EV general discussion

ICDP said:
It can be both. I’ve been in an MG4 and it feels superficially fine but look a bit closer and the paint finish is not great, or the materials are indeed less premium. But that’s exactly what an MG4 aims for given the cost new.

Where things get more complicated is in the used market when you work to a budget. A 1 year old used MG4 vs a 2 year old used Cupra Born is a very different prospect. The Born just beats it on every level for quality and materials. Yes I have tested both and the Born was just better.

Yes you can get a 2 year old MG4 etc, but now you are in a race to the bottom.
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sure I agree with all of that ....except for the race to the bottom. I guess due to the nature of this forum the average person here is probably more fortunate than the average person on the street. One of the biggest complaints about EVs (other than lack of charging for those without a drive) is that the price of entry is too expensive with people comparing to their £2000 diesel banger.

whilst EVs with a sensible range are not at that point (and may never be) if the likes of a 5 year old MG4 enable people to get on the ladder then that can only be a good thing. and yes perhaps a 7 year old ID 3 or Born will still be a nicer car but at that point the remaining warranty on the MG car battery may be worth losing a few higher quality plastics etc

rust and rot may be a concern and time will tell.... but then there are some pretty ropey fords around where I live and even what was once a nice 2 seater merc which has serious bodywork issues so I don't think that is necessarily a purely Chinese car problem
 
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My apologies, I should have qualified my comment with the fact I meant race to the bottom from a personal standard. Your bottom is different to my bottom etc :)

So you have a set number of criteria. Eg £20k, no older than 2, no more than 20k miles etc. suddenly you are looking at a 4 year old base spec E-Tron or I-Pace with 50,000 miles on the clock and zero warranty.
 
Anyone have any issues with Zappi? Have booked in our charging installation quote. I was leaning toward hypervolt, but not sure they offer that one at the moment (need to check on this). Between Ohme, Easee one and Zappi I would probably go for Zappi?
 
CaptainRAVE said:
Anyone have any issues with Zappi? Have booked in our charging installation quote. I was leaning toward hypervolt, but not sure they offer that one at the moment (need to check on this). Between Ohme, Easee one and Zappi I would probably go for Zappi?
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Zappi has historical issues with older revision units, not so much anymore, and are a blessing if you are looking to go down the solar PV route. They are hard to ignore, and can be had for reasonable prices installed which wasn't the case for a while
 
Hypervolt is also fine and highly featured and works with Octopus Intelligent Go.

Personally I would avoid Ohme unless it’s a good deal as it only runs off 4G and there is only so long they can offer that for ‘free’. Ohme isn’t as fully featured either but it works on Octopus intelligent. As I said, if you can get it for a good price, and you don’t need the features that Zappi or Hypervolt, go for it. Just don’t cry to the daily mail if they decide to start charging for the 4G connectivity in a few years time.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
As above really.

Some have energy monitors built in if that is something you’d be looking for. I find it helpful to determine how much energy the car is actually using so I can split that out from my household usage.

The only thing I strongly recommend is to get a tethered charger (one which the cable is attached), it’s just significantly more convenient.

I’d avoid anything that relies on a 4g connection for data, you’ll end up paying a subscription for for smart functionality after the first couple of years.
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2.5years later still no fee…
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Hypervolt is also fine and highly featured and works with Octopus Intelligent Go.

Personally I would avoid Ohme unless it’s a good deal as it only runs off 4G and there is only so long they can offer that for ‘free’. Ohme isn’t as fully featured either but it works on Octopus intelligent. As I said, if you can get it for a good price, and you don’t need the features that Zappi or Hypervolt, go for it. Just don’t cry to the daily mail if they decide to start charging for the 4G connectivity in a few years time.
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Re: Ohme, I was chatting with one their PDM's at a conference as I was asking about it they were interested in jumping on the lifetime IoT SIM, but they already have that deal in place apparently, and have no intention to change it anytime soon. When you are talking ~£10 for 10 years+ of connectivity it's hardly a big cost on an already high margin product.
 
Journey said:
Zappi has historical issues with older revision units, not so much anymore, and are a blessing if you are looking to go down the solar PV route. They are hard to ignore, and can be had for reasonable prices installed which wasn't the case for a while
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That’s good to know. Plus Zappi only one unit on the wall, I think hypervolt has a separate wall unit to attach the cable.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
Anyone have any issues with Zappi? Have booked in our charging installation quote. I was leaning toward hypervolt, but not sure they offer that one at the moment (need to check on this). Between Ohme, Easee one and Zappi I would probably go for Zappi?
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my zappi is now absolutely fine..I did have some issues initially as the grid CT clamp was initially set to wireless using the harvi and this was giving me issues however as soon as I got it wired it has been flawless.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
That’s good to know. Plus Zappi only one unit on the wall, I think hypervolt has a separate wall unit to attach the cable.
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It’s just a holster for the plug, Ohme is the same.

Zappi the plug attaches to the front but the charger looks like a toilet seat - that’s the main downside of it.
 
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b0rn2sk8 said:
It’s just a holster for the plug, Ohme is the same.

Zappi the plug attaches to the front but the charger looks like a toilet seat - that’s the main downside of it.
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I think I’m leaning toward hypervolt again tbh. I think it looks better. The installers have confirmed they can fit one, just need a site survey now.
 
Jonnycoupe said:
No one else will be covering units though… does it go with your avocado bath?
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Are you replying to me, you're very hard to follow since you refuse to reply properly?

Anyway, I know quite a few who cover theirs and it was the reason I did mine, you don't ever need to look at them once setup so why have them on display?
However you know best as usual so I expect a witty reply.
 
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yes I don't get his ironic comment avocado&70s bathrooms are back in vogue - like the orange mg4's and mustangs
(the black and white boring hotel marble imitation fixtures are out)
]
 
They recently opened a Tesla showroom near me, I stopped by and they insisted I try a new Model 3 LR AWD overnight, which I was happy to do. I was quite impressed, I thought it was well judged in terms of suspension and the noise levels and refinement were reasonable. It reminded me of a 3 Series in terms of dynamics, and handled well. The software seems good and I quite like the Theatre stuff.

The facelift Model 3 looks far sharper than the previous model, and I don't mind it in white either, it's quite nice being pearlescent. I'm actually thinking whether one might make some sense for me in the future, it would be a second car initially, probably the standard range model, new (avoiding premium car tax etc). I don't think they miss out on anything aside from the upgraded stereo? I'd need to check the standard one is OK - but I'm sure it's fine. Basic Autopilot seems to have the adaptive cruise and lane assist, which is good.

Do any owners worry about the Elon Musk sized elephant in the room? I wonder if his increasingly erratic behaviour might start to damage the brand in the future.
 
jpaul said:
yes I don't get his ironic comment avocado&70s bathrooms are back in vogue - like the orange mg4's and mustangs
(the black and white boring hotel marble imitation fixtures are out)
]
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Funny thing is I haven't got a bath because I'm disabled and can't get down that far, I have an avocado shower head though.
 
Robbo said:
Do any owners worry about the Elon Musk sized elephant in the room? I wonder if his increasingly erratic behaviour might start to damage the brand in the future.
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Not wishing to bring politics/SC into motors but yes, I would be genuinely concerned about not only potential vandalism but also the longevity of the company(future servicing, warranties etc). The chap is in mental decline and he’ll take Tesla with him.
 
shifty_uk said:
Not wishing to bring politics/SC into motors but yes, I would be genuinely concerned about not only potential vandalism but also the longevity of the company(future servicing, warranties etc). The chap is in mental decline and he’ll take Tesla with him.
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Yes, I don't want to start a politics discussion in here, but he's so closely aligned with Tesla I think it's a fair thing to be concerned about! I think we'd all agree he's a bit of a... strange fellow :p
 
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