Vauxhall Corsa electric 2020 Fault (maybe faults) in first 6 weeks & various over the next 3 years.

[Ootohere]

Taxi was £30 almost on RAC account to take me 1 mile.  Driver was shaking his head.   Waiting back at the car now.  Tesla got on the Rapid ok, and a Volvo on the 43kW AC charging at 11 kW.   I called Arnold Clark,s to let them know the car will be coming in to then in Dundee.       The supplying garage that is no longer Vauxhall for sales but does servicing is 1/2 a mile away and recovery trucks 100 yards and where the taxi was sent too.     I doubt the car will be repaired that quick but it can get the drop links done when in, maybe new brake pads and yet another set of discs would be the things. 

 

[wyx087]

Other cars charged successfully on the same charger. So probably not the charger or the battery side of things.

"Gearbox error"..... I wonder what could it be. May be the parking lock pin is stuck?

[Ootohere]

RAC on way and should be here soon.  Says they can sometimes zap codes and reset.  I tried the AC plugged in but the car lock showed red.   If I was charging I could have the radio on, or maybe let it go on fire.   Past brain farts were parking brake not releasing. Tried a few times while waiting and it will not go into P or apply e- brake.  RAC man says he can move it off the bay if it needs recovered.   I am sitting with my Shogun and could of dragged it off without any trolley dolly.     Time will tell. 

 

EDIT, so he was sure that a plug in, read the loads of fault codes and reset and clear and fire it up and on my way.

Well no,  it said READY & he said you are A OK.  I said put it in D and move it please.

 

So it will not go into P it will not apply or release the e-Brake and shows in N.

It would not push so that he could lift the front and anyway the parking brake is still on. Just not lit up.

 

Waiting on a call to go back with the key when the low loader arrives.

Note on car' Broken down'  that will pee a few off. 

 

*** No towing eye in the boot with tyre repair pump and gunk.***

 

 

Edited 13 April, 2023 by toot

[Ootohere]

Well that was something else because of no towing eye, & the recovery were not expecting an EV, they had sliders but no side winch.

Rear wheels did roll eventually.  Dealership closed so the car is away 20 miles in the wrong direction until tomorrow when it will go to Dundee. 

 

Edited 10 August, 2023 by toot

[Ootohere]

RAC Motabilty team have been very good, if a bit lacking in knowing what they are doing or have done, 4 welfare calls to me since yesterday afternoon.   

Asking if all had gone well mid afternoon when the car was still where it had been since morning.

Then a call to say the recovery vehicle was going to be with me in another 30 minutes which is was, about 5 pm.

Then a call at 8pm to ask if all had gone well and the car was on it's way to the dealership. 

Another welfare call just now asking if everything was OK and has the recovery vehicle arrived yet.    Each one tells me to just call if i need a pre-paid taxi, or a hire car. 

[skomaz]

Sounds like a bit of a mare overall though...   and a reminder that Vauxhall's maybe still aren't as god as they should be post-Stellantis take-over?

[Ootohere]

@skomaznot just Vauxhall / Opal,  it is as poor with Peugeot and Citroen / DS or the rest of Stellantis EV's.

They need to get on with building clean sheet models and not just mess about beefing up suspension on the BEV over the ICE versions. 

Their software is pretty crap and they are tweaking that and fitting more ECO tyres to add to the range of the vehicles so that Car Magazines and sales stuff can kid people on. 

 

 

Edited 14 April, 2023 by toot

[wyx087]

No dedicated platform = not a consideration from me. 

 

I remember a Fully Charged video interviewing someone from Stellantis (or may be Peugeot), they were proud that they can switch their production line between powertrains and everything is built on same platform. Sorry, no, from EV driver, it's a compromise. 

[Ootohere]

Renault are hopefully going to have the good smaller cars out next year.

Next years MINI is still a no no for me because 3 doors.  If there was a Clubman electric i would have one.   Not a MINI like a Countryman size which is MAXI. (Aceman)

Renault 5 or maybe a 4 EV might do.  

2024 should be good for choices / variety. 

 

If my Corsa is really gubbed & it never came back to me i would not go and order anything else right now,

i would keep my £71 a week and use it to buy petrol or diesel. 

 

EDIT.

Car now with Dealership.  Backlog on work being done on Electric Cars so next week it might get looked at.

That will be EV qualified technicians there is a shortage of. 

Drop links will get done. 

Too early for its first MOT which is due August but Motability want done 6-8 weeks earlier with a service.

If i was extending the lease on it and not ordering a replacement or the replacement was after August then the MOT need not done that early. 

Edited 14 April, 2023 by toot

[lol-lol]

29 minutes ago, toot said:

@skomaznot just Vauxhall / Opal,  it is as poor with Peugeot and Citroen / DS or the rest of Stellantis EV's.

They need to get on with building clean sheet models and not just mess about beefing up suspension on the BEV over the ICE versions. 

Their software is pretty crap and they are tweaking that and fitting more ECO tyres to add to the range of the vehicles so that Car Magazines and sales stuff can kid people on. 

 

Some might predict Stellantis many not survive the change over to EV.  Jeep in China has already declared bankruptcy and one can imagine many to follow with the wave of Tesla, with the model 2, and offerings from BYD and SAIC/MG taking so much of their market it would seem likely.   Stellantis have been quite good at re-organising and acquiring for a pittance the likes of GM in Europe and some minor successes like the Fiat 500 EV.  I was a bit underwhelmed with the Megane-E and decided not to get one but went for the very mild hybrid Arkana rather than Megane-E.  Hopefully with lithium prices falling like a stone and incremental improvements in energy density the range etc of these EV models should improve every few months but western, non-TESLA companies seem to be not passing on such advantages but trousering any efficiencies that occur.

 

Fitting EV tyres, so Tyre Review say, can be producing tyres with less tread to achieve better MPG, it like the new printers coming with half filled cartridges so you have to go out and buy a fully filled cartridge sooner than you light think.  Need to look more at the Hankook Ion tyres, maybe there are a technical advance and not a cheat where you find that EV tyres lasts a mere 10k or so miles on the front axle as they only came with 5mm of tread rather the usual non EV 8 mm of tread or whatever.  

 

Hope you find an EV to suit you and do not revert to fossil fuel, you have been a real pioneer.  Many are looking forward to the Renault 4 and 5.  I would also like to see the Dacia Spring over here, or the mark two of that with hopefully a battery more like 40 to 50 kwh rather than its 35 kwh one currently as that should come with the massive drops in Lithium price for similar money.

 

[Ootohere]

@lol-lolThere was a few EV drivers i spoke to yesterday while apologising blocking the bay.

Luckily Teslas could charge still on the CCS, and most others to the passenger side of me.

 

So there are some with New EV's and learning, and some are ready to jump ship and go PHEV for their next cars. 

Some can not believe that after waiting and getting cars that chargers, apps, reliability and availability to charge is so poor.

As for passers by, they hear the horror stories and ask about EV's and seem to know they are right that they are not for them.

[lol-lol]

2 hours ago, toot said:

@lol-lolThere was a few EV drivers i spoke to yesterday while apologising blocking the bay.  Luckily Teslas could charge still on the CCS, and most others to the passenger side of me.  So there are some with New EV's and learning, and some are ready to jump ship and go PHEV for their next cars.   Some can not believe that after waiting and getting cars that chargers, apps, reliability and availability to charge is so poor.  As for passers by, they hear the horror stories and ask about EV's and seem to know they are right that they are not for them.

 

Many car drivers are looking at PHEVs or even non plug in hybrids that are doing 10+ mpg better than their mild or non hybrid cousins hence since 60 mpg plus but many with PHEVs and non plug in Hybrids are only seeing 40 to 50 mpg, when the manufacturer, even non with WLTP, are claiming the 60 mpg plus.  This must mean that it is much down to how these cars are driven and the terrain they are being driven across.  Clearly some expect great mpg when they drive with little mechanical sympathy to the sophisticate engineering of the machine they drive.  Trying to them to think as far ahead as they can, avoid using the brakes as much as possible, is something they neither appreciate and therefore implement so the car get its maximum efficiency out of the dinosaur juice or stored electricity in the vehicle.

 

To me, as a 30k plus miles a year person, having the mix of pure ICE, hybrid and EV, with a variety of sizes as to whether I need to carry one or 5 people and just a laptop or 500 litres plus of suitcases etc, is one solution that works for a high miler like me, there all Renaults so they have been relatively cheap to buy or actual PCP of course.  Combined with the privilege of having home charging, with Octopus Go, that charger being subsidised by UK government grant of £500, along with the car getting £2k or so grant,  EV ownership, mainly being used for 25 miles a day commutes for my lad, and occasion 125 mile journeys to work, with a free destination charger has been peachy, exactly where EVs score.   

 

Lack of good information is a key problem.  Informing EV drivers to us ZAP app, unless you have a TESLA of course, is very useful.  Understanding winter range, pre-conditioning, optimising battery temperature before a rapid charge.  Running an EV seems to take about ten time more thinking than an ICE car.  If, as it looks likely, £1.40 a litre for petrol and £1.60 for diesel is the low point and much higher dinosaur juice prices are likely as the Saudis look to exploit the last few years of oil being used as a propulsion fuel then EVs take up will not stall especially if we see, as appears likely, the electricity prices have peaked and so the differential costs between lecky and petroleum widens again after this brief narrowing.

 

Edited 14 April, 2023 by lol-lol

[skomaz]

43 minutes ago, lol-lol said:

 

Many car drivers are looking at PHEVs or even non plug in hybrids that are doing 10+ mpg better than their mild or non hybrid cousins hence since 60 mpg plus but many with PHEVs and non plug in Hybrids are only seeing 40 to 50 mpg, when the manufacturer, even non with WLTP, are claiming the 60 mpg plus.  This must mean that it is much down to how these cars are driven and the terrain they are being driven across.  Clearly some expect great mpg when they drive with little mechanical sympathy to the sophisticate engineering of the machine they drive.  Trying to them to think as far ahead as they can, avoid using the brakes as much as possible, is something they neither appreciate and therefore implement so the car get its maximum efficiency out of the dinosaur juice or stored electricity in the vehicle.

 

To me, as a 30k plus miles a year person, having the mix of pure ICE, hybrid and EV, with a variety of sizes as to whether I need to carry one or 5 people and just a laptop or 500 litres plus of suitcases etc, is one solution that works for a high miler like me, there all Renaults so they have been relatively cheap to buy or actual PCP of course.  Combined with the privilege of having home charging, with Octopus Go, that charger being subsidised by UK government grant of £500, along with the car getting £2k or so grant,  EV ownership, mainly being used for 25 miles a day commutes for my lad, and occasion 125 mile journeys to work, with a free destination charger has been peachy, exactly where EVs score.   

 

Lack of good information is a key problem.  Informing EV drivers to us ZAP app, unless you have a TESLA of course, is very useful.  Understanding winter range, pre-conditioning, optimising battery temperature before a rapid charge.  Running an EV seems to take about ten time more thinking than an ICE car.  If, as it looks likely, £1.40 a litre for petrol and £1.60 for diesel is the low point and much higher dinosaur juice prices are likely as the Saudis look to exploit the last few years of oil being used as a propulsion fuel then EVs take up will not stall especially if we see, as appears likely, the electricity prices have peaked and so the differential costs between lecky and petroleum widens again after this brief narrowing.

 

 

I know you keep referring to Dinosaur Juice but you do know that oils doesn't derive from dinosaurs don't you?

 

Oil is actually derived from plants and animals, such as algae and zooplankton, not dinosaurs...

 

As for mpg claims - the difference to actuals is more to do with the types of journey rather than how they are driven and the terrain.  You can drive like a nutter but if your journey is less than the EV range you'll get fantastic mpg from a hybrid.  However, if you drive like a saint on a long journey that exceeds the EV range that mpg will drop like a stone and be well below the WLTP claimed.  

[Gaz]

Deleted as way OT - lost sight of what thread it's in.

 

G

Edited 14 April, 2023 by Gaz
Removed useless rambling

[lol-lol]

11 minutes ago, skomaz said:

 

I know you keep referring to Dinosaur Juice but you do know that oils doesn't derive from dinosaurs don't you?

 

Oil is actually derived from plants and animals, such as algae and zooplankton, not dinosaurs...

 

As for mpg claims - the difference to actuals is more to do with the types of journey rather than how they are driven and the terrain.  You can drive like a nutter but if your journey is less than the EV range you'll get fantastic mpg from a hybrid.  However, if you drive like a saint on a long journey that exceeds the EV range that mpg will drop like a stone and be well below the WLTP claimed.  

 

Yes indeed.  Cretaceous age flora residue does not have the same ring to it.  Whether flora or fauna it is all carbon based lifeform which is adding to CO2 which is already soaring as shown in this 1959 to 2022 graph. 

Many PHEV owners, apparently, do not even bother to unpack their charging cable.  If that charging cable is only giving you 10, 20, 30 or so miles, and the hybrid will self charge in part, many PHEV owners just do not bother to plug in.  The Hybrid Arkana is suppose to do best part of 10 mpg than the mild ie no EV only running but agreed, sat on the motorway just cruising and if no heavy traffic encountered, the no EV power mild hybrid can do an mpg very close to the full hybrid which is 100 kgs heavier with all its EV gubbins.  Happy with my mild hybrid with no EV mode, my additional battery is 0.13 kwh and only supplies 20 NM of torque I gather, so tiny no biggy, mpg crap on very short journeys (use the Zoe for those I try) but the very mild hybrid Arkana can get well in to the 50 mpgs using ECO mode and Coasting function which is OK with petrol not a crazy prices.  Happy owner for the time being but things can change with fuel or electricity prices plus road tax and insurance factors of course.       

 

   

[lol-lol]

4 minutes ago, Gaz said:

 

Spoilsport - I even pay the additional to have angry T(esco)-Rex 99 🙄

 

Now I find out my car's nearly vegan??!! 

 

G

 

Farting out carbon either way sadly.    

[skomaz]

2 hours ago, lol-lol said:

 

Yes indeed.  Cretaceous age flora residue does not have the same ring to it.  Whether flora or fauna it is all carbon based lifeform which is adding to CO2 which is already soaring as shown in this 1959 to 2022 graph. 

Many PHEV owners, apparently, do not even bother to unpack their charging cable.  If that charging cable is only giving you 10, 20, 30 or so miles, and the hybrid will self charge in part, many PHEV owners just do not bother to plug in.  The Hybrid Arkana is suppose to do best part of 10 mpg than the mild ie no EV only running but agreed, sat on the motorway just cruising and if no heavy traffic encountered, the no EV power mild hybrid can do an mpg very close to the full hybrid which is 100 kgs heavier with all its EV gubbins.  Happy with my mild hybrid with no EV mode, my additional battery is 0.13 kwh and only supplies 20 NM of torque I gather, so tiny no biggy, mpg crap on very short journeys (use the Zoe for those I try) but the very mild hybrid Arkana can get well in to the 50 mpgs using ECO mode and Coasting function which is OK with petrol not a crazy prices.  Happy owner for the time being but things can change with fuel or electricity prices plus road tax and insurance factors of course.       

 

   

 

Wow - the hybrid element of the Arkana is hardly worth having at 20Nm - even the one on the swift kicks out 50Nm and only adds 10Kg to the kerb weight (it is a tiny battery though).

[lol-lol]

1 hour ago, skomaz said:

 

Wow - the hybrid element of the Arkana is hardly worth having at 20Nm - even the one on the swift kicks out 50Nm and only adds 10Kg to the kerb weight (it is a tiny battery though).

 

The 20 Nm torque, 10 HP is just for my "mild" hybrid 1.3 engined Arkana, the cheaper version, the, probably, more popular ETECH Arkana has the 250 Nm twin motor system plus it rather asthmatic 94 hp naturally aspirated internal combustion engine which, despite all that apparent torque figures the car takes over 11 seconds to get to 100 kph ie 62 mph.

 

Probably fine for those who do mainly town driving, and it is supposed to give a combined mpg of 59, pretty good for a quite tall SUV, 200mm ground clearance for handling the bad un-surfaced roads of Russia and the Ukraine, its original places of manufacture before moving production to the Samsung facility in Korea.

 

In my mild hybrid I gather the little hybrid battery, along with the starter motor/generator contribute not only to a bit of forward motion but also as part of the regen system and power systems like power steering, lights etc when the car goes in to coast mode by popping both the dry clutches and cutting the ICE for periods if the system has enough charge in reserve. Suppose to boost fuel consumption and cut emission by around 8% compared to using just the 130 hp 1.3 l tce engine.

 

Seem to be averaging 49 mpg, which for a car almost 1.6m tall is not too shabby and with a fair turn of acceleration ie much better than full hybrid Arkana, video shows driver getting it just in to the 8s to 100 kph.... and after about a minute getting it to its 127 mph max.   If I had to pay for fuel, ie not have a fuel card, I might have gone for a fuller hybrid to get the better mpg.  How anyone can run a car on the UK Treasury rates of 45ppm, up to 10k miles, and 25 ppm after that I do not know, unless one drives a Dacia maybe.

 

 

[Ootohere]

I really liked the Renault Clio e-Tech 145. The gearbox was as i like.

Not the poor rear vision though, no heated seat or steering wheel.

 

It looks like Audi will be giving the A3 size EV all the bells and whistles & likely a price to match.

Skoda really need to move their jacksy.

[lol-lol]

1 hour ago, toot said:

I really liked the Renault Clio e-Tech 145. The gearbox was as i like.

Not the poor rear vision though, no heated seat or steering wheel.

 

It looks like Audi will be giving the A3 size EV all the bells and whistles & likely a price to match.

Skoda really need to move their jacksy.

 

Absolutely love my mk 4 Nav 3 which sits on 17 inch wheels on still looks good in the rich red colour I have. Getting dated now in tech, both the nav and music side and the safety equipment compared to the mark 5 but it is still a joy to drive and easily does over 60 mpg. Decent boot and more roomy than my Zoe.

 

Mind you the Sandero, which is so similar, outsells the Clio two to one on its value.

 

Jogger now available with ETECH, price up to £23k but that is a lot of car for the money and to take 7 average sized people around, what space.

 

VAG-Audi have their work cut out to survive in Asia and the US against the Chinese march. They could because just Audi niche with SEAT and Skoda not being able to compete.

  

[PetrolDave]

18 hours ago, lol-lol said:

adding to CO2 which is already soaring as shown in this 1959 to 2022 graph. 

   

   

As with all suppressed zero graphs the impression created is much worse than the reality.

 

The impression is a 600% increase in CO2 (one vertical line to 6) but the reality is an increase of around 33% - still bad but not as horrifying!

[lol-lol]

1 hour ago, PetrolDave said:

As with all suppressed zero graphs the impression created is much worse than the reality.

The impression is a 600% increase in CO2 (one vertical line to 6) but the reality is an increase of around 33% - still bad but not as horrifying!

 

And we do not know what is the point where many or most people on Earth may be severely affected by the level of CO2, and Methane and other greenhouse gases, that the weather makes life very difficult.  It might be that we are already there judging my the drought in Southern Europe and Northern Africa affecting the growing of fruits and vegetables as seen in the prices of such items brought on by low crop yields.  The Rhine to shallow to move cargo barges and cause higher transport costs, the snow line ever higher on European mountains meaning the loss of some's livelihood.   Even SE England is suffering with water shortages.

 

The prospect and reality it sounds like our government is going to spend billions (£20B earmarked) on carbon capture.  Money that could be better spent elsewhere if we did not have this problem of too slow adoption of EVs which is also down to the government of the last 13 years failing to adopt EVs as quick as other countries and also roll out the uptake of heat pump home heating.  This £20B of  carbon capture fees needs to be put on to fuel prices and electricity from fossil fuels but we also need to be charged properly for energy we use when we use it which one can do partially with off peak tariffs ie using nuclear and renewables base load power not dumping CO2 in to the atmostphere and hastening us to Armageddon.

        

[Ootohere]

Any 'emissions credits' i saved with using an EV this year will be used up in the next week or so as i use my van.

It has done 7.7 miles since i last filled it, and maybe an hour of the engine running with lights / hazards on.

So that was £6 for 3.76 litres of diesel.

I will do my 50 miles or so into Dundee and back and brim it to see just what my consumption is now in warmer weather,

& i increased the pressure of the CrossClimates.

If i can get 30 mpg then that is OK, any more than that is a miracle.

 

EDIT. 

just got the 30 mpg and an ickle.

46 miles, 6.9 litres, £8.01.

Edited 15 April, 2023 by toot

[lol-lol]

21 hours ago, toot said:

Any 'emissions credits' i saved with using an EV this year will be used up in the next week or so as i use my van.

It has done 7.7 miles since i last filled it, and maybe an hour of the engine running with lights / hazards on.

So that was £6 for 3.76 litres of diesel.

I will do my 50 miles or so into Dundee and back and brim it to see just what my consumption is now in warmer weather,

& i increased the pressure of the CrossClimates.

If i can get 30 mpg then that is OK, any more than that is a miracle.

 

EDIT. 

just got the 30 mpg and an ickle.

46 miles, 6.9 litres, £8.01.

 

At these sort of diesel prices the choice of electric, petrol or diesel becomes more attractive for diesel combined with its better efficiency than petrol at least........

https://www.facebook.com/DARobertsLtd/

 

Shows what a massive margin those petroleum forecourts are making......

 

 

Edited 16 April, 2023 by lol-lol

[Ootohere]

@lol-lolI have decided if the Corsa is sorted and comes back behaving i will extend the lease with Motability and keep it beyond August since it has the winter tyres fitted and the wind deflectors and does what is needed really. It can get handed back at anytime after August.

 

My circumstances are changing though and if it was handed back now i would have the £71 a week and my VED exemption & i do not pay much in the way of insurance or maintenance running the vehicles i have. 

 

I have enjoyed the best of free and much cheapness EV motoring and am more than happy to give 'charger wars' a miss for a year or 3.

Last weekend driving a BMW diesel estate reminder me just how economic they can be.