EV general discussion

[tamzzy]

installed the swivel mount and driver's display today. took about a couple hours to install both
...now looks more like a normal car lol

the swivel mount brings the screen forwards about an inch or two, and i find that it's more ergonomical to use (in addition to the swivel)

 

[cuke2u]

I don’t disagree but 200 combined is only really 150-160 miles on a dual carriageway/motorway in summer.

No one’s doing a 100 mile commute with a combined driving cycle. It’s either short and slow where the range doesn’t matter or it’s down the motorway at 65-70 which is where the small battery comes a cropper.

While the daily commute might only be 10 miles, having a car that can only realistically go 70 in one direction without recharging it is not ideal.

The flip side is that if you are ‘giving them away’ on lease for peanuts then sure, it will sell but that’s not exactly sustainable.

They might decent buy on the used market in a few years though, it’s just a lot to pay to own one from new.

I'm getting my figures from this review https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/ford/puma/gen-e where they state "We tested the Puma Gen-E at the height of summer in 30-plus-degree heat, and yet a return of 4.7 miles per kWh is among the best figures we’ve seen from any EV. That puts the Puma Gen-E ahead of the Renault 4, which we pitched it against, which managed 4.0mi/kWh. Even a longer stint of motorway driving couldn’t shift the average below 4.4mi/kWh, while figures in the 5-6mi/kWh range were easily achieved at urban speeds."
So better than other cars in the same class such as the Renault 4.
Easily enough for urban journeys and even extended ones...

 

[dale1uk]

It will be sub contracted out to a relatively local electrician who needs to do the job relatively cheaply and quickly to make any money.

Most National ‘installers’ subcontract and mainly act as lead generators for local electricians so your experience will vary depending on who actually picks up the job.

The chances are it will be fine.

That said, that will not be any different to Ocotpus other than it may be one of their employed people who does it.

Thanks, thought that might be the case.

Can anyone recommend a local installer round Newcastle / the North East. If possible I'd rather go with someone recommended (or at least know who to avoid!)

 

[ICDP]

I don’t disagree but 200 combined is only really 150-160 miles on a dual carriageway/motorway in summer.

No one’s doing a 100 mile commute with a combined driving cycle. It’s either short and slow where the range doesn’t matter or it’s down the motorway at 65-70 which is where the small battery comes a cropper.

While the daily commute might only be 10 miles, having a car that can only realistically go 70 in one direction without recharging it is not ideal.

The flip side is that if you are ‘giving them away’ on lease for peanuts then sure, it will sell but that’s not exactly sustainable.

They might decent buy on the used market in a few years though, it’s just a lot to pay to own one from new.

The vast majority of people don’t commute 100 miles, they do significantly less than that. My reply was very clearly referring to combined driving and stating a Puma-E is fine as a commute car, not a pure motorway miles cruiser.

Anyone buying a small battery car as a motorway cruiser, or for a single car family are either masochists or idiots.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

Indeeds, seems a perfect tool for the job, can get 2 Puma on the road for the same amount of battery and motors a single car has.

Cheap, small, light and yet now its range is getting discredited.

 

[Journey]

Anyone buying a small battery car as a motorway cruiser, or for a single car family are either masochists or idiots.

Small battery/or low efficeincy car - as you are well aware you can get things like the EQC/fat Etron with massive batteries that would seem ideal as motorway cruisers but have terrible efficiency. Also I guess we must be masochists...

 

[ICDP]

Small battery/or low efficeincy car - as you are well aware you can get things like the EQC/fat Etron with massive batteries that would seem ideal as motorway cruisers but have terrible efficiency. Also I guess we must be masochists...

Yes, but we weren’t using them as a single family car

Had my wife not had a diesel Audi Q2 I would never have considered a short/mid range E-Tron 50. It was purely bought as my commute zen on wheels cruiser.

 

[Journey]

Yes, but we weren’t using them as a single family car

Sorry by we I meant my family, not you. We have one car family car.

 

[ICDP]

Sorry by we I meant my family, not you. We have one car family car.

Apologies. The E-Tron 50 was from 5 years ago. We are now a pure EVs family and have been for over two years. One EV (Born 77kWh) will do very decent UK/Ireland motorway range even in winter.

As you know it’s not just range that matters on longer range motorway trips. It’s the charging speed and the E-Tron still has one of the best charging curves out there. But to clarify my point on the Puma-E, I was never proposing it was anything other than a decent commute EV for the majority of people as a second car.

 

[Journey]

installed the swivel mount and driver's display today. took about a couple hours to install both

Looks tidy, amazing what you can buy for not a lot of money. It's ironic that the minimalism of a Tesla makes it open to so many easy to do mods and upgrades. What's next? BMW badge for the boot?

 

[b0rn2sk8]

The vast majority of people don’t commute 100 miles, they do significantly less than that. My reply was very clearly referring to combined driving and stating a Puma-E is fine as a commute car, not a pure motorway miles cruiser.

Anyone buying a small battery car as a motorway cruiser, or for a single car family are either masochists or idiots.

That’s all fine but people who own small cars still do longer journeys in them on occasion, even if it’s a second car.

So while the car would be fine for their commute, it suddenly becomes a pain if they want to drive somewhere >90 minutes down the motorway because you can’t get home without charging somewhere.

90 minutes isn’t exactly a long journey and range is the thing that most people seem to bellyache about.

All I’ve said all along is that it’s a tough sell if you are buying or PCPing one. The whole ‘it’s a local commuter car’ line was fine when EVs were a bit niche and for a more ‘enthusiast’ market. The mainstream Ford Puma buyer is going to be approaching it from a ‘what do you mean I can only travel for 70 miles in one direction otherwise I’d need to charge it to get home?!?!’ perspective.

That said, if you can lease one for under £5k over 2 years then I am sure you’d just deal with a bit of inconvenience in exchange for a brand new car for peanuts.

 

[jpaul]

lease values aren't a lot under £400 p/m - puma has a large battery buffer like original id3, so maybe they'll liberate some range as they get data with s/w updates,
are these battery sizes as much driven by likely duty payments if they can't make them all in the UK/EU.

 

[tamzzy]

Looks tidy, amazing what you can buy for not a lot of money. It's ironic that the minimalism of a Tesla makes it open to so many easy to do mods and upgrades.

yes indeed, and all pretty cheap from china too, and added to that is that the quality isn't too bad and they don't look out of place with mismatched colours etc
though what's triggering my OCD is that the tesla gears read as PRND, but the screen reads PDRN

What's next? BMW badge for the boot?

so far the outlay has been:
driver's screen = £126
rear display = £128 (not yet arrived)
swivel mount = £58

thinking of getting the rear spoiler as the next major outlay (obvs from china again)

other stuff bought:
screen protector = £14
boxes/organisers to fit inside the armrest = £14
rear seat air-vent cover = £1
aluminium pedals = £1
trunk grocery hook = £1
rubber jackpads x4 = £5

don't need the bimmer badge, i still don't use the indicator stalk, and still drive like one...no need a badge to tell

 

[ICDP]

That’s all fine but people who own small cars still do longer journeys in them on occasion, even if it’s a second car.

So while the car would be fine for their commute, it suddenly becomes a pain if they want to drive somewhere >90 minutes down the motorway because you can’t get home without charging somewhere.

90 minutes isn’t exactly a long journey and range is the thing that most people seem to bellyache about.

All I’ve said all along is that it’s a tough sell if you are buying or PCPing one. The whole ‘it’s a local commuter car’ line was fine when EVs were a bit niche and for a more ‘enthusiast’ market. The mainstream Ford Puma buyer is going to be approaching it from a ‘what do you mean I can only travel for 70 miles in one direction otherwise I’d need to charge it to get home?!?!’ perspective.

That said, if you can lease one for under £5k over 2 years then I am sure you’d just deal with a bit of inconvenience in exchange for a brand new car for peanuts.

I get it, but again that’s why I said they are fine as a commute car. Yes we all do the odd long journey but the majority of people buying a short range EV should be aware of its limitations. Likewise an owner of an iX20 petrol ICE would hopefully know it’s going to be a bit **** as a long distance cruiser.

It won’t stop them being useable in such scenarios with some compromises, but neither are great for such purposes. Pretty much all cars out there regardless of fuel type are compromises to varying degrees.

 

[Journey]

lease values aren't a lot under £400 p/m

No, you are wrong, again.

 

[Jono8]

Is not a 200+ real world range comparable with other cars in that class such as the Renaults? Plus a boot size of far larger vehicles..

Isn’t 200+ real world miles very optimistic for 43kwh?

That may well be the official figure, but with that capacity i'd be wary.

 

[ICDP]

EVDB estimates about 200 summer and 150 winter. Will await actual real world data.

 

[tamzzy]

43kwh battery, with the assumption that ford will not recommend 100% charge for regular use...

90% charge @ 4.5mi/kwh summer, 3.5mi/kwh winter
= 175 miles summer, 136 miles winter

if using 80% charge @ 4mi/kwh summer and 3mi/kwh winter
= 138 miles summer, 103 miles winter (probably the worst case scenario)

 

[tamzzy]

the equivalent of ~£200/mth ain't bad!

 

[Journey]

the equivalent of ~£200/mth ain't bad!

It's silly money, loads of people will be spending almost 50% of that on fuel alone per month. When I got the Ioniq 38 at slightly less than that in 2019 that was a steal and with VED, and inflation this is even better.