The demise of ICE is coming much to soon for most and unaffordable and public transport is a joke

Don`t be too sure ICE will disappear, I have a feeling due to the amount of dislike of the way EVs are being made and the fact ICE are here and can be modified for other fuels they will stay.

some have said that EVs batteries will not improve enough for long journeys and charging points will not be able to cope with the amount of EVs there will be, and apparently its going to take 12-15 years to install cabling to cope, so I can see where the car companies are heading and its not all EVs

We have 7 years, so in that time things will change and not towards EVs

and as so many car companies are looking at alternative fuels its going to be interesting to see who gets furthest in the tech :)

Very interesting review. As a second car they make a lot of sense, my neighbours ran a Zoe and had ICE for where range was an issue. They went back to both ICE as the renewal lease on the Zoe increased massively.

The 2030 deadline will slip to be aligned with the EU 2035 date. Probably after the next election.

All this talk of EV'S not needing servicing is wrong, if you care to open the bonnet you will see they still have coolant, pollen filters , brake fluid,washer fluid etc.

That said I really enjoyed your initial assessment of the Leaf SLO, hope wifey has many happy miles in it, love the fact your currently charging it for nothing, got a few free charge points round my way, seriously thinking of making our next car full electric...

I took my Corsa-e for a service just before the end of the lease. They pulled the codes and changed the cabin air filter. About 20 minutes all told.

My Mokka-e first service...main dealer annual service..75quid.

It's been absolutely great to own. Second service in four months.

The Avensis and the Leaf sounds like a much better combo compared with the XC60. What happend to lording over mere mortals?!

I read a report that accident rates are generally lower for electric cars. I put this down to drivers leaving a larger gap to the car in front to allow for regenerative braking. Has 'her indoors' still to adapt her driving style?

it’s quick to accelerate

I can see there will be a lot of accidents with the new EVs as when there is not much traffic about the drivers use the acceleration to the full as I have seen in the early hours, which appears to be more cars making use of the power.

Enjoy the silence this week Slo! ( from the car obviously!) Did you have a look at that other one for yourself?

I did a similar long return trip last week in my Golf 1.4 at a lower cost per mile. It was about 12p a mile brim to brim. Those public chargers were extortionate.

Total cost of electricity to do almost exactly 300 miles was £39. Hardly any cheaper than my old Toyota Avensis would’ve been on petrol and we’d’ve been here two hours earlier and much less flustered. I will now spend my first morning on holiday seeking out (and no doubt queuing at) a local fast charger. The hassle of which will deter some excursions I would otherwise have went on with a petrol or diesel car.

That £39 for 300 miles is really poor when you consider that you started your trip with a free charge and that one of your en-route charges was also free.

Yes, all public chargers should accept contactless payment. Supermarkets have been offering “Pay at the Pump” for decades. Surely it should be easy to offer “Pay at the Charger”.

Disappointing that, despite the advances in EV technology, plugging the thing into the grid is still such a major issue.

I really wonder how you would have got on if you had been doing that journey on a really cold winter's day, with the heater on too!

"They must put money into charging infrastructure, they need to subsidise or cap charges"

"They". That'll be the taxpayer then. I'm honestly not anti EV, but EV owners are getting enough subsidies at present. Let free market forces solve the issue at whatever cost to the consumer. The government doesn't subsidise petrol stations - capitalism has provided us with a fully working solution. The same will happen with the EV charging network in time and early adopters should accept it.

Interesting report SLO - probably a bit too interesting from your POV.

This is exactly the kind of scenario that makes me hesitant about EVs. 95% of the time we’d be fine, especially as we could charge on our driveway.

It’s the 5% when you’re 300 miles from home. on holiday and trying to relax rather than chasing a charge that concerns me. Maybe you were just unlucky but it sounds like a b***** faff.

It’s all academic anyway as I’m hoping to get a few more years out of my aging but still reliable Toyota, Maybe the charging network will be better by then.

Isn't there some kind of adaptor whereby the Leaf can be plugged into the CCS fast charger network? I'm sure it's more complicated than that or it would have been done.

Edited by Xileno on 05/08/2023 at 09:27

‘ All large supermarkets and shopping centres should have chargers, from our experience they bring in money on their own even if subsidised. ‘ I’ve no figures, but most do. Next time you’re in a reasonably sized supermarket car park, look around the perimeter of it. There’s a fair chance you’ll find a 50kW charger there. McDonalds also tend to have Instavolt units. Bannatyne gyms also for Instavolt. Have a look on ZapMap for your area. One day, we’ll all have screens with Google Maps, and integrated to the battery and recent energy consumption. The image below shows a notional trip from where I am now (Selby, with an 84% state of charge) to Land’s End. It’s plotted a 22 minute stop In Worcester and a 21 minute stop in Exeter, arriving with 10% charge. 1drv.ms/i/s!AuMkRafLnOYXg5w-R5XoMl-Z-QPRBw

Utopia somewhere in the distant future. It will never happen let alone work. humans are not as intelligent as we think we are and to rely on computers too much is sheer folly. Basic things like banking parking and all aspects using a computer taking the human out of the human. I remember a post you made a while back on "anonymity". It applied to the conduct on the forum but equally anywhere else you remote communication not necessarily "" unfriendly" but unfeeling in loosing the human touch. You can go with your little computer to Land End and not communicate with another. Even if you have to stop you can get on one of those little screens in the services and order your food and coffee The you is NOT used in the personal tense just an example of where we are heading

yes I observe the perimeter of a fair few supermarkets. A guaranteed soaking when its raining charging or not!

On the subject of a chademo to CCS connector it's not just the physical connection which is the issue but the software/ handshaking is different.

On the subject of a chademo to CCS connector it's not just the physical connection which is the issue but the software/ handshaking is different.

Ah The non compatible problem careful what you buy! And then there is the lucrative market in other adaptors The whole system is flawed and not thought out. Rushed in and will take some correcting. Not enough people trained in the trade with a good working knowledge.

Well, no, not really. CCS is the European standard and what we'll all be using. The only car which uses Chademo is the Nissan Leaf (and possibly some Mitsubishi). Long term is is potentially an issue for LEAFs but there is always a Type 2 fall back.

Another interesting read. SLO76 you are not alone, another chap relating to his own problems finding a charger

"""I was left flat by my electric car charging experience (msn.com)

Of the driver of the Fiat Enyak could have had a quick word with the driver of the Ford Hiace to discover that he only had 10 minutes to go (it’s a couple of 50kW at IKEA Wembley), so not long. But then that wouldn’t have created another clickbait article from a right wing publication, would it?

Yes of course there are thousands of charging applications going on daily without any problems. I put this latest one on because I thought it amusing and I noticed the car pictured was not the one. There does appear to be a general problem charging away from the normal hustle and bustle. As I have said before I have no axe to grind on EVs. I do not believe either that the press have any axe to grind either as to the reporting of EVs. They take a story and report it and if there are problems with life it is news no matter what or even amusing situations which cheer you up. In Cornwall this week, I take a lot of interest in Cornwall, there have been numerous reports of cars parking on beaches and getting stuck. A Merc was stuck in sand and then on another beach 4 Audis stuck, OH and today some expensive EV stuck on a beach in seaweed. The drivers totally irresponsible and it amuses people to see how stupid they are. I know that msn is a bit a comic site but it can be a entertaining and a quick way to gather trivia on all what is going on

In the not too distant EVs will indeed become the norm but there will still be camps of what people prefer but EVs I doubt will ever become classics.

‘ Well, yes. But when filling an ICE car there is no point in listening to cricket, it only takes a few minutes ! I am disinterested in driving an EV, but that comparison is one of the downsides for me, plus the one most talked about, finding a public charger that is free and available.’ You make a valid, if blindingly obvious point. It takes longer to charge an EV than it does to fill with petrol or diesel. However, the majority will do that whilst they’re asleep, or at work, and at much lesser cost. Because of professional interest, I’m in several owners’ groups online and one of the most regular questions goes along the lines of ‘I’ve had my x for nine months now and I need to use a public charger for the first time, any tips?’. Unless you’re routinely doing 200+ miles daily, for the majority all charging will be done overnight. Yes, there are folk (like me) without an option to charge at home, and here compromise has to be made. Both in terms of convenience and cost. But that inconvenience comes with the benefit that any journey made is at a vastly lower carbon intensity, massively less harmful to both local and global environments.

Indeed. I had my Corsa-e for two years, charged once at work and once at a holiday cottage. I never used a public charger.

You make a valid, if blindingly obvious point. It takes longer to charge an EV than it does to fill with petrol or diesel. However, the majority will do that whilst they’re asleep, or at work, and at much lesser cost.

Yes of course. If I owned an EV that is what I would do, as I can park off-road; and we hear tales of those that cannot (about 1 in 3) draping cables across the pavement. The need to listen to cricket then disappears. Charging an EV away from home, compared with buying fuel (which of course can't be done at home) is a definite downside.

A son's experience of his Porsche Taycan were both excellent & poor.

Excellent - loved driving it, charged at home 8c per unit, commute.

Poor /very poor - range never got near 280 miles - battery changed 2 x, trailered back to dealer 3/4 times in 3/4 months last winter

Could not use it on 2 events - 11 year old daughter caught Covid at School "week away" mid week car would need charge also it was 130 miles away (Took 2nd car)

He had tickets for F1 US GP - could get there with a stop for a top up BUT F1 huge numbers in Austin gave him charge point anxiety

Bought a Cayenne - 7 months on a happy man apart from the petrol costs as against 8c a unit.

The car wasn’t up to making the journey a stress free experience, but to denounce the whole EV experience on the back of it is unfair.

The whole point of the OP (in my humble opinion) is the point of being a BUDGET EV adopter, which I think Slo makes his point very well. I could go out now and buy an EV, ( perhaps suggested by you ) and where would it get me?

The points that some are making about range anxiety, and especially the charging infrastructure are very real.

The fears that some have about the risks of batteries overheating are not a figment of someones imagination, they happen and make people nervous.

Yes I understand that technology will improve lifespan and safety but Come to Colchester and I will show you a bank of 3 boarded up chargers within a mile, because they were poorly situated. What is the cost of moving them ? Hmmm.

Against that, our local (greene King pub) has installed some chargers. (Get zapped while you get Zapped?)

People do have concerns about range, they do have concerns about being able to charge the car, and being able to pay for it.

Being an early adopter can have benefits, but equally drawbacks.

Please let us have a review as Slo did. A journey from Boxted, Colchester to Mold North wales , 254 miles each way, generally a comfort stop on the M54 going and the Rugby services returning. That is a regular journey undertaken by me or in laws.

So, Please, 254 mile journey, how much safe reserve do i need, say driving at the speeds normal (ish) on that route, A12.A14 M6 M54 and then past Wrexham finishing in Mold.

Allow for average variable British weather and congestion on the M6.

Must be able to do the entire journey without a charging stop as I can do in the Korando or Venga and still have a reserve of 50 miles which is when either car fuel warning light comes on.

Reply awaited please MCB

Other alternative.

1. Bring a car and do it with me, supply something with a suitable range plus the reserves

I'll pay the entire fuel costs each way plus all food.

OR

2. let me try it for a minimum of a week or 10 days, as having owned lots of cars, I have been severely disappointed at times too.

Edited by _ORB_ on 15/08/2023 at 07:53

‘ especially when there’s still a big question mark over just how environmentally friendly EV’s really are.’

No, Electric Cars Don't Pollute More (skeptoid.com)

Edited by SLO76 on 15/08/2023 at 23:18

Edited by SLO76 on 04/11/2023 at 19:47

And not even cold yet, as you describe well where it suits your use fine but the charging situation like everything else these days can't be trusted.

I'm guessing your Leaf doesn't have a heat pump? That'll account for a good portion of your range loss. Whilst my range does decrease in winter - it's physics, innit - I don't see nearly as much loss as you.

Looking back at SLO's original post just 6 months ago.

"A good used Nissan Leaf at under £15,000 can make for an excellent commuter car or taxi."

I think SLO's was 3 years old when he got it?

Very nearly new available now for £17k

www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202312054577056

Old tech? Time of year? Sluggish economy? A bit of all three perhaps.

I see the app is being turned off for pre-2016 models as a result of the 2G networks being phased out. I take it SLO's Leaf is a younger model and won't be affected.