lol-lol

Looking forward to popping in to the Braintree Grid-serve EV charging facility before Xmas on the family visit run........ Also looking forward to using the Rugby one which is not as cosy but looks well served by charge points and will glad to see Stevenage on the A1M and others , especially Plymouth my home town, joining the Gird Serve network and 30p per kWh sounds quite reasonable and just to get a £5 fill of 75 miles or a tenner getting me 150 miles.

That is an interesting set of maths. We all have our different configurations of vehicles, chargers with their different tariffs and as a new EV owner it is the changing of ambient temperature and its effect on which is the optimal vehicle to use that was suspected that it would be significant but the actual experience of it brings a host of primary and secondary questions. What is very real is that for each degree centigrade the ambient temperature drops the EV/battery pack seems to lose a percentage point or so of range so when going out to the car with the temperature at 2C I am seeing only 200 miles predicted rather than 240 miles when the temperature was 20C or so. The power usage, as displayed on the dashboard seems to show that instead of about 4 and a half miles per KwH it is now more like 3 and half miles per kWh. I do not believe the car is actually using about 30% more energy per mile, some I will concede as the Heat Pump and I will monitor that more closely that power usage. I am actually concluding that the battery capacity diminishes with temperature and the car effectively mis-reports energy usage as actual loss of percent battery capacity due to the lower temperatures. Interesting comment I have seen on the ZE forum and by Bjorn N that sometimes it is actually better to drive a bit quicker in cooler weather, say 60-65 mph rather optimum 55 mph as it warms up the battery pack to a better temperature which is going to allow a fuller charge. Must use pre-conditioning to give that an evaluation. Octopus still only charging 5p a kWh and charging up for free at an 11 kWh charger at Heathrow work office is good, via an external 3 pin socket and granny cable at my Cambridge office not so much but free is free. Had to use the Clio for the 350 mile round trip from Worcester to Worthing, semi happy that the ICE waste heat kept me warm, ICE cars start to make more sense on those colder and longer journeys until I get the longer range, better fast road more aerodynamic Megane e-tech hopefully at some point.

We have been using this tech for most of the last decade. We have about 5,000 cars on the Paris car sharing scheme with 30 kWh LMP batteries, we start to run it out in London too along with our owning/running of Source London but Paris Met Authority wanted to go a different way so we pulled the plug on the whole thing. We do some similar stuff in Singapore with the buses and cars but do not do the cars anymore and sold Source London to Total. Yes they are fine for Deep cycle and thousands of recharges, they like to be permanently or the charger keeping them up over 50C most the time and were ready to use. Record rental was 40 on one car in a day. 6 minutes was the minimum rental and then in blocks of 6 minutes. Might be all you need to go from Gare du Nord to Gare to Sud. Overheating not a problem like with Charge-gate. We work quite a lot with Super Capacitors and that is where much of new development is to work in unison with the battery and with the regen and fast resupply to the motor. Zap charging..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woMjb7kfgOU

@roottoot This UK guy in the know seems to be sure the UK will be opened up as it is Elon Musk wish to do so and will also make him billions..... I might get a Tesla Subscription as it looks worth it. Or try and get work to pay for it.

So Tesla starting to open up its charging network to non Teslas. Game change and will make Tesla billions.

Electricity cannot get too expensive as every single person in the UK is a user, and businesses, so the pressure from 67m people will keep electricity prices under control and of course EV users can set their charging systems to charge on the early day cheap rates ie 5p a kWh so my 14 kWh I charged last night cost me 70 pence and I added 70 miles of range to the car ie 1p per mile driven on energy costs. I pay £280 a month for the PCP, only 6k miles per year and wish I had gone for more miles per year as fuel price hike and shortage hit a week after I bought it. I get a nearly £600 a month car allowance so can more than cover the PCP and running cost and can save a few thousands to but the car in 4 years time. I can charge for free at my Heathrow office on 11 kWh AC 3 phase chargers which my logistics company do not charge on to me. We Carbon rate everything we do and our customers expect data on this. Glad to see DPD who my son works for heading up the conversion to use of EV vans. Good to see French companies quickly adopting..... https://www.fleeteurope.com/en/new-energies/europe/features/how-dpd-adopting-evs-electrifying-speed?a=JMA06&t[0]=DPD&t[1]=Electric LCV&t[2]=Last Mile&t[3]=Oxford&t[4]=Maxus&curl=1 “Last year we only had 149 electric vehicles [in the UK]. Today we have 1,031, and we’ll have 1,700 by the end of the year,” said Craughan. “As a business have not ordered one final mile diesel vehicle this year and we hope not to. Electric is the way forward for DPD, that is our strategy.”

Unless it is a Q90 Zoe it will not draw the 43 kw "only" the 22 kw. Only the Q90 had the 43 kw AC capability and if you had that option you had about 10 miles less range so was not such a win. I like the 11,16 and 22 kw chargers, as well as the girlie 3.6 kw and 7.2 kw home chargers as I think they are kinder to the battery pack compared to the 50 kw AC DC chargers. But Zoe limits the after AC/DC and voltage conversion to 124 Amps so if the traction battery is down to 350 volts you will get the 43 kw of charge rate from the 50 kw DC charger but gradually increases as the voltage increases and it maintains a good charge rate well in to the 87% mark which is probably where I would disconnect and get back on the road. Always a "BUT" and whilst I like both the IONIC and the MG and I happy with the Zoe in most regards...

I know I am a newbie but I cannot imagine charging up usually to more than 85% as it get slow to charge after then, regeneration does not work so well when battery over 89% and I gather some chargers charge a per minute charge so value for money dives over 85 %. Zoe seems to be different as it limits charging too 125 amps to protect the long life of the traction battery which I am happy about

Yes 5 chargers there, not all working all the time I gather. Not all EVs can charge at 22 kwh AC but I bet EVs that can only accept 7 or 11 do sometimes use the 3 phase or perhaps it does not work if one tries to draw single phase from a 3 phase charger. Whole information system still needs improving even though ZAP seem to do a good job from what I have seen.

Yes it is a TCE 90 a 2014 Clio Nav S, so the 17 inch wheels do not help but look good. One car rag did report a 10% fall in the mpg but that sounded extreme and has in an even older ie 2012 TCE I think. Car is due a service in a fortnight and will make sure it gets a new air filter which is a doddle to do if the garage does not do as part of their A minor service which I think is just oil and inspection. Air filter is only £8 so will pick one up and fit it, anything to help fuel consumption with fuel being so expensive.

Recall it is due to be around for a couple more years yet. Ethanol raises octane rating naturally which can mean oil companies can using even crappier petroleum and mix with the ethanol to bring it up to the required octane. Government is raking it in with the high oil prices and the poorer fuel consumption of E10 over E5 due to lower calorific value and some drivers switching to 97 to 99 octane super unleaded again means a larger tax take so they seem happy to continue as is and did not even raise the excise duties on any of the fuels from the current 58p a litre. Trying to use my Zoe where I can but my first fuel tank of E10 seem to being OK in the TCE Clio so it looks like the engines Engine Management Unit is coping with it as I am still getting the 680 mile range from its 10 gallon tank though I have seen more like over 600 miles on occasions but then I have been taking a passenger. Even HMRC say you can claim 5p a miles for a passenger and not pay tax on it. I seen shortages of E10 in some gas stations as it seems clear some drivers are trying it as well as the regular users. Been a few years since I had cars that needed it ie twin-charge Fabia and Mk 1 Octavia VRS but the occasional E5 half or full tankful seems a fair idea if it is the Tesco variety rather than Shell that costs a fortune,

We (Bollore-Blue-Solutions) already have quite high energy density for Metal lithium batteries and now licencing the tech to Mercedes who are using in their buses as we do with the buses we produce.... https://www.blue-solutions.com/en/ Now spreading out to vehicles involved in airport handling and many similar tasks. Mercedes Buses (12m) and even some of the LMP packs in the roof space which is unusual placement ie for centre of gravity etc........

How close are you getting to its 42 miles supposed range on its traction battery ? Do you think the PHEV should be allowed the green licence plate sticker/section ?

Only 7 kwh chargers, would like to gave seen some 11 or even 22 kwh ac chargers and also they should have some pay as you go DC I reckon.

Maybe a yamaha motogp, wsb and bsb for the m1/r1, not bad for an olde inline 4.

Personally not a fan of taller vehicle but I suppose that matters less with towing, or does it ?? Anyway Towing Mag reckoned even the lighter Mk3 Octy (102 kgs lighter than the mk2 ) was good up to tonne and a half..... https://www.thetowcarawards.com/winners/2019-up-to-1400kg/

Charged up last night for 4 hours on my wee 3.6 kWh Pod Point charger and that seem to take it to 98 % which I am happy with, lot of articles say do not charge to 100% lots of time as this harms the battery. Of course the EV manufacturers show 100% on their dash but that actually can charge to something like 103% just as they can discharge to -3%, those cunning manufacturers. Well happy with the displayed over 250 miles for displayed 98% battery charge which in reality is a 275 mile or 440 km range if one is OK with cruising with the trucks on the truck roads, with the occasion blip up to 70 mph to find another sweet spot in the traffic and then some 40 to 50 mph country roads where over 5 miles per kWh, probably around 5.5 miles per kWh the way it drags up the average shown on the display. Soon will have done over 1,000 miles and it has been a joy. Back seats are too tight for 6 footers I would say. The Zoe probably gets good mileage from a mix of good tech ie active cooling and being quite a narrow car. Would not suit everyone or even a family with 2 or 3 older kids, like a LEAF or maybe the PSA family of cars would. Renault will be hoping the new e-tech Megane EV will fill that role I expect and will look to replace the Zoe with one of those probably in a couple of years time.

Well the Zoe EV goes from strength to strength it seems on the results stated by the onboard computer. Started the day yesterday with about 240 miles of range but went to the NEC, ie 35 miles away, did my visit, dropped someone back to their house in Redditch and went home so did 70 miles but when I got home I still had over 200 miles of range stated ! Used the onboard Google over the Airways nav to get back from Redditch and it took me back via a load of 30 to 45 mph lanes which the Zoe seem to love, pulled the power consumption back to the 5 kWh rate. I am just stunned at the, if anything, understated range of the Zoe. I do really believe it can do 270 miles with a cruise at the infamous 56 mph once used for extra-urban fuel consumption and if one is forced to do only 40-45 mph down the country lanes then close to 300 miles is possible range for the Zoe. (At least in this circa 15c ambient temp). I will top off on 4.9p Octopus nuclear base load power after midnight, will cost me a princely 75 pence or so, wonder if the range will show 270-ish, that would be stunning, currently 75% charge and 204 miles range displayed.

Does the e-corsa do over the air updates ? I think their occasional one happening for various sub systems on the Zoe. It did a multi-media one a few days ago, took about 10 minute of the Zoe's EE OTA connection. Lost a bunch of settings. As to the range calculation does seem to have a occasional re-think after a charge. Maybe it is doing another calculation on range when the car is asked to re-initialise some time after a recharge and take in to account ambient temperature when doing so, would not be surprised and in fact would really expect it too. As long as the recalc follows a logical pattern ie its got colder and it knocks a few miles off but as long as these recalc still sounds good on the useful and expected range for the Zoe. Next tests will be to precondition the car whilst it is still tethered to the Pod Point and see how that effects range between start of preconditioning and leave moment.

Shell laying out its plans for the future for EV charging at its converted petrol stations..... Costs is not cheap at 41p a kWh but looks convenient. I have two useful ones on my routes from Worcester to London ie on the A44 and A417/A46, my two favourite routes. Only just over a hundred now but 5,000 more due in the next 5 years.

I try and help the Zoe range predictor by resetting the trip I can if I start a journey which is going to be a cruise after having just done a blast and he consumption has gone down to between 3 and 4 miles per kWh. It helps but does not fully reset the range prediction as there is clearly another range recording within the car that I cannot see which it is also referring to. Odd that the car does not have 2 or 3 power usage recording "registers" like ICE cars do, seems it only has one visible and one the car keeps to itself. Had to nip down to Gloucestershire as one of the ICE cars had a cracked diesel injector that was flooding the engine. So many things to go wrong with those complex ICE machines. Overhead motorway signs stating GLoucester service EV charging out of service. At least it got a mention on the road signs. More one gets to know EVs the more one starts to appreciate their foibles. As a newbie wondering how much fast charges damage the battery compared to slow charging ? Should I expect to show 1 or 2 % every 10K miles I half expect.

E5 shortage.... https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1505804/e10-petrol-changes-fuel-efficiency-e5 Twitter user David Reynolds claimed: “The impact of E10 fuel on MPG is still hitting me. “Now down from 33.5 MPG to 28.7MPG from my Kia Sportage AWD. All petrol stations within 10 miles have diesel and E10 but no E5.” Express.co.uk commenter Trevor Ammanford said there was now “plenty of E5 fuel available at your local filling station for older cars” because of the recent petrol price increases. In response, fellow commenter, Tabby Menace claimed: “Not where I live. “Some of my local supermarket garages are out of E5 and have been for a week.

Another incisive article by the Daily Express, rain is wet etc...... https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1506491/electric-vehicles-range-issues-winter-advice Drivers warned of electric vehicle range issues in colder weather – how to ‘boost mileage’ ELECTRIC vehicle owners are being warned of potential range issues from colder temperatures in the winter. According to Renault, its latest electric Zoe model will do as much as 295 miles when travelling at a steady speed of 31 miles per hour when the outside temperature is 20 degrees. In the highly unlikely case that the temperature drops to -15 degrees, the same car travelling at the same speed will do just 220 miles. The faster the car is being driven, the lower the range, and in sub-zero temperatures, drivers can expect less than 100 miles of range in a Zoe at 80mph. Colder temperatures can also have an effect on charging stations, as public rapid-charging stations may be slower. In the highly unlikely case that the temperature drops to -15 degrees, the same car travelling at the same speed will do just 220 miles. The faster the car is being driven, the lower the range, and in sub-zero temperatures, drivers can expect less than 100 miles of range in a Zoe at 80 colder temperatures can also have an effect on charging stations, as public rapid-charging stations may be slower........... Drivers are advised to park their vehicle in an enclosed space, as it will trap heat and allow the battery to hold its charge for longer. This also helps when charging the vehicle, as the choice between parking and charging outdoors compared to in a multi-story, the indoor option will help the car run like normal. Most electric cars come with useful apps for drivers phones, allowing them to heat the car from the comfort of their home. Drivers are advised to park their vehicle in an enclosed space, as it will trap heat and allow the battery to hold its charge for longer. This also helps when charging the vehicle, as the choice between parking and charging outdoors compared to in a multi-story, the indoor option will help the car run like normal. Most electric cars come with useful apps for drivers phones, allowing them to heat the car from the comfort of their home.

It was an interesting journey yesterday morning to LHR. For the first 30 miles the power consumption was closer to 4 than 5 miles per kWh. The journey starts here in Worcester where I am effectively just on the rolling countryside on the edge of the River Severn flood plain and the height above sea level is probably about 100 feet. Drive up the M5, climb all the way up to the Brum plateau getting up to nearly 700 feet ASL and then it is fairly flat all the way to until one get to the cut through the Chilterns range. EV just loves that, pick the right squarish transom sterned vehicle 16T truck or whatever to dream one is Ricky Booby in Talledega nights just about to do the draft pass and bingo 5 miles per kWh slowly comes up on the display.

Might encourage many to drive the shorter routes on the A roads through towns and villages rather than use the longer but slightly quicker motorways. Is this what the Con government want to encourage ie not using the M40 but driving the shorter route though the Cotswold towns and villages to save road pricing mileage I wonder ?