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What suits my commute?

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3K views 29 replies 13 participants last post by  proddick 
#1 ·
I'm wondering what kind of EV the experts here think would match my current commute:

It's 23 miles each way, 3 people in, 2 people out.

On the way in, the first 10 miles are usually 50-60 mph on A roads and dual carriageway. Then comes the heavy traffic which can be anything from start-stop to a steady 30 mph for the next 10 miles for four days each week, but on Friday and school holidays this second 10 miles is also 50-60 mph. The next 1.5 miles is city centre stuff, followed by 1 mile of 50-60 mph motorway, then a final 0.5 miles of city. 1 hour per day (or worse) Mon-Thurs and 35-45 mins on a Friday.

The way home is basically the reverse route and all 30 mph or stop-start /city traffic for 10 miles, then 13 miles at 50-60 mph.

What type and even make/model of EV would suit this usage pattern?

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
I should add that I don't currently have any charging facilities at home and live in a flat so am not sure how that would work if I was to get something installed. Work does have a couple of bays I could maybe get access to, but I don't know the specs on those.
 
#3 ·
Almost any current BEV would likely be fine for the commute.

Your lack of charging would be an issue though, how do you intend to charge it? Your unlikely to be able to charge it at home unless your flat happens to include a driveway. The council wont be happy with you stringing a cable across a public path, and getting permission from your neighbours to get a charge point on their land isnt likely to be easy...

If you could guarantee work charging then it might be fine, you'd need to charge at work every day though, and would have to figure out some way to charge the car up if you used it at the weekend or whatever.
 
#4 ·
We have parking in front of the building for all of our cars (5) with no council land in the way and everyone is very friendly here. It's likely I would be able to have a charge point installed, though how that would work in the future if others wanted to use it I don't know. If it came to it I could sling a long cable out of a bedroom window :D

I do about 15k a year so figure around 4k miles of weekend and 'trips'.
 
#5 ·
You might find yourself negotiating with EV-driving colleagues but having charge bays at work is a big plus - a lot of employers still do not offer this.

Would changing your job cost you your ability to charge the car? I have seen cables running out of windows/doors and across pavements to charge cars overnight but it can be a hazard to pedestrians and cyclists. Will the open window make your home cold during winter?
 
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#7 ·
If you can't charge at home stick with a phev like an Ampera or you're just making life a pain for yourself. If you can almost any ev will do that trip but if you have to allow a detour to charge you're looking more at a 30kW Leaf, Soul EV or something else slightly longer ranged.
 
#8 ·
If you're quick you can get the top end Leaf for £199/month £199 deposit and it will do this day in day out and your passengers will appreciate the leather and heated leather at that!
 
#9 ·
Whether an EV will fit in to your routine will depend, I suppose, on how close to your flat you have a public charge point or if you can work out having one put in at home.

Living in a flat is not a barrier to ownership but it does add an inconvenience. User @She_sElectric on Twitter is based in Dundee and manages wth her 24kWh LEAF using purely public charging.

As others have said, almost any of the currently available BEV's will cope with your commuting. Drive a few (that can be a challenge) and see what you like.

Some cracking cheap deals on LEAF available until end of the current quarter.

I'm also in Glasgow and we do have a reasonably good public charging provision. Whereabouts are you? How close is your nearest post?

Derek
 
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#10 ·
No home charging is always going to be a pain unless you have destination chargers close to home/work. Your range is easy in the majority of BEV's but in your shoes I would either get a PHEV (Volt/Ampera second hand) or for a lot more money the BMW i3 REX and Hyundai Ioinc would be the safest. The new Zoe 40kWh, LEAF 30kWh or Ionic would be the safest BEV's but with no home charger you are then reliant on public charging.

What is your closest dealer? Could you reliable charge there?
 
#11 ·
All current EVs suit your commute :)

No current EVs suit your lack of home charging :(

I honestly could not recommend a plug-in car to anyone who can't plug it in at home or at their daily workplace.

Some people do run plugins despite not having this, but they're the exception, and they're generally doing so because they have made a lifestyle choice that having zero emissions is worth the considerable hassle of having to go and take the car somewhere to fill it up regularly. Only you can decide whether that description fits you.

As others have said, the first thing to do is figure out a plan for getting charging either at home or at work. Once you have that cracked then really any BEV will be great.
 
#12 ·
All current EVs suit your commute :)

<snip> Once you have that cracked then really any BEV will be great.
Not so sure about any BEV being great, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV (or the Peugeot or Citroen clone) would be great in the city traffic but not so good on the fast stretches and maybe not so roomy or comfortable for that number of people over that distance. Also if able to charge at work every weekday but not at home, then something with rapid charge capability would be better for domestic & pleasure use at the weekend- head to the nearest rapid charger on your way out and get 80% charge in 30 mins and longer battery range will help if you are going for longer trips.

How you are financing it also will influence the best choice, e.g. battery lease Nissan Leaf 30kWh could be a good choice on a 2-3 year PCP but for cash up front/ longer ownership a battery owned Leaf 30kWh or Kia Soul 27kWh may be preferable. I am a bit unclear about the fast charging capability of Renault Zoes but now you can get them on battery lease or owned as well apparently.

One mitigation against the charging hassles is how easy and relaxing it is to drive an EV in start stop crawling city traffic compared to an ICE, particularly an ICE with manual gearbox. I don't actually own an EV yet, but have used Renault Zoe pool cars at work for about 4 years now and this has persuaded me to look for an EV as my next car.
 
#13 ·
No home charging is always going to be a pain unless you have destination chargers close to home/work. Your range is easy in the majority of BEV's but in your shoes I would either get a PHEV (Volt/Ampera second hand) or for a lot more money the BMW i3 REX and Hyundai Ioinc would be the safest. The new Zoe 40kWh, LEAF 30kWh or Ionic would be the safest BEV's but with no home charger you are then reliant on public charging.

What is your closest dealer? Could you reliable charge there?
Closest dealer to work is an arnold clark Hyundai over the road. I'll need to pop in and look at the Ioniq, and ask about charging too.
 
#14 ·
Some cracking cheap deals on LEAF available until end of the current quarter.

I'm also in Glasgow and we do have a reasonably good public charging provision. Whereabouts are you? How close is your nearest post?

Derek
Just got a quote for a 30KWh Leaf Tekna with the 6.6KW charge option for £20,555 finance or £21,955 cash.

I'm on Alexandra Parade near the hospital end. Not sure where the nearest point is yet.
 
#21 ·
Daft question but how would that work? That's a 1 mile walk to my work. I presumably couldn't leave it there all day as I'd be hogging a charger. What's the protocol around charging? Should I be with it the entire time?
Destination chargers are designed to leave your car plugged in whilst you go about you business, whatever that is. Yes, you should move your car once its charged otherwise you are "hogging" a charger, but only when you are able to.

Rapid chargers are a different ball game though. Whilst you do not need to stay with your vehicle you should aim to leave it unattended for no more than 30 minutes.
 
#22 ·
What's the protocol around charging? Should I be with it the entire time?
The protocol around charging is very simple: you should leave your car at a public charger for no longer than you are using the amenity it is attached to.

In the case of a slow speed destination charger at a shopping centre, restaurant or hotel you can leave your car plugged in as long as you are using the shopping centre, restaurant or hotel (etiquette dictates you should move if possible when you have finished charging, but only if possible: if you leave your car at a hotel and then go off sightseeing you are not expected to come back early to unplug your car; if you plug in at a cinema car park you are not expected to leave the film half way through to unplug).

In the case of a rapid charger then the charger is the amenity, so you should not leave the car plugged in at all after charging has finished, since you are no longer using the amenity.
 
#24 ·
Is there a public charge post near your home ?
As someone who lives in a flat and has no charging at home, a plugin hybrid worked out as the 'safer' bet for me.
No, not a single charging point in this town, yet. Nearest is three miles. I am coming to the same conclusion as you, plugin hybrid might be best. What do you have?
 
#26 ·
@Lee Dalton and I both have Vauxhall Ampera's. Brilliant compromise. Only available second hand now unfortunately.

Derek
Yup, everything he said :)
Still the best budget EV on the secondhand market (assuming you can't afford a tesla)

In your (and my) situation, a BEV is just too risky. There are so many factors that could stop you from charging. At least with a PHEV you have the option to just use it as a 50mpg petrol car.
 
#28 ·
I would have thought lack of home charging was a good reason to get the 6.6 charger - less time on public chargers.
Depends. If left on a public 7kW charger while at work it would fully charge (from typical SOC) and same overnight. For cost, I can't see much benefit for people without home charger.

Personally I see benefit of 6.6 that you can get home with low SOC and can add charge before going out later. I often wish the Ampera had 7kW charging as do journey in morning and then need charged for evening.
 
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#29 ·
The OP doesn't have any home charging and has little prospect of getting any. So he is dependent on other people's chargers, whether at work or public chargers. A 6.6 kW charger will minimise the time spent on these chargers.
Even if you can charge at work, you may not be able to guarantee access to a charger all day - when I charged at work I often had to move at lunchtime to allow somebody else to use the charger. A high power charger will maximise the benefit of limited time on a charger. Workplace charging provision never keeps pace with EV adoption so the competition for chargers will only get worse over time.
 
#30 · (Edited)
The OP doesn't have any home charging and has little prospect of getting any. So he is dependent on other people's chargers, whether at work or public chargers. A 6.6 kW charger will minimise the time spent on these chargers.
Even if you can charge at work, you may not be able to guarantee access to a charger all day - when I charged at work I often had to move at lunchtime to allow somebody else to use the charger. A high power charger will maximise the benefit of limited time on a charger. Workplace charging provision never keeps pace with EV adoption so the competition for chargers will only get worse over time.
Sure if you have to share a workplace charger and move then I can see a 6.6 makes sense. If the OP was parking in a nearby public car park then it would be unreasonable to move during the day so no benefit. Everyone will have different needs - it is just a shame the 6.6 is an expensive option on PCP. The additional cost would cover a lot of rapid charging!
 
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