On 04/08/2023 at 22:52, Paws4Thot said:

Really? How many does the Qayne sleep? Can you cook a meal in one?

I could have done the drive to Portsmouth (440 ish miles) just as easily in my Enyaq. Obviously I can't spend a 2 week family holiday in it or I would have been driving the Skoda not the VW 

20 hours ago, wyx087 said:

Just need the public network to get better. 
 

theree's a new sainsburys site near there that has (I think) 6 ultra rapids. At the same time as there were long queues at the services there was only one car at the sainsburys site

if it helps for context on my return trip from France last weekend I queued 20 minutes for diesel in Birmingham

 

On 05/08/2023 at 08:12, classic said:

You could do it in your more or less empty Enyaq, if there were no major holdups or diversions and all possible chargers were actually available.

The reality can become a different story when loaded to any degree and when the random things that affect long journeys occur. 
I tried to make an Enyaq work for me for 25,000 miles and the infrastructure isn’t there, also 3.5 miles/kWh was a good average on a journey for me. I never got near 4.5, it would need to be a lot of downhill, summer and aircon off and max 65 mph to get that out of mine.

 

ps domhall, I love your videos on YouTube (particularly before I collected my Enyaq and whilst I had it), and you are doing a great job of promoting EVs and the Enyaq in particular.

I think regular out and back from a home charger or on preplanned journey it works, but go off the script anywhere and it can start to become difficult.

thanks. Have you seen the video where I had to go off script, late at night when they closed the A1 and I had to do an 80 mile diversion at the end of a 350 mile trip from Rugby back to Livingston?

Guess what? I had zero issues 🙂 

If you do long distances then I agree it can be an issue but the lingest drive is my regular 350 mile trip Edinburgh to Milton Keynes. I don't even have the longer range Enyaq

Yes Ive watched them all. I’ve got the greatest admiration for anyone taking the time to promote evs but you aren’t getting much help from either the government or any of the big charger providers. The movement seems glacial.

I coped with a 60 Enyaq reasonably well. I got diverted off the M62 going East on the way back from Wales and ended up stooging around Greater Manchester on <5%, pulling into a McDonalds to find the InstaVolts both iced. Also the time I had to go across from Doncaster to Scunthorpe unexpectedly and found the only working rapid in the town, at Lidl, already occupied. Once the cost of rapids was same as fossil juice I admit I lost the will to carry on with it, especially as the Enyaq was somehow worth more than I paid for it !

I am into cars and didn’t mind a bit of journey planning and seeing how far I could push it, but the average Joe is just going to drive and pull into somewhere like Exeter and not want to look for the Sainsbury’s or wherever else.

Edited 6 August, 20232 yr by classic
Grammar

@cheezemonkhaibest not take it that an EV leaves home on cheap 10 pence a kWh having filled the battery.

Because those without home charging have no home charging.

 

A 40 kW battery car might have just 120 miles -140 worth of miles until the public charging is needed.

 

Those that have charged free will be doing OK, or cheap, but that really is not the majority that many try to make out that EV drivers are. 

Home charging.

Work place charging, different again. 

 

Lets not assume that the majority of employees or private individuals are driving big battery vehicles with fast charging capabilities because they really are not if you just look out at what EV,s there are being driven on the roads around the country, and sitting charging at charging hubs. 

Edited 6 August, 20232 yr by toot

43 minutes ago, toot said:

@cheezemonkhaibest not take it that an EV leaves home on cheap 10 pence a kWh having filled the battery.

Because those without home charging have no home charging.

 

A 40 kW battery car might have just 120 miles -140 worth of miles until the public charging is needed.

 

Those that have charged free will be doing OK, or cheap, but that really is not the majority that many try to make out that EV drivers are. 

Home charging.

Work place charging, different again. 

 

Lets not assume that the majority of employees or private individuals are driving big battery vehicles with fast charging capabilities because they really are not if you just look out at what EV,s there are being driven on the roads around the country, and sitting charging at charging hubs. 

 

And with the Dacia Spring going on sale soon plus hundreds of thousands of EV's with 50 kWh batteries or less good public network is essential.

 

I think Shell is getting it and maybe BP, not so sure, but it needs all their sites that have the space to wack in half a dozen to a dozen DC chargers to make journeys in many EVs viable.

 

Hopefully Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries so they can be wacked up to 100% charge quickly with that lass 20% not taking eternity.  At a non extortionate price ie 50 per kWh would be nice too.

   

@lol-lolthe thing is look at the price now of PodPoint, Instavolt, BP Pulse, Shell Recharge, Osprey and all the rest even for 7,11 or 22 kW AC and 50 kW DC.

 

44 pence or more for AC charging is just far too much.

 

It is just a crazy cost for many of the chargers.

 

2 kWh might take you 8 miles or more for 158 pence.

1 litre of petrol might take you 10 miles or more for 145 pence.

Edited 6 August, 20232 yr by toot

8 hours ago, classic said:

it is a horrible feeling when you pull in and see a queue.

I call it charger anxiety. 
 

I find there’s no such thing as range anxiety. Not in my short range Nissan Leaf and certainly not in long range TMY. 
 

 

8 hours ago, classic said:

Yes at Exeter Services as well. I went there 4 times in 2022, to be fair 3 times I got straight on a charger. Had to queue last May though not quite on the scale of the report you quoted, it is a horrible feeling when you pull in and see a queue. I thought then that if it was bad in May then the summer holiday months would be worse.  They have a double figure number of chargers as well. Unfortunately Cornwall is an ev charger desert so people will need to charge either entering or leaving and Exeter is an  ideal location.

Having a Tesla is obviously better with the supercharger network but it looks like  even that is getting close to maxed out at Exeter

As it’s often empty there I would suggest more hubs are required in Devon and Cornwall. I’d love to see one at m5 j25 where the motorway and the connecting road to the a303 meet.

17 minutes ago, cheezemonkhai said:

As it’s often empty there I would suggest more hubs are required in Devon and Cornwall. I’d love to see one at m5 j25 where the motorway and the connecting road to the a303 meet.

 

That's Somerset but I certainly know what you mean on the way to Lyonesse. 

8 minutes ago, lol-lol said:

 

That's Somerset but I certainly know what you mean on the way to Lyonesse. 

yes that is Somerset, but in holiday season you have half the country descending on a few charge points.

 

Every gridserve 50kW I tried has been either out of order or giving closer to 25kW, which is useless.

For those whinging about charging in Cornwall etc, here is a user maintained map of charging HUBS down that way. There are plenty of single or double rapids down there too. The problem is lemming tourists all turning up at the same chargers to "charge over lunch" at the same time. There were no queues at the 16 charger Osprey hub at Buckfastleigh for instance. 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1JFz9IAoX8-vjav4aSMsiJ6u0mQuYIWE&usp=sharing

 

10 minutes ago, Luckypants said:

For those whinging about charging in Cornwall etc, here is a user maintained map of charging HUBS down that way. There are plenty of single or double rapids down there too. The problem is lemming tourists all turning up at the same chargers to "charge over lunch" at the same time. There were no queues at the 16 charger Osprey hub at Buckfastleigh for instance. 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1JFz9IAoX8-vjav4aSMsiJ6u0mQuYIWE&usp=sharing

 

Save us from Emmetts and Grockels.

2 hours ago, toot said:

@lol-lolthe thing is look at the price now of PodPoint, Instavolt, BP Pulse, Shell Recharge, Osprey and all the rest even for 7,11 or 22 kW AC and 50 kW DC.

 

44 pence or more for AC charging is just far too much.

 

It is just a crazy cost for many of the chargers.

 

2 kWh might take you 8 miles or more for 158 pence.

1 litre of petrol might take you 10 miles or more for 145 pence.

 

High public charging price is a factor of the high capital cost of the equipment and VAT being at 20% rather than 5% I reckon.

 

Cost for a long journey in an EV, for many, is the full EV battery one leaves home and then just a lecky equvalent of a splash and dash.

 

In our 14k miles in the Zoe I reckon it has been about 4.3 MWh of home charge, 0.1 MWh of destination charging free of charge at work and client and the 10 kW of Octopus/Shell garage/Osprey charge which would have been £8 but I had £10 of free Octopus charge credit so still got £2 of credit still to spend. 

 

Never pay retail. 

 

 

4 hours ago, Luckypants said:

For those whinging about charging in Cornwall etc, here is a user maintained map of charging HUBS down that way. There are plenty of single or double rapids down there too. The problem is lemming tourists all turning up at the same chargers to "charge over lunch" at the same time. There were no queues at the 16 charger Osprey hub at Buckfastleigh for instance. 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1JFz9IAoX8-vjav4aSMsiJ6u0mQuYIWE&usp=sharing

 

I don’t think that’s very good, and having driven down there in an ev it wasn’t very good.
No queues at Osprey Buckfastleigh probably because it is 79p/kWh.

4 hours ago, lol-lol said:

Save us from Emmetts and Grockels.

Cornwall/Devon/Somerset residents only priority bays ?

14 minutes ago, cheezemonkhai said:

Cornwall/Devon/Somerset residents only priority bays ?

 

Only if born in Cornwall and Devon or after 21 years of cumilative local residency.

51 minutes ago, lol-lol said:

 

Only if born in Cornwall and Devon or after 21 years of cumilative local residency.

I’d say include Somerset and 10 years of local residency. 10 years because if you’ve been there for a decade then you’re local enough that tourists make life harder in the summer.

 

Anyone that lives in Somerset can’t go anywhere when the grockles come down en mass. Dorset has the worst of both worlds too. 
 

Car chargers packed, roads blocked, towns full of often rude tourists.

 

I find it funny that Somerset always seems to be forgotten to be honest.

Edited 6 August, 20232 yr by cheezemonkhai

3 hours ago, cheezemonkhai said:

I’d say include Somerset and 10 years of local residency. 10 years because if you’ve been there for a decade then you’re local enough that tourists make life harder in the summer.  Anyone that lives in Somerset can’t go anywhere when the grockles come down en mass. Dorset has the worst of both worlds too.   Car chargers packed, roads blocked, towns full of often rude tourists.  I find it funny that Somerset always seems to be forgotten to be honest.

In Devon we call people from Somerset Northerners. We are all Westcountry, we even include Gloucestershire as well as Dorset and Wiltshire.

Let us hope rising sea levels does not vastly reduce the size of Somerset. Let us hope we stall Climate change before it takes about a fifth of Somerset.

Much of Somerset may be eventually recovered by the sea. 

Building the M5 they knew this and built much of it as elevated section so it may be that only the bit that are well above current sea level that might survive, still quite a size of territory but quite different to what Somerset is today and more like it was in the 16th century when Dutch settlers helped reclaim the 250 square miles or so.  Hopefully not places like where the new EV battery factory is going to be. 

One daughter lives on the Gwent levels, similar to the Somerset levels so can be a bit of a worry.  Let us hope we do not get another Bristol Channel / Severn surge like they have in 1607 which was biblical in its scale... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1607_Bristol_Channel_floods 

More EV charging will help postpone the sea rises, energy straight from Hinkley Point nuclear power station in to EVs, homes and industry.

 

Government paper.....  The Levels are one of the lowest areas in the UK; 18% of Somerset lies below average tide level. Much of the area lies below the high-water mark of spring tides. The area extends to over 60,000 hectares and is very flat.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/somerset-levels-and-moors-reducing-the-risk-of-flooding/somerset-levels-and-moors-reducing-the-risk-of-flooding#:~:text=The Levels are one of,hectares and is very flat.   

 

Last night I was amazed at how many Polestars there were at Edinburgh Airport. More than a dozen plugged into the AC charger posts and charging or not. Another dozen or so parked near a corner. These were some 72 plate but mostly 23.  Then as I went around to the terminal pickup there were a few about driving and then a line or 2 parked up in the car hire places.   Maybe to do with the UCI events and cars for their use, or just to do with the Edinburgh festival but there are plenty new cars registered and that will be used cars on the market in the not distant future. 

9 hours ago, toot said:

Last night I was amazed at how many Polestars there were at Edinburgh Airport. More than a dozen plugged into the AC charger posts and charging or not. Another dozen or so parked near a corner. These were some 72 plate but mostly 23.  Then as I went around to the terminal pickup there were a few about driving and then a line or 2 parked up in the car hire places.   Maybe to do with the UCI events and cars for their use, or just to do with the Edinburgh festival but there are plenty new cars registered and that will be used cars on the market in the not distant future. 

 

You should see Schiphol..........

 

On 06/08/2023 at 11:57, classic said:

Yes Ive watched them all. I’ve got the greatest admiration for anyone taking the time to promote evs but you aren’t getting much help from either the government or any of the big charger providers. The movement seems glacial.

I coped with a 60 Enyaq reasonably well. I got diverted off the M62 going East on the way back from Wales and ended up stooging around Greater Manchester on <5%, pulling into a McDonalds to find the InstaVolts both iced. Also the time I had to go across from Doncaster to Scunthorpe unexpectedly and found the only working rapid in the town, at Lidl, already occupied. Once the cost of rapids was same as fossil juice I admit I lost the will to carry on with it, especially as the Enyaq was somehow worth more than I paid for it !

I am into cars and didn’t mind a bit of journey planning and seeing how far I could push it, but the average Joe is just going to drive and pull into somewhere like Exeter and not want to look for the Sainsbury’s or wherever else.

 

0% loan from the government to buy it, government grant towards the charger, government funded charging network nationwide. Hard to see what more I could reasonably expect them to do. Biggest thing I wish they would do is change the regulatory regime so that they decouple electricity prices from coal and gas generation, that polus brexit and the Ukraine war have caused the prices to rise steadily fromthe start of 2021. That and changing the rules so they don't penalise power generation based on distance from London and sort out the grid connections to Motorway service areas.

 

 

Doubting much of what he says now.  WTF is he on about with  the 'Brutally criminal 'Type 2 AC chargers a £4 a kWh', has he checked out the facts of that and is it 44 pence? 

As to the Free Scottish bit. That was the case, not many free now and ZapMap info will often show Free 7kW at places the Public can not charge,

Plenty 75 pence a kWh and higher chargers.

Highland Region Council have crazy 70 pence & £1 a minute after 45 minutes.  Chargers that hard to find working and where they are you might well need 1 hours charging.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 11 September, 20232 yr by toot

 

 

Nice they've mentioned home EV charging tariff at the very end.

 

 

That Model 3 RWD efficiency is staggering. I think in the hottest 30c weather my MY LR would get around 4 mi/kWh, so around 300 miles. I found it to have best efficiency around 20c. So  the M3 RWD could probably hit 5 mi/kWh in ideal conditions.

 

M3 RWD or MG4 is the pick of the bunch, I think. Also the second hand Zoe 40 is a good buy.

Edited 13 September, 20232 yr by wyx087