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hi all
i now have the option to charge at our local dobbies at 55p possibley less (still looking at this).
i havent been out for 2 weeks (sad life i know) other than visit to car dealers to test possible candidates.
the scarey thought is i could easily not leave my house unless i have a medical appointment.
however i am determined to change that and i am going to sort a gym membership for physio.
that will mean my mileage will be:
gym 4 miles x 5 per week 20 miles.
then the odd docs 5 miles return.
hosp 18 miles return.
dobbies charger/coffee 6 miles return.
so lets say 125 miles a week max.
thats doable charging once a month keeping above 20%. even at 20% i am going to have more than enough to get to docs/hosp.
electric candidates c3 aircross max, mini countryman monochrome.
would you agree its doable charging once a month or maybe every 3 weeks?
there is a bit of me that says just dont renew and stay at home.
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Only you can decide if you want an EV enough to make it work @mitch. The problem with asking on this forum is that there is a disproportionately high number of EV enthusiasts (in comparison to the general population), so many people will tell you that it’s possible. On the flip side, there will be a few others (like me) who will say that we wouldn’t even remotely consider an EV unless we could charge at home.
Without repeating all the reasons why I wouldn’t entertain an EV if I couldn’t charge at home, the only relevant experience that I can give you is my nephew. Like you, he convinced himself that he wanted an EV and decided that he could make it work using public chargers (he cannot charge at home). At first he coped OK. He found a charger near a pub for (relatively) local charging. After six months the novelty had well and truly worn off and he started to find it a pain in the a*se. He deeply regrets getting an EV and cannot wait for the lease to end so that he can go back to a petrol car (or self charging hybrid). Admittedly that’s just one persons experience, but he’s a young man in perfect health, not an older disabled person, for whom there would be added complexity.
I don’t know how the costs would work out (public charging an EV versus say a self charging hybrid) but relying on Dobbies may sound doable, but what happens if you get there and the charger(s) are already in use or out of action? Is there a convenient plan B?
I have an EV through work but wouldn’t consider myself an enthusiast. I’m realistic about their limitations but also about their benefits.
You have to decide for yourself, but advice from someone who has never owned one is also not particularly helpful. As much as there are EV ’enthusiasts’ out there, there are those who are unnecessarily negative about them without having owned one. There are YouTube channels dedicated to trashing EV’s would you believe!
That said, given your situation, from my experience of EV ownership, I’d say they’re probably not right for you for the following reasons:
My EV through work has a 100kw battery. At 80% charge today with it being -1°, it says I have a range of 150. In summer this would be close to 280.
The public charging network is not brilliant. It’s very expensive, and quite unreliable. If a unit stops working it seems to take an age for it to get fixed. They are often blocked by both combustion vehicles and EVs that aren’t charging (usually Tesla divers), so if your only charging option is blocked you either have to wait it out or go somewhere else which is not your first option either due to cost or ease of access.
It may be my imagination, but whenever I have fast charged my car, it never seems to last as long. DC charge seems to get used up quicker. If you’re going to do 125 miles per week on one of the EVs on here (around 60-70kw battery), then you’ll definitely be charging once a week.
The Apps or processes used to start charges are fiddly. Sometimes you have to have the app to get the cheap rate, so you’re forced to use it. If you’re not good with tech then this can be a problem. It’s not like putting some petrol in and paying at the kiosk.
In summary, if I couldn’t charge at home, I wouldn’t consider it. My wife’s car is on the scheme and she has ordered an EV, but she doesn’t do many miles and she can charge overnight at home. I will be ordering my next work vehicle soon and am seriously considering a PHEV despite the increased BIK implications. EVs are okay to a point, but do have some serious drawbacks. A self charging hybrid may be a good option for you? PHEVs are very expensive on here and you wouldn’t see that benefit back if you’re doing low miles and can’t charge at home, also, some can’t DC charge which limits your public charging options.
Ultimately it’s up to you, but I hope I’ve given you some reasoned food for thought.
I’ve had a EV for the last 3 years and I’ve ordered a new one but I wouldn’t have a EV unless I could charge at home. You really need to go into EV ownership with your eyes open, it might be OK in the summer months but what about when its cold with ice or snow like today and as Glos Guy says what happens if the charger is being used.
You could download a load of charging APPs to your phone and check where all your chargers are, you never know you might find one really close to you.
Good luck with the gym, I did it 9 months ago and its made a big difference. Check with your doc you might be able to get signed up to something called exercise on referral, a big saving on gym membership.
As an owner of both EV and PHEV I’d agree wholeheartedly with all the comments already given.
The Ioniq 5 is a wonderful car to drive – almost magical – like a very fast smooth go kart! Charging at home makes it very cheap to run locally. The huge downside is using it for trips more than say 200 miles, where you’re in the clutches of 60-80p per KWh rates. This is more expensive relative to fuel. As discussed, there’s always the lottery of finding an available charger. Add to that, I’ve never found a charger that delivers what it says on the charger. A notional 20 minute charger invariably takes an hour so time planning is a nightmare.
The PHEV is only ever charged at home and, again, is cheap to run. For a 350BHP 3 litre it also gets 40MPG. It’s just a hugely disappointing car but gets used for longer trips purely because the fear of NOT finding a charger doesn’t exist.
As a standalone, we’d never have just the EV with the infrastructure currently available in the UK.
At some point Energy suppliers are going to stop the cheap overnight rate for charging, it’s inevitable. They aren’t a charity and beholden to their shareholders. Charging at 25p per KWh, whilst still relatively cheap, would kill any desire for us to have an EV at all.
I have to agree with above thoughts, I am now on my 2nd EV, without a home charger I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of an EV.
Good luck with your car search and getting back into the gym.@Fastbike1000 i completed the 12 week exercise on referal just before xmas. it was good and i am just steeling to go and start on my own, just took a break over xmas.
i can order on 28th feb so have a bit of time, mini have come back with a test drive on the 7th so i will have a better idea then.
its a consideration mainly due to the hybrids i liked got pushed up just over my ap limit so the mg’s are the main option left hybrid wise other than replacing like for like juke hybrid n-connecta, it was just that the tekna has the nice to have winter/heat pack.
dobbies installing 12 chargers is a big change around here there were only 2 chargers within 5 miles prior the only option otherwise would be a round trip to m1 services and their prices are silly. advantage is i can charge at anytime really. its just getting my head around it all and getting the test drives in.
I am one of those EV “enthusiasts” I suppose – having EVs since 2015 for all the wrong reasons: free charging and very low PCPs (£172 pcm for Renault Zoe with no deposit and 12K ma back in 2015).
But being the enthusiast who for some time had to charge away from home, even for free as it was back then, my recommendation would be don’t touch EV if you cannot charge at home.
It is only my personal perception, based on my subjective experience with various EVs.
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Apologies for briefness and spelling mistakes.Motability Skoda Enyaq SportLine 85x April 2024 (unhappy customer - Ombudsman pending)
Motability Mazda CX-60 PHEV July 2023 (unhappy customer - early termination on mechanical grounds)
Motability VW Touran Family Pack May 2019 (happy customer)Yes I am that EV enthusiast, but like many have said, if I couldn’t charge at home I wouldn’t entertain it.
I am on my second EV but before that I had a Toyota Prius PHEV and it was great.
So maybe the halfway house of a PHEV is the sweet spot for you – I cannot pretend to have done any in depth research recently but I understand many now can do in access of 40 miles on battery before the engine cuts in.
I often went on journeys in access of 200 miles and would charge the battery from the engine on the motorway to have a full battery for towns and villages that made driving easier and smoother – this way you would have the convenience of EV power and the backup and flexibility of an engine.
Like I say I haven’t done any recent research of options and costs of PHEVs on the scheme – but maybe worth a look – good luck and a happy new year to all.
would you agree its doable charging once a month or maybe every 3 weeks?
If you typically do 540 miles a month, I would think you would want to charge more frequently as 540 miles, I suspect, is much further than most EV’s can easily achieve. There is a saying: ABC – Always Be Charging.
I suspect you would need to be charging weekly, that way you will ensure you have a good reserve for emergencies and also, you will not be on a charger for hours on end. You would need to be charging whilst you are doing something else, like shopping or visiting a gym.
As others have said, I am not sure if I would have an EV without home charging. It really would demand that you go in eyes wide open. It is a shame you can not have a home charger.
Skoda Enyaq Race Blue
We’ve had an EV for 18 months, I agree with kdwolf, I wouldn’t bother if you can’t charge from home. 125 miles a week would require 2 or 3 charges a month, especially in the colder months. It’s nice to have the latest technology, but you have to think practically. 55p per kw at Dobbies is not expensive but it’s also not cheap. Realistically you need to be charging for under 35p ish (I’m sure someone has worked out the exact figure) to make it cheaper than ICE.
Yes I am that EV enthusiast, but like many have said, if I couldn’t charge at home I wouldn’t entertain it. I am on my second EV but before that I had a Toyota Prius PHEV and it was great. So maybe the halfway house of a PHEV is the sweet spot for you – I cannot pretend to have done any in depth research recently but I understand many now can do in access of 40 miles on battery before the engine cuts in. I often went on journeys in access of 200 miles and would charge the battery from the engine on the motorway to have a full battery for towns and villages that made driving easier and smoother – this way you would have the convenience of EV power and the backup and flexibility of an engine. Like I say I haven’t done any recent research of options and costs of PHEVs on the scheme – but maybe worth a look – good luck and a happy new year to all.
As a PHEV driver myself, I’d say that they are even more reliant on being able to charge at home than EVs are. With ours, when the battery has depleted, the combination of a heavy car with a modest petrol engine means that I get worse mpg than I achieved in our previous 2.0i petrol 4WD car! They also charge at slower rates than EVs and the combination of this and public charging costs means that it’s a pointless exercise charging them away from home. They work if you can charge at home and most of your journeys are within the EV only range (which, like EVs, is worse in winter – ours can get 37 miles in the summer but I got just 27 miles yesterday), but if I couldn’t charge at home the most I would consider is a self-charging hybrid.
As with all car technology, some self charging hybrids are better than others. Toyota seem to have this nailed (hence why your Prius would have been good) and I believe that those with Nissan ePower models are generally very happy with them.
Am I right in saying the Kia EV3 and EV4 haven’t got a rear wiper ? Like on my Chr which I so miss from my old model Chr ! Sorry to go off track I just want this confirmed many thanks
Did someone say EV Enthusiasts?😁
Given 125 miles gives you 500 miles every 4 weeks you’ll be charging more frequently than you think. Short trips are less than ideal for range which would be fine if you can plug in whenever you feel like it for pennies but having to go somewhere just to charge makes it a chore much more quickly than you’ll appreciate. If you’re already finding it easier to stay in than go out, imagine knowing you HAVE to go out tomorrow just for the car.
Most people I know that make it work without home charging either drive for work and expense subscriptions for several charging companies or have sufficient cash that they don’t care about costs to charge out and about. A way before Covid it was possible to charge for months for free, I remember a year when I paid to charge 3 times in the year and they were on holidays. That all got stopped though and the costs out and about are improving again but are still quite steep.
In this situation, I’d say that going down the BEV route is a bad option for you.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
I do about 125 a week (just under 12,000 in the last 24 months) and I typically charge at least once a week in the summer, a bit more often in the winter. I usually only let the battery get down to 40 or 50% in the winter as my range (Enyaq 85X) is down to a realistic 200 or so at 100% and while I don’t do many journeys over 50 miles round trip I always like to be prepared just in case!.
As has been said by other members I wouldn’t have an EV if I couldn’t charge at home, there are no “cheap” chargers near me, typically a few 50kW at 56p, an Arnold Clarke 150kW at 55p about 20mins away or Fastned, Instavolt etc further away at 74p – 89p.
Please excuse spelling/typos. Apart from being a clot it turns out I had one on my cerebellum that's now causing various problems!
If I couldn’t charge at home, I would definitely go down the self charging hybrid route.
I’ve only had to charge once away from home when my charger was broken and all I can say is ouch.
I am another not if you can’t charge at home vote…
125 miles a week means 7-8 day charge cycles in winter for the cars you’ve chosen. 64kw in the Countryman is about 180-200 miles in winter, thats charging to 100%. Maybe a bit less if open road, bit more if town based. Aircross would be even worse as Stellantis just don’t seem to get a grip on excessive winter consumption & EV database lists cold weather range as 150miles, so 10% to 90% would only give you a weeks driving. Also, as others have said, short trips in the cold can use more because you need to heat the cabin each time – especially bad are several short trips over a day, you may do 15 miles but lose 30 miles of range.
My son does not have a home charger, he has a Tesla and as such gets to charge off peak at 36p. He also uses that time to do some work on his laptop which his work allows as a part of his working day, so its not lost time for him. I know he changed his car to a Tesla once he moved job and no longer had workplace charging for his 45kw ZS EV, it just needed plugged in too much/was slow to charge compared to his 75kw Model 3. He loves it and has no plans to go back to petrol.
In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found out.
ok if i want to do the gym thing obv i am going to have to charge more often and therefore cost will increase.
i will still test drive the countryman as it was a nice place to sit.
in the meantime i am going to relook tommorrow back permitting at some petrol hybrids.
the juke tekna’s new price and the c3 aircross are just a bit much.
so as they are all along the same street in chesterfield i am going to revisit:
renault symbioz esprit alpine £393.
nissan quashqai n-connecta 1.5 e-power £347
cupra formentor v2 £343.
otherwise its the mg’s on the 24th.
i havent asked about discounts yet so @bigdave may provide something from left field yet. lol.
If you do not have a home charger that does not mean you can not charge at home. Unless you live on the 12th floor of a tower block. An EV can still be charged by just plugging into your 13a socket at home. If you only intend to do very little mileage that would be something else to consider.
hi all i now have the option to charge at our local dobbies at 55p possibley less (still looking at this). i havent been out for 2 weeks (sad life i know) other than visit to car dealers to test possible candidates. the scarey thought is i could easily not leave my house unless i have a medical appointment. however i am determined to change that and i am going to sort a gym membership for physio. that will mean my mileage will be: gym 4 miles x 5 per week 20 miles. then the odd docs 5 miles return. hosp 18 miles return. dobbies charger/coffee 6 miles return. so lets say 125 miles a week max. thats doable charging once a month keeping above 20%. even at 20% i am going to have more than enough to get to docs/hosp. electric candidates c3 aircross max, mini countryman monochrome. would you agree its doable charging once a month or maybe every 3 weeks? there is a bit of me that says just dont renew and stay at home.
Just go for a self charging hybrid.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
Am I right in saying the Kia EV3 and EV4 haven’t got a rear wiper ? Like on my Chr which I so miss from my old model Chr ! Sorry to go off track I just want this confirmed many thanks
Yes they have rear wipers. I think they’re mounted from the top, so they tuck in under the rear spoiler.
I have ASD and thus have difficulty with social and understanding information, written and verbal. I process information in logical blocks, before I reply. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes I'm wrong.
I also have a corneal visual condition, which makes me visually impaired without daytime, or daytime bulbs, among other disabilities/conditions.guys the mini monochrome is 150kw 66kwh claimed range 280ish.
how would i or could you work out the cost of a 20-80% charge at say 55p.
not sure of the maths sorry.
guys the mini monochrome is 150kw 66kwh claimed range 280ish. how would i or could you work out the cost of a 20-80% charge at say 55p. not sure of the maths sorry.
You multiply the battery kWh by the pence per kilowatt, so a 20% to 80% charge would be 60% of 66kWh so a rounded 40kWh multiplied by 0.55 (55p per kilowatt) which is £22. Obviously it’s a lot cheaper to recharge at home.
But don’t forget that 60% of the battery is an estimated 168 miles so that’s your average daily useable range unless you’re making long journeys where a full charge is needed, but it’s not recommended to charge any EV past 80% all the time.
@mitch If I understand the above figures correctly, 168 miles at a cost of £22 equates to 13p per mile. That, of course, assumes that the car achieves its stated range which, as was pointed out by others, is unlikely, especially in the winter, so that cost per mile will be higher. On that basis, if you have to rely on the public chargers at Dobbies, the Mini is likely to cost you more to run than the ICE cars on your list, whereas it would be cheaper for those who can charge at home. This is why, as pretty much everyone is saying (including EV owners), they only make financial sense if you can charge at home although, of course, running costs is only one consideration.
I agree with Glos Guy – only part of the equation – time spent charging and the lack of flexibility that can become fundamental annoyances are in my opinion a big consideration.
I regularly top my EV up to 80% which even on a cold day like today can give me 200 plus miles – having a large family – I like to know if needed I can be on my way at a drop of a hat. It’s not just knowing I can it is also the peace of mind – I am in my seventies but still like to have that flexibility for the unexpected.
In my case the word flexible is unfortunate – I wish 😂brilliant thanks guys i can do a spreadsheet now and estimate when ad how often i will need to charge i reckon it will be 2.5 to 3 times a month so say £70 worst case scenario about £30 more than i pay now.
not great but doable if the mini is the best fit so it stays on the list test drive on the 7th followed by the cupra which will cost not much less @38-40mpg lol.
then its mg test drives on the 24th.
nissan quashqai tommorrow.
well i cant complain about not getting out this month lol.
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