I cannot believe the oil situation will ever get better, so maybe time to go electric.
A couple of questions though to someone who is well versed on EVs in general please.
I am considering the new Peugeot e-208 GTi announced this week:
Like me, you could be scarred by the diesel emissions scandal a while back.
I can only talk about my own Opel Mokka which the techie who handed the car over said could be charged any time, no need to wait until itâs nearly empty.
Range can depend on how you drive the car, so Sports mode will burn through more charge than Eco.
The given ranges are accurate on a nornally warm day driving sensibly on flatâish roads.
And to keep battery life you only charge to 80% unless you will drive straight after charging. With ours the 80% charge got ius about 75km less in winter than summer when we lived in the mountains.
And we topped up a lot, but not to more than 80%
Non-EV owner who did some general research, so others may have different options depending on their âpreferencesâ.
My R5e claims a range of about the same, but in reality its more like 300 km. It does greatly depend on driving style. In mine, there are a number of different modes eg Eco, Normal, Personal, Sport which change the acceleration profile. Eco is pretty boring which i never use but will give the best range. Sport is fun but the range will be crap.
As for charging, it doesnât really matter as the battery tech has moved on and thereâs no âmemoryâ like in some older rechargeable batteries. I charge mine up to 95%
Range anxiety seems to be big thing when buying an EV. It was for me and it took at least a year to get it out of my system. Now I rarely think about it unless someone mentions it.
Quoted figures from manufacturers are only a very rough guide. More important is the way you drive it, what payload, motorways or twisting lanes etc. Most EVs come with a guessometer that tells you your current range and takes all the variables into account giving a constant update on your battery consumption. I find my guessometer fairly accurate.
I have an extention plug from my domestic supply nailed to my mailbox and permanently connected to a granny lead. No need for a fancy charger. After each trip, it takes me 15 seconds to plug it in. It is programmed (using the built in software) to charge using cheap ectricity at night. My car is always charged and ready to go.
If I was buying a new car the features I would look for are one pedal driving and smart cruise control.
Once you have made the change, you will wonder why you ever put up with regular visits to dirty, smelly petrol stations. The recharging network (should you ever need it) in France is superb and improving every day.
Thatâs what we do. Do you wait until the battery is nearly empty before you recharge or do it as and when?
I am not yet an EV owner but like you am strongly considering it for my next car.
I think you need to look at how many miles/km you drive on average when choosing the range of your car. Most people do relatively short journeys not very far from home most of the time, so almost any EV should be fine - you just pop it on charge overnight, on a low electricity tariff, and Robert is your motherâs brother.
On long journeys there are always chargers available these days, so you just have the usual coffee and stretch your legs break, and whizz it from 20% to 80% in 30-40 mins while you are having your break.
With my current petrol car which has a range of about 400 miles with a following wind, I fill it up about once every 2-3 weeks, so topping up a battery is not going to be too onerous for me.
The R5e was also a consideration, and still is, but I prefer the interior of the Pug, and of course - the extra oomph of the 270 hp motorâŚ
On the basis of an 80% charge, that I cannot dawdle behind campervans dusters berlingos and my speed limit is 5% sbove stated, is it safe to say the claimed range of 350kms, could in fact be 200 -250kms�
Not my driving style so I wouldnât like to comment. The one EV feature I never use is sport mode.
What time of year and what terrain? We had that sort of range in mid-winter driving wiggly mountain roads. And the acceleration of our EV is remarkable. I have to be careful not to break speed limits as so easy not to notice since no engine noise. And to me people who speed are arrogant idiots.
But how often do you do more than 250km without any sort of break?
As we have solar power I leave the car or van plugged in if thereâs any chance of there being any surplus (all EVs need a minimum of 1,4kW to charge). Otherwise I tend to charge to full as I tend to know if I need the range.
On a trip I err on the side of caution & plan to charge when capacity is down to about a third. That way the need to go further if the charger you were hoping use is broken, occupied or ICEd isnât a white knuckle ride of range anxiety.
Iâm getting over the range anxiety, OH is a lot more adventurous than I am.
This may be a daft question but what happens if youâre caught out and an EV battery is flat? Say youâre in the countryside and there are no power points, how can the breakdown people help you?
I donât know for sure but I would imagine they would bring some sort of battery bank to give you a quick top up to get you to the nearest charging point.
Or a hamster on a treadmill.
Or they just tow you to a charger?
They will be adapting to the new EV world like everyone else (well not everyone but you get my drift!)
I charge it overnight on tempo, one nights charge (using standard outside socket and âgranny leadâ) is about 35 % battery capacity so usually on charge if 60% or less
I have used sport mode, just to see what the difference isâŚ
. Itâs a good way of depleting the battery quickly.
I basically park up at the house and itâs constantly plugged in and set to 80% max. Itâs a bit irrational but I donât want to be caught on nearly empty if I need to go somewhere in a hurry. In reality, itâs extremely rare that I need to go somewhere in a hurry and, if I did, there are rapid chargers not very far away.
Oddly, my car is actually more efficient in sport mode as the regeneration is better.
Itâs a very good question. I had to ask it when my Zoe battery got down to only 7km left, on a trip to the UK (2 planned chargers en route were out of order etc, and my hosts charger also didnât work). The tow away people I called as a precaution said you basically canât tow an EV as it does major damage to the engine, so they have to lift it up and put it on a flat bed lorry to take it to the nearest charger or service centre. I admit to major range anxiety following that trip, and we now only use our EV for local journeys.
The main danger is overheating. A standard socket is not designed to handle a high current surge for hours on end.
If anyone would like to buy me a new Duster Hybrid, Iâll use in 100% EV mode for a year and report back.