When are you going fully electric?

aforementioned mercedes MMA should curtail those toilet stops

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Of course, this must be different for a production car that will debut in 2025. Short charging times are important for customers. That’s why Mercedes opted for an 800-volt system for the CLA – unlike the large EQS. There are more factors in favour of 800 volts than just the charging power: the lower amperage for the same power means the cables can be thinner and lighter.

The charging power that the CLA achieves would not be easily possible with a 400-volt system and today’s charging infrastructure: the data sheet lists 320 kW at the peak. “What is much more important to us than the peak power: how much range can I recharge in ten minutes,” explained Torsten Eder. “We can achieve 300 kilometres here!” His developers later added that the charging time from ten to 80 per cent is less than 22 minutes. With two charging stops of ten minutes each, 1,200 kilometres should be possible.
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there are plenty of fast charging EVs and i dont think 800v is unique to mercedes.

(hyundai/kia/Audi and at the higher end porsche spring to mind)

to each their own but i just do not think range or the max charging speeds of EVs is a problem any more

the nuts to crack are cost of fast charging and availability of fast charging at peak times at popular locations (and even more importantly affordable destination charging).
 
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If you need to public charge regularly, you can sign up to the likes of Tesla and ionity to get the unit cost down, its not as cheap as the SVR but at least its not a daft 75p/kwh.

I dont have to pay for public charging as its for work, but i still try and head over to a Tesla charger if its only a few miles away. Longest ive spent on a charger is 20 mins. Most batteries charge fastest between 10 and 80%.

In terms of range im getting a comfortable 250 motorway miles in these wetter/colder months, but tbf its not been that cold.
 
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i my younger years i once drove none stop from just south of cambridge to Newcastle none stop. it was iirc around 270 miles door to door and somewhere between 5 and 6 hrs.

Admittedly in winter there is only a small number of EVs which could do that (possibly none in this country)........... but the reality is i could barely walk by the time i got there i was so desperate for a wee and i was exhausted, there is no doubt my decision making and reaction time was impared by then.... i should have had a break.

even a short 15min splash and go whilst i went the loo and stretched my legs would have meant even an average range EV would have been more than capable of making it without any drama and it would have been a safer journey as well.
 
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No idea why people still think EVs mean more time wasted. In the last (almost) 5 years I've saved around 15+ hours not having to fill up at a refuelling station, but probably only waited for the car to charge on maybe 2-3 occasions, which is less than a couple of hours.

Frankly I tend to laugh at people now who use the same reasoning, and then come your with every excuse under the sun to avoid it like you are giving up a freedom by choosing an EV, more fool them I say, if they don't want to make an effort to learn some facts and maybe take a test drive then when they finally do change they'll be kicking themselves.
 
Journey said:
No idea why people still think EVs mean more time wasted. In the last (almost) 5 years I've saved around 15+ hours not having to fill up at a refuelling station, but probably only waited for the car to charge on maybe 2-3 occasions, which is less than a couple of hours.

Frankly I tend to laugh at people now who use the same reasoning, and then come your with every excuse under the sun to avoid it like you are giving up a freedom by choosing an EV, more fool them I say, if they don't want to make an effort to learn some facts and maybe take a test drive then when they finally do change they'll be kicking themselves.
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Nah they've learnt the facts. The alternative ones spread by the Daily Mail and their weird buddies on Facebook. Some of them have gone so full on conspiracy that nothing anyone says will ever change their minds.
 
Drove from Leconfield near Hull back to Cheltenham today - started on 90%, drove 193 miles and arrived on 12% giving a theoretical max of 247 miles. Pretty good in 6 degrees with the heater on, and much better than the journey up on Sunday in strong headwinds where I barely got there on a full charge…

LRSM Polestar 2, 78kwh battery. About 3.6 m/kwh today, and just under 3 on Sunday.
 
Journey said:
No idea why people still think EVs mean more time wasted. In the last (almost) 5 years I've saved around 15+ hours not having to fill up at a refuelling station, but probably only waited for the car to charge on maybe 2-3 occasions, which is less than a couple of hours.

Frankly I tend to laugh at people now who use the same reasoning, and then come your with every excuse under the sun to avoid it like you are giving up a freedom by choosing an EV, more fool them I say, if they don't want to make an effort to learn some facts and maybe take a test drive then when they finally do change they'll be kicking themselves.
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You laugh that people that don’t want to drop the best part of 40k on a new electric, if they don’t want some cheapo Chinese brand :x
 
ColdAsIce said:
You laugh that people that don’t want to drop the best part of 40k on a new electric, if they don’t want some cheapo Chinese brand :x
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No I laugh at people like you, who as I already stated clearly haven't done any research and come up with utter rubbish like what you have just posted.

Case in point: -

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!
www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk

5 miles on it, £18k

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!
www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk

10 miles on it £16.4k.
 
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Journey said:
No I laugh at people like you, who as I already stated clearly haven't done any research and come up with utter rubbish like what you have just posted.

Case in point: -

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!
www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk

5 miles on it, £18k

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!
www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk

10 miles on it £16.4k.
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Citroen get a lot of stick for being both French and of average quality but they very much excel in in the comfort department and are far better than anything else at this price point.

If you are not a 'car person' where driving dynamics are important for you and you just need a car to get you from A to B that glides over the UK's rough roads, you really cant go far wrong with a C4. The only real downside on the electric version is the range is not the best but if you don't pound up and down the motorway every day, for £16k, its an absolute steal.
 
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jaybee said:
With regard to PHEV vs full on BEV, would it be fair to say that the use case for PHEV is limited? I had in my head that buying a PHEV that does 20 to 30 miles on battery, but which still has the ability to do long distance and good performance (Volvo XC90 T8 for example, which is quick) would be good for us. We do a lot of pootling about very short distance journeys multiple times a week. Like say 2-3 mile journeys a lot.

But then I guess if we are not going to do very, very long journeys beyond what a full range EV would do in one stint (200 odd miles say) then are we really gaining anything? Could you argue it is the worst of both worlds with PHEV?
I like the idea of PHEV knowing you could never get stranded and always have the backup ICE for flexibility.
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I'm a whopping 9 days into PHEV life (circa 1300 miles) but I'd agree that they could be classed as the worst of both worlds for the vast majority of people.

EV range isn't enough to properly offset fuel costs and the total range is hobbled by the smaller fuel tank.

Certainly in the case of my car, EV efficiency is not as good as it could be due to the drive going through the 8 speed box. Currently seeing about 2.4m/kWh but I'm hoping this will tip over 3 in the summer.

So why do I have it? Three words... Benefit In Kind.
 
Journey said:
Company is backwards (would have been my choice of three words)
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With respect, you have no idea how my travel and work is structured during my days on the road.

I could make an EV work but we are a way off in terms of destination charging for it to be a smooth transition.

Edit - my budget also wouldn't have bought an estate other than an MG5.
 
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bigmike20vt said:
to each their own but i just do not think range or the max charging speeds of EVs is a problem any more
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if you are getting similar filling times to ICE stations with high charge power over a larger soc window, thanks to 800v plus merc 'smarts' on micro-management of individual battery cells,
you can think I'm paying the same fuel rate as ICE with no downside, but practically these high power chargers won't be deployed widely for a while.
(I thought charging curve on 400v e-trons was also meant to be good but haven't understood if there is a compromise, like cell life, somewhere, or just good cooling ???)
e: think they said their catl cells inherently will have 6/8C charge rate capability
 
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ColdAsIce said:
I know it’s selfish but I just cannot see a full transition. The infrastructure required if everyone was to move to electric is just enormous. Plus the cost of the vehicles from the trusted brands is ridiculous. Not convinced on re-sale value either.

Maybe my hand will be forced before I turn 50 :)
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I agree, if it wasn't for us Granny driving and having our own driveway with Octopus iGo we would have never had an EV.
I feel sorry for future drivers who are forced to have an EV but can only charge at a very expensive charger some distance from their home.
 
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