Superb iv electric range.

[MarkyG82]

1 hour ago, RobSuperb said:

(I only use the 3 pin cable as seems pointless buying a proper EV charger for such a small battery). 

 

 

I'd advise doing some research into this as pulling the required current for prolonged periods can put strain on your house electric installation.  There is quite a risk of fire if not done correctly.  If you have had a plug installed for this task then please ignore me.

[RobSuperb]

2 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

 

I'd advise doing some research into this as pulling the required current for prolonged periods can put strain on your house electric installation.  There is quite a risk of fire if not done correctly.  If you have had a plug installed for this task then please ignore me.

Thanks, I hadn't realised the 3 pin cable was for occasional use only. Will speak to my electrician mate and get something sorted. Appreciate the advice 👍.

[Ootohere]

Look into it, the advice might be occasional use.  What is the difference once a month from once a day?

 

I am plugged in with a max 10 amp draw for 12-15 hours sometimes charging the EV with 18-30 kWh. 

[aerofurb]

I bought an ex-demo Superb iV Sportline - 6 months old and 4500 miles in March 2021. Total mileage now just over 40k.

 

Initially my commute to work was 5 miles each way, mostly on country or town roads, so 80% 'reduced' rate charge was never an issue with the daily trip. Now I'm doing either 100  or 40 miles a day, with the 100 miles being mostly on the A43 and M40, so 100% charge and at max rate to get a full charge of cheap Octopus electricity. I also often trog down the A34 to the south coast at weekend - 100 miles on dual carriageway and 8 miles at the end through town.

 

To get the best out of mine, from what I've found with the trips I do, is to be pretty 'interactive' with it. If I'm in a 30 or 40 mph area, then whenever possible I run in EV mode. Above 40 mph, I normally go hybrid and let it's do its thing. I always keep it in 'Sport' mode to allow it to self charge (back up to 60% or so). I then try and get home with as few EV miles as possible left.

 

The range shown is estimated as far as I know from the previous (or current) driving. It'll show less range when sitting at 60-70 mph but when you slow down, the miles hang on in there. On a full charge, it's normally 29-31 at the moment but I have seen 36 miles on one occasion in the summer - and I have got 36 miles out of it. I don't drive particularly quickly, but I'm not dawdling either! 

 

I find that running the heater/air con drops the estimated range by 2-3 miles but the heated seats, front and rear screens make negligible difference. Charging the battery with the ICE, can drop the computed mpg down to the low 30's but it soon picks back up.

 

The car is fantastic but I do understand, some owners might think it's a bit of a faff pressing buttons to go from EV to hybrid mode - but I enjoy it. Perhaps next time I'll go pure EV, when 300+ miles are realistically achievable and affordable.

 

The only think that irks me is having to run the ICE in town where I'm convinced it has a noise generator - after the bliss of operating n EV mode, the ICE is somewhat gruff!

 

 

[Mcpollo]

16 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

 

I'd advise doing some research into this as pulling the required current for prolonged periods can put strain on your house electric installation.  There is quite a risk of fire if not done correctly.  If you have had a plug installed for this task then please ignore me.

 

I use the 3 pin cable daily. If you have a relatively new house, it should not be any issue with the wiring.

However if you have an old electricity set up, then would be a different story.

 

I keep the other cable in the trunk in case some public charges does not have the cable and just the socket.

[Mcpollo]

13 hours ago, aerofurb said:

I bought an ex-demo Superb iV Sportline - 6 months old and 4500 miles in March 2021. Total mileage now just over 40k.

 

Initially my commute to work was 5 miles each way, mostly on country or town roads, so 80% 'reduced' rate charge was never an issue with the daily trip. Now I'm doing either 100  or 40 miles a day, with the 100 miles being mostly on the A43 and M40, so 100% charge and at max rate to get a full charge of cheap Octopus electricity. I also often trog down the A34 to the south coast at weekend - 100 miles on dual carriageway and 8 miles at the end through town.

 

To get the best out of mine, from what I've found with the trips I do, is to be pretty 'interactive' with it. If I'm in a 30 or 40 mph area, then whenever possible I run in EV mode. Above 40 mph, I normally go hybrid and let it's do its thing. I always keep it in 'Sport' mode to allow it to self charge (back up to 60% or so). I then try and get home with as few EV miles as possible left.

 

The range shown is estimated as far as I know from the previous (or current) driving. It'll show less range when sitting at 60-70 mph but when you slow down, the miles hang on in there. On a full charge, it's normally 29-31 at the moment but I have seen 36 miles on one occasion in the summer - and I have got 36 miles out of it. I don't drive particularly quickly, but I'm not dawdling either! 

 

I find that running the heater/air con drops the estimated range by 2-3 miles but the heated seats, front and rear screens make negligible difference. Charging the battery with the ICE, can drop the computed mpg down to the low 30's but it soon picks back up.

 

The car is fantastic but I do understand, some owners might think it's a bit of a faff pressing buttons to go from EV to hybrid mode - but I enjoy it. Perhaps next time I'll go pure EV, when 300+ miles are realistically achievable and affordable.

 

The only think that irks me is having to run the ICE in town where I'm convinced it has a noise generator - after the bliss of operating n EV mode, the ICE is somewhat gruff!

 

 

 

 

Hey, what are the "conditions" to change from hybrid to EV?

 

Sometimes, I press the EV button and get the message that can not be done at the moment or something like that. When I have enough battery, of course.

 

Sometimes, I have to stop the car completely if I want to change from hybrid to EV. But when I drive on hybrid in the middle of the road at 100km/h, the car automatically sometimes changes from hybrid to EV on the way, without having to stop...so I don't understand.

 

I also do like you do, being "interactive" with the car and using the driving modes accordingly to be as much efficient as possible, depending on where I will be driving and for how long.

 

 

[MarkyG82]

2 hours ago, Mcpollo said:

 

 

Hey, what are the "conditions" to change from hybrid to EV?

 

Sometimes, I press the EV button and get the message that can not be done at the moment or something like that. When I have enough battery, of course.

 

Sometimes, I have to stop the car completely if I want to change from hybrid to EV. But when I drive on hybrid in the middle of the road at 100km/h, the car automatically sometimes changes from hybrid to EV on the way, without having to stop...so I don't understand.

 

I also do like you do, being "interactive" with the car and using the driving modes accordingly to be as much efficient as possible, depending on where I will be driving and for how long.

 

 

 

One specific scenario is when it has just gone to hybrid and the engine is in a warm up phase.  It will not allow ev only mode but should allow all other engine based modes.  You can try this theory out by switching to hybrid while moving so the engine starts, then switching back to EV immediately.  It should prevent it.  There will be other times based on power demand and maybe even operating/ambient temperatures.  

 

The car turning itself back to ev mode may be linked to your internal satnav as it has a smart system that aims to use the modes to best effect based on the journey entered.  If not using the satnav then I would suggest it's an issue to raise with the dealer.

[MarkyG82]

2 hours ago, Mcpollo said:

 

I use the 3 pin cable daily. If you have a relatively new house, it should not be any issue with the wiring.

However if you have an old electricity set up, then would be a different story.

 

I keep the other cable in the trunk in case some public charges does not have the cable and just the socket.

 

On the face of it I would agree and many have not had issues.  I used the granny cable for the first 2-3 months before I got a wall point installed and didn't have any problems.

 

However, my original statement stands and I recommend to avoid putting a constant load of such high levels on standard home electrics.  Unless the sockets has been installed for that specific purpose.  Just because it works now does not mean it will continue to work.  Like anything mechanical, electrics do wear and a slight deformity can cause a big issue if put under long term load.

[Monmouthshire]

I just had a battery test report done and the capacity says 91%.

Does this seem reasonable for a nearly 3 year old car with 22,000 miles?

 

Higher would seem better but maybe this is acceptable.

I have another test drive soon so I will see how many miles I get from the battery.

[MarkyG82]

@Monmouthshire That 91% doesn't mean a lot.  Is that 91% of the original useable capacity or 91% of the total capacity. 

 

If "original useable" then the result is based on what's written down as the spec, which the car was unlikely to achieve when new.  So if you take the actual useable capacity when new at 96% of spec, then 91 after 3 years is probably within the scope of wear.  It will likely drop faster in the first few months then settle before a gradual decline.

 

All that being said, if it's 91% of actual capacity then there is no issue at all as that is roughly the useable capacity anyway.

 

For peace of mind, there is a warranty on the battery that exceeds the rest of the car so any issue will be sorted by Skoda usually with a new battery.

[GarySN]

4 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

For peace of mind, there is a warranty on the battery that exceeds the rest of the car so any issue will be sorted by Skoda usually with a new battery.

As far as I remember, the battery warranty is not transferable and only applies to the original owner.  I was rather disappointed to read this once I'd collected my Approved Used iV.

[MarkyG82]

That must be a Skoda thing because my warranty is definitely live.

[Monmouthshire]

Thanks for all of your input guys.

I went and had a battery only test drive yesterday where I achieved 30 miles (plus 2 to go) driving in different conditions from 20mph zones to 70mph zones.  I was certainly trying to eke the distance out (heater off) but I was suprised how good the range seemed (and so was the salesman!).

After that I decided to buy the car and I will pick it up tomorrow 😊

[Ootohere]

Best Read Skoda UK Warranty T&C,s/ 

SKODA_Warranty_Terms_July_2023.pdf

[Mcpollo]

14 minutes ago, Monmouthshire said:

Thanks for all of your input guys.

I went and had a battery only test drive yesterday where I achieved 30 miles (plus 2 to go) driving in different conditions from 20mph zones to 70mph zones.  I was certainly trying to eke the distance out (heater off) but I was suprised how good the range seemed (and so was the salesman!).

After that I decided to buy the car and I will pick it up tomorrow 😊

 

 

good to hear! congratulations!! share some pics

 

Remember now the weather is cold, in the spring most likely the range will be a bit more.

[MarkyG82]

@RootedYou have too much time on your hands 

 

That's very interesting and makes me want to dig out the equivalent VW doc as I'm not in doubt on my cover.  Far too late now as I've had the car for over 3 years and it's 5 years old.  Still good to know where I stand.  

 

Edit: That didn't take long to find and confirmed that It's first owner only for VW too.  Can only assume it's the same across the VAG brands.  Very disappointed and I'll be sharing the info with the EV forum I'm on.

Edited 31 January by MarkyG82

[MarkyG82]

So I have started a thread over on SpeakEV and the information is confusing to say the least.  Current Ts&Cs available online suggest the 5 years and 100k for first owner.  But here are documents out there that show the 8 years 100k with no mention of first owner.  Without doing any further digging my best guess is that VAG changed the terms at a milestone in their program.  Probably either when Skoda jumped on the PHEV bandwagon in 2021 or when the ID3 came out (2021?).

[globalste]

 

4 hours ago, Monmouthshire said:

Thanks for all of your input guys.

I went and had a battery only test drive yesterday where I achieved 30 miles (plus 2 to go) driving in different conditions from 20mph zones to 70mph zones.  I was certainly trying to eke the distance out (heater off) but I was suprised how good the range seemed (and so was the salesman!).

After that I decided to buy the car and I will pick it up tomorrow 😊

 

I've never got 30miles out of mine in the winter, although, everywhere is a hill where i am and a 50mph road.

[Monmouthshire]

 

 

A very quick update on my 21 plate Superb IV saloon. Mileage 22200.

Due to flu I have only driven the IV a few times since purchase,  all on the battery.

Today was my first commute, 25 miles 65% on motorway.   It was 3C this morning. I managed to get to work with 8 miles remaining. Wow.

I charged in work and the return journey was the same albeit at 10C temperature.  8 miles remaining.  I certainly wasn't doing 70 for much of the journey but I am very pleased indeed with the indication of range.

The car is SO comfortable and smooth.  I'm very impressed.

Question.
Last week I had one schedule set up in the car for Fri/Sat/Sun.  Charge from 00.30 until 07.00 (I have economy 7 for now.  No aircon selected.

A Tapo P110 smart plug with power measurement (set to permanent ON) confirmed the charge time was as requested.  I'm using a 13A Masterplug charge lead.

On Sunday I set up a second schedule, same times but with aircon on for a departure time of 6am.  This was for Mon/Tues/Weds/Thurs so no overlap between the 2 schedules.
I enabled both schedules.

The car was nice and warm for me this morning BUT the car had started charging at 10pm and not 00.30 as expected.  I haven't a clue why!

Can anyone shed light on this seemingly bizarre situation.

For tonight I have disabled the second schedule, not that I see that this has anything to do with it.

I'm mystified!

Many thanks
David.

[globalste]

Some folk have had an iv much longer than me, but from my memory, near freezing conditions sat on the motorway with a 33 mile predicted range is unheard of.  Most would be lucky to get that driving carefully in summer, is your commute really flat?.  The battery drive uses a lot more kw/mi above 50mph which is why the auto hybrid drive tends to switch to the engine at higher speeds, but if i got free charging at work on a 25mile I’d use as much battery as possible.

 

For the timing charging, I’m assuming you’ve set the time zone as your off peak charging when you refer to the timers?

Are you setting up the timer from the app or the car, and have you set the “use battery” to off for heating?  (I’m guessing this was on if your car was warm otherwise it would have drawn current) Did you unlock the car at all to get something out of the car at night, or forget it was unlocked and then lock it?  These are some of the things that I find can flick the timer off and it just starts charging.  I’d be tempted to remove the Tapo as my first call, then check on your smart meter later when the charge started.  I’m certain that any interruption to the car nudges the cars timer and the charge cycle turns on

 

Is there a reason you’re not using the original Skoda charger?

Edited 12 February by globalste

[Monmouthshire]

Many thanks for the reply.  I was driving cautiously.  Much of the time the traffic was doing 50 or 60 mph due to it being a busy Monday morning. I did get up to 70mph.

There are two hills on my route but mostly flat.  The engine did kick in but I turned it off as soon as I noticed so that might have been on for half a mile or so. 

Unfortunately charging isn't free in work.  This was my first go.  25p/kWh. I pay 15p/kWh on economy 7. 

 I have a smart meter being fitted later this week and then I will move to Octopus Intelligent go for 7.5p/kWh.

 

The Tapo is only there for power monitoring at the moment although I realise I could use this for time control (but don't see why I should need to).

 

I have set schedules using both the car and the app.  

 

I certainly didn't do anything to the car at 10pm but that was a good thought!

 

Yes battery is set to off for the Aircon and you are right, the time schedule is set for my cheap rate.

 

I'll experiment with different permutations to see if I can glean anything.   Maybr it just when rogue..... but I'm an engineer and things generally happen for a logical reason

 

I don't think the Tapo is the cause as it has been ok for the previous nights.   Of course if there was a glitch with it then that might start immediate charging.   I shall experiment tmrw!

 

I wasn't given a 13A charger lead with the car. The salesman said they weren't supplied when new...... lol 🙄

 

I appreciate your ideas! 

Edited 12 February by Monmouthshire
Typos

[Monmouthshire]

I just remembered something which may, or may not, be relevant.   

Last night when I went to bed I checked the Skoda app.

It said.... remaining miles 11, battery level 0% (and not 30%, or whatever).

 

I ended up reloading and playing with the app and after 10 mins it displayed a credible state of battery level.

 

It is possible that interaction triggered some start of charge, or it is possible that I accidentally pressed Start Charge.   I cannot prove one way or another, but the charging started at th4 same time I was using the app!

 

Older age (not really old) and getting over the flu isn't doing my memory any good lol!

 

 

Just for interest i took a pic of the car after my drive home.   The traffic was poor and some queuing on the M4.

Average speed 32mph.

I did chuckle at the 300mpg shown 🤣

 

Edited 12 February by Monmouthshire
Addition and pic

[globalste]

Mine occasionally charges at a random time, I don't have any solid data for it, it's maybe 1 in 20 charges, but I believe its down to opening/closing the car when it's on timer.  The car can go into a sleep mode if left for more than a day and that can be annoying because then the app comes up with an error about exceeding the maximum number of requests, but that's a different issue.  The app doesn't like opening from a cached version, if you use an iphone then in my experience its always best to completely shut the app so that it gets a clean data download when it opens up.  I've experimented with programming timers from the car and the app, in theory they're the same but in reality I find that the car is more reliable eg i can never turn off "allow battery" from the app for heating. The app is very laggy, so its quite possible that you pressed charge when you didn't mean to and the app showed nothing.

 

Have you got your minimum charge set to zero, otherwise it will try to start a charge when ever it likes.

 

The maximum mpg is 300, if you go further in the page you will see it gives the number of miles on battery and on engine, the regen can give a lot of battery miles.

 

Good that Octopus have added the Skoda, it used to only be a handful of manufacturers unless you bought a specific 7kw charger.

 

If you want a £50 credit to your octopus account then I can send you a referral link.  You join octopus standard tariff first when your smart meter is installed, then once they've got readings up and running you switch to Intelligent tariff.

 

Charger defo came with mine, it came with a 7kw lead and a 3pin charger.  Maybe they stopped supplying them after I got mine, or I got lucky.

 

Ah ok, 25p/kw and you're using around 8kw each way.  The engine does about 45mpg avg so you're probably better driving the car in hybrid mode, but not in auto, and set the accumulator to 50% so the car arrives with 50% battery at work.  Then set it to hybrid auto going back.  (you need to use the skoda satnav for this to work properly) and if it still has say 10% left with a few miles to go switch it to electric only to use up the last bit.

 

Have you got your graph for today (12th) to see what the charger did this morning?

Edited 12 February by globalste

[Monmouthshire]

Many thanks for all of the advice and tips.

Today's update:  the car charged correctly and was nice and warm when I got in (heated from mains not battery).
I did two trips today, both on battery alone.
I achieved 30 miles, recharged and then another 31 miles later on.   Slightly faster speeds than yesterday which maybe account for slightly lower range.

Btw, Minimum charge is set to zero to avoid the immediate charge scenario.

I'm enjoying the battery only driving as it let's me get a feel for what is achievable.  It is all new and exciting lol.    I'm generally driving with economy in mind as you have probably guessed

So my commute seems to be quite do-able on battery alone which is fantastic.
I also seem to be getting around 3 miles per kWh which I am very happy about.

If the petrol benchmark is 14.4p/mile then I'm doing much better on battery.
142p(/litre) x 4.55 / 45mpg = 14.4p/mile for ICE.

So on economy 7 at 15p/kWh it costs 5p/mile (equivalent to 129 mpg).
In work at 25p/kWh it equates to 8.3p/mile, thus 78mpg.

This seems incredible to me.

This equivalent mpg is based on the cost of a gallon of fuel (say 646p) divided by electricity cost per mile of course.

Roll on the intelligent octopus go for 7.5p/kWh..... approx. 2.5p per mile! Equivalent to 258 mpg? Seems far too good to be true.

I'm already with Octopus or I'd happily have taken up your offer! Cheers.

For now it appears that using the battery is far cheaper than using the ICE although I will of course use the ICE from time to time.  I have lots to experiment with!

All the best
David.

[SteveMcK]

40 minutes ago, Monmouthshire said:

Many thanks for all of the advice and tips.

Today's update:  the car charged correctly and was nice and warm when I got in (heated from mains not battery).
I did two trips today, both on battery alone.
I achieved 30 miles, recharged and then another 31 miles later on.   Slightly faster speeds than yesterday which maybe account for slightly lower range.

Btw, Minimum charge is set to zero to avoid the immediate charge scenario.

I'm enjoying the battery only driving as it let's me get a feel for what is achievable.  It is all new and exciting lol.    I'm generally driving with economy in mind as you have probably guessed

So my commute seems to be quite do-able on battery alone which is fantastic.
I also seem to be getting around 3 miles per kWh which I am very happy about.

If the petrol benchmark is 14.4p/mile then I'm doing much better on battery.
142p(/litre) x 4.55 / 45mpg = 14.4p/mile for ICE.

So on economy 7 at 15p/kWh it costs 5p/mile (equivalent to 129 mpg).
In work at 25p/kWh it equates to 8.3p/mile, thus 78mpg.

This seems incredible to me.

This equivalent mpg is based on the cost of a gallon of fuel (say 646p) divided by electricity cost per mile of course.

It's incredible because your home electricity has only 5% VAT, but petrol/diesel has 52.95p/litre fuel duty, and then 20% VAT on top. That brings in £30bn per year, and the government won't let that go easily...