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As it looks likely the Toyota Corolla is no longer an option, I was thinking of going down the full EV route with my next car. As my current vehicle is a Toyota Hybrid, can I ask if EV is still better economy wise?
I have no charger or energy tariffs at the minute so I would also need to look into those too. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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That depends…
If you have your own drive to park in and don’t do a lot of longer trips that exceed the real world battery mileage then yes, its a good bit cheaper, even with expensive home electricity and peanuts if you go for a tariff with a low rate overnight like Octopus Go (although those tariffs have a higher day rate so you need to do your sums to see if that is a saving or not). Look at EV Database to find the models you are interested in to see the real world mileage for different road/weather combos.
If you don’t have a driveway/home charging, then it can get expensive as rapids/fast charging is typically around 70p a kw and that will get you around 3-4 miles. Driving at normal speeds in town/highways I am averaging 3.2 miles per kw in my Kia Soul over the last 22,000 miles. More in summer, less in winter.
Again, very much depends on your mileage and use case as to how expensive that turns out. For example, city/town driving gives a 30% increase in range over highway driving as you recuperate a lot more energy.
In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found out.
I drove from Cornwall to Havant (Hampshire) and back, totalling nearly 500 miles. Total cost, including 3 public charges was £54. If I had a car with a better range then I know I’d have cut a lot off that as charging from home is significantly cheaper.
So, my advice is:
If you can charge at home, it’s great. You need to think completely differently about how you use the car, instead of running to low then fully refilling, just to run down and refill, in an EV it’s best to charge for a fixed period most nights. If your electric tariff is 4 hours night rate, charge for those 4 hours unless you have a long trip. If you do that every night and only have a break when it ends above 90% then two things will happen – 1, you’re always ready to get to work and home, you never experience range anxiety.
Make sure you think about your longer regular trips as well as daily use. It’s perfect Ok to get on with a car with a 64kWh battery daily with absolute confidence, it’s not bad on a journey either. BUT a 77 kWh battery gets you an extra bunch of miles, which will make a difference in your planning and execution of longer journeys.
I would avoid anything that has a WLTP range below 250 miles, as reality could well see winter driving quite restrictive. Like manufacturers’ consumption claims, the sales numbers are always somewhat optimistic, only a few cars actually achieve their WLTP range, the Kona being one.
Expect your predicted range to be nothing like what you get. If your normal daily use is local, going for a long drive will not delivery the same efficiency (well, duh) but the car doesn’t know that you’re going to be driving on motorways at 70.
Expect your driving experience to be more relaxing. I don’t know whether it’s an Autistic thing but driving with the stereo at half the volume (because the background noise is minimal) makes any journey so much better. The drive is smooth, very quiet (which will take a minute to get used to) and effortless. With even 90% effective one pedal driving, you will be able to go faster by pressing the accelerator and slower simply by lifting off. Only for the last final stop will you need the physical braking. That alone, makes the biggest difference to your driving experience.
Motability will supply a charger for a ‘normal’ instillation. So, as long as you don’t park at the end of a 100m garden or need the charger on a garden wall, everything should be simple and free. There’s a choice of their chargers, I’d definitely look at both and decide for yourself before speaking to Motability as they tend to choose on their own criteria. Also, some work better with some car manufacturers than others, so I’d check that out too, especially for delayed or times charging.
I’ve been driving an EV for 5 years now, there’s no chance I’m going back.
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
The Suzuki Swace is still available, its a Corrolla with a different badge.
Only available as the estate version though.
Brilliant, thanks for all the help and advice. Really appreciated.
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