[Drewby80]

Hi I’m looking to buy a 2015 22kW Zoe dynamique Intens for my wife.

She does very little mileage and only needs a city run around so it would be perfect for her.

I’m aware that the motor was upgraded this year and the new one provided a little more range but I’m not overly fussed about this.

Is there anything I should know about / look for when I go and have a look at one of these?

Thanks

 

[Chris P.]

Extended warranty about £300 a year. If warranty hasn't been extended hard to recommend purchasing. Other than that, usual used car stuff. Make sure absolutely everything works as it should. Check heating/ air con. Still excellent car if it suits your needs but needs buying with care.

 

[X4dow]

if you're looking at battery hire rather than ownership, its worth noting that hire+electricity will cost you substantially more than petrol alone would. not to mention that you will have the other "downsides" of electricity such as limited range.

 

[Jim Cooper]

Common fault is noisy anti-roll bars. Drive it up the bumpiest road you can and listen for knocking noise underneath.
Be aware that if you don’t have a home charger already the Renault granny lead is very expensive.

 

[cah197]

Be aware that if you don’t have a home charger already the Renault granny lead is very expensive.

You don’t have to use a Renault granny, there’s nothing special about it.

 

[Jim Cooper]

You don’t have to use a Renault granny, there’s nothing special about it.

My own experience has been that the Zoe is fussy about chargers. I bought a granny lead which dod not work with my Zoe. My point is that if the car the OP is looking to purchase includes a granny lead then that's a real bonus.

 

[cah197]

My own experience has been that the Zoe is fussy about chargers. I bought a granny lead which dod not work with my Zoe. My point is that if the car the OP is looking to purchase includes a granny lead then that's a real bonus.

It's probably more fussy about earthing in the house/socket.

I used my Tesla UMC for years with no issue.

In any case, I wouldn't be recommending anyone use a granny charger with their Zoe apart from occasional use.

 

[dk6780]

The OP has a LEAF40 so whatever charge arrangement he has for that should work with the Zoë (apart from the proviso regarding Earthing but frankly any issues highlighted by a Zoë should be fixed anyway for the sake of safety).

 

[Drewby80]

Hi thanks for your replies, I have a 7kW home charger so that should do the job if I need to granny charge I’m guessing I can use the one that came with my LEAF.

I was looking at continuing to lease the battery for the first year of ownership and then buying it, if all is well.

I’ve seen figures ~ £2.5k to purchase the battery is this correct for this year of vehicle?

Also I’m not sure how to tell if an advertised car has the rapid charge fitted is there any way of telling this without asking the dealer / looking at the vehicle?

Am I correct that the rapid is a CCS on the Zoe?

Does the 22kW Zoe have a 7kW single phase on board charger or is it 11kW 3 phase?

 

[Mo1]

Am I correct that the rapid is a CCS on the Zoe?

Does the 22kW Zoe have a 7kW single phase on board charger or is it 11kW 3 phase?

Type 2 does all the charging on the 22kWh Zoe, it has the Chameleon charger and can charge AC from the granny right up to 43kW rapid if its the Q model or up to 22kW if the R model.

EDIT: its only the new ZE50 that has the option of CCS

 

[555djx]

We've just part-exchanged both our Zoes for a Honda e.

I've just sold the Granny cable to a new Zoe owner in Brighton.

I still have two of the following available for anyone interested.
Double Trunk Floor Compartment

 

[Adrian Herridge]

In any case, I wouldn't be recommending anyone use a granny charger with their Zoe apart from occasional use.

Any particular reason? I've been using one since forever on both a Zoe & Leaf with no issues or problems. Other than only charging at 1.6kw & 2.1 kw respectively.

I had the same conversation with a dealer who could only cite electrical safety in wet conditions, which is a weak argument. Doesn't seem to affect battery health either as both my Zoe & Leaf's batteries were/are in exceptional condition for age and mileage.

 

[cah197]

Any particular reason? I've been using one since forever on both a Zoe & Leaf with no issues or problems. Other than only charging at 1.6kw & 2.1 kw respectively.

You need to check the thread where the guy almost had his house burn down.

It’s OK until the day it isn’t, and you get a fire.

I’ve melted a socket using a granny. It can happen due to corrosion of the contacts, which leads to overheating.

The issue is it can be used safely, but if you don’t know the wiring standards of someone’s house, it would be wrong to recommend it.

How would you feel if your recommendation led to the death of someone?

 

[Adrian Herridge]

You need to check the thread where the guy almost had his house burn down.

It’s OK until the day it isn’t, and you get a fire.

I’ve melted a socket using a granny. It can happen due to corrosion of the contacts, which leads to overheating.

The issue is it can be used safely, but if you don’t know the wiring standards of someone’s house, it would be wrong to recommend it.

How would you feel if your recommendation led to the death of someone?

The granny cables draw approximately (or in my case almost exactly) 10A, so the same could be said for a tumble drier, fan heater or washing machine I guess.

I'm conflicted about that kind of advice tbh. Most weatherproof socket installs will involve a spur from a stable main and will be a new socket. Sure you can't guarantee it, but you can't odds a wire fault in a new run either.

 

[555djx]

Any particular reason? I've been using one since forever on both a Zoe & Leaf with no issues or problems. Other than only charging at 1.6kw & 2.1 kw respectively.

I had the same conversation with a dealer who could only cite electrical safety in wet conditions, which is a weak argument. Doesn't seem to affect battery health either as both my Zoe & Leaf's batteries were/are in exceptional condition for age and mileage.

Our Honda e was supplied with both a Granny cable and a Type 2 cable so one Granny cable previously used with the Zoe was surplus to requirements. We still have another Renault Granny cable spare that can be quickly hooked up if the home Pod-Point goes awry.

 

[Drewby80]

The granny cables draw approximately (or in my case almost exactly) 10A, so the same could be said for a tumble drier, fan heater or washing machine I guess.

I'm conflicted about that kind of advice tbh. Most weatherproof socket installs will involve a spur from a stable main and will be a new socket. Sure you can't guarantee it, but you can't odds a wire fault in a new run either.

I think the distinction here is an electric vehicle can draw 10a from a socket for 14 straight hours so that’s not really a direct use comparison.

I have seen cheap / old worn sockets melt when heavily loaded.

When I install sockets I tend to use MK or equivalent

I used my Nissan granny over Christmas and when I unplugged it the pins on the 13a were warm.

I think one of the issues is that the brass contacts in the socket oxidise over time of thermal cycles and eventually the resistance increases to the point where they overheat and melt the socket.

A lot of the better quality granny chargers have a thermistor built into the 3 pin plug that switch them off because this can happen.

I wouldn’t recommend using a granny as a daily charging solution.

 

[Adrian Herridge]

I think the distinction here is an electric vehicle can draw 10a from a socket for 14 straight hours so that’s not really a direct use comparison.

I have seen cheap / old worn sockets melt when heavily loaded.

When I install sockets I tend to use MK or equivalent

I used my Nissan granny over Christmas and when I unplugged it the pins on the 13a were warm.

I think one of the issues is that the brass contacts in the socket oxidise over time of thermal cycles and eventually the resistance increases to the point where they overheat and melt the socket.

A lot of the better quality granny chargers have a thermistor built into the 3 pin plug that switch them off because this can happen.

I wouldn’t recommend using a granny as a daily charging solution.

Okay, fair enough. I suppose I have too, given the structure and limits of my installation. But I will bear that in mind, although I am confident that my installation, in this case, is sufficient.

 

[555djx]

We used a Granny cable to charge our Zoe for 18 months before the Pod-Point was installed. The power to the garage is supplied by twin + earth clipped to fence panels, and was installed prior to buying our house in 1988 (yes 1988, not a typo), we had zero problems with that. There’s also a freezer, fridge, and a tumble drier in the garage, all have been running happily together for the past 32 years!

 

[cah197]

The granny cables draw approximately (or in my case almost exactly) 10A, so the same could be said for a tumble drier, fan heater or washing machine I guess.

I'm conflicted about that kind of advice tbh. Most weatherproof socket installs will involve a spur from a stable main and will be a new socket. Sure you can't guarantee it, but you can't odds a wire fault in a new run either.

Do you run your tumble dryer for 12 hours?

You can make your own choices of course, but the issue is with people that don’t understand the risks, where they may not have good quality installations.

Which is why it’s problematic to promote the use of granny cables as a general rule.

 

[cah197]

A lot of the better quality granny chargers have a thermistor built into the 3 pin plug that switch them off because this can happen.

My UMC has a thermistor in the plug, but it still melted the socket. OK, so it probably would have cut the power if it had got to the point of catching on fire.

It all seems a bit silly for saving £300 or so.