Luckypants

That video needs to go in "the Truth About Electric Cars" thread. Apologies if it is, I saw the start of the bickering from the weekend and skipped a dozen pages....

Yes it is, but is not universally available to all. Its a special time of use tariff that requires a smart meter. The vast majority of people are on SVR which is 25.39 around here. Historically that is a high price. I'm on the Tracker tariff through a sleight of hand by Octopus (no smart meter) but that is still 21p most days. Still high.

Tottenham superchargers have been closed to non-Tesla from the start of this month IIRC. Overrun by taxis I suppose. So people keep saying, but gas prices are low and the wind is still blowing.... I can see gas/oil futures going up due to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East but current feedstock prices do not seem high. Look at the price trend of petrol / diesel / heating oil over the past few weeks. Maybe I'm cynical, but I get the feeling we're being ripped off over fuel prices again.

As an aside from bashing Dave Takes it On, Gridserve have just been handed a problem by their partner Dobbies Garden Centres. Gridserve have (so far) 8 charging hubs at their garden centres. Dobbies have announced site closures, so are a bit of a dodgy proposition now. The only closure that affects the Gridserve charging hubs is at Gloucester and its likely when the site closes the chargers will not be accessible.

He 'pontificates' as my mother used to say. He's been completely wrong about the 'charging price war' sparked by Tesla, if anything prices are rising! I've stopped watching his channel too.

So far only the SE 50 and Edition 85 are available on the configurator. I think the one for me would be the Edition 60 with winter pack and plus pack. So not cheap compared to similar spec Kia EV3. Can't see me springing for either at current prices.

Thanks! I've checked out ZoomEV and it might be worth the subscription if I used public chargers more. My Google shows that Eon give a year's free sub to ZoomEV, so one to remember if I change suppliers.

Can you share or give a clue on how to find these promotions? I've never heard of Osprey giving 25kWh free!

Agree 👍

No ones buying one at that price.

I think that might be hokum. I'll be surprised if the Elroq is the same price as an Enyaq....

The brake thing is quite common on MEB platform cars. I've had it on my ID.4. Its caused by the partial seizing of the front brake calipers, due to their lack of use in an EV which is the result of most braking being done by regen. It only happens in the last 5 meters or so of braking as regen is doing it's thing until then but the car has to brake quite hard to blend the friction brakes in when coming to rest to overcome the partial seizing. When the brake calipers suddenly move as the brakes 'give' it is felt as 'grabbiness' on the last few meters. The actual solution is a caliper clean / lube to free the brakes and ensure it doesn't' happen again. I had my brakes lubed/cleaned by my trusted mechanic prior to MOT and this will be an annual thing going forward. All decent EV mechanics will suggest a brake service / lube as part of normal servicing. The problem can be mitigated for a while by 'brake clear' procedure. DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK AND WITH DUE CARE FOR OTHER ROAD USERS. Find a good quiet straight bit of road, slightly downhill if possible Get up to 40 mph or so Ensure no traffic behind ENSURE NO TRAFFIC BEHIND Put car in neutral Brake really hard, activating the ABS system (brake pedal will pulse) repeat The ABS activation will rattle the calipers loose and will resolve the grabbiness for a while.

My home temp is 20C, like the car. There is no doubt that different people feel the cold or heat more than others so accounts for variability. My wife would like it marginally warmer and I'd prefer it marginally cooler, so we compromise. Generally I'm in a t-shirt and she's in a jumper. Same in the car.

I have always set my climate control to 21C. Its a comfortable temperature for us nearly all the time. Occasionally the wife 'feels cold' and her side is put up to 22/23 but I've trained her to use the heated seat now, so it happens less often

I would say no, given it only makes a difference on longer journeys. The cabin heating circuit uses a PDC heater (basically an immersion heater) to get initial heat into the system and give instant heat just like the non-heat pump model. The magic happens when there is heat in the system to be 'pumped' after the PDC has done it's thing - so on a longer journey the benefits are felt. If you pre-heat the cabin before setting off, then your miles / kWh figures are definitely better than a non-heat pump model, but the initial heating still has to be powered either from the battery or mains, just those kWhs are not reflected in the miles / kWh figure.

As long as they have a working smart meter.

Agreed with respect to EVs. My point is that the argument over EV haves and have nots is moot until everyone has access to to 'cheap' electricity tariffs through working smart meters. Smart meters are the key to cheaper unit rate electricity and should be available to all so everyone can benefit. this is not an issue exclusive to EV drivers. The reason I put 'cheap' in quotes is that the standing charges for time of use tariffs are far from cheap.

The argument about haves and have-nots with regard to utilising cheap electricity are moot until everyone can have a working smart meter. There are large parts of the country that cannot have smart meters due to connectivity issues. The main reason for this is there is a private monopoly company set up by the Conservatives to control the smart meter network, known as Data Communications Company (DCC). DCC has a target of 98% coverage of population, whereas it should be 100% of the country for it to be an equal opportunity to all. DCC use O2 3G cellular in the south (south of Wigan-ish) and an O2 subsidiary running a long range radio system based on old TV masts for the North. We all know that old UHF TV didn't cover everywhere and if you have an O2 mobile you'll know there are plenty of places with no coverage. In addition, many smart meters already fitted have gone dumb with the 3G switch off or due to malfunction. Suppliers do not prioritise repairs as they are incentivised to replace old meters with smart meters. This 'post code lottery' makes any time of use tariffs only open to the smart meter 'haves', making cheap electricity unavailable to many. I'm hoping Ed Milliband will give DCC and suppliers a metaphorical kick in the gonads to rectify this and come up with a system for universal coverage. I'm sure you've worked out I am without a working smart meter

Thanks to George for reminding me of this thread though! Seems the ID.7 is a good big(ish) Estate with the ID.7's good efficiency. Shame about the price, but there have been some great lease deals....

What have BMW got to do with ID.7? Apart from some see the i5 Touring as a competitor.

They were just the same with the Enyaq, but ended up delaying the launch so as not to steal the ID.4's thunder. I couldn't wait any longer and got an ID.4....

Not a pop at you, but the inequity of those prices compared to mine - when i live just down the road from a bloody big windfarm and you live miles from any renewable cheap generation. You should pay more for your lecy than me, just down to 'transport costs'. I know Scotland feels aggrieved by this too. Your standing charge is 25% cheaper than mine! Night rate (23:30 - 05:30): 7p / kWh Day rate (05:30 - 23:30): 24.54p / kWh Standing charge: 64.97p / day

Kia EV3 road tests coming through...