EV general discussion

[Draeger]

Can you not just set the charge level on the charger app each time? On my Ohme pro I just set what charge I want and when I need the car to be ready? I only limit the charge level when on DC fast charge.

I can go into my list of saved charging profiles in the My Porsche app and send a 100% profile to the car, then swap back to an 80% profile once I'm done. But since there is a 'Direct Charging' button on the charge level screen that you can simply tap and it'll bypass any profiles that are set, I thought it would be handy to be able to use that.

If your charger is linked directly to Ovo (not the car linked directly to Ovo) the Ovo charger app only allows you to set a 'Ready by' time, that's it. Any charge levels you need to set via the car app. I suppose you could say the Ovo app is lacking in functionality in that respect but it's deliberately that way I think, as it really is as simple of plugging in, setting the ready by time and walking away - leaving everything to the app.

However, I've found the answer to the question I posed. Yesterday I was out driving all day and when I got home I plugged in and set the charging profiles to 80% in the Porsche app. Ready by time was set to 0700 the next morning.

But I had a phone call at 8:00pm which resulted in my plans for today being changed and I wanted a 100% charge as I was going to be leaving early and driving a good distance, so I decided to tap the 'Direct Charging' button and see what happened.

Worked perfectly, on the 80% charging profile the car was using, it simply ignored that and charged to 100%. Was ready by 0430. I then checked my Ovo Charge app and the charge had indeed recorded as a 'Smart Charge' at the 7p per kWh rate.

Job done

 

[Simon]

Isn't the CLA touring going to be the pick of the saloon crop - but unfortunately not out yet; and as IM5/Y competitor the recently mentioned/bought xpeng 6 with it's 800V too.

... just needed a right hand drive BMW like my previous car, for ultimate foot-space

If you focused on a saloon. Maybe. But definitions of saloon vary. Some are just longer with SUV height like a ID7

Stuff like an i4 with a battery under car and no change in roof just feel like cramped cars tbh

 

[bigmike20vt]

i believe Panasonic i think it is have just released a battery which has 30% more energy density than other batteries currently in EVs.

hopefully this will mean they can slim down the under the car batteries a bit and enable us to get some slightly lower cars again. in terms of SUVs my ipace is not that tall but when parked next to a colleagues older ICE saloon the contrast is stark.

it would be nice to get cars a few inches lower again but without compromising internal headroom or leg space (i dont want my knees by my ears!). will also hopefully open the door for some small MX5 / MGF like 2 seaters as well. (the cyberster is still a fairly large car imo)

of course the press will likely just focus on them adding more range... which is nice for the right car i guess but its smaller battery volume in small cars which interests me. anything beyond a genuine 250mil winter highway range is wasted on me unless you are talking large MPV / big family cars and for a weekender 2 seater or a small runaround 4 seater i would happily accept a real 150 mile range (for the right price)..

 

[Simon]

Any smaller batteries are just going to increase range in today’s range obsessed world. Any links on this 30% belief ? 30% of any battery height is always gonna be taking up more floor height than sheet steel

Yes a ipace is taller than a saloon despite ‘not being that tall’. That was kind of the point…

 

[Draeger]

Be interesting to see how battery tech evolves over the next few years. I was reading yesterday that Stelantis/Peugeot have developed a battery pack which integrates the batteries inverter into the battery pack itself, saving weight and allegedly increasing power/range/efficiency.

Headroom wise, I have to say I can't complain with my Taycan Sport Turismo. Can't feel much of a difference from coming from my previous G21 M340i Touring.

Taycan sits very low to the ground depending on which suspension setting you select. Interestingly enough, the 'eco' mode which Porsche call 'Range mode' drops the car the lowest (equal in ride height to Sports Plus) but it also limits you to 80mph.

 

[cuke2u]

Just to point out interior space, that the ipace has 39.9 inches for the first row and 38.1 inches for the second row of headroom, whereas the 'battery under the car' i4 has a headroom of 38.2 inches of front headroom and 36.6 inches of rear. The ipace is around 100mm taller than the i4.
Obviously the rear headroom would be less with the i4 because of the 'coupesque' styling, but there's not a lot in it for the front row. As far as legroom is concerned the ipace has maximum front legroom of 40.9 inches and maximum rear legroom of 35 inches, the i4 has 41.5 inches of front legroom and 34.9 inches of rear legroom.

 

[Simon]

I found a website with UK numbers too. I4 is longer but still compromised in the rear. Why we on about ipaces again anyway. They aren’t the sort of car I’m talking about compared to a i4

BMW i4 M50 (2022) vs Jaguar I-Pace EV400 R-Dynamic HSE (2024): What is the difference?

What is the difference between Jaguar I-Pace EV400 R-Dynamic HSE (2024) and BMW i4 M50 (2022)? Find out which is better and their overall performance in the car ranking.

versus.com

Not sure where your source is but the ipace rear leg is much bigger. Front leg room is never an issue.

Anyway an i4 feels more claustrophobic than my E92 coupe. A few mm is significant when talking about head clearance.

One of the things I like about the born is ample head room. The rear is massive for the size of the car and why EVs are much more practical by giving up on trying to be saloons IMHO

 

[sovietspybob]

Thinner packs would be good, i did think when i sat in an MG5 that the floor seemed quite high as its non an SUV so it's more obvious.

I guess that's where the trade off was in my Ioniq as the battery pack is a funny shape but that does mean normal size footwells in the front as there's no battery underneath them and that's why they could only get 38kwh in there.

It'd be the perfect long term car with a newer more dense pack of around 60kwh, it'd be all the car i'd ever need then, especially if it was made by Toyota.. but i don't see that happening!

 

[Jonnycoupe]

Isn't the CLA touring going to be the pick of the saloon crop - but unfortunately not out yet; and as IM5/Y competitor the recently mentioned/bought xpeng 6 with it's 800V too.

... just needed a right hand drive BMW like my previous car, for ultimate foot-space

I struggle with the estate being the saloon buyer option...

 

[EddScott]

Headroom wise, I have to say I can't complain with my Taycan Sport Turismo.

Can I ask what your average range is please? Is the car a G1 or G2?

I think G2 are still a bit pricey for me and not sure about the G1 range compared to my IPace (when all the batteries are working).

The rear struts on my IPace have started leaking, it often tells me lane assist isn't working and new one on Friday, auto lights refused to work. I love it but it's becoming trying at times.

 

[Junglist]

It was a bit chilly this morning. I'm sure what I'm about to be impressed about isn't totally specific to EVs but it's new to me!

Being able to have the car warm up without going out to it in the mornings is lovely. It'll be even nicer when the real cold mornings start. In my S3 I'd have to go outside, start it, turn the heaters on and the functions to de-ice the windows/mirrors and then wait 10 minutes before it was at a comfortable temperature and all the ice was gone.

I love that now I've set a schedule, it'll just be ready to go for me without me having to go outside and do anything. Charger will be getting installed tomorrow so I don't have to worry about the hit it does to the battery either.

On the point of a charger. What is the best practice? Do you just keep you car plugged in when at home or do you just charge when bellow 15%/20%?

 

[chanjy]

Depends on your mileage but you don't need to plug in every time you come home, only when it needs something

 

[Simon]

Well that does sound overkill for an ICE when a bottle of lukewarm tap water defrosts a car in seconds.

But yeh remote cabin heating and defrosting is great benefit. Just have to watch the steering wheel on some cars. They get red hot, no bad thing I guess.

This post is reminding me how miserable winter is.

Oh and keep it well above 20%. You will have power reduction running it that low and cold batteries don’t like low charge when going up hills.

 

[cuke2u]

I found a website with UK numbers too. I4 is longer but still compromised in the rear. Why we on about ipaces again anyway. They aren’t the sort of car I’m talking about compared to a i4

BMW i4 M50 (2022) vs Jaguar I-Pace EV400 R-Dynamic HSE (2024): What is the difference?

What is the difference between Jaguar I-Pace EV400 R-Dynamic HSE (2024) and BMW i4 M50 (2022)? Find out which is better and their overall performance in the car ranking.

versus.com

Not sure where your source is but the ipace rear leg is much bigger. Front leg room is never an issue.

Anyway an i4 feels more claustrophobic than my E92 coupe. A few mm is significant when talking about head clearance.

One of the things I like about the born is ample head room. The rear is massive for the size of the car and why EVs are much more practical by giving up on trying to be saloons IMHO

I wasn't replying to you, actually, but the observation about the ipace being taller. So where does that extra 100mm, or nearly 4 inches go to. Would it be in the panoramic roof?
Agreed the i4 might 'feel' more claustrophobic and I guess the colour of the headlining, shape of the windscreen and the position of the a pillars can all add to that.

 

[Simon]

Ground clearance I think.

 

[DarrenM343]

It was a bit chilly this morning. I'm sure what I'm about to be impressed about isn't totally specific to EVs but it's new to me!

Being able to have the car warm up without going out to it in the mornings is lovely. It'll be even nicer when the real cold mornings start. In my S3 I'd have to go outside, start it, turn the heaters on and the functions to de-ice the windows/mirrors and then wait 10 minutes before it was at a comfortable temperature and all the ice was gone.

I love that now I've set a schedule, it'll just be ready to go for me without me having to go outside and do anything. Charger will be getting installed tomorrow so I don't have to worry about the hit it does to the battery either.

On the point of a charger. What is the best practice? Do you just keep you car plugged in when at home or do you just charge when bellow 15%/20%?

I hate the cold but didn't even use the cabin pre-heat last year. Maybe as now live in the SW of the UK, and not being an early riser, but I find the seat heating takes the immediate chill off until the heating warms up which doesn't take long. It's still a nice to have feature anyway
Charging is a whole topic of opinions I'd say depends on use and battery chemistry too I think. If you deplete the battery by a significant amount each day (such as 40%) then sure, charge each and every night. If like me,you don't (I can go weeks before getting down to anywhere near 20%), then plug in to charge at least before 20%. I don't go below that. Usually I'm plugging in to charge when I know the next journey is likely going to take me close to 20%,which can usually mean charging when current SOC is showing 25-35%

 

[Junglist]

Well that does sound overkill for an ICE when a bottle of lukewarm tap water defrosts a car in seconds.

But yeh remote cabin heating and defrosting is great benefit. Just have to watch the steering wheel on some cars. They get red hot, no bad thing I guess.

This post is reminding me how miserable winter is.

Oh and keep it well above 20%. You will have power reduction running it that low and cold batteries don’t like low charge when going up hills.

I've never liked the water technique as I always expected my glass to be the 1 in every 100,000 or so that'll crack. Just my luck

I also haven't ever liked the idea of just turning on a car and driving it without it having a chance to warm up a bit. So letting it warm up and warm the interior up at the same time felt like a big brain move!

When I used a supercharger it said it was best to do it under 20% but I guess regular charging isn't anything like supercharging so different rules apply.

 

[chanjy]

I've never liked the water technique as I always expected my glass to be the 1 in every 100,000 or so that'll crack. Just my luck

I also haven't ever liked the idea of just turning on a car and driving it without it having a chance to warm up a bit. So letting it warm up and warm the interior up at the same time felt like a big brain move!

When I used a supercharger it said it was best to do it under 20% but I guess regular charging isn't anything like supercharging so different rules apply.

Supercharger under 20% is so you can max out the charging curve not a battery health thing.

As you correctly say, there's no issue with AC charging so smack it on the charger when you get to 40% and give it a little top up every so often

 

[Penfold101]

On the point of a charger. What is the best practice? Do you just keep you car plugged in when at home or do you just charge when bellow 15%/20%?

I can get about 40% charge over the 5 hours of cheap rate, so I’ll usually let the car hover between 50 and 90.

As we have two EV’s in the house I check most nights what each car has and who’s doing what to make sure the other half never has to worry about potentially running out if she ends up taking a detour because the toddler has fallen asleep in the back etc…

If she’s doing a bigger journey then I’ll take it up to 100%.

Either way there’s usually something plugged in most nights unless we’ve been hermits!

 

[Junglist]

Sweet I'll just do it as and when then in that case. Will probably be every few days.

I'm far too excited to get the charger installed tomorrow. Not having to deal with a forecourt again unless I want expensive snacks feels like a massive boon in life.