EV general discussion

Even the NMC ones need charging to 100% and leaving connected for a while to balance every now and again afaik

Li-ion batteries don't like being held at 100% too long or over discharged but an intelligent charger should manage that including balancing and avoiding problematic float charging but I don't know the ins and outs as to how well that is implemented on different cars and chargers.
 
We're a few months down the line and European Tesla sales are still dropping, even though the EV market has grown substantially in the same period.

I appreciated there was more detail that could explain it in the first quarter, as you've posted above, is there any other explanations for the continued poor performance or does it look like the brand damage Musk inflicted has had an effect?
I guess (and hope) that once he has identified himself as a such a thoroughly toxic human being that people would continue to shy away from any of his products until he either changes himself or is no longer connected to the company in question.

Rewind 2 years I was seriously considering a Tesla. Now, no way on earth I'd have one. Sure competitors are better, but Musk is simply an awful human being.
 
Now, no way on earth I'd have one. Sure competitors are better, but Musk is simply an awful human being.

This is the trouble. Tesla are no longer the best of a few limited options. They are now in a sea of good competition/cars that are as good if not better AND they have all the baggage of Musk's conduct and politics.

I think it is hilarious that their stock is still as high as it is.
 
Got a couple of questions regarding a Tesla model 3 for the hive mind here.

Has anyone had a tow bar fitted to one?
It depends on which model year, it changes the answer.

The orignal Model 3's up to the 2024 ('Highland') are not rated to tow unless they came with a tow bar from the factory. Tesla will not retrofit one because they are not rated to tow so you are stuck with a 3rd party option.

Even with a 3rd party option, you still can't tow and you are limited to bike racks basically. Given the costs involved, you are probably just better off getting some roof bars which you can easily fit yourself.

The 2024 'highland' refresh cars can all be retrofitted and are all rated for 1000kg is my understanding - check the weight plate.

Also it seems the suspension is a real weak point on these and the Y, what parts actually go on them is it just like 1 particularly arm or bush or does everything fail together? Also what kind of prices are the parts, can you get them from any motor factors now?
Its the bushes, they split, usueally the upper or lower arms. You can get 3rd party parts or parts from Tesla, they are cheap.

It seems you can also retrofit the revised 'highland' suspension on an orignal 3 and the new Model Y suspension on the old one as all the mounts etc are the same.

Ive been wanting an EV for ages and had thought i'd get an Ioniq 38kwh but only recently found out you can't tow with it and as i've got miniature trains and stationary engines i really need a means of moving them around. I used to have access to a works van for that stuff but sadly that's gone now, EV vans seem very expensive still so as probably 98% of the time it's just me driving the car to work and school pickup etc it might be better to just get a little trailer for when i do need to move stuff but that really limits choice of affordable EV's.

I was really wanting to spend around the 10k mark on an Ioniq but then i've seen the early model 3's have come down a lot, if i go higher milage i could get one around the 12k mark by the looks of it. Milage in itself doesn't worry me but i want to know what i'd be getting into.

My mate for instance has a Nissan NV200 40kwh van with over 120k on the clock, i had a go in that the other week and it felt really good to drive still.

As above, the older Model 3s can't tow unless it came factory fitted, you need to check the weight plate very carefull yon any 3's which are advertised as having a tow bar if you are intending to tow as it may be a retrofit.

A Model Y can be retroffited as they are all rated to tow 1600kg, I'd recomend a factory tow bar in any case. While expensive, it integrates with the cars electronics properly.
 
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It depends on which model year, it changes the answer.

The orignal Model 3's up to the 2024 ('Highland') are not rated to tow unless they came with a tow bar from the factory. Tesla will not retrofit one because they are not rated to tow so you are stuck with a 3rd party option.

Even with a 3rd party option, you still can't tow and you are limited to bike racks basically. Given the costs involved, you are probably just better off getting some roof bars which you can easily fit yourself.

The 2024 'highland' refresh cars can all be retrofitted and are all rated for 1000kg is my understanding - check the weight plate.


Its the bushes, they split, usueally the upper or lower arms. You can get 3rd party parts or parts from Tesla, they are cheap.

It seems you can also retrofit the revised 'highland' suspension on an orignal 3 and the new Model Y suspension on the old one as all the mounts etc are the same.



As above, the older Model 3s can't tow unless it came factory fitted, you need to check the weight plate very carefull yon any 3's which are advertised as having a tow bar if you are intending to tow as it may be a retrofit.

A Model Y can be retroffited as they are all rated to tow 1600kg, I'd recomend a factory tow bar in any case. While expensive, it integrates with the cars electronics properly.

Thanks for that info, very helpful indeed.

Sadly not what i wanted to hear! :( Looks like back to the drawing board then as i bet not many were spec'd with a factory tow bar, that is super annoying that they go to the trouble of having different V5 details and different VIN plates on the ones that they fit a bar in the factory then :(

Also roof rails wouldn't be much use to me as i'd need to get a train which weighs over 1/3 of a ton up there!

My budget will only go to the old Model 3 cars, no way i could get near affording a model Y let alone a new enough Highland model 3.
 
Thanks for that info, very helpful indeed.

Sadly not what i wanted to hear! :( Looks like back to the drawing board then as i bet not many were spec'd with a factory tow bar, that is super annoying that they go to the trouble of having different V5 details and different VIN plates on the ones that they fit a bar in the factory then :(

Also roof rails wouldn't be much use to me as i'd need to get a train which weighs over 1/3 of a ton up there!

My budget will only go to the old Model 3 cars, no way i could get near affording a model Y let alone a new enough Highland model 3.
I think the original Audi E-Tron had 1800kg of towing capacity, those are £14K+
The VW ID.4 / Skoda Enyaq has a 1000kg towing capacity and those are ~£12k+ (Some are 1200Kg)

EV Database is quite helpful (I don't know how accurate, but its a start!)

I've no idea if they can be fitted afterwards and still be 'valid'.. etc.. I'm not a caravanner..
 
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not sure how an i4 fits in the budget @sovietspybob set out.

There are shed loads of Model 3’s for sale, there is bound to be some in that model year you are looking at that have it fitted.

Yeah you're totally right, must be plenty out there but i don't know how to find them? Looking on autotrader there doesn't seem to be a way to filter if its got a tow bar or not unless i'm just being thick?

I think the original Audi E-Tron had 1800kg of towing capacity, those are £14K+
The VW ID.4 / Skoda Enyaq has a 1000kg towing capacity and those are ~£12k+ (Some are 1200Kg)

EV Database is quite helpful (I don't know how accurate, but its a start!)

I've no idea if they can be fitted afterwards and still be 'valid'.. etc.. I'm not a caravanner..

Ah yeah i have used that site a bit in the past, i'll have a browse through, not sure i want to get into anything Audi but maybe an Enyaq, i've never really looked into them at all before. Not keen on German stuff but if the price is right it's worth a look i guess.

BMW i4 towing capacity of 1600kg

Yeah pretty sure they're way out of my 12k budget, again not that i'd want anything German if i could get away with it.
 
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A lot of pain staking trawling of autotrader and a lot of hope the dealer lists it as having one of it does.

You could also contact some dealers to see if they can source you one. There are quite a few EV specialists these days who know what they are looking at. The downside is they know what they are looking at and you might end up paying slightly more going that route though.

There is of course the VAG stuff to consider.

Aren’t the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ionic 5 are knocking on 4+ years old now? Not sure how much they now go for but they can both tow 1600kg.

The Mach e is the other obvious one from this era that can tow.
 
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I did my first long drive in the R5 this week, 185 miles up to Aberdeenshire to visit the parents (and back again yesterday). All went well and found it very comfortable, the adaptive cruise is great and makes the dual carriageways fairly effortless.

I left with a virtually full battery and got to to the Tesla chargers in Dundee with 53% remaining, which means that 47% got me about 82 miles. Not brilliant, but in the ballpark of what I was expecting as many reviews have said its efficiency suffers in highway driving. Charged for 18 mins to 85% and got to my destination 104 miles away with 21% left. Coming back, I left with 100% again after charging with the granny charger, got to the Arnold Clark chargers in Dundee (101 miles) with 32%, charged for 31 mins to 91% and arrived back in Glasgow with 34%.

I could have charged for a bit less and still made it easily, but seeing as both the Tesla and Arnold Clark chargers are reasonably cheap I wasn't too worried and wanted the safety net of having a bit extra in the battery. At least now I know how it copes with the longer journeys and when I do the same drive during winter I'll know what to expect.

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Tesla sales in the US about to die

The $7500 subsidy ends in October

The US is also ending all subsidies for Solar and Wind power generation
 
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Tesla sales in the US about to die

The $7500 subsidy ends in October

The US is also ending all subsidies for Solar and Wind power generation

So who is going to take the sales Tesla going to lose. Or is this just another of your random nonsense comments in a topic you know little to nothing about?
 
So who is going to take the sales Tesla going to lose. Or is this just another of your random nonsense comments in a topic you know little to nothing about?
I recall reading an article a while back suggesting this is less of a disaster for Tesla than others as many others are still making losses on US EV sales whereas Tesla are making profit, so if prices need to come down, Tesla have some wiggle room to reduce profit but their competitors would be forced to deepen their loss per EV sale to match such an action.

It'll no doubt slow EV sales generally but Tesla are relatively well placed to weather that storm in the US.
 
I left with a virtually full battery and got to to the Tesla chargers in Dundee with 53% remaining, which means that 47% got me about 82 miles.
That doesn't bode too well for winter efficiency but your top up times were very reasonable and if you don't generally do long distance driving I'm sure it won't be a major issue.

Being able to start each stint at 100% seems to be key which is why destination chargers are so important.
 
That doesn't bode too well for winter efficiency but your top up times were very reasonable and if you don't generally do long distance driving I'm sure it won't be a major issue.

Being able to start each stint at 100% seems to be key which is why destination chargers are so important.

Yeah, winter will be a bit more of a challenge though there are a couple of chargers between Dundee and where my parents live so if the situation got desperate I could stop for a brief top-up. That said I was having a bit of fun with the car on the way up so a bit more self-control and the cruise set to 70 for the duration will probably help.

I did buy it fully aware that long-distance highway driving would be its Achilles heel but it's not something I do too often, so no regrets yet.
 
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