Random EV thoughts.....

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122953140#Comment_122953140

Correct. I passed it last night for the first time when it caught my eye.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122953435#Comment_122953435

It’s there a while though.like a good while. I posted about it last year, or at least early this year!

wassie

Circle K bought about a dozen Londis in Dublin city from Seamus Griffin's operations a couple of years back IIRC. I dont think theres been a buyout of Londis as such.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122952850#Comment_122952850

Just to be clear, I was saying they're doing better than Exxon. That's about the lowest bar possible

And I agree moral behaviour doesn't come into the thinking for those companies. It's largely greenwashing combined with some legal obligations and a desire not to be caught flat footed in the face of global change

Specifically in the case of Shell, wasn't there a court case a few years back that compelled them to make investments in greener technologies?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122953383#Comment_122953383

In the case of Shell I'd certainly consider that they're making a minimal effort attempt at a charging network

I suspect the goal is to rapidly expand the network without much consideration for customer experience.

Some of the hubs they've built in the UK and Netherlands are pretty good, so it's clear they can build decent infrastructure when they want to

Luna84

I'm thinking about picking up a 2025 Honda Civic hybrid in the new year. Bit on the dear side at over 50k but I like the non plug in part as I have no way of getting a charger.

Are they any good does anyone know?

Luna84

Just to add when I say 2025 it's still the old model as from reviews I watched on YouTube some markets have gotten a Facelift. Easy way you can tell is the USB's on dashboard on facelift are USB C while the older model like the one I'm thinking about getting are USB A.

ablelocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122953699#Comment_122953699

wait, 50k for a honda civic?

Luna84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122954316#Comment_122954316

Yes. A hybrid though not sure that adds 20k.

Luna84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122954316#Comment_122954316

Paddy tax is only €2000 as I just went on the Honda UK site and converted the sterling to euro and it came to €48k. So we aren't been ripped off as bad as some cars go.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122954316#Comment_122954316

While that is bad, I saw a sticker on a Mazda 2 Hybrid recently for 32k 🤔

This thing 🤣

Luna84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122954549#Comment_122954549

Is that based on the Yaris hybrid looks very similar.

edit: It is I just googled it.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122954440#Comment_122954440

£12k was the price of a brand new one in 1998. Extra couple of knot the 1.6 VTi DOHC cam version. I curse my mam for not buying that every day!

derekreilly

Skyworth / Skywell 1st look around the Q, K, Concept Y and HONGTU van. I'll not start a separate thread on this brand just yet...🤣

https://youtu.be/6hgXrrhw7nk?si=G4HgLcK8tVq1JnNF

Ev fan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122953699#Comment_122953699

If you don't have a problem with an EV could I suggest an e boost Born fully loaded for 37k approx. I would imagine greater bhp etc. - boot will be a bit smaller. In the past owned a Civic (and an Accord) - both good cars.

maidhc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122955607#Comment_122955607

I suspect we will all be driving Chinese EVs soon. There is no sense to 80/100k becoming the price for a half decent Audi/vw/bmw/etc. the previous justification of quality or driving dynamics doesn’t even hold water anymore; they are all as anodyne as hell.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122964582#Comment_122964582

I tend to agree especially as tbe Germans appear to be lowering quality along with increasing the prices.

Headshot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122964582#Comment_122964582

I don't see it happening, The EU (Germany) are suffering because of these Chinese cars

maidhc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122964590#Comment_122964590

you can’t stop progress though. Vag has no answer, and it seems BMW and Mercedes will just license technology and probably even outsource manufacturing to China.

Buddy Bubs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122964582#Comment_122964582

80k is still close to top of the range stuff in fairness and vw dont have anything that price as far as i know ….plenty available in the 30s and 40s from vw, Renault, Peugeot, kia, hyundai, cupra, skoda, tesla, ford just recently, all very good cars. A few brands lagging behind however.

The Chinese though are welcome additions to the competitive landscape keeping them all honest. Some of them are really nice too, we've only seen a taster of what they have to offer so far.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122964598#Comment_122964598

vw recently invested 700m in xpeng I believe

wassie

The end of cheap energy and cheap money in Germany has definitely exposed the car manufacturing there.

Ignoring the click-baity headline, Sam Evans seems to espouse a serious problem on the numbers he is seeing.

Although I dont necessarily subscribe to the end of the Germany Auto Industry, it might just take a crisis for them to undertake radical structural reform on how they do things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRs1OCXjTrk

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122964588#Comment_122964588

I said it years ago. It’s sad.
Especially now with the rumours of other German brands going the direct sales routes. The car industry is at the start of a shake up alright.

Ev fan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122964582#Comment_122964582

Sorry I didn't even read

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122964582#Comment_122964582

I'm sorry I didn't even read Luna84's comment correctly- re he can't get an EV charger. I was just thinking that having driven a Civic for a good few years I would find it hard to justify the increased spend for it over a good EV like the Born. As I've mentioned before if I was to go back to an equivalent ICE car like a Golf I would have to spend over eur 45k spec to spec.

MojoMaker

Took a Born e-boost out for a spin from Brady's - it's a cracking wee car and if I didn't have additional luggage needs I'd happily drive one. 33k is a steal for a well-equipped, sporty, spacious, and smart modern EV.

the_amazing_raisin

I'll be honest if there was a decent selection of public chargers nearby I'd still consider and EV without home charging

You're paying an extra €15k effectively to not need to charge but you do need to visit the petrol station

Depending on your driving patterns, you could go 3 days or even longer between charges. If you local supermarket has a DC charger then that fits neatly into a shopping trip

While public charging is expensive, how many kilowatt hours will it take to bridge the thousands extra for a hybrid? By some quick math, the price difference will cover around 200,000km of driving on the 42c subscription rate from Ionity

That's not counting the cost of petrol, which the self charging hybrid requires

To be clear, it isn't for everyone and there's a lot of factors to consider. But I wouldn't immediately count an EV out

Luna84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967457#Comment_122967457

You know it actually would work out for me. I drive very little. I walk 10 mins to a location and get picked up to get to work and dropped off same spot and walk home. I only use the car on a Saturday and Sunday. But would the battery drain if it was left unused for a week?

edit: The reason I was thinking non plugin hybrid I didn't want to be just sitting waiting for it to charge but the more I think about it I could have it charge while I shop etc..

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967680#Comment_122967680

Vampire drain is a reality and it varies around with different cars. I've never actually measured the ID.4 but the main consumer is likely pre-heating the car every morning. It's a bit wasteful on days I'm not driving but it stops the cabin getting mouldy so I'm willing to make the sacrifice

I'd recommend using Plugshare to get an idea of the chargers in the area and maybe stalk them online for a bit to see how busy they are

I assume you've onstreet parking so I'd recommend speaking to the management company to see about installing chargers for residents. There's a few folks here who have lived off public charging so might be worth talking to them. I think @liamog was for a while?

Luna84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967398#Comment_122967398

Where are you getting that price? Since I changed my mind about what car I will buy I went to the Cupra website and below is the price they have it for?

Buddy Bubs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967846#Comment_122967846

Take the 3500 grant off and also the cupra booster grant of 3500

You're still only down to 35k though, maybe some garages are giving a discount because I've seen this 33k figure used a few times here

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967806#Comment_122967806

It's a personal choice obviously but I'd be amazed if the cabin of a newish car would suffer from damp even if was not driven for an extended period of time. Prior to EVs pre warming the cabin was not an option and I've never seen dampness in any car I've owned or sat into.

So if you're concerned about excessive phantom drain don't waste energy on pre warming the cabin especially if not driving the car

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967806#Comment_122967806

No it isn't, I've left my Born parked up for 2 weeks while on holiday and the battery percentage never changed. The only car I've ever owned that had mould was a rotted out Cortina so there's certainly no need to waste electricity heating a modern car.

maidhc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122968519#Comment_122968519

Any car will get fine and damp this time of the year if it isn’t driven for a week or two.

even for the ev skeptics (and I’m one) there is a very strong business case that one car in a two car household an ev.

Flinty997

I've never had a car get mould even in lockdown where one car hardly moved for the year. Even old cars that take forever to demist they've never got mouldy.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122964738#Comment_122964738

I don't really get those numbers, it's seems like employers are rolling up costs like pensions, health insurance, regulated working hrs etc. Into some giant figure so they move production to places where they don't have to pay any of those things.

I think that's a bit sound bitey where it ignores the effect of globalisation on markets and competing with a communist state.

You risk a race to the bottom for your population..

For sure German manufacturers have been really milking it, where you pay for heated seats on a subscription model. Quality failing but still charging premium prices. So their problems have been coming a long time.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967680#Comment_122967680

Short answer is that no, you won’t notice any drain. I parked up for 3 weeks this year. Left car unplugged. Opened app every day to vent the windows and close them in the evening.

Carried out one OTA software update to the car. And when I got home it was less 3%.

It was another brand but they’d all be very similar.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122969142#Comment_122969142

Speaking about the German (and EU to some extent) economies is a story of stagnation and stupidity IMO

If you asked the German governments of the past 20 years where their economic future lies, they would probably have responded with heavy manufacturing industries like cars

However, Germany is a high wage country and utilizes a lot of manual labour. In comparison South Korea is also pretty expensive but has invested heavily in automation to offset their fertility crisis. They've also moved a lot of investment towards higher value products like semiconductors and consumer electronics (Samsung, LG, etc)

Germany managed to survive based on a perceived quality gap and also by having cheap energy and credit which kept costs down. Now that those are gone they're vulnerable

They can hide behind trade protectionism, however we've seen foreign brands get around this by just building factories in EU countries with lower wages

Frankly the only way out for Germany and other high wage EU countries is to invest heavily in future industries. This is probably something Ireland has done very well with so many software and pharmaceutical companies here (it's also brought a rake of other problems to be fair)

I don't see the current or next German governments solving the problem since they've their heads firmly buried in the sand. Nor do I think the risque fascists in AfD are going to fix anything either since their approach is to just shift the blame to ethnic minorities (that always worked out great in Germany didn't it)

MojoMaker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122968357#Comment_122968357

On the road figure included in the table above. Was quoted for finance on the ROTR figure minus the Cupra 3500 sales incentive - final cost 33,255. The difference that is not obvious is the VRT adjustment.

At 33k the Born e-boost is remarkable value.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122968998#Comment_122968998

Ive a 2017 smax which doesn't get driven regularly, often going a week or more between drives. It's never shown the slightest sign of dampness between drives. Just sit, start up and drive off. If a car is any way damp inside it's leaking water somewhere, which isn't a problem for new cars

Ev fan

A little bit of a good news story- Irish Times did their usual take on best new cars for 2025 - 8 cars out of 10 are EV- has to be a positive.

cannco253

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122969973#Comment_122969973

and another story on RTE

https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2024/1217/1486781-electric-car-prices-battery-ranges-2025-guide/

Flinty997

Wow that's a big article.

Quite something that Ireland has created an environment with increasing diesel car sales (and the cost of diesel) when diesel car sales are down across Europe generally.

I guess the positive is you can still buy whatever you want..

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122971079#Comment_122971079

I'd hate to think what the cost of motor tax will be on those cars in a few years time. Especially when the government of the day is faced with billions of euro in fines…

maidhc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122971116#Comment_122971116

Not one red cent will ever be paid in “fines” in the context of carbon.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09NEGNRYTk0

Edd China fixing a Leaf with a welded contactor instead of replacing the battery pack (£150 vs £6000 or so)

Probably could do it even cheaper by replacing the contactor itself instead of the whole assembly

Great to see some of the better known car mechanics on YouTube challenging the idea that a fault in the battery pack requires a complete replacement

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122972212#Comment_122972212

Sure because the EU couldn't just deduct the fines from the funding they give us

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121586463#Comment_121586463

Quote from last January.

I saw a talk from the Irish company goplugable and I quickly signed up while listening to the talk.

Today I got a phone call from a UK number while in work at 11:40am. The caller explained he was from goplugable and that someone wanted to pay to use my home charger. He said they cannot see my home exact location nor contact details until I approve. I asked when and he said 2-5pm today. He said I needed to approve in the app. So I went into the app, logged in, and found the request and sure enough today 2-5pm. So I approved them messaged the person with my mobile number and address, but I think they could see those details at that point. I also changed my zappi from night timer to instant. This could be done remotely from the charger app. The goplugable app suggested around 10 euro for 3 hours and around 20kWh of energy. This seemed to assume a 3 hour booking would consume around 7kW of energy per hour. This is a presumption in the app.

So then I waited. I could see on the charger app an EV charging around 2:30pm. I messaged the missus there may be a strange car in the driveway. The booked time was 2-5 but I could see from my charger it was actually 2;30-5:30 which may have caused a parking issue if we came home from work and wanted to use the space. We have plenty on street free parking so not a concern but may be for others.

After I reviewed the results. At the time of request I noticed no pop up notification from the app with a request, no notification at start of charging, no notification at end of charging notifications. Notifications are allowed for this app on my phone. No emails, no alerts, no sms etc. It's something they could improve on. I did not find the app that user friendly and difficult to contact support. It also does not give you a way of ringing the person using your home charger, just in app messaging.

The original price around 10 euro seems to be before their fee, then also vat is taken off. I may have underpriced my offer,when I actually thought when I set the price it was high enough to deter time wasters and more for those stuck or trying it out. My 10 became 7.24

The biggest shock was I can't get any money out until my balance is 50 euro. Considering I would be lucky with 1 user per year, it might take 5+ years before I have any hope of getting any money back. It might be possible to work around it by topping up to 50 then refunding it but I have not tested that.

This seems crazy, electricity costs alone were probably 5 euro, tipping into peak electricity pricing from 5pm.

Another surprise for me was the calculated units consumed according to their guess was 18.84kWh while my home charger said it was 20.69 units. Thus they underestimated the actual electricity consumption by 10% leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

Pricing from others seems to vary a lot with some that don't seem to understand the kWh rate structure, basically 7 units per hour. Many others are more expensive than public chargers.

I joined up for the thrill to test it out, and to help someone stuck on low charge where nearby public chargers were busy. I could radically increase my pricing but then it probably makes no sense to users. I'll probably just remove my home charger from the options list.

I did wonder could I mount a pedestal unit on the public street outside my house and start becoming a public charger provider, it could be useful to undercut ESB and for those nearby with no home chargers.

I do worry about goplugable's long term viability. Lots of similar apps with myenergi and zapmap going in on the home charger resell game, options in plugshare app to list home chargers too. I can't see it reaching critical mass alone as a stand alone app.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122972379#Comment_122972379

You know how Populist extraordinaires Harris and Martin love paying hard ball with their EU betters so now that we are substantial net contributors to the EU dream I can see them withholding our EU contributions in a protest response🤣

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122971116#Comment_122971116

Motor tax changes cannot be retroactive

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122973191#Comment_122973191

Why not?