Luckypants

Snipped to stay on the point of the grid. The capacity of the grid to carry power is well within limits currently, so the pro electrification camp quite rightly say 'the grid can cope'. However, the anti-electrification camp will point out that at times there is very little margin for error in the amount of generating capacity available to power the grid (and it's all the fault of renewables). Both camps are right to an extent. As has been written and linked to many times, British electrical demand per person is much lower than 20 years ago and the grid has capacity to provide power. Electricity use has increased just 6% in the past 30 years, which is minor. (https://www.climatescorecard.org/2021/02/uks-electricity-sources-have-drastically-shifted-over-the-past-30-years/#:~:text=Solar power is equally growing,(TWh) in 30 years.) When the grid was built we had huge coal fired power stations close to the coal fields (Drax / Eggborough / Ferrybridge complex as an example being next to south yorkshire coalfield) and big nuclear plants built in the 50s/60s, so had the pylons and substations in place for this. Most of the coal-fired power stations are now closed and nuclear is going but the grid still goes to those sites and these places are still needed for routing and distribution. The power to replace these huge power stations is now pretty scattered as wind farms in the middle of nowhere and getting this lot connected is the problem, as generally the new electricity generating capacity is not near one of the old power stations with a big grid connection. There are no pylons in the middle of nowhere as there was no need to take power there. Even big offshore installations which bring all the power ashore in a single place still struggle to get connected. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65500339 So while the grid can cope, maybe we cannot generate enough leccy when needed. Its not just 'the grid'.......

If using an EV, use the sat-nav to navigate to Tesla chargers which are normally just off the motorway. There are literally hundreds of Tesla chargers open to all in France . To map out a route in advance for an EV, use an app like A Better Route Planner to see the journey and potential charging stops. There are others who moan about Tesla chargers NOT being on the Autoroutes / Motorways as they do not want to leave the road corridor. Just shows that all needs are mostly catered for.

Well depends on how much driving about you do and how much time is spent out of the car. We did about 200 miles visiting all the well known spots I suppose, so yes 300 miles would have been OK for us. I see the poster will be doing similar to us over a similar time period. We were able to charge at Uig due to being handy for the hotel, which was planned due to nerves about charging. That trip taught me charging is not a major issue in the UK. We may have struggled to reach the Armadale ferry on our return trip without charging at all, but the ID.4 does not have a 300 mile range like a Tesla. Perhaps I should have used a tongue in cheek smiley.

The 50kW chargers are OK for a lunch time top up or at the end of the day. Places like Skye where rapid charging is sparse, getting accomodation with a charger is very useful. We used the CPS 50kW charger at Uig ferry terminal as it was 2 miles from our hotel. It needed a reboot on our first visit, but that was easily done following the on-screen instructions. After that it was reliable on the RFID card but other folks had issues with the web-pay system and the CPS app. would not start it. This information is close to two years old, so take with a pinch of salt. I've often said elsewhere to make use of AC chargers whenever possible when visiting attractions. There are 50kW chargers at Mallaig or Skye Bridge before crossing to Skye, if you feel the need for a full battery on the island. I'm sure 300 miles would be sufficient 🙂

Loads of vehicles will be affected by this come the end of the year, as all 3G networks are being shutdown. Vodafone have completed their shutdown and i now no longer have app access to my ID.4 on my drive. 4G signal still works on the car though.

Not bad compared to commercial CPOs 'dahn sarf', 89p not uncommon.

Yes but charge the premium to those areas where the power is generated, NOT Londoners. Apologies if that is what you meant.

That's great. Yes the flat load area the variable floor give with the seats down is much more useful. Glad it's all sorted.

@RBW1 I don't know if you got all the parts you needed in the end, but this came up on Facebook and i thought of this thread. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/qmRp37oumUqWpxpC/

Autogefuhl's 'Electric Only' channel has a detailed walk around and interior look. Short ride along,

Agree with you VW's WLTP claims are pretty bold and always have been. My ID.4 would need to average 4.1 m/kWh to make its 315 WLTP figure. 3.8 is achievable but 4.1 is impossible real world.

Just found the post showing the parts I bought off here for the variable floor. Good photos of the bits. You should get all the parts in pic one and two in this post, including 6 bolts visible in the mount holes. HTH

What parts do you have? IIRC there are two side supports (left and right) and the boot floor itself. The sides are held in place by 3 bolts per side I think. Whoever sold you the floor should have provided all those things.

Skoda offer a 12 year perforation warranty for corrosion. Perhaps it is still just about covered? It depends when registered I suppose. It is worth taking it to a Skoda dealer and seeing if it is covered or perhaps some financial assistance getting it repaired as it is a well known problem AND warranty has only just expired? It doesn't hurt to ask.

Leave the settings in the car alone and allow to default to charge immediately and at full power, using the default 80% charge limit. (unless of course you need 100% for your journey). Set limits on charge rates and times on your chargers at work and home. This way the work Zappi can use excess solar if that is what you program. I'm assuming you have control over it. For any home charger, you will be free to choose one that suits your needs. If on a time of use tariff, a schedule can be set in the charger to charge at off-peak times. This way, you come home, plug in and the charge will commence off-peak.

Indeed @Graham Butcher. Heating a large cabin does have an effect in an EV. As mentioned earlier my ID.4 uses around 2kW to maintain cabin temp at just below freezing. The electronically identical ID.3 uses only 1.5kW due to a much smaller cabin.

I suspect Octopus didn't give a back hander or advertising so were 'forgotten'. Online comments section for the article only has two comments, both asking about IOG.

A lot do perform as well. Last winter there was a big traffic jam in a blizzard in the USA and folks were stuck for days. Some ICE cars needed refilling with fuel as they were running out after running their engines for many hours and the EV doom-sayers were going on how you couldn't top up a battery on the road in this manner. I think that furore is what prompted this video. Coincidentally, someone on the ID.3 Facebook group posted today about exactly this experience he faced yesterday, stuck in a traffic jam in Germany for 14 hours in -5 temps. He was worried as his journey plan had been to stop at the next planned charger with 20% battery (58kWh usable full battery on his car). The worry was would he have enough charge left to reach the charger as he 'only' had 20% margin. He turned the heat down to 16C and used the heated seats to keep body warm. There was himself and partner in the car, kids on back seat with a blanket. When the traffic cleared he was able to make it to the next available charger (not his planned stop) with 10% battery spare. Seems a non-issue to me. My ID.4 uses about 2.1kW to heat the car at -1 to -3 and run various systems. I could maybe get that to 1.9kW if I turned the car off and only used stationary heating and heated seats. With a maximum of 75kWh (full battery) I'd be fine for around 38 hours. Of course in the real world, I'd be arriving at the problem with less than that but you can see where I'm coming from. My car does not have a heat pump, cars so equipped will use less power to maintain temperature.

Much talked about on VW forums and FB groups. All early cars were checked under a recall for cell issues and most are fine. Some need cell replacements and this has led to the sealing paste shortage. There has also been a shortage of the closing bolts for the battery packs due to the only factory that made being in Ukraine. Switching production to another factory has been slow due to needing to source he right grade of steel and certify the bolts to VW standards. Both problems have left some cars waiting for service for many weeks.

Making the move to be the first putting in rapid chargers in it's car parks is a smart move as you say. Hopefully Tesco and Asda will follow - ASDA very likely under the EG group's banner of EVPoint. The Ludlow chargers with Sainsbury will be useful for travelling to south Wales for rugby, getting a swift top-up on the return journey. If not in a rush though, I'll probably still use Instavolt at Leominster OK Diner while getting dinner. The Harrogate store might struggle to get custom when the Tesla chargers down the road are 49p off peak.

I saw this yesterday. VW still talking the talk about a 'new UP EV' https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/volkswagen-id-1

I don't know if that's meant as a reminder to switch on your headlights or not, but that is exactly how our 66 plate works. I would never drive on sidelights, they are for parking in the dark only.

I have an ID.4 rather than an Enyaq but they are the same car underneath. I'm happy with mine and has lived up to expectations. As long as you have the latest software update installed if buying used. You will probably find an MEB based car thirsty after an E-Niro, over 4 miles per kWh is the exception rather than the rule.

Corrosion and seizing are problems on EV friction brakes due to getting a lot less use because regen takes care of most of braking. EV service specialists know that brakes need a 'lubrication service' as part of regular servicing to keep them tip-top whereas car manufacturers have not twigged on to differences between EV and ICE cars in how it operates. Brakes are one example, 12V battery charging problems is another. (VW / Skoda cured a 12V battery flat problem by switching to another battery chemistry and changing the charging algorithm. Software version 2.4 had the s/w update and a new battery as part of a recall that affected ID cars and Enyaq).

Because due to regen braking, the rear brakes are barely used. The front disks don't get a lot of use either, except when coming to rest. Switching to drums makes the rear brakes practically 'sealed for life' and need no interventions in normal servicing. Drum brakes are also better at being parking brakes too. Take a look at this video by Tesla Bjorn of an ID.3 drum brake being inspected after 2 years and 60k kms, shows it to be a good decision. By contrast, Tesla rear disk brakes have well known corrosion and seizing problems. https://youtu.be/r1XvoTIyWzE?feature=shared