Bargain Basement Electric

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Hell Razor5543
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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

I think it was the Leaf (it was a spoiler mounted solar cell). However, fitting solar cells into the roof of an EV vehicle (hybrid or otherwise) could help manage the power consumption a bit more, if they could be made more efficient and the integration better managed.

My cousin and I were talking about electric vehicles (or, rather, power storage), and he mentioned skin mounted capacitors. While they can take a charge (if properly managed) as a stupid rate of knots, capacitors are (when compared to batteries) 'leaky', in that, over time, they lose a lot more power compared to decent batteries. One way around this would be to combine the two technologies, to allow the capacitors to accept the charge very quickly and then trickle charge the batteries (which would be used for long range journeys). That way it is likely you can benefit from very rapid charging but still have a decent range.

My manager and I were discussing the company vans today. One concern is for drivers who rent their home getting permission to have a charging point added to the house (which could not work in my case, as I have to park my van on the road around the corner from where I live). He told me the company is looking into this, and the most likely option will be for a petrol hybrid van. This is due, in part, to some councils/boroughs restricting diesel vehicles from their areas (and some council car parks are doubling the charges for a diesel vehicle over a petrol one, using the requirement to enter the vehicle registration to obtain the parking ticket to look up the fuel type from the databases). I had mentioned hydrogen fuel cell vans, but the lack of suitable fuel stations is the concern here. While going wholly electric for some drivers might work, it would not work for them all (I have had times when I have driven over 300 miles in a day with parking at client sites (with no charging facilities).
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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Hell Razor5543 wrote: 02 Dec 2019, 09:50 One concern is for drivers who rent their home getting permission to have a charging point added to the house (which could not work in my case, as I have to park my van on the road around the corner from where I live).
Oxford are pioneering these Pop-up chargers at the edge of the pavement in partnership with Urban Electric as reported here Electric Vehicles-Charging Infrastructure
Hell Razor5543 wrote: 02 Dec 2019, 09:50 While going wholly electric for some drivers might work, it would not work for them all (I have had times when I have driven over 300 miles in a day with parking at client sites (with no charging facilities).
Now if you are regularly doing 300 miles James you need your employer to provide you with a TESLA Cyber Truck! Must be Plenty of TESLA superchargers to keep you going if necessary on your route!

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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Yet another one of the free NCC chademo's County Hall Morpeth, first time for us.
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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Simple little article from the pages of Zap-Map but if you do fancy jumping into the second-hand market for an electric car, this is as good a time as any to do it.

The cheapest always seems to be a Zoe, but they are saddled in the vast majority of cases with a battery lease, although these if reports are accurate, leases may be able to be bought out by negotiation.

https://www.electrive.com/2018/06/27/re ... ery-lease/

Renault and their Finance wing, may well be seeing a possible liability arising under the leases of now older vehicles to replace batteries under the terms of the existing leases. Of course the small print, and six or more years of having to follow the obligations of those leases are unlikley to allow for a "no quibble" battery replacement.

Zap-Map: Used values climbing for Electric Cars

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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by andy5 »

NewcastleFalcon wrote: 05 Dec 2019, 10:18 Simple little article from the pages of Zap-Map but if you do fancy jumping into the second-hand market for an electric car, this is as good a time as any to do it.
Someone needs to invent time travel, then we can go back 3 or 4 years and buy one then.
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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by Gibbo2286 »

I've got solar panels on the house, 13 of them, made in Italy and working fine, cost £4,500, they don't need full sunshine to produce, daylight is enough.

They're paying me on average £70 per quarter and have also reduced my electric bill by something near 60% so I think the payback time will be a fair bit shorter than originally expected.

I looked into the cost of adding a Powerwall but the cost of that including installation is currently around seven grand so that's out

If I could afford an electric car I'd favour the new Hyundai Kona and at the same time add a Powerwall...……………….but my lottery numbers haven't come up …..yet.

Incidentally, how much does a full grown tree reduce your carbon footprint? Another thread for Neil to set up maybe. :-D
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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by myglaren »

Gibbo2286 wrote: 05 Dec 2019, 11:07 Incidentally, how much does a full grown tree reduce your carbon footprint? Another thread for Neil to set up maybe. :-D
I have three outside my house so I don't need an electric car. :twisted:
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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

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Gibbo2286 wrote: 05 Dec 2019, 11:07 Incidentally, how much does a full grown tree reduce your carbon footprint? Another thread for Neil to set up maybe. :-D
There seem to be some websites saying 48 pounds of CO2 a year

Rounding that to 20 kg, maybe we need about 100 to 200 trees per 20000 km a year car.
Last edited by andy5 on 05 Dec 2019, 12:21, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by Gibbo2286 »

myglaren wrote: 05 Dec 2019, 11:21
Gibbo2286 wrote: 05 Dec 2019, 11:07 Incidentally, how much does a full grown tree reduce your carbon footprint? Another thread for Neil to set up maybe. :-D
I have three outside my house so I don't need an electric car. :twisted:
I have a flowering cherry out front a plum a pear and a cherry out back plus an olive, a few shrubs, forsythia buddleia and blackcurrent :)
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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Gibbo2286 wrote: 05 Dec 2019, 11:07 Incidentally, how much does a full grown tree reduce your carbon footprint? Another thread for Neil to set up maybe. :-D
No need, just have a ramble off topic here, and wake me up when you have finished :-D

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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

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Yesterday's trip saw the 1000miles mark passed in 3 weeks since joining the world of electric vehicle ownership.
Still just £20 spent on "fuel".

So we have a Leaf, a Peugeot Ion, anyone fancy giving a Zoe a try to get the full set of vehicles in the used market currently able to be considered in the "bargain basement" thread.

This is probably the time, before taxation and demand catches up with electric vehicles, when a windfall of significant savings can be made over petrol/diesel in terms of the price paid for electricity.

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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Just at random, here's an example of a 4 year old Zoe pulled out of Evans Halshaws stable, just so happens to be down the road at Durham branch.
Screenshot
Screenshot
The factor which isn't mentioned in the particulars...at that price you will have to take over the battery lease.
Don't know if anyone has tested negotiating a price without the lease with a Dealer, or if the dealers are allowed to do that in the UK by Renault Finance ( RCI Financial Services Limited).
screenshot
screenshot
Enough there to do the calculations. Supply your own back of a cigarette packet or serviette :-D With the Zoe you are lumbered with the battery lease to pass onto the next buyer should you wish to sell it on, and for which you remain responsible for the monthly payments until that lease is transferred to the new owner.

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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by xantia_v6 »

So while the car is sitting on the dealer forecourt, is the dealer paying for the battery lease? I can't imagine that being popular.
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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

xantia_v6 wrote: 07 Dec 2019, 21:42 So while the car is sitting on the dealer forecourt, is the dealer paying for the battery lease? I can't imagine that being popular.
Cant answer that. You would think that Renault wouldnt want to screw their own franchise holders like Evans Halshaw, as they take in "trade-ins" from Customers upgrading and buying new cars, just as you wouldnt expect franchise holders screwing customers wanting to buy a new car by saying that they still have to pay the battery lease on their trade-in until they manage to sell it on off their forecourt.

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Re: Bargain Basement Electric

Post by bobins »

Unfortunately, there aren't any current BEVs that even come close to suiting what i'm after so there's not much point in me spoiling a perfectly serviceable serviette :-D The huuuuuge majority of my motoring in my C5 is a minimum of 100 mile one way trips with no stops en-route, a 250 mile stint without a break is what I prefer - that's my driving style and always has been, the thought of having to plan a stop to find an available charging point isn't a plus point for me. I don't do 'nipping down to the shops' in my car - I either walk or get things sent in the post. I use my hairdrier for 'days out', but for the limited miles I do in it a year, a BEV just doesn't even come close to making financial sense to me. I'd consider a BEV to replace my pick-up truck when I can find one 2-3 years old, under £10k, does a minimum of 350 miles between charges and will still do a minimum of 350 miles between charges after I've owned it 10 years... and comes in a single-cab configuration with a decent sized load bed, and is rated for towing.
I can absolutely understand the benefits of owning a BEV for those that it fits their needs and driving styles, but until the industry catches up with what I need or legislation forces me to change to BEV before I'm ready - BEVs, currently, aren't for me. :(
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