[BHill]

Just ordered the Kia Soul EV in White (Kia red roof/mirrors can't get it without) or the Stormtrooper as some have called it.
We are coming out of diesel vehicles and as 90% of our journeys are now under 15 miles the engine does not get to proper temp or fuel efficiency.
My wife has back and leg issues which is why we need more of a crossover type vehicle.
We first looked at the Hyundai ionic but found it too low and then the Hyundai Kona but the same spec as the Soul we noticed the driving position for the wife was not as comfy as the Soul so opted for the Soul.
We had a 1 hour test drive and found it very good to drive and comfy.
We are also very confused with all the charge jargon and when/where to charge but we are having an home charger fitted hopefully but 3 weeks after the delivery date so we will see what happens and whether BP chargemaster can move us up the list, local lockdown does not help at all either.
Anyway hello and i hope i can learn a lot to make electric motoring as simple as it can be

 

[Troy]

Enjoy the new car. Don’t worry about charging just use granny plug at home and on first adventures turn for home before half of electric has been used.
Try near home rapid as practice not when away and desperate.
It’s fun go out and enjoy.

 

[DSLRed]

Hi BHill. I am in the same area as you (about half hour drive away by the sounds of it based on your description of where you are). I have recently taken delivery of the exact same car, same colour combo. You are going to love it. I just wish we weren't still confined to home working, can't wait till this pandemic thingy is all over so I can get back on the road properly.

I moved over to the world of EV for similar reasons - had a diesel which was not doing the mileage needed plus lockdown made me realise that we need to do things different. I suddenly saw the light, as it were. So solar fitted and EV researched and purchased.

I have been a regular on here for a few months now as I have been researching. It's a mine of information and full of knowledgable and friendly enthusiasts. It's pretty addictive.

Any questions, happy to help. I have been through the same learning curve.

Have you got yourself a smart meter yet, and signed up to a time of use electricity tariff such as Octopus Go? Depending on the mileage you expect to do, and the amount of charging therefore needed, it could be your next priority to more than halve the cost of your home charging.

 

[BHill]

Hi BHill. I am in the same area as you (about half hour drive away by the sounds of it based on your description of where you are). I have recently taken delivery of the exact same car, same colour combo. You are going to love it. I just wish we weren't still confined to home working, can't wait till this pandemic thingy is all over so I can get back on the road properly.


Have you got yourself a smart meter yet, and signed up to a time of use electricity tariff such as Octopus Go? Depending on the mileage you expect to do, and the amount of charging therefore needed, it could be your next priority to more than halve the cost of your home charging.

Not keen on the red roof and especially the mirrors but like the white, Took the blue one out for the demo and noticed how many scratches showed up so was not keen on that and black was not so good either so white it was.
The whole energy thing is a minefield as well so are getting lots of info but the suppliers don't make it easy.
I am not sure if something like octupus Go is worth switching to when we may only charge once a week?
We also would love to do a holiday to Cornwall and also to the north of Scotland eventually so that would be interesting to see how that would work.
Thanks for the welcome guys

 

[DSLRed]

I have to admit, if they had done it in white with a black roof I would have gone for that. But I am happy with the red, surprising how quickly you get used to it and it does look different.

Agree that it might not save much money on GO if you don't charge frequently but their standard rate for the other 20 hours of the day are competitive so for the sake of a (free) smart meter, my view is that whatever it saves, it's better in my pocket than theirs

 

[Todor]

Hello! I was in Wakefield yesterday and managed to use one of the free Rapids! Congrats on the purchase, you will love it!

PS: subscribe to ENGIE network and use the free electrons while available! There were a large number around and a quick 30min topup will last you a while (~100miles).

 

[BHill]

Hi Todor
What are the "free rapids" and also "free electrons" i am getting confused with all this as people keep saying that West Yorkshire is best place for free chargers but i can't ever find any info on the net about them lol.
We are going with BP Chargemaster for our charger at home so i believe we get a card for them?

 

[Todor]

Look for ENGIE:

ENGIE Electric Vehicle Charging

Free until October 2021? I think...

 

[DSLRed]

Hi BHill.

What Todor is referring to is that there is an on going project run by a charging company called Engie to install a significant number of chargers in the West Yorkshire area in association with local councils. These are set up to be free until October 2021, but will then revert to being chargeable. Have a read through this thread here, it gives you the locations of lots of them as them get intalled

Engie rapid chargers in West Yorkshire which are Free to...

Ilkley one is now up - used it this morning no problems. It does have a sticker on it saying 'not in use' but it's on the site and Bradford council have tweeted about it working. Just opposite 'Love Brownies'! Hawksworth Street, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, LS29 9DX

www.speakev.com

However, it sounds like with the mileage you are going to be doing, that rapid charging on public chargers is not going to be too much of a concern to you until you start to want to take some of those long trips to Scotland etc. The vast majority of your charging will be done at home using your BP Chargemaster home charger, and you won't go near a public charger, certainly not a rapid charger anyway, from one month to the next. You won't particularly use the ones that are local to you because you will just charge from home, unless you want to avail yourself of the free electricity that you can get from the Engie points until the free offer period expires. But the cost of charging from home for you will be pennies anyway. The ones you are more interested in are the ones far from home when you are on a long journey.

As and when you get to the point where you are doing long journeys that are outside the range of your car, which in practise means more than 120 miles away, so the return journey can't be done on your full charge from home, then you will need a bit of a familiarity with rapid charging network. There are loads of companies out there providing rapid chargers, some more reliable than others. Some need you to use an app on your phone. Some provide a separate card, known as an RFID card, that you apply for. The best ones are the ones that you just rock up and pay by debit card, and the most reliable of these right now seems to be a company called Instavolt.

In the first place, I would suggest that, if you want to get to grips with the public charging, have a read through the specific thread section called 'General Charging Discussion'

And download the app called ZapMap. This is the app that allows you to find public chargers near your location.

 

[BHill]

Look for ENGIE:

ENGIE Electric Vehicle Charging

Free until October 2021? I think...

wow cheers today is a school day

 

[BHill]

Hi BHill.

What Todor is referring to is that there is an on going project run by a charging company called Engie to install a significant number of chargers in the West Yorkshire area in association with local councils. These are set up to be free until October 2021, but will then revert to being chargeable. Have a read through this thread here, it gives you the locations of lots of them as them get intalled

Engie rapid chargers in West Yorkshire which are Free to...

Ilkley one is now up - used it this morning no problems. It does have a sticker on it saying 'not in use' but it's on the site and Bradford council have tweeted about it working. Just opposite 'Love Brownies'! Hawksworth Street, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, LS29 9DX

www.speakev.com

However, it sounds like with the mileage you are going to be doing, that rapid charging on public chargers is not going to be too much of a concern to you until you start to want to take some of those long trips to Scotland etc. The vast majority of your charging will be done at home using your BP Chargemaster home charger, and you won't go near a public charger, certainly not a rapid charger anyway, from one month to the next. You won't particularly use the ones that are local to you because you will just charge from home, unless you want to avail yourself of the free electricity that you can get from the Engie points until the free offer period expires. But the cost of charging from home for you will be pennies anyway. The ones you are more interested in are the ones far from home when you are on a long journey.

As and when you get to the point where you are doing long journeys that are outside the range of your car, which in practise means more than 120 miles away, so the return journey can't be done on your full charge from home, then you will need a bit of a familiarity with rapid charging network. There are loads of companies out there providing rapid chargers, some more reliable than others. Some need you to use an app on your phone. Some provide a separate card, known as an RFID card, that you apply for. The best ones are the ones that you just rock up and pay by debit card, and the most reliable of these right now seems to be a company called Instavolt.

In the first place, I would suggest that, if you want to get to grips with the public charging, have a read through the specific thread section called 'General Charging Discussion'

And download the app called ZapMap. This is the app that allows you to find public chargers near your location.

thank you that has answered a miriad of questions i had.
like above today really has been a school day and i am more the happier for it
thanks guys

 

[DSLRed]

thank you that has answered a miriad of questions i had.
like above today really has been a school day and i am more the happier for it
thanks guys

No problem - if you have any more questions, fire them in. I will try and pass on my vast experience - it amounts to several minutes worth now

 

[BHill]

been down today and it is there awaiting prep for Saturday collection.

 

[Todor]

Looks nice and that was my first choice colour, until I saw the blue in person.