[SD67]

Hi all,

We are keen to buy an EV this year but will need to purchase a more affordable used one, so most of the long range models are out of our budget. We do make (in non covid times...) frequent trips to visit both sets of parents, one is a 140 mile and one a 120 mile round trip. This seems to be a bit too far for eg. an older model Leaf.

I am wondering if it might be worth paying for and install a charging point at their homes, we do often just go for the day so would the car charge enough in 3 or 4 hours to get home again? All other long trips we'd be fine stopping at services and charging.

I know this would be expensive so any opinions, ideas or other solutions welcome!

Thanks.

 

[gladini]

Don’t assume motorway services - often a single point - will be available when you pull up, and actually work.

use the zap-map tool to see what is your area, destination area, and route. You may find a reliable rapid, and 20-30minsthere will sort you.

having a charge point installed is worth following up, get some actual quotes, but I suspect north of £500.

 

[srichards]

Zoe 40 would probably do that all year round without charging apart from very cold weather. That's the cheapest option. The leaf 40 would still be squeaky bum in the summer for the longer journey.

Zoe boot isn't bad so I wouldn't rule it out as it's bigger inside than it looks. Build quality isn't fantastic and the R110 has a better heater. The R90 has a gerbil that breathes on you.

 

[Bill N]

You could look into getting a relatively inexpensive, used, non-smart, 32A charge point installed at each destination building.

This would allow the battery in most cars to charge at about 6kW (after charging losses), meaning that in 4 hours about 24kWh of energy could be added to the battery. If we say the car does 3 miles per kWh on longer journeys, that would mean approximately 72 miles of range could be added in a 4 hour period.

 

[mikegs]

both sets of parents

paying for and install a charging point at their homes,

You are probably looking at £500 per set - probably more.
You need to work the numbers to see how much saving in fuel (petrol vs electricity) you can make, and that you will be using their power, so should perhaps reimburse them.
Financially I think it's unlikely the savings will cut it, but

frequent trips

is a bit vague.

Environmentally - up to you

 

[EdH]

Use the aptly named granny lead an plug into a 13A socket.

 

[mikegs]

Use the aptly named granny lead an plug into a 13A socket.

3 or 4 hours

Which will gain about 30-40 miles ... Not confidence inspiring.

 

[srichards]

Granny lead also needs an electric socket close to the car that is high quality otherwise it's a bit of a safety risk.

 

[NGee]

...one is a 140 mile and one a 120 mile round trip. This seems to be a bit too far for eg. an older model Leaf.

Are these both round trips? So one is 70 miles each way, and the other 60 miles each way?

If so, don't discount a 30kWh Leaf. I recently moved from one, and would expect to do about 90 - 110 miles safely on a single charge. The granny charger adds about 7 miles an hour, so you'd be fairly close to being able to do either journey without much change to your routine needed.

If there's an Instavolt, Osprey, or Shell Recharge station on the route then a quick ten minute charge would be all you'd need to be in the clear. Or maybe a visit to a free Pod Point at a Tesco, and have a one hour charge while you pick up a few bits.

You'd have to be in a leisurely mindset of course, and be familiar with charging options along the route, just in case...

 

[Peter Cittern]

the first edition Ioniq would pretty much do your return journeys, maybe not quite in the winter depending on heating and speed but 4 hours or less on a granny at your destination then you'd likely be fine

 

[idiotzoo]

Look up on zap map what’s in the area of your destination. There may be convenient charge points already. Also it’s worth having a play with A Better Route Planner which will let you plan your route with different models of car and tell you where you could charge to complete the journey.

The important point here is know you have options. Relying in a single charger to complete a journey is risky unfortunately.

you could consider getting a commando socket installed at your family locations and using something like the ohme cable as a portable charger. This would work out slightly cheaper, perhaps.

 

[Aragorn]

If so, don't discount a 30kWh Leaf. I recently moved from one, and would expect to do about 90 - 110 miles safely on a single charge. The granny charger adds about 7 miles an hour, so you'd be fairly close to being able to do either journey without much change to your routine needed.

i've NEVER seen near 100miles from my 30, and winter range is regularly in the 50-60miles range. Its really poor advice to try to suggest these cars are suitable for those kinda mileages, when driven normally. Tootling around town and 40mph A roads sure it might be possible, but 70mph on a motorway is not a chance.

Theres no point calculating suitability using the best possible case figures. Use 3 miles per kwh as a rule of thumb for calculating range. 140miles needs around 46kwh. So a 40kwh LEAF or Zoe would probably be alright with a granny lead for topup. Remember that these cars dont actually have their nameplate capacities available. A LEAF30 has about 25-26kwh usable, the 40 has about 36kwh usable. A 30 is going to arrive after 70miles almost completely flat, and thats going to take a full day of charging to refill unless you find one with the fairly rare 6kw onboard charger, and install a wallbox at your destination.

If you want to do it without charging at all, you'll need a 50-60kwh car.

 

[HandyAndy]

140 mile round trip is no sweat, even in winter, for a 38 kWh Ioniq. And probably easy for a 39 kWh Kona, if there are any of these around. But there's a qn mark over these, and the 64 Kona, 'coz Hyundai are facing a battery-swap recall on the NCM 622 battery tech used in them, yet to see if this same recall applies world-wide or what. So mine might be getting a new battery, which will increase the 2nd hand value a little bit!
Fire risk is incredibly low, but if it does happen, like Zafiras, it's a good bonfire, so mine's staying parked on the roadside!

The 28 kWh Ioniq doesn't use 622 chemistry, so won't be recalled. It, and the 38, are about the most efficient EV you can get, and do a really great job of getting miles per kWh. I did my first long winter trip in mine of 160 miles, and had 40 in the tank at the end. Travelled gently using radar-controlled ACC to cruise v economically behind HGVs for about half the distance. I think the 28 will do your 120 in winter, driven gently.

 

[SD67]

Thanks everyone for all this. We are very much at the beginning of our EV journey but very keen to get one, mainly for environmental reasons. Lots of food for thought here. Will no doubt be back with more questions soon. Thanks again.

 

[HandyAndy]

FWIW Hyundai 28 kWh means you get 28 kWh, there's a bit of buffer as well that you never get to see, so real capacity is probably just > 30 kWh. You'll see ID.3 described as 58 kWh, or 62 kWh; 58 is what you get to use, 62 is the "real", so ther's a 4 kWh buffer on that which you can't get at.
Have a play using
abetterrouteplanner.com
for your trip, you choose what car, what speeds, what temperature, wind, etc & it should give you a feel for how close to the limits you'll be, depending which car.

 

[njm106]

The best bang for your buck or miles for your squids in this case would be a classic Ioniq, it would need topping up to do those longer journeys but it's so efficient it might be able to do them in the summer with only an hour or two on a granny charger. MG5 might be a good choice as well but it'll probably be a while before these will come on the secondhand market

 

[andrew*debbie]

quent trips to visit both sets of parents, one is a 140 mile and one a 120 mile round trip.

You should be able to get 70 miles out of a used LEAF 30. You will need to set the speed limiter at 62mph though.

You need one with the optional 6.6kW on-board charger. That option will refill the car in 4 hours from a home charge point. (but not a 3 pin plug)

Absolutly install charge points at the destinations. Add that cost to the total car budget.

LEAF 30 uses CHAdeMO rapid charging which is more reliable on the older chargers at Motorway services.