Electric, Hybrid and Alternative fuelled vehicles - News and Discussion

[admiles]

On 14/03/2020 at 08:44, jjb1970 said:

 

The Ioniq is an excellent car. The PHEV version is an excellent compromise for people who mainly cover short distances but who do some long trips. They have approached making a PHEV differently from Euro rivals in using a very efficient engine of modest but adequate power so the car is still very frugal once running on the engine. 

In general Hyundai and KIA are making some superb cars. The Hyundai i30N hot hatches are brilliant and the KIA Stinger and Proceed are lovely cars. And they have probably done as much for the BEV as Tesla but with a lot less recognition. I find it quite sad many still refuse to accept that Korean cars are now very good indeed and match cars from anywhere. 

 

Not all Korean cars are as good as you claim. My brother has a Hyundai i30N which as been problematic to say the least. Most serious problem being front control arm ball joints detaching from the arm itself. Three times it's played that little partly piece with no sign of a safety recall. The car is now back with the dealer until a solution is found. He's refusing to take it back.

 

My ex-wife has a Kia Sportage, her second. The first was fine, the second has been plagued with faults and has spent more time back at the dealer than on the road. 

 

Of course not all Hyundais and Kias will be like this but based on these experiences there's no way I'd risk one. The ball joint problem especially is unforgivable (and lethal!)  

[admiles]

On 14/03/2020 at 10:30, jjb1970 said:

The toy that I still can't see the point of unless you have an impairment that makes it useful is the powered tailgate. These days it seems to be a must have on car spec sheets but for an able bodied person it really does seem pointless.

 

Ask my 4'10" partner!

 

One of the main reasons she has a Mini Clubman is the way the rear doors open. She simply can't reach the majority of open hatchback tailgates.  A powered tailgate that closes with a push of a button on the key would be a godsend and enable her to look at other cars. That said the Mini has been excellent and we're looking for another at the moment. The problem being is most of the latest ones are autos which is a no-go for her.

 

Incidentally, I had a quick test drive of the new e-Mini EV at the weekend.  Not a contender for us as its hatchback only but it was interesting to compare to a normal Mini.

Edited March 16, 2020 by admiles

[The Fatadder]

First time charging the car on the road today, all surprisingly easy to do (and was free).

Better still, after an hour or so in the gym the car had added enough charge to cover the drive there and back 

[jjb1970]

7 hours ago, admiles said:

 

Not all Korean cars are as good as you claim. My brother has a Hyundai i30N which as been problematic to say the least. Most serious problem being front control arm ball joints detaching from the arm itself. Three times it's played that little partly piece with no sign of a safety recall. The car is now back with the dealer until a solution is found. He's refusing to take it back.

 

My ex-wife has a Kia Sportage, her second. The first was fine, the second has been plagued with faults and has spent more time back at the dealer than on the road. 

 

Of course not all Hyundais and Kias will be like this but based on these experiences there's no way I'd risk one. The ball joint problem especially is unforgivable (and lethal!)  

 

A fair point, but it's also easy to judge too widely based on limited experience. For example my wife's Golf VII had a lot of niggly faults and build quality issues (nothing huge, but annoying all the same) while my Audi A6 has needed a new gear box, battery (and changing a battery isn't cheap as it has to be keyed into the car systems) and a new infotainment screen. The reason I'm in a hurry to swap (it's three years old in June) is because I don't want to keep it out of warranty. 

[Ron Ron Ron]

Hyundai Kona EV gets increased range......

 

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/102580/hyundai-kona-electric-get-increased-range-july

 

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

New 2020 Tesla Model Y  : dimensions, prices and release date.....

 

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/tesla/model-y/96548/new-2020-tesla-model-y-electric-car-enters-production

 

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/100420/tesla-model-y-pictures

 

 

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[idd15]

Small car with real style. Available soon...

 

https://microlino-car.com/en/microlino

 

idd

Edited March 19, 2020 by idd15

[boxbrownie]

6 minutes ago, idd15 said:

Small car with real style. Available soon...

 

https://microlino-car.com/en/microlino

 

idd

Wonderful......love to see the crash test results on this one.......in particular the frontal offset deformable barrier test 

 

Although I do admit it looks a helluva lot nicer than the Citroen attempt.

Edited March 19, 2020 by boxbrownie

[jjb1970]

I am really interested to see what MG does next. I know many laugh at Chinese cars but the truth is their automotive manufacturers are learning very quickly (no doubt helped by the various JVs with more mature manufacturers). The ZS EV is a great value BEV and much better than many might think.  

[idd15]

So want one of these. But here in soggy Manchester I'd want the door option...

 

Arcimoto

 

You can even have one with flashy lights... 

 

idd

 

[Enterprisingwestern]

On 16/03/2020 at 19:59, The Fatadder said:

First time charging the car on the road today, all surprisingly easy to do (and was free).

Better still, after an hour or so in the gym the car had added enough charge to cover the drive there and back 

 

Now I see why you need parking sensors.

 

Mike.

[idd15]

34 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

Wonderful......love to see the crash test results on this one.......in particular the frontal offset deformable barrier test 

 

Although I do admit it looks a helluva lot nicer than the Citroen attempt.

Pah! No sense of adventure... Anyway it would probably bounce off! 

idd 

Edited March 19, 2020 by idd15

[Ron Ron Ron]

Committed Petrol Head, Harry Metcalfe of Evo Magazine and Harry's Garage fame, has just released a video review of his short time with a Tesla 3..........

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[PatB]

11 hours ago, idd15 said:

Small car with real style. Available soon...

 

https://microlino-car.com/en/microlino

 

idd

 

Gosh, an Isetta. Presumably it's in the Heavy Quadricycle class, as I can't see it passing any frontal impact tests. I'm also a bit sceptical of the range vs charging time claims. Unless someone more EV savvy than me (not difficult) can explain, with numbers, a reasonable way of getting 125 km and reasonable performance from 4 hours at, maybe 2.5 kW charge rate.

[Joseph_Pestell]

34 minutes ago, PatB said:

 

Gosh, an Isetta. Presumably it's in the Heavy Quadricycle class, as I can't see it passing any frontal impact tests. I'm also a bit sceptical of the range vs charging time claims. Unless someone more EV savvy than me (not difficult) can explain, with numbers, a reasonable way of getting 125 km and reasonable performance from 4 hours at, maybe 2.5 kW charge rate.

 

I don't think that matters too much. Who is going to want to do a 125km trip in that?

 

Seriously, that format, with the opening door in the front was wrong 60 years ago. It's still wrong. Remember that story about someone who had removed the reverse gear (so that it qualified as a motorbike) and then drove too far into his garage.

 

I do like their priorities about luggage.

Edited March 20, 2020 by Joseph_Pestell
Add

[PatB]

10 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

I don't think that matters too much. Who is going to want to do a 125km trip in that?

 

Seriously, that format, with the opening door in the front was wrong 60 years ago. It's still wrong. Remember that story about someone who had removed the reverse gear (so that it qualified as a motorbike) and then drove too far into his garage.

 

I do like their priorities about luggage.

Dad had a Heinkel, back in the day. He reckoned it was superior to the Isetta in every way, using sophisticated, aircraft structural techniques, rather than the Isetta's heavy, crude ladder chassis, to make a much lighter, better balanced car(?). Allegedly it handled too. Whilst, perhaps, the exception, he used to do a regular Newcastle to Taunton return trip in it, and found it reasonably comfortable, at least by the standards of c1960.

[Joseph_Pestell]

1 minute ago, PatB said:

Dad had a Heinkel, back in the day. He reckoned it was superior to the Isetta in every way, using sophisticated, aircraft structural techniques, rather than the Isetta's heavy, crude ladder chassis, to make a much lighter, better balanced car(?). Allegedly it handled too. Whilst, perhaps, the exception, he used to do a regular Newcastle to Taunton return trip in it, and found it reasonably comfortable, at least by the standards of c1960.

With all that aircraft technology, did they include an ejector seat?

[PatB]

5 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

With all that aircraft technology, did they include an ejector seat?

Well, the fabric sunroof offered the option of baling out manually ;-).

[Karhedron]

7 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

With all that aircraft technology, did they include an ejector seat?

 

I would imagine that it would become an ejector seat in the event of a crash whether it was designed that way or not.

[Joseph_Pestell]

7 hours ago, PatB said:

Well, the fabric sunroof offered the option of baling out manually ;-).

 

Perhaps more truth in that than you think. A friend of mine survived a major road accident by being thrown out of the top of a convertible.

[PatB]

I tend to be in 2 minds with regatd to crash protection in cars. As a motorcyclist of more tha 30 years, I don't get that freaked out, on a personal level, by its lack (as a mate said, when he got his car licence and bought a 2CV,"It might not offer much compared to, say, a Volvo, but up against a pair of jeans it's not bad at all". On the other hand, as a sometime vehicle safety professional, I recognise the need  for the vehicle fleet to not kill more than an acceptable number of road users. 

 

That said, if anyone ever offers an EV version of the Messerschmidt TG500, I'll be

[30801]

I am constantly impressed by the high quality coverage of electric vehicles in the mainstream media.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8134325/Lizzie-Cundy-attempts-plug-Tesla-charger-250k-electric-Mercedes-Surrey.html

[jjb1970]

Maybe it would help if the public charger network and charging interfaces on cars had been better planned. From what I can see it's a bit of a mess. So far we still haven't used one mind. 

[black and decker boy]

Most public Chargers have the type 2 connection now, some do offer others but it’s the type 2 which is the most mainstream (CCS is the fast charger version of type2 and appears on some points alongside a type 2).
 

Type 2 is supposed to be the industry standard so I’d expect all new models to be using it but cannot say for sure.

 

Tesla Superchargers (EG: at motorway services) only work on Tesla cars as the charging point talks to the car, the car knows who you are so you get the bill on your account. No contactless, No app, No RFID cards needed.
 

other providers Such as Polar (part of BP) work on RFID cards or contactless debit / credit cards so are universally accessible.

[Buhar]

Type 2 is not at all universal on rapid chargers. Many Ecotricity don't have them especially when there are two together, one will, one won't. Some recent installations eg Instavolt don't have Type 2 at all. As a Zoe owner I notice these things. The new Zoe takes Type 2 plus another one. 

Alan