Advanced Driving Hub

DJP31 wrote:

waremark wrote:I-Pace looks jolly nice though, much prefer the look to Model X. And a top end Model X gets to £140k. I-Pace pricing puts it on par with a RR Velar from the same group. I look fwd to seeing one. Different availability of charging points is interesting.

As I am not a business car user I am not yet tempted by electric.

I don’t like the X look either, it looks like my S on steroids. I wonder whether the I Pace will eat into the Velar target market? Certainly IMO once you’ve experienced an EV drivetrain an ICE seems archaic, but the lack of a reliable quick long distance charging network will be a big turn off.

Interested in why not being a business user puts you off EV’s?

Only that I cannot benefit from the tax breaks. 100% first year allowance, 9% Benefit in Kind rather than over 30%, reduced NIC. Without those benefits Tesla's are much more expensive than petrol alternatives which I would consider.

I have driven a Model S and found it pretty special.

Would you tell us more about the different charging options?

The Tesla is more expensive for sure, I paid much more than I’ve ever spent on a car before, but can charge my company 45p a mile and the generous PCP residual value meant the overall cost per month wasn’t too crazy. Charging overnight on E7 means I pay less than 3p per mile for fuel, as against near 20p on my previous 35 mpg ICE. Man maths is of course required too!

Re charging options, the first and obvious one is at home, if you can. An empty battery will fill overnight and the likelihood of returning home empty every night is rare. Usage patterns vary hugely of course but essentially every day you can start with a full tank. This is using 32 amps, same as your cooker, and delivers 7kW of power. My car is a 75kWh model so would take 10 hours from empty. About 22 mph of charge.

A 3 pin plug will deliver 5 mph and can be useful if staying away from home overnight.

The chargers around and about towns and car parks will deliver between 3kW and 7kW and are great for shopping centres, cinema trips - anywhere you are likely to be spending a few hours.

Some will deliver higher than that and are aimed at specific models, eg the Renault Zoe can fill faster than I can on certain AC chargers.

Motorway charging is pretty much the domain of Ecotricity but their monopoly is coming to an end and other players are coming in. The charge rate at present won’t get higher than 50kW and I’ve never seen it that high.

Tesla Superchargers are 120kW and unrivalled.

European cars are following the Type 2/CCS charge point, the Japanese have the CHADeMO, and to add even more confusion,there are a number of regional suppliers of charging infrastructure. Most used government grants and there is a myriad of apps, cards and business models. It’s a bit of a mess quite frankly, and I wouldn’t have gone down the EV route without the simplicity of the Superchargers plus occasional Ecotricity CHAdeMO top up.

Hope this helps!

I'm at the other end of the spectrum and often drive a Renault Zoe. With a range of about 60 miles on a full charge it is fine for local trips. On longer journeys I always plan to recharge at a charging point before the point where I really have to recharge. This way I guard against any one charging point being out of action. It does mean I have a lot of loo breaks on long journeys, but I am at an age where I have to do that whatever I drive.

Taffy wrote:I'm at the other end of the spectrum and often drive a Renault Zoe. With a range of about 60 miles on a full charge it is fine for local trips. On longer journeys I always plan to recharge at a charging point before the point where I really have to recharge. This way I guard against any one charging point being out of action. It does mean I have a lot of loo breaks on long journeys, but I am at an age where I have to do that whatever I drive.

Sounds perfect for the local runaround, and although I’ve never been in a Zoe all the Renaults aimhave had have been very well appointed.

Am I correct that the Zoe charges using a Type 2 cable, and can draw 43kW AC? Must be a quick recharge time If so.

I've not sure that all Zoes can draw 43kW, but the one I use can, and yes the recharge to 80% is about 30 minutes. I enjoy driving it, but would be happier if it had a better heater in during these cold spells!

Can you plumb in one of those little bar heaters? After all, they're electric!

One of these



filled with some of this



Simples. Retro and modern working in harmony.

It will certainly beat the ball in a saucer for improving your smooth driving. For extra warmth just sharply accelerate light up the soft furnishings/mats etc. and your away.

dvenman wrote:Can you plumb in one of those little bar heaters? After all, they're electric!

I'm not sure of the heater size that's built in. It feels like about 500W. It's got a 22kWh battery, so I reckon they could risk 1kW or so, since I don't expect to go more than 4 hours on a single charge, even driving in congested urban traffic. 4kWh out of the 22kWh to keep warm feels like a reasonable compromise on a cold winter day.

Presumably heat produced by the machine is being ducted away. Maybe the car could use a winter setting that routes it via the cabin.