Electric cars

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Apparently electric car drivers like to crash them, which partly explains the high insurance costs:

Electric cars involved in more accidents than regular vehicles, study shows

The high number of accidents has actually nothing to do with the technology, but everything to do with the driving behaviour of the drivers.

www.brusselstimes.com

That report says it's mostly down to the much faster acceleration than ICE cars and not too much to do with braking, maybe cos I was used to a fast car anyway that I find it's the braking that causes me most concern, ours weighs over 3 tons and does 0-60 in sneeze over 5 seconds, similar to our old A6, but, being a 3 ton lump it takes a lot more stopping than the A6 did...

 

[strung out]

That report says it's mostly down to the much faster acceleration than ICE cars and not too much to do with braking, maybe cos I was used to a fast car anyway that I find it's the braking that causes me most concern, ours weighs over 3 tons and does 0-60 in sneeze of 5 seconds, similar to our old A6, but, being a 3 ton lump it takes a lot more stopping than the A6 did...

I went from a 17 year old Citroen C2 to a nearly brand new Peugeot e-208 GT and I have definitely found myself coming close to collisions a couple of times because of how quickly the car accelerates and not realising quite how fast I'm going, coupled with what feels like less responsive braking - probably due to the reasons you mention of being heavier, and having to stop from higher speeds.

It's definitely something I'm having to adapt to - I find that putting it in ECO mode helps with the acceleration/braking issues (although it's not as fun).

 

[T & P]

So I arrived in Madrid and instead of the Zoe they’ve given me an E Fiat 500.

It’s a hell of a lot of fun of a car to drive. A lot of fun

 

[hash tag]

So I arrived in Madrid and instead of the Zoe they’ve given me an E Fiat 500.

It’s a hell of a lot of fun of a car to drive. A lot of fun

But not a lot of car. If Mrs tags ice 500 is anything to go by, they are not comfortable on anything but the shortest of drives.

 

[hash tag]

I heard a programme about this on the radio last night. Unsurprisingly, the mining company are going totally ott on why they are doing it and I believe not for one minute when they say how clean the mining will be and they will clean up afterwards.

Portugal's Barroso lithium mine project faces villagers' ire

The Barroso project could become the largest lithium mine in Europe. Locals aren't happy about it.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[T & P]

But not a lot of car. If Mrs tags ice 500 is anything to go by, they are not comfortable on anything but the shortest of drives.

Certainly not for my relatives travelling in the back!

 

[T & P]

As my final recap from the above experience, don’t hire an electric car in Spain for the foreseeable future, not even for city use. Charging points are almost non-existent. Luckily I managed to squeeze probably 200-250 km out of it, which covered the entire rental.

 

[Silas Loom]

As a token of appreciation, we're now offering a £50 friends and family discount for new customers who order a Pod Point Solo 3 Homecharger.

It’s only valid for the first 1000 applicants, and the offer - which is hardly generous - expires at the end of December. Although the PodPoint has not failed us in any way since being installed in 2020, I’d hardly go around recommending one EV charger over any other essentially similar one.

Still, happy to forward this email on to anyone if there’s anything that needs to be done besides entering the code PODPOINTFRIENDS at the checkout.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Fwiw our Podpoint was ~£1000, so whilst fifty quid is fifty quid, it’s not really enough to make you leap in to the EV world…

 

[Silas Loom]

Goodness. Ours was £500. 7kw, if that explains the difference? The likelihood is that someone who is thinking of buying an EV anyway would skim through this thread, though.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

7kw too, just looked £949 inc VAT

 

[Silas Loom]

Oh yeah, there was a government grant on the charger at the time. And the car, of course. All makes sense now.

 

[Riklet]

Crikey my whole car was less than 950 quid...

 

[DownwardDog]

Our iX has arrived way ahead of schedule. It's a very good driving experience with impressive amounts of torque and mechanical grip. The front end is bit vague but it's only ever going to the school, the gym and the mall not flat out through Arabbiata 1/2 at Mugello so who cares.

The interior is very spacious compared to the X5 but the austere finish reminds me of a base model Peugeot Partner van. We've got the 111kWh battery and I reckon I could eke 500km out of it, but I estimate the 'usuable' (80% to 10%) range will be about 350-400km.

 

[DownwardDog]

BMW iX M50 maths for those interested... All based on 0-100 charging and 100-0 driving which is never how you really use it but it's still instructive.

A full charge at home takes 5-6 hours using a Ctek charger in the garage.

On our electricity tariff (state owned monopoly supplier where the government sets the price ) means that the running cost is $0.06/km.

So the ICE equivalent efficiency (based on petrol being $1.70/l) is 3l/100km or 78mpg.

However... as we have15kw of solar on the roof of the house you can basically half the cost if it's charging during the day, which it usually is, so 150mpg equivalent in cost terms.

Likes: efficiency, modernity, usability, convenience, interior, serene driving experience, same running costs as a 50cc scooter
Dislikes: price, the Bugs Bunny front grill

Conclusion: very expensive to acquire, very cheap to run!

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

BMW iX M50 maths for those interested... All based on 0-100 charging and 100-0 driving which is never how you really use it but it's still instructive.

A full charge at home takes 5-6 hours using a Ctek charger in the garage.

On our electricity tariff (state owned monopoly supplier where the government sets the price ) means that the running cost is $0.06/km.

So the ICE equivalent efficiency (based on petrol being $1.70/l) is 3l/100km or 78mpg.

However... as we have15kw of solar on the roof of the house you can basically half the cost if it's charging during the day, which it usually is, so 150mpg equivalent in cost terms.

Likes: efficiency, modernity, usability, convenience, interior, serene driving experience, same running costs as a 50cc scooter
Dislikes: price, the Bugs Bunny front grill

Conclusion: very expensive to acquire, very cheap to run!

What's the charging network like in WA if you wanted to do a long journey, such as a long weekend in Cape Range?

 

[DownwardDog]

What's the charging network like in WA if you wanted to do a long journey, such as a long weekend in Cape Range?

A long weekend? It's a 15 hour drive! Like going from Paris to Budapest.

The iX could definitely do it with stops at Geraldton and Canarvon. There are plenty of chargers up and down the coast. Basically nothing inland except on mine sites.

Going south to Margaret River, Dunsborough, Denmark or Albany is quite well served. We have relatively few EVs on the road here, though that is changing quickly, so you don't really run into charger congestion. Having said that, I would not have an EV if I couldn't charge at home.

 

[T & P]

As a general observation, one thing I find slightly puzzling about electric cars is that so many manufacturers have chosen to equip their electric models with massive touchscreens that, er, surely consume more electricity, the main and only source of energy the car relies on for locomotion, than the traditional dials or at least small display screens ICE cars have. Hell, many carmakers are offering latest versions of both electric and ICE models, and are perfectly happy to continue featuring traditional dashboard dials and small screens for the petrol ones, but feel obliged to slap a ludicrous two-foot electronic display screen across the dashboard on the electric ones.

I’m sure they’re not a super major drain on the batteries, but still, why equip a car with the very thing that reduces its range however slightly? More inexplicable still given that nobody had asked for them, and they seem
as unnecessary as far less appealing to anyone even mildly into cars and driving.

 

[DownwardDog]

The LCD screens are much simpler (ie cheaper) and quicker (ie cheaper) to build and install. They are also a lot more flexible and the manufacturers can do a lot more with them as they are totally software driven.

The energy consumption is utterly inconsequential at around 10W. A 'normal' instrument cluster uses power anyway as the speed, etc. is calculated inside the ECU and sent to the cluster over CANBUS. A servo then moves the needle to the correct position to indicate the speed on the dial.

 

[8ball]

The LCD screens are much simpler (ie cheaper) and quicker (ie cheaper) to build and install. They are also a lot more flexible and the manufacturers can do a lot more with them as they are totally software driven.

The energy consumption is utterly inconsequential at around 10W. A 'normal' instrument cluster uses power anyway as the speed, etc. is calculated inside the ECU and sent to the cluster over CANBUS. A servo then moves the needle to the correct position to indicate the speed on the dial.

Would be nice if they make them a bit less tacky-looking, though.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

As a general observation, one thing I find slightly puzzling about electric cars is that so many manufacturers have chosen to equip their electric models with massive touchscreens that, er, surely consume more electricity, the main and only source of energy the car relies on for locomotion, than the traditional dials or at least small display screens ICE cars have. Hell, many carmakers are offering latest versions of both electric and ICE models, and are perfectly happy to continue featuring traditional dashboard dials and small screens for the petrol ones, but feel obliged to slap a ludicrous two-foot electronic display screen across the dashboard on the electric ones.

I’m sure they’re not a super major drain on the batteries, but still, why equip a car with the very thing that reduces its range however slightly? More inexplicable still given that nobody had asked for them, and they seem
as unnecessary as far less appealing to anyone even mildly into cars and driving.

I guess cos Tesla stuck an ipad on the dashboard the others felt the need to follow suit to show that these things are the future.

As DD notes, a couple of tablet computers uses sod all juice compared to what is needed to heft a 3 ton lump up to 70 in 6 seconds and keep it there for three hours.

Some are tackier than others, this is mine:





Though I never have the map on the bit where the speedo is, doing that is incredibly distracting, so much so am amazed they are allowed to do it.

 

[magneze]

As a general observation, one thing I find slightly puzzling about electric cars is that so many manufacturers have chosen to equip their electric models with massive touchscreens that, er, surely consume more electricity, the main and only source of energy the car relies on for locomotion, than the traditional dials or at least small display screens ICE cars have. Hell, many carmakers are offering latest versions of both electric and ICE models, and are perfectly happy to continue featuring traditional dashboard dials and small screens for the petrol ones, but feel obliged to slap a ludicrous two-foot electronic display screen across the dashboard on the electric ones.

I’m sure they’re not a super major drain on the batteries, but still, why equip a car with the very thing that reduces its range however slightly? More inexplicable still given that nobody had asked for them, and they seem
as unnecessary as far less appealing to anyone even mildly into cars and driving.

They're also inherently less safe. Most people know where knobs are by touch. Ironically a touchscreen removes that capability.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

They're also inherently less safe. Most people know where knobs are by touch. Ironically a touchscreen removes that capability.

Don't find that to be the case, the screens are haptic touch and the boxes you press stay in the same place, so no different to a physical button.

 

[magneze]

Don't find that to be the case, the screens are haptic touch and the boxes you press stay in the same place, so no different to a physical button.

Your example seems to be a better implementation. +1 for Audi

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Your example seems to be a better implementation. +1 for Audi

But as said, offering the chance to have the sat nav in the dash is crazy and much of the infotainment system can be used on the move and is ludicrously distracting, some bits you can't use when the car's moving, imo most of it shouldn't work until it is stationary.

 

[hash tag]

But as said, offering the chance to have the sat nav in the dash is crazy and much of the infotainment system can be used on the move and is ludicrously distracting, some bits you can't use when the car's moving, imo most of it shouldn't work until it is stationary.

My car, I cannot use the screen above 4 MPH. The works VW I think is any speed and are the Nissan notes.

 

[Silas Loom]

I bought an electric car in 2019, when there was much less choice, and went for the one with proper knobs and dials rather than the one with a tablet stuck to the dashboard, for exactly the reasons magneze mentions.

 

[magneze]

My car, I cannot use the screen above 4 MPH. The works VW I think is any speed and are the Nissan notes.

Are you typing that in the car now?

 

[Dogsauce]

Apparently electric car drivers like to crash them, which partly explains the high insurance costs:

Electric cars involved in more accidents than regular vehicles, study shows

The high number of accidents has actually nothing to do with the technology, but everything to do with the driving behaviour of the drivers.

www.brusselstimes.com

The people driving Teslas round here are the people who were driving Porsche Cayennes two years ago. There seems to be a correlation between choosing a car to project wealth and piss poor driving.

 

[DownwardDog]

I bought an electric car in 2019, when there was much less choice, and went for the one with proper knobs and dials rather than the one with a tablet stuck to the dashboard, for exactly the reasons magneze mentions.

You can do pretty much everything with voice commands in the iX (and the X5 we had before it) so the buttons/knobs/screens are mostly irrelevant.