EV general discussion

[Jonnycoupe]

But my EV already runs on electrofuel. Isn’t electrofuel also green hydrogen?

No way we can scrub enough carbon from the atmosphere or capture methods to make anything close to the fuel need of road cars.

 

[blairw]

Model Y arrived today, love the colour (Midnight Silver) - Just standard RWD model as company car allowance only stretched that far but it's a welcome change from the 1.4ltr Astra I've been driving since I had to return my Polestar 2. Just waiting for the app to update now after signing my arrival form... having to use the god awful keycards in the meantime

 

[Fuzz]

Model Y arrived today, love the colour (Midnight Silver) - Just standard RWD model as company car allowance only stretched that far but it's a welcome change from the 1.4ltr Astra I've been driving since I had to return my Polestar 2. Just waiting for the app to update now after signing my arrival form... having to use the god awful keycards in the meantime

Awesome!
First one?

On collecting mine, I was given keycards but app was already setup. Keycard to open door, sat in, did driver profile stuff, added phone, drove round carpark with a big cheesy grin for a bit getting used to controls, then straight on the M5 for a lead foot test.
Cameras calibrated in about five mins, then tried autopilot

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Nice, just as a pro tip, I’d still carry a key card even once you get app access.

The phone key works amazingly 99.9% of the time but you don’t want that 0.1% to be in an underground car park with no phone signal to unlock the car remotely.

And yes, that did actually happen to someone and they were a number of hours away from the keycard. I think they ended up getting recovery to bring the car outside so they could unlock it remotely.

 

[Fuzz]

Nice, just as a pro tip, I’d still carry a key card even once you get app access.

The phone key works amazingly 99.9% of the time but you don’t want that 0.1% to be in an underground car park with no phone signal to unlock the car remotely.

And yes, that did actually happen to someone and they were a number of hours away from the keycard. I think they ended up getting recovery to bring the car outside so they could unlock it remotely.

I've got sod all phone reception at home, joys of living rural!! Never once used or had to use the cards. Always used the phone. I thought it used near field comms in the phone and car rather than talking via the net?
Had it two years now. Never failed. (And I don't carry the cards)

 

[Fuzz]

Software update arrived today too so fresh goodies to explore later.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I've got sod all phone reception at home, joys of living rural!! Never once used or had to use the cards. Always used the phone. I thought it used near field comms in the phone and car rather than talking via the net?
Had it two years now. Never failed. (And I don't carry the cards)

It uses Bluetooth, if you have an android phone you can also use the NFC chip in the phone (if it has one) like a keycard (you have to place your phone on the reader like a key card).

The phone key may not have failed for you but it’s not 100% perfect. Have had a couple of occasions where the phone key hasn’t woken the car and therefore it wouldn’t unlock.

The solution is to just open the app to wake up the car but that works over the air. If your phone or the car does not have WiFi or mobile coverage, like in an underground car park, what will not work.

Phone key also doesn’t work if it’s dead.

Like I say, phone keys are great, but there are 1 in a million edge cases where they can leave you stuck. Carrying the card in your wallet is not a terrible idea.

 

[rG-tom]

It uses Bluetooth, if you have an android phone you can also use the NFC chip in the phone (if it has one) like a keycard (you have to place your phone on the reader like a key card).

The phone key may not have failed for you but it’s not 100% perfect. Have had a couple of occasions where the phone key hasn’t woken the car and therefore it wouldn’t unlock.

The solution is to just open the app to wake up the car but that works over the air. If your phone or the car does not have WiFi or mobile coverage, like in an underground car park, what will not work.

Phone key also doesn’t work if it’s dead.

Like I say, phone keys are great, but there are 1 in a million edge cases where they can leave you stuck. Carrying the card in your wallet is not a terrible idea.

surely if the car won't wake you can just tap the phone against the b pillar where the card goes? I sometimes do that if i want to quickly force the car to lock before i walk away (ie if my windows are down and i want to see them go up).

Obviously if phone dies then you'd need key card, and I keep one in my wallet all the time but in 1800 miles have never used it!

 

[b0rn2sk8]

surely if the car won't wake you can just tap the phone against the b pillar where the card goes? I sometimes do that if i want to quickly force the car to lock before i walk away (ie if my windows are down and i want to see them go up).

Obviously if phone dies then you'd need key card, and I keep one in my wallet all the time but in 1800 miles have never used it!

Only if you have an android phone, that has NFC, you have enabled that option and added it as an additional key in your car.

If you have an iPhone, not so much.

 

[blairw]

Got the app set up now, it's miles better / more reliable than the one for the Polestar. Just had to email the leasing company to get my wife added so we can set her up with a separate profile!

Will always have a keycard in my wallet, has anyone drilled it and put it on a keyring at all?

 

[bimbleuk]

Like I say, phone keys are great, but there are 1 in a million edge cases where they can leave you stuck. Carrying the card in your wallet is not a terrible idea.

Will always have a keycard in my wallet, has anyone drilled it and put it on a keyring at all?

2nd best purchase after the car (Model 3) was an RFID embedded ring so I'm never without it and didn't get on with using the phone as I tend to have mine set to deep power saving modes.

 

[FerretBoy]

If the app fails (very very rare), disable and enable Bluetooth.

 

[jpaul]

Potential ev dieting option depending on cost/life/availability

 

[Greebo]

Planning my day better by sitting for 4 hours or so on a 7-22kw charger so I'm vaguely in the same league as a ICE price per mile wise?
Or planning my day better so I don't get to my destination at all and avoid public charging stations entirely?

middle of devon to middle cornwall is 85 miles and your car has approx a 300 miles range. Why do you need to stop to charge anywhere?

 

[Rimsy]

middle of devon to middle cornwall is 85 miles and your car has approx a 300 miles range. Why do you need to stop to charge anywhere?

Wow... I realise making massive assumptions then posting ignorant conjecture is the cool thing to do on the internet these days but I think you may well have triumphed with this one :lol: So you claim to know where i live, where i was heading to in cornwall, what else I was doing there that involved my car and which grade / version of the Q4 I have? Amazing!

 

[Journey]

which grade / version of the Q4 I have?

Well I mean there is only one battery size of the Q4 available in the UK if you have had it recently, and that is the 77kWh (useable) version, and the Quattro and non-Quattro both have ~300 miles of range, wheel size being the only other mechanical factor I can think of that you can specify on the car that would change the range in a significant manner.

 

[Rimsy]

Well I mean there is only one battery size of the Q4 available in the UK if you have had it recently, and that is the 77kWh (useable) version, and the Quattro and non-Quattro both have ~300 miles of range, wheel size being the only other mechanical factor I can think of that you can specify on the car that would change the range in a significant manner.

Ah yes... if only we lived in a world where ordering a new EV equated to receiving one a few weeks later
The 35 became unavailable to order around nov last year. There was anything from 9-18 months wait on the 35&40. Sadly (and I truly mean sadly!) I have the 35. Its a great little car with the stamina of an asthmatic sloth.

 

[Journey]

Ah yes... if only we lived in a world where ordering a new EV equated to receiving one a few weeks later
The 35 became unavailable to order around nov last year. There was anything from 9-18 months wait on the 35&40. Sadly (and I truly mean sadly!) I have the 35. Its a great little car with the stamina of an asthmatic sloth.

Guess they were heavily back ordered, seems like now you can get one in 2 weeks, maybe loads of them were cancelled as they all appear to be the 35 (55KWh version) on the leasing sites.

 

[Rimsy]

Guess they were heavily back ordered, seems like now you can get one in 2 weeks, maybe loads of them were cancelled as they all appear to be the 35 (55KWh version) on the leasing sites.

No idea guess it varies - still at least two others at work who are waiting for their 35s which are due within a few months.

Aaanyway my point was more around the extortionate prices you get charged to recharge your ev on the hoof rather than the sensibilities of choosing an EV with such a misleading quoted range. And my point still stands - it's a ripoff!

 

[blairw]

Couple of days with the Tesla now… in terms of technology / phone all etc it blows the polestar 2 away… I do miss the performance of the polestar and ride position etc but the Y is really a perfect family car