EV general discussion

What happens to the batteries if you don't drive for a few days, do they go flat or lose some charge?

Are EV designed to be driven every day to keep them tip top?

Now that I'm a gentleman of leisure I do find my self not driving at all for days on end.
 
Last edited:
LeeUK said:
What happens to the batteries if you don't drive for a few days, do they go flat or lose some charge?

Are EV designed to be driven every day to keep them tip top?

Now that I'm a gentleman of leisure I do find my self not driving at all for days on end.
Click to expand...

No they don't go flat. How **** would that be.

No noticeable vampire drain in my Polestar 2.

I've left it for 2 weeks at the airport before and returned with about 1% less battery. And that could have been down to temperature difference.
 
I mean it’s like a new vegan who then spends their days posting about how meat is a stupid thing to eat.

I’m saying 10yrs ago as that was when they would have had an ICE and no issue with the ‘issues’ they now raise. Not worth the energy on these ‘grass is greener’ type posts. Was not at all in reference of EV then versus now.


It’s a really old post too as it was when octopus was 5p hence the 1.2p reference. Seen it many a time
 
Last edited:
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
When I did my calcs I had similar ROI for battery and panels.
They both eat each others lunch a little, more like a 1+1 = 1.75 equation when you get both.
Click to expand...

As somebody who had a phased install solar then battery. The savings for just solar where minimal (even in summer most just goes to the grid). When the battery came i went from saving £30 to £160-180.

The combo is very powerful
 
Last edited:
crazyDAJT said:
As somebody who had a phased install solar then battery. The savings for just solar where minimal (even in summer most just goes to the grid). When the battery came i went from saving £30 to £160-180.

The combo is very powerful
Click to expand...

Are you talking per month or what here.

Of course its all relative in size of array and batteries etc but I struggle to see how you could see so little benefit from solar compared to so much from batteries
Did you normalise all the data to same pricing etc

I guess if you had solar but were not at home to use it I could see your use case.
 
Sinbad2000 said:
I hate to break it to you, but an ICE isn't alive. At a stretch you could say it breathes... but it also certainly doesn't have a soul :D (Unless it's a particular type of Kia)

and yes I am a petrolhead believe it or not - but even so I prefer my EV (which doesn't whine... there's a bit of a whistle at full power but that's just vaguely reminiscent of a K04 turbo at full song)
Click to expand...

Well it is a term we use but of course there is no such thing as an actual soul, its a made up thing by humans to reinforce our sense of self importance and to justify treating everything around us as beneath us.

If I lived in central London still then I could understand a small EV. In the same way I could own a twist and go scooter/motorbike as its just easy to drive/ride there. However if I'm going for a drive/ride then an ICE and for me gears are part of the experience. Hopefully I won't see the end of ICE motorbikes or if I do they will at least make EV versions with a gearbox as changing up and down the box on a ride is a big part of the enjoyment for me.
 
Colonel_Klinck said:
Well it is a term we use but of course there is no such thing as an actual soul, its a made up thing by humans to reinforce our sense of self importance and to justify treating everything around us as beneath us.

If I lived in central London still then I could understand a small EV. In the same way I could own a twist and go scooter/motorbike as its just easy to drive/ride there. However if I'm going for a drive/ride then an ICE and for me gears are part of the experience. Hopefully I won't see the end of ICE motorbikes or if I do they will at least make EV versions with a gearbox as changing up and down the box on a ride is a big part of the enjoyment for me.
Click to expand...
Have you seen the latest hyundai?
www.slashgear.com

What Is Hyundai's N E-Shift, And How Does It Work? - SlashGear

Making EV sports cars as engaging as manual gas-engine cars has been a goal for many carmakers, but Hyundai may have cracked the code with its N e-Shift tech.
www.slashgear.com www.slashgear.com
 
You can do both. It’s not like when you get an EV you sign a document to never own a ICE vehicle again.

Negative electric prices tonight again with agile. Can’t compare the cost of running them to any ice when no fuel bills No fuel duty, no VED and SS tax incentives (for now).
 
Colonel_Klinck said:
Well it is a term we use but of course there is no such thing as an actual soul, its a made up thing by humans to reinforce our sense of self importance and to justify treating everything around us as beneath us.

If I lived in central London still then I could understand a small EV. In the same way I could own a twist and go scooter/motorbike as its just easy to drive/ride there. However if I'm going for a drive/ride then an ICE and for me gears are part of the experience. Hopefully I won't see the end of ICE motorbikes or if I do they will at least make EV versions with a gearbox as changing up and down the box on a ride is a big part of the enjoyment for me.
Click to expand...
99% of driving is to get somewhere and back again. hardly anyone 'goes for a drive' these days right? :D
 
chanjy said:
99% of driving is to get somewhere and back again. hardly anyone 'goes for a drive' these days right? :D
Click to expand...

I certainly go for rides just for the joy of it and when I get my V8 in the new year I plan to go on a fair few drives. I've driven a Tesla model 3 and although the instant torque is nice I just found the whole experience a bit soulless. Maybe I'm just old school, well its not a maybe.
 
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
Are you talking per month or what here.

Of course its all relative in size of array and batteries etc but I struggle to see how you could see so little benefit from solar compared to so much from batteries
Did you normalise all the data to same pricing etc

I guess if you had solar but were not at home to use it I could see your use case.
Click to expand...
  • Solar Without batteries : one moment the sun is blazing and you’re generating max capacity, but sending 95% of it to the grid. The next moment a cloud comes over and you’re using energy from the grid.
  • Solar with batteries : you’re never sending excess to the grid (unless the battery is full) or using grid energy, because the battery charges from the excess and fills in the gaps when the clouds come over.
Solar without batteries you’re probably using 5-15% of the solar energy.
Solar with batteries you’re using 100% of it.

Hence why, with batteries the saving is a lot more.
 
Last edited:
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
Are you talking per month or what here.

Of course its all relative in size of array and batteries etc but I struggle to see how you could see so little benefit from solar compared to so much from batteries
Did you normalise all the data to same pricing etc

I guess if you had solar but were not at home to use it I could see your use case.
Click to expand...

£160 average per month, 8kwh battery and 4kw array.

Time of use tariff with octopus GO. So filling up the battery over night during the winter = big savings.

The reason for so little saving for just solar, is during the summer you can’t use it and during the winter you don’t generate enough. Even if you at home, try using 3-4kw during the day all day.

If your on an GO your on get 8p for export, it used to be 4.1p
 
Last edited:
SDK^ said:
  • Solar Without batteries : one moment the sun is blazing and you’re generating max capacity, but sending 95% of it to the grid. The next moment a cloud comes over and you’re using energy from the grid.
  • Solar with batteries : you’re never sending excess to the grid (unless the battery is full) or using grid energy, because the battery charges from the excess and fills in the gaps when the clouds come over.
Solar without batteries you’re probably using 5-15% of the solar energy.
Solar with batteries you’re using 100% of it.

Hence why, with batteries the saving is a lot more.
Click to expand...

I disagree, its not my experience with my solar and batteries but as I said I think its use case. (I mean 95% to the grid seems like a MASSIVE over exageration!)
If you cannot use much of what you generate in the summer because you cannot time usage for when its actually sunny then you export most I can see that solar wouldn't generate much payback.

Don't get me wrong I agree with having both, I have both, 5.67kw array and 12.3kwh batteries.

crazyDAJT said:
£160 average per month, 8kwh battery and 4kw array.

Time of use tariff with octopus GO. So filling up the battery over night during the winter = big savings.

The reason for so little saving for just solar, is during the summer you can’t use it and during the winter you don’t generate enough. Even if you at home, try using 3-4kw during the day all day.

If your on an GO your on get 8p for export, it used to be 4.1p
Click to expand...

I can't see how those numbers work that you quoted. I have a larger array and larger battery capacity and those are around my average savings.
Especially with only 8kwh battery.

Anyway, wrong thread ;)
 
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
I disagree, its not my experience with my solar and batteries but as I said I think its use case. (I mean 95% to the grid seems like a MASSIVE over exageration!)
If you cannot use much of what you generate in the summer because you cannot time usage for when its actually sunny then you export most I can see that solar wouldn't generate much payback.

Don't get me wrong I agree with having both, I have both, 5.67kw array and 12.3kwh batteries.



I can't see how those numbers work that you quoted. I have a larger array and larger battery capacity and those are around my average savings.
Especially with only 8kwh battery.

Anyway, wrong thread ;)
Click to expand...

Yes completely the wrong thread :cry:. I aggressively load shift. 95% of my usage is off peak. Lots of automation for stuff like washing, dryer and dishwasher.

Also a few months of Flux in the summer and aggressively gaming the system. = free electricity for 3 months.

I won’t do this when I get the EV in 6 months time as it won’t be worth it. But last 12 months have averaged £160 saved per month.

The point is adding a battery to solar is way more beneficial that 1 + 1 = 1.4 it more like 1 + 1 = 3.5
 
Last edited:
crazyDAJT said:
Yes completely the wrong thread :cry:. I aggressively load shift. 95% of my usage is off peak. Lots of automation for stuff like washing, dryer and dishwasher.

Also a few months of Flux in the summer and aggressively gaming the system. = free electricity for 3 months.

I won’t do this when I get the EV in 6 months time as it won’t be worth it. But last 12 months have averaged £160 saved per month.

The point is adding a battery to solar is way more beneficial that 1 + 1 = 1.4 it more like 1 + 1 = 3.5
Click to expand...

If 95% of your usage is in offpeak cheap period then its the tariff thats generating most of your savings ;)
 
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
If 95% of your usage is in offpeak cheap period then its the tariff thats generating most of your savings ;)
Click to expand...

I take a holistic view. That is enabled by battery and Solar. I wouldn’t behave the way I do with out it.

Anyway back to the Topic.

I’m looking at the model 3 RWD or Y long range (AWD). £30 per month difference.

I whould get the model 3 in the new red or the Y in grey, so after the colour options they are very close.

I have discounted:
BMW I4 E40 - cost, I can get a model 3 LR for the same price
IONIQ 6 - lead time Dec 2024!
ID3 - rubbish tech
cupra born - looks ace but see ID3
MG4 - doesn’t quite have the range and can’t get the XPower one.
Edit: Polestar 2 - it’s a Volvo
 
Last edited:
Simon said:
drivel from people who were perfectly happy with their ice 10 years ago
Click to expand...
not at all it is using the same base level of arguments as to why EV cars are never going to take off that many people use against EVs. it's clearly meant as a joke but like most humour isn't entirely inaccurate.

I do find it funny that for years manufacturers have been striving to make ICE cars run quieter and yet now one argument some make against EVs is they are too quiet.and therefore dangerous.

ice cars have also for decades used acceleration as a massive selling point but now with EVs acceleration is just not important according to many.
I was happy with my ice car 10 years ago and I still miss it now...... but technology moves forward and I admit having a child has made me realise that a 3.5l V6 even if it sounded amazing and was fun to drive simply isn't sustainable.

thankfully for me I am able to have a car with decent performance, comfortable and an enjoyable drive whilst still reducing my carbon footprint as well as other pollution.
it's a win win with only minor considerations needing to be made a handful of times a year and far more convenient the rest of the time.. as a car my ipace is great. As an EV however there are much better esp if charging anxiety is an issue.

I am too young to have experienced it but I wonder if the arrival of the synchromesh gear box or getting rid of the crank handle created such drama?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom