[SoulGW]

The number of times that Niro won't do the full trip will be single digits each year!

99.9% of the time you will have 40+ miles to spare. I have never seen my range estimator drop under 242 HOWEVER in sub zero temps with heater on 22, and 70mph I can see 200m being tight - but seriously, how often do you get that?

Temp over 10 degrees absolutely no problem, sub 5 degrees you may have to stop - tip is, stop when the car gets to 30% not 10 % (will charge faster) and just after driving 20+ miles (battery warmer - charges faster).
Buy something like the MG and yes its a good car, but you will be charging every day, (real range 190 ish on the MG5?)

I have got 312m out of my Soul before now, so they are one of the few EV's that will easily do what is claimed..... most wont.

Whats the route, perhaps we can make some suggestions? Whats the destination? Is there a nearby 7.2kw free charger you can pop on for 2 hrs?

 

[SoulGW]

Other ideas

Do you go to the gym after work, if so and you are a member of a chain, go at your work rather than when you get back home - or en-route, most gyms have chargers....

Make a coffee and something to eat before you leave put on flask. Stop near destination at a rapid, drink the coffee, eat breaking, take on 20KW in 20 min - that will be plenty

Park at a Tesco near the destination, walk to destination, leave car on charger 2hrs then pick up at first coffee break.

All easy things, and only required in the very coldest weather.

 

[SoulGW]

I think the killer is the sub zero, 70mph + all heaters on AND 200m range from a non Tesla, Mach e, ID3 Long range......

To get all that, you need a 320m quoted range really so loss of 30% still gets you there....

 

[SoulGW]

The Ioniq or 39kwh Niro is totally unsuited to what you ask - good cars though they are.

Any one of your requirements on its own might be ok (can I do the occasional 200m trip for example) they would be fine cars.

However you are basically asking for a car that no matter what will do a clean 210m (gotta have some margin) no matter what the weather.... There are still very very few meeting that brief.

The Niro is the closest without spending £47k on a model 3 LR or £43k on a Mach-E extended range or more.

It’s certainly got the most REAL range (not claimed) in the sub £40k bracket (Possibly large battery Enyaq excepted?)

I think if you drop your speed to 67/68 mph ish, totally pre-condition before departure, keep the heater on 20 not 23 deg, heated seat on 1 and wear a Jumper in the car you will do what you want 99.99999% of the time - just don’t be a hero - on that ultra rare time the range says 3m less than your distance to go, don’t leave it till you have 1m left - charge for 10min on a rapid and smile at how much you save in fuel every week with the battery over 30% and warm, and you will be fine....

Find the cheapest rapid on your regular route, somewhere near 1/3 of your return trip, and as you approach it make your “call” whether to charge or not. Most times it will be, range 140m distance left 80m - no need, but one day it will be - range left 80m, distance to go 80m - stop for 10, have a pee, and in 10min I’ll add 8kw which gives me 20 miles more range (would normally be more like 32m but this will only happen when it’s freezing) so I now have 100m range and 80m to go.

Whilst rapid charging you can also heat the cabin right up as well, to conserve a bit more heater!

But run out on a freezing wet night, and during the hour waiting for the tow truck you will be cursing And wondering if you did the right thing....

 

[SoulGW]

Why not go to abetterrouteplanner.com and input your journey using different cars that you are considering. Then adjust the parameters in the settings to suit various scenarios ( weather, terrain, road conditions etc). This should give you a better idea of what is achievable and popssibly help with your purchase decision.

This won’t work.

Most EV’S don’t get anywhere near their claimed range - the Kia’s do.....

Put in an MG5 into a route planner and it will say he’d be fine, but on the scenario he’s talking of (70mph, freezing cold etc) he just won’t.

The key is, and everyone on here confirms it - the Kia’s get up towards 90 ish % of their claimed range - some cars are near 75%.

Hit some cold in there and the Kia’s are at 70% of claimed range, others 50% or even 40%!!!!!

I cannot think of another car that will do what the op asks other than a Kona, Soul or Niro for the money. Spend another £10k and there are a few for sure, but not at £35 ish k

 

[SoulGW]

I can get it into the high 3s/low 4s when doing local journeys.
However on an almost empty M6/M74 there just isn't the opportunity to lift/Coast.
Yes I could drop to 50/55 mph but I want a long journey to be done quickly, not extended by hours. Thankfully I dont need to do such a journey very often.

If you drop from say 68 to 55 - to extend a journey by an hour you’d need to be driving around 500 miles plus!

If you cruise at 70 you will usually be blocked at least a few times, check your average speed over a 200 mile journey... if you cruise at 70 it will probably be 60-62mph.

Cruise at 55 and it will probably average out around 52-53 - so on a 200 mile trip you might save 20-30 min at most.

I am not saying drive at 55 - but the journey time difference is pitiful between doing 70 and 65 but the range difference is there....

If I need range I cruise at 65 - 68 and if I don’t need to conserve range I cruise slightly faster....

 

[SoulGW]

It won't do 200 in winter.
View attachment 143067
Started at 100%, pulled in for a charge and a rest at about 12% remaining.

Temps around 5C, lots of wind+rain at times, heater on 21/22C, motorway speeds between 65 and 80.

It might do it if you're prepared to draft trucks at 50mph or drive with no heating on.

You must drive like a loon to get it down to 2.9m/Kwh. Dont you have your regeneration braking turned on?

Throughout the whole of this winter, the lowest I have ever seen is 3.2 or 3.3 I think!

Have frequently had over 5.

 

[SoulGW]

Jesus, cracking input there. Thanks for that.
Never drifted upto 75 following the flow of traffic? Hard to believe you've never broken the law.
Or are you that person that sits at 50 mph, forcing trucks into the middle lane? You are arent you?!

How on earth do you "Drift up" to 75mph? If adaptive cruise is set at 68 or 70, thats the max you will go... perhaps slow a bit if baulked by traffic, but you won't go faster than the setting when that traffic clears?

 

[SoulGW]

This was this morning. Short trip so by nature inefficient, Started out at -2 degrees, when I got to work it was 2 degrees I had my seat heater on 2, the cabin set to 23 degrees, no preconditioning (I dont have a charger at home) - and mid 3's achieved.

Seriously not sure how on earth you would get one of these under 3 unless you are TRYING to drink the juice.

 

[SoulGW]

I agree 70+ mph starts to really impact range and 80 will batter it.....

If you need the range (as the op does) then 65-70 is the sweet spot for range / getting the journey done... 65 is better for range 70 will save a few mins of time, but not worth it if it means he'll need a charge.

 

[SoulGW]

What are you on about here? You cannot turn regenerative braking off!
The only way is to drop into N and I certainly hope you are not doing that too often!
Peter

Yes you can turn it off - Right paddle, more times you pull it, more it drops until no arrows means no regenerative braking....


I do it, but only where I feel a coast will be better than regenerative (very slight downhill with no need to slow for example)

 

[SoulGW]

True that the initial part of brake travel does do regen - but many can't modulate it to get max regen without using friction brakes which is hugely wasteful. I rarely touch the brake pedal on drives - maybe once in last 3 weeks?? Dont like thinking any of that energy will go into waste heat.

 

[SoulGW]

I prefer to use the "one pedal" style driving, and it certainly works for me - I seem to get better figures than some (perhaps worse than others).

If you can tell where the regen stops and the friction brake starts in terms of pedal travel you are doing well, I struggle and consider myself reasonably mechanically "sympathetic". Do what works for you obviously, but in my opinion, if you just press the brake pedal routinely, sometimes you will use the mechanical brakes....

I only use them if I know / judge the regen wont stop me in time, which is very rare.

 

[SoulGW]

It’s difficult to tell when friction braking starts.

My point exactly. If I don’t touch the pedal, I know it’s ALL regen. And as you don’t NEED to touch the pedal, why do it?

 

[SoulGW]

For 6 times a year, rapid charging is fine - I misread it to be a daily / weekly thing.

Any decent range (about 200m + claimed) will do it very well for you.

Plus once you’ve had that range you would struggle to drop down, never had it you won’t miss it.

 

[SoulGW]

Because any gain is absolutely minuscule. And...

Fair enough - I disagree, but we are all entitled to different views

 

[SoulGW]

I too chose a car that would do 99% of my required journeys without needing a charge - the reality is it’s been more like 99.99% - I’ve only had to rapid charge once, for a trip to Scotland, every other day I have just driven where I wanted to and got back with range to spare....

 

[SoulGW]

Yeah, I dare not imagine how you’d try and park an eNiro/Kona/Soul without using the brake pedal! Maybe it’s been one very long drive lasting 3 weeks!

Ok, I concede i mean when driving rather than manoeuvring. Because if you read the road ahead, level 3 regen is plenty in the soul 99% of the time, pulling left paddle covers another .99% so its only if something really odd or erratic occurs I need to use the pedal. I was taught to drive leaving a decent gap - so many people drive right up the backside of the car in front - they simply couldn't rely on regen (admit, rarely see an electric car driven in that way). I am forever telling my partner when she drives to drop back a bit - and when she does she admits its far less stressful... yet next time out she is too close again....

 

[SoulGW]

I can't do the "no brake" thing in an ice car, but I get 30k out of brake pads where many friends are changing them every 5000-15000..... I rarely brake hard or that frequently, coasting down from 60 limits to 30 limits and so on...

I too never had a single lesson - dad taught me and taught me well, all my faults are mine not his teachings lol