If you are refering to the chargers at the outlet village, you can get 37p with the Tesla membership via the Tesla app. I'm looking at it right now.
EV general discussion
- Thread starter Ricochet J
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Random question (now that it's really starting to grate on me that I can't own an EV in our current house and benefit from the low ownership costs) - when plugging them in, do they start charging instantly? Do you need to prewarm the battery or anything in advance? I'm assuming for the super duper fast chargers you can't just plug them in and instantly hammer the battery with a ton of juice or is that wrong?
Soldato
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They just get started fine. There’s a map for cell temp and state of charge for the current allowed. So it’s just operates to those parameters. If it’s a warmer cell you can generally charge faster.
The process of charging and the heaters can be used during charging to speed up the rate by lifting the cells in the pack average temperature. Silicon dioxide anodes have lifted charge rate significantly.
The process of charging and the heaters can be used during charging to speed up the rate by lifting the cells in the pack average temperature. Silicon dioxide anodes have lifted charge rate significantly.
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Mine is set on a timer on the charger’s app, so it only operates during the cheap hours overnight. Without that, or a timer set in the car, it would start instantly. AC charging is so slow the battery temp isn’t really an issue.
If I have a charger set as a destination in my satnav (Google maps in the Polestar) it will ensure the battery temp is optimal for fast DC charging when I arrive, but if not then the charging systems will take care of the charging rate and limit it till it’s warm enough etc.
Basically, it’s all automatic so idiots like me can’t break it.
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I literally looked just before I posted and it didn't have the membership rates available bit for those ones that it did when I checked the one @keyser van someone mentioned.It is showing this morning though
When I plug mine in to the 259kw supercharger it ramps up to the full wattage mine can accept (130kw) within about 30 seconds. I have been driving for about 20 minutes by that point so everything will have already warmed up a bit anyway.
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The only ‘Tesla’ chargers you can’t get membership discount at are those operated by EG On The Move which are usually branded ‘EV On The Move’.
It is showing this morning though
While the EVOTM chargers are more expensive, they are usually not extortionate at 65p.
Generally speaking, if your battery is cold when you start (as it will be in winter), it will not be up to temperature after 20 mins driving, even if you start preconditioning as soon as you get in. It’s just way too much mass to heat in such a short period of time so you may get slower speeds in winter.
I like the Ioniq 5 myself, looks so retro cool IMO!
However, I ended up in a Model Y, unsurprisingly having owned an ID.3 (58kwh), I found longer trips more stressful than they should be, the range wasn't quite enough to limit public charging, and its route planning and battery estimate for the trip was woeful, leading to some stress!
I have to say the experience of owning a model Y has been surprisingly transformative, it's ability to route plan, having access to all the supercharger network and its outstanding efficiency make it 99% stress free, just jump in, plug in your destination and go.. due to its excellent range, I'm normally only charging on the way home on very long trips, I did a 350 mile trip on Sunday, it needed a splash/dash for the last 60 miles, I did 287 miles and got to the charger with 6% left, we averaged 4.5m/kwh on a journey that was 80% motorway, had I crawled along.. I've done quite a few 280-300mile journeys that are only 60% motorway that in summer I can on a single charge from Home..
Things are improving with other EVs, a lot of superchargers are now open to all (almost a shame, but it's necessary to progress EV adoption) and some manufacturers have slightly improved route planning (but no where as good as Tesla still) with many new charging hubs opening monthly, so compared to 2 years ago when I had a few nightmare trips in the ID.3 it would be a bit better, however, I'd still need to use third party apps to plan the trips as the built in navigation/route planning is still woeful to this day..
The Ioniq 5 is no where near as efficiency and its planning it also a bit hit and miss... A colleague has the 73kwh Ioniq 5 and its range in the real world is worse than our ID.3 was with 58kwh!
Honestly, the 'Just get a Tesla' meme really does apply.. they come with a lot as standard, the only options are interior colour, exterior colour, tow bar (can be fitted at the dealer) and software upgrades for Enhanced and Full Auto-pilot (not worth it at the moment IMO).. you can also get a performance software upgrade for even more power in the AWD LR version if that is your thing (it's bloody quick as standard), the interior space is huge, the boot is much larger than I expected, the extra storage spaces are cavernous.
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Soldato
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Thanks, I'm seriously considering it, I probably shouldn't because I've only had my car 7 months and I stand to lose a fair chunk but I just don't like it, I haven't got on with it at all even though it does everything it should. I also do a lot of short journeys which electric would be perfect for it's just the long journeys 3 or 4 times a year with the family that have put me off so far
For example we're going to Wales in August and that will need a charge both there and back, with two young kids one of which is quite poorly and could need to go hospital at any time the range anxiety is still an issue because in the RAV it'll get there and back without stopping but it'll also only do 40mpg on a trip like that fully loaded with people and luggage
It also only does 40 to 50 mpg in and around town, it's a pain in winter because the windscreen gets really bad condensation, it's not great for short trips compared to electric which is 90% my use case. It costs me over £600 to insure at 44 years old in a decent area which is crazy and servicing costs aren't cheap, the 10 year warranty is reassuring though. Oh and the sound system is absolutely terrible which annoys me.
Pre warm up and cool down sounds amazing, not having to mess with Android auto sounds tempting the Tesla software sounds great
What's this about a subscription, is that to use the supercharger network? Are there any other pay walled things to know about? I'm not bothered about autonomy
What are servicing costs like and how/where do you get it done?
What about warranty how long is it covered for and how do you claim?
When buying used, what's involved in the transfer of the car in terms of setting up the app and unlocking with your phone etc, what if you lose your phone!?
Oh another question sorry, what year does the build quality improve? I think after a certain year they were manufactured in China and not America and the build quality was much improved but that might be bad info
What other family EVs are worth considering in the 20/25k bracket? Would prefer AWD really but taking into account the space inside the model Y and the supercharger network I don't think anything comes close? I also don't care about politics side of it, in a weird way people not liking them for "political" reasons kind of makes it more attractive
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Soldato
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I was charging next to a facelift Model Y at Havant yesterday. Looks a pretty smart car now the nose job and BBL has made a huge difference. Unfortunately I wasn’t very popular as I was taking 2 bays at the old Tesla chargers there
You’ll be fine in reality, there are tens of thousands of chargers spread all over the country these days.
You generally have more range than you need these days with a decent EV, the bottleneck is the passengers and how long they can travel for. 250 miles is easily done in a long range Model Y and that’s touching on 5+ hours in real world traffic in the UK.
You’ll be stopping for a break long before the car runs out of charge, particularly with kids. By the time e you have walked to the toilet and back, you’ll have added close to another 100 miles.
Insurance on a Model Y is unlikely to be cheaper. It’s a fast car and repairs are expensive.
Most EVs can do this but the Tesla software experience is best in class (IMO) - very reliable and easy to use.
As a Tesla owner you can get the discounted rate at superchargers and access to all the Tesla only sites which represent 40-50% of the network.
Some superchargers are operated by third parties (EV on the move) and they are the same price for everyone.
There are of course thousands of very good rapid chargers all over the country you can use with any car.
You can subscribe to ‘premium connectivity’, I don’t bother, never have.
It basically enables streaming apps (you still need your own subscription for whatever app you are using e.g. Netflix) in the car and a few other features like satellite maps. There is a list on the website.
There is no requirement to get it serviced to maintain the warranty, there are recommendations though and you should probably do some of them, particularly things like cabin air filters.
There is a list on the website with intervals.
4 years, 60k miles on the whole car. 8 years 120k on the battery and motor (100k for standard range).
You can raise a service request in the Tesla app. They’ll either want you to take it to a service centre or they’ll come and do the work on your drive.
Suspension is the weak point of the car, it wears quickly but it is cheap to repair and any garage can do it - it’s just a car.
Once you have the V5C you can claim the car in the app.
If the dealer has ann account and has ownership of the car on their account, they can just transfer it to you.
You also get key cards (look like credit cards) and can buy a ‘proper’ key if you really want one but that’s never crossed my mind.
Loads of alternatives available. Kia EV6, Hyundai Ionic V, Ford Mustang Mach e, Polestar 2 to name a few. All highly rated by owners.
AWD isn’t all that, it’s mainly about speed rather than off-roading capabilities. A decent set of cross climate tyres on a RWD car will run rings around an AWD car on summer tyres. The long range RWD car does about 30 more miles on a charge but I don’t think they were launched until 2024. The older RWD cars will all be standard range.
See my note above about superchargers, only about 40% of it is exclusive to Tesla, and where there are exclusive Tesla chargers, there are usually other 3rd party chargers which are decent (e.g. at welcome break Services). The main benefit is the seamless integration rather than there being a special network for you to use.
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Nothing else comes close to a used model Y for that budget IMO which is why I got one 
I've had it just over a month now and done 2000 miles. Only had to charge away from home once and genuinely I ran in the services, nipped to the loo and stuffed a sandwich down my neck and got back to the car and it had added 40% which was enough then.
I've had it just over a month now and done 2000 miles. Only had to charge away from home once and genuinely I ran in the services, nipped to the loo and stuffed a sandwich down my neck and got back to the car and it had added 40% which was enough then.
Soldato
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Thanks very much @b0rn2sk8 that's really helpful
All the LR models in my budget seem to be AWD and around 3 years old
I think one of the main reasons I'm interested in Tesla over the others is knowing it will just work and not having to bother with multiple apps and cards and whatever confusing stuff I've seen on YouTube that might be sensationalist. I just want the most streamlined and simple experience possible
I also can't help but think for the same reason as above that these cars are cheaper now for the same reason and whatever is going on with the political stuff so people like me can take advantage, could be wrong there though and they could continue to depreciate massively over the next couple of years which is worrying
All the LR models in my budget seem to be AWD and around 3 years old
I think one of the main reasons I'm interested in Tesla over the others is knowing it will just work and not having to bother with multiple apps and cards and whatever confusing stuff I've seen on YouTube that might be sensationalist. I just want the most streamlined and simple experience possible
I also can't help but think for the same reason as above that these cars are cheaper now for the same reason and whatever is going on with the political stuff so people like me can take advantage, could be wrong there though and they could continue to depreciate massively over the next couple of years which is worrying
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A used Model Y isn’t any cheaper than an equivalent Kia or Hyundai, if anything the Ionic V and EV6 can usually be had for less money. Same with Polestar 2, they are around the same price.
I’m not sure the political stuff is having a material impact on the used market.
As for the charging, almost all rapid chargers have contactless these days and are a simple as plug in, tap your card and it charges. Apps enable discounts at some locations/networks and many have an RFID card which enables a similar experience.
I’m not sure the political stuff is having a material impact on the used market.
As for the charging, almost all rapid chargers have contactless these days and are a simple as plug in, tap your card and it charges. Apps enable discounts at some locations/networks and many have an RFID card which enables a similar experience.
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Soldato
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I’d try a few cars before deciding. Making an app to charge the car as part of the buying experience is misguided in my experience. It’s a non issue for people with a brain.
Y's - Need to consider upcoming depreciation with numerous/popular tesla Y's coming off of the fleets, so at 5 years old the 3 year old £25K Y's will be £15K like model3's,
which is £400p/m. depreciation to offset running costs; so planning to keep it, or getting something 5 years old (id4?) might be preferable;
(vs £400, that posted octopus BYD seal lease of £299 starts to look attractive, maybe a >£40K luxury car though)
which is £400p/m. depreciation to offset running costs; so planning to keep it, or getting something 5 years old (id4?) might be preferable;
(vs £400, that posted octopus BYD seal lease of £299 starts to look attractive, maybe a >£40K luxury car though)
Why not get consider a lease / SS? Saves the worry of depreciation. SS will include all costs, tyres and insurance is useful.
My tesla wall charger keeps complaining its "too hot". At the point of connection to the house electricals.
Unsure why, I used the correct mm2 cable.
My Isolation switch is now installed by National Grid, and my Mach E PEN box arrived.
So I'm going to redo the entire installation this weekend with a thicker conductor cable to rule it out.
If it still moans and restricts down to 3amps. I'll have to make a warranty claim on the charger unit.
Unsure why, I used the correct mm2 cable.
My Isolation switch is now installed by National Grid, and my Mach E PEN box arrived.
So I'm going to redo the entire installation this weekend with a thicker conductor cable to rule it out.
If it still moans and restricts down to 3amps. I'll have to make a warranty claim on the charger unit.
Soldato
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Personal lease? I wouldn't know where to start, I tend to trade up with a small loan and pay it off asap so that I own the car for a couple of years, rinse and repeat
Interested to hear more details in a nut shell, I wouldn't really want go over £250 a month if I'm honest though, that's what I typically budget for for a loan when trading up
Soldato
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I would assume that budget would go up stepping into EV space once you are charging at home though?