Electronics > Power/Renewable Energy/EV's

Electric Car Experiences

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boffin:
I'm starting this off as a new topic for those interested in discussions around the viability of owning and operating electric vehicles. 

Experiences such as range, charging solutions, real-world economics, idiosyncrasies of your vehcile and more

For myself, I drive a new VW eGolf, and it's been great so far (other than a flat tire). Economy is amazing, about 14kWh/100k out of the battery, call it 16kWh when you consider charging efficiency.

Anyone else want to add their experiences with their electric (or PHEV) ?

Fred27:
I've had a Zero FXS electric motorbike for the last year. I absolutely love it. It's not a motorway mile cruncher or suited to touring, but it's great fun and ideal for commuting.

mtdoc:
4 years ago I purchased a Chevy Volt. I never thought I'd purchase a compact American car but after reading so many positive reviews....

I understood the technical advantages of moving a vehicle with an electric motor vs an ICE and I knew I would be saving money on gasoline but what I did not appreciate was just how nice it is not having to go to the gasoline station once a week.   My current lifetime average is 208 mpg.  I rarely need to use any gasoline - only for the occasional long car trip.  I only put gas in it about twice a year.

The experience has been so positive, we just bought my wife a PHEV minivan - the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV.

I also own a Toyota 4WD Tundra pick up truck I use for hauling garbage, recycling and construction materials.  It also serves as our emergency vehicle during heavy snow falls when the roads have not yet been plowed.  As soon as there is a good 4WD EV truck available, I'll be replacing the Tundra...

saike:
I bought a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV a few months ago and so far it has been brilliant, 1200 miles without putting any petrol in it yet.
It is definitely a short trip shopping car with a proposed electric range of 32 miles and I am quite surprised that I am actually  getting an easy (summer time) 28 miles range.

Charging while away from home is a non starter, there is either a 4 hour charge time to do another 28 miles, or a fast charge (30 mins) to get another 24 miles which is more expensive than putting a gallon of petrol in the car.

The thing that surprises me most about all this (with the recent kerfuffle about exhaust emissions in mind) is that anybody actually believes the performance figures quoted by the car manufacturers, which are purely aimed at selling the car to the public and not giving them any real idea of the performance they can expect from the car.

boffin:

--- Quote from: saike on August 04, 2018, 05:12:24 am ---The thing that surprises me most about all this (with the recent kerfuffle about exhaust emissions in mind) is that anybody actually believes the performance figures quoted by the car manufacturers, which are purely aimed at selling the car to the public and not giving them any real idea of the performance they can expect from the car.

--- End quote ---

I actually think right now that some companies (I'm looking at your VW) are completely paranoid about exactly that.  For example my eGolf is quoted 200km/charge, but I routinely get about 225-240

As for actual mileage, I'm seeing about 14kWh/100km, even with charging losses of what appear to be around 10% the numbers are quite stunning
15½ kWh @ C$0.085/kWh = C$1.32/100km whereas the ICE version of the same car uses about 8l of gasoline @$1.46/l, or $11.68

As for AC/heater usage, using the AC seems to add 1-2kW to the draw, not a huge draw, and certainly not enough to scare me about it.

For 90% of the people out there, a BEV is a viable alternative. There's always going to be people who need regular long drives etc, but I probably do 200+km drives in a day about 2/year, and it either takes a little planning, or to simply rent a car when I do need non-EV range. 

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