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We are seeing the prices of EVs across the scheme starting to match the prices of fossils, & the range of the EVs increase.
EVs worth a look at now are the Kona EV 150kW (just over 200bhp) Premium at £399, and the Premium SE at £1,499, the VW ID3 starting at £999 although the ID3 isn’t up to the quality of the Kona, and the Nissan Leaf 62kWh 160kW has made an appearance at £1,799 and £1,999.
The Kia Soul 64 First Edition is also worth a look if you like the shape, priced at £1,999.
Range is the issue most think about with these EVs, my e2008 is a bit limited with its 50kWh battery when it comes to longer journeys, which involves stopping at chargers en route that takes some planning and a bunch of RFID cards. These longer range Kona, Soul, ID3, & Leaf, can make a vast difference to journeys, obviating the charging need on many journeys. Beyond the 62kWh-64kWh batteries are the larger 77kWh+ ones, but the premium for those currently makes them too expensive to consider.
EVs are becoming mainstream & their residual value is increasing, so all we need now is a decent charging infrastructure everywhere rather than just SE England.
Be careful with how EVs are listed on the scheme by Motability, they make the classic error of mixing up kW & kWh, kW is the power of the motor and converts to bhp when multiplied by 1.34102, wheras kWh is the battery capacity and relates to the range of the vehicle.
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Some great points here. Unfortunately, its that lack of a decent charging infrastructure in the North that has ruled pure electric out for us this time.
Totally agree @gothitjulie
I pick up my new Kona on Saturday, 240 mile each way, looking forward to my last visit to a fuel pump on the way up and a great journey back, shouldn’t need to recharge if I’m sensible!
The Kona deal won’t last long sadly though as it’s for the last few remaining MY 20.5 vehicles in the dealer network, not the latest model, so grab a bargain while you can.
Still surprised we haven’t seen the e-Niro, I guess Kia just can’t keep up with the demand!
Previous Motability Cars
2006 - 2009 Skoda Superb VR6 2.0tdi
2009 - 2012 Citroen C5 2.0tdi VTR Nav
2012 - 2015 Nissan Qashqai 1.5dci tekna
2015 - 2018 Ford Kuga 2.0tdi Titanium X
2018 - 2021 BMW 220d X drive 2 Series Active Luxury
2021 - 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric Premium SE
2023 - Hyundai Kona Electric UltimateTotally agree @gothitjulie I pick up my new Kona on Saturday, 240 mile each way, looking forward to my last visit to a fuel pump on the way up and a great journey back, shouldn’t need to recharge if I’m sensible! The Kona deal won’t last long sadly though as it’s for the last few remaining MY 20.5 vehicles in the dealer network, not the latest model, so grab a bargain while you can. Still surprised we haven’t seen the e-Niro, I guess Kia just can’t keep up with the demand!
For 240 miles I’d be planning a stop, it’s not going to be that warm on Saturday & you’ll be wanting some reserve range in case of there being a detour etc.
Zap Map is where to look for a suitable charger, ABRP or similar if you want to get more technical.
I’d suggest a charge at around the 160 – 180 mile mark, it’ll be a learning experience, CCS (Combo), and you don’t need to charge to above 80% (it gets very slow at higher charge state so we don’t do it unless the next leg of the journey demands it).
I was out & about yesterday in my e2008 & used a Genie charger at a Morrisons to top up, by the time I came out of the Morrisons with bags of food I’d reached 84% charge & it had slowed right down, 72% would have been the optimal.
Good points, it’s a big learning curve, but I’m looking forward to it, cheap, quiet motoring. Thanks for the tips, and I’ll let you know how it goes
Previous Motability Cars
2006 - 2009 Skoda Superb VR6 2.0tdi
2009 - 2012 Citroen C5 2.0tdi VTR Nav
2012 - 2015 Nissan Qashqai 1.5dci tekna
2015 - 2018 Ford Kuga 2.0tdi Titanium X
2018 - 2021 BMW 220d X drive 2 Series Active Luxury
2021 - 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric Premium SE
2023 - Hyundai Kona Electric UltimateA tip on finding EV charge points when you are using motorways it to use Zap Map & look around motorway junctions, there are many springing up just off the junctions at petrol stations, supermarkets & pubs. Be aware though that during lockdown many of the pubs car parks have been commandeered by travellers & many of these chargers are blocked off, Zap Map should have a comment in the logs for that charger.
Locations with more than 1 rapid charger are always more preferable in case one is taken or fails to provide a charge. If you do get stuck with no Rapid charger then consider topping up at a Fast charger (7,11,22kW AC charger), it’ll take an age but you can take enough charge to get you to the next Rapid charger.
ALWAYS look at the charge logs for the chargers you are planning to stop at before heading there, you may find it’s unreliable, broken, etc., so save yourself the journey & go elsewhere.
@gothitjulie. As always thanks for your great tips and valuable info. I’m looking forward to hearing soon when my Wall Charger is going to be installed.
Do I take it the Zap Pay is now up and running on chargers round the country? If the Zap Pay is running is it still advisable to get RFID Cards?
The problem with ZapPay is that it relies on you having a mobile signal, which is fine for most chargers but there are quite a few in remote areas where you’ll be wanting an RFID card. Notably, the Ionity chargers at Cobham Services are in a poor mobile signal area & it’s hardly off the beaten track.
Changes coming along are the ChargePlace Scotland chargers moving from CYC (Charge Your Car, part of BP Pulse but you need a CYC or ChargePlace Scotland card) to SWARCO (hoping the ChargePlace Scotland RFID cards move over with the deal & there definitely won’t be a £20 year charge anymore). Remember, SWARCO chargers in England are in strange remote places, so it makes sense for them to run the ChargePlace Scotland chargers too. Geniepoint chargers are going from £1.00 connection fee plus £0.30 per kWh, to a flat £0.35 per kWh.
For Rapid chargers the aim is to have them taking credit/debit card payments, as demanded by the Government but not yet implemented everywhere. Many of us are sick of poorly written apps that rely on poor connections, it’s how to get stranded.
How you pay does matter for another reason, if you use an app or an RFID card & get billed monthly, then this is an “energy bill” and companies are charging 5% VAT, but if you use a credit/debit card it’s 20% VAT, this is a loophole & it’s why these companies try to push their apps (they charge the same but pocket the difference in VAT rate).
Agreed Julie, the new AP’s will make electric an attractive option for many. I am unable to order until later this year so, fingers crossed, these new prices are here to stay. For me the ability to charge from home at overnight tariffs as low as 5p per kWh is a real attraction and with ranges of around 300 miles available fast charge points would only come into play every now and then. Ideally I would ideally like the charging point at the side of my property, some distance from the main fuse box. Do you or do any other posters know what restrictions, for example length of cable, exist regarding their installation? But back to the main thread, now there are several electric choices under a grand so those considering electric at least now have a real choice.
Do you or do any other posters know what restrictions, for example length of cable, exist regarding their installation?
BP talked about 15 metres from fusebox to their charger wallbox. Anything longer you’ll be paying extra.
I’m not running with the BP offering, I had a 32A commando socket installed 13m from fusebox, & use the OHME charger with a longer cable than standard (10m instead of 5m). This arrangement means I use the OHME charger to use only the lowest price electricity on Octopus Agile tariff, although Agile has been expensive since November compared to Octopus Go (5p kWh).
Thanks for that info, A quick measurement shows around 13-13.5m. There do seem to be a few new electric cars hitting the showrooms this year. Brydo used to keep us all updated but I will have to start researching in detail around the end of summer.
http://www.speakev.com is an excellent resource for everything EV, from the vehicles to the charging infrastructure.
Upcoming EV that will hopefully arrive on the scheme is the Skoda Enyaq iV https://www.skoda.co.uk/electric-hybrid-cars/enyaq-iv
We’ve already mentioned the Kia eNiro that many of us would have snapped up had it been available.
VW ID4, would also be welcome.
The above cars are a little larger than the current crop of EVs that make up most of the current choice on the scheme, and we’ll be needing the larger cars for wheelchairs etc.
The EV vans available have small batteries so I’d currently advise to wait until the versions with the larger batteries arrive.
If you want down to earth EV tests then Bjorn Nyland makes good videos on Youtube, the car companies don’t pay him so he gives honest reviwes unlike most of the motoring press muppets.
Paid 3k for my soul in Feb, gutted its dropped by a grand but hey ho it happens i suppose. Still love it and would choose another if i had to.
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Hyundai Ioniq 6 Ultimate trim
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Loves 3D printing & Plastic model kits
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My man in Korea tells me the id3 is the most efficient EV at the moment with it being able to cover the mileage it says is remaining in dash in -16 weather
My man in Korea tells me the id3 is the most efficient EV at the moment with it being able to cover the mileage it says is remaining in dash in -16 weather
Yes, VW have done an excellent job in making the drivetrain efficient, the ID4 is the same.
When we talk about cars such as the Kona, Ioniq & eNiro being efficient we must remember that these are EVs that are based upon fossil cars & we’d hope to see the newer pure EVs from the Koreans being better. The VW ID3 & ID4 are EVs from the ground up, no fossil versions, so they should be more efficient but will they be more efficient than Hyundai’s new Ioniq range? I think this is going to be an interesting battle of the kWhrs.
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