’t have much reference as to what's good build quality/ features and what isn’t.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Beyond Rational said:
How long does one of these burn for if set alight?
I think we can make it more scientific than that. How does the "step off" torque vary with temperature. So, if you could find a place to cool the car down to sub zero degrees, measure tractive force, then gradually warm batteries (using blowtorch if suitable), and seeing where optimum temperature lies. Do the batteries give off fumes when heated in this way?
You could certainly ask Peugeot some questions when you hand the car back 
How long is the service life of the batteries?
Is it true they need new batteries around the 7 year mark (mileage depending)?
Is it true a full battery replacement is around £10,000?
Are the breakdown services properly prepared for these vehicles?
What are the implications for charging these up in the pouring rain?
Are they any more cost effective or 'environmentally friendly' over the whole life of the vehicle, compared to an IC car?
Will battery only electric cars fall by the wayside once fuel-cell vehicles are viable?
What will the market be like for second-hand EVs?
Without subsidies, do they expect to sell a significant amount?
If we all switched to EVs, would the National Grid cope, and how would the Government recoup its VED?
Edit for speeling erors.
How long is the service life of the batteries?
Is it true they need new batteries around the 7 year mark (mileage depending)?
Is it true a full battery replacement is around £10,000?
Are the breakdown services properly prepared for these vehicles?
What are the implications for charging these up in the pouring rain?
Are they any more cost effective or 'environmentally friendly' over the whole life of the vehicle, compared to an IC car?
Will battery only electric cars fall by the wayside once fuel-cell vehicles are viable?
What will the market be like for second-hand EVs?
Without subsidies, do they expect to sell a significant amount?
If we all switched to EVs, would the National Grid cope, and how would the Government recoup its VED?
Edit for speeling erors.
Just see if you can use it. Don't make the same mistake as the BBC did with their ludicrous attempt to drive to Edinburgh. All that proved was that the journalist in question was an idiot. There was nothing wrong with the car.
Use it to go to the shops, to get to work etc. But also review the process of hiring a diesel car if you want to go further afield.
The most useful thing you could do would be to measure the difference in range you get when starting out on a cold dark day, and a bright sunny, warm day. Do the peripherals cause big voltage drops?
Enjoy. Post lots of pictures and words here... or at leas link to where you WILL post them.
Use it to go to the shops, to get to work etc. But also review the process of hiring a diesel car if you want to go further afield.
The most useful thing you could do would be to measure the difference in range you get when starting out on a cold dark day, and a bright sunny, warm day. Do the peripherals cause big voltage drops?
Enjoy. Post lots of pictures and words here... or at leas link to where you WILL post them.
Mr Gear said:
Don't make the same mistake as the BBC did with their ludicrous attempt to drive to Edinburgh. All that proved was that the journalist in question was an idiot. There was nothing wrong with the car.
Nothing wrong with the car? It did take 6 days to drive to Scotalnd from London. That is pants however you look at it.Not a good test but a poor test of a poor car IMO.
Back on Topic.
I would like to know the range fully loaded and with just a driver.
Uhura fighter said:
Mr Gear said:
Don't make the same mistake as the BBC did with their ludicrous attempt to drive to Edinburgh. All that proved was that the journalist in question was an idiot. There was nothing wrong with the car.
Nothing wrong with the car? It did take 6 days to drive to Scotalnd from London. That is pants however you look at it.Not a good test but a poor test of a poor car IMO.
Back on Topic.
I would like to know the range fully loaded and with just a driver.
The car didn't fail to do anything it was supposed to do.
Mr Gear said:
Since the car wasn't designed to do that, it's not surprising it sucked. It would be the same as getting a fish to review the latest bicycles.
The car didn't fail to do anything it was supposed to do.
It failed to live upto peoples expectations. It failed as a car that could replace what we have now.The car didn't fail to do anything it was supposed to do.
The test was: Can a lobster jump through hoops like a dolphin?
Uhura fighter said:
It failed to live upto peoples expectations. It failed as a car that could replace what we have now.
The test was: Can a lobster jump through hoops like a dolphin?
Who's expectation was it exactly that it was suitable for a drive to Edinburgh? The test was: Can a lobster jump through hoops like a dolphin?
Even the BBC knew it would take 6 days, so what were they trying to prove?
Mr Gear said:
Who's expectation was it exactly that it was suitable for a drive to Edinburgh?
Even the BBC knew it would take 6 days, so what were they trying to prove?
As I understood the article, they tried to show how far down the road with EV we are (see what I did there)Even the BBC knew it would take 6 days, so what were they trying to prove?
A trip from London to Edinburgh isn't a normal/average trip a car would make but it is a trip I would expect to complete in several hours without much thought.
I did say it was a poor test but I have yet to see anything like that test from the main media yet. Someone had to do the first test and we now have a bench mark.
The article stated that we don't know how many charge points there are - this needs to change, someone needs to note how many we have and where they are. You can get Petrol stations on most Sat Nav, when will the charge points be added?
Charge points in rural areas haven't been built. (the odd one or two at supermarkets - but they offer a limited charge only)
The car was fine at motorway speed - only for short trips, given better tech this should improve.
Most facts and figures can be found, I wanted to read a "real world" review.
What did you expect from the test or what woud you like to know in regard to testing an EV?
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