There are some very helpful EV drivers out there. When I had just got my E-Niro and waiting to have the home charger fitted I had to use the local Costa coffee Instavolt charger. I pulled up and looked at the charger, then at the Niro, an elderly gentleman approached and asked if I needed any help. He was charging his leaf. We had a great 5 mins chat and he showed me how to use the charger.
Probably one of your better videos. As an EV driver since Feb 2017 and having watched the growth spurt of EVs, it's amazing the lack of knowledge that newer drivers have. I blame this totally on car dealers not getting training by their dealerships. The same goes for their technicians.
Thank you so much, David. I was fortunate when I got my first Nissan Leaf. The dealer had an “EV expert” who told me quite a lot. They had experience driving long distances and had really put effort into understanding EVs. If only all dealers did the same.
The Michelin Cross Climate are an excellent 4 season selection ! Don't trust your AWD if you have one, put on 4 seasons if you don't live in a place justifying for winter tires. Main benefit of your cross climate is that it last really long compared to competition without compromising on its winter performance. Well done Andrew !
Crossclimate 2 are probably the best tyre you can put on any car ... they also have a long life and can be used all year round. They are the best tyre I ever used in 45 years of driving .. great on ice/snow/wet grass and light mud - also stable in the Summer at high speed in Europe
I had them on my ICE, really impressed. I think the first set (cross climate 1s) did 50k and were far better than cheapo ones the previous owner had. Will stick them on my e-Niro when it comes to change time
You are spot on with your No.1 Topic, "Patience"! I waited for 12 months for a new Kia EV6 to be delivered. After 12 months of patient waiting, I dared to ask when I could expect it to arrive. About another 12 months was the reply! I cancelled the order in January this year and am now patiently awaiting the delivery of a Genesis GV60, due in July........ maybe! This is a REAL lesson in patience!!!!
Hi Andy, according to an RAC driver I met a few years ago, 90% of puncture related breakdowns can be rectified by re-inflating the tyre with getting off the motorway being the first objective. I’d avoid using gunk until I’ve tried this as a repair in a tyre shop is cheap. Cheers G
My top 4. 1. Driveway or garage with electrics, 2.Level 2 charger 3. Warm clothes and heavy jacket 4. Possibly an off-peak tariff depending on mileage (do the numbers). There are no free chargers any more and charging externally is going to cost you a packet on long trips like 70p+ on fast chargers...which means your spending almost double compared to a petrol car. Half the time chargers are not working, and there are so few fast chargers it's a nightmare. I have owned EVs for 10 years. Oh and public charging was never any good...in a 250 mile journey back down the M1 7 years ago, I did not find a single working charger!!
Granny chargers in North America only give like 1.25 kW.... For an efficient EV, you'd get about 7 km per hour. And this works for many people! 12 hours overnight is like 90 km. So for a daily go to work car, if work is 40 km away, this works just fine. Can throw in a lunch run just fine also.
Andrew, #1 is patience, that was beautiful 😻 And especially the add on, maybe angry people shouldn’t have EVs, yet. Your video is a 10+++, even without your wife.
After watching your take on the EV structure in the UK I feel blessed living here in Québec. 1. We don’t need to carry charge cables around with us except for the household sockets, all 7 KWh units have cables attached. 😅 2. We only have about 4 different charging companies and they’re all excellent especially Hydro Québec's Electric Circuit. 😊 3. The cost of charging is the cheapest in N America, a 50 KWh charger is $13 ( £9 ) an hour. 😮 I’m about to return to the UK to see family and friends and I was thinking about hiring an EV, but after watching your report and against my philosophy I am going to go for a small ICE runaround. Excellent video.
Picked my first electric car - Hyundai Kona yesterday, I’ve been watching the MrEV/Family videos for the last few weeks… Definitely informative and entertaining! Thank you.
Also patience on a long journey - slowing down by a few mph eg 70 to 65 can significantly improve economy and reduce the number of charging stops and also reduce the cost
Thanks for this Andrew - I'm in SW France and have just got my lovely Dacia Spring. I am a complete newby, and am trying to get as much information as possible. This is so helpful. Thanks again.
Great video and a must watch for newbies - and some veteran EV owners. Glad you mentioned etiquette - MOVE YOUR CAR WHEN FINISHED. Also - if you own a Tesla, do NOT criticise Tesla or Lord Elon on forums or social media lest you are ostracised by the Fanboys. Also - if you own a Tesla, remember Lord Elon knows best so don’t complain about no ultra sonic sensors, lousy wipers, lousy positioning of speed display etc. ELON IS RIGHT.
Great thumbnail. I've heard of AC/DC but not familiar with other rock bands. I think Granny Charger played the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen back in the day.😉
Thank you for a great video. I've ordered an EV and this has been an excellent introduction to many of the elements of EV driving not always mentioned by many other reviewers.
great blog Andrew, patience is a great point for both charging, infrastructure, other not so thoughtful ev drivers and ice drivers. I have recently seen on two occasions where a Tesla driver has parked in a non tesla charging bay and tried to charge to a 100%😩 and on another occasion a jag driver parked across two bays preventing anyone else from charging.
Thanks, I really enjoyed this and learned some stuff. I've been driving a Nissan Leaf since late 2019 and I love it - despite being entirely the wrong sort of person to run an EV. I'm a free-lance musician and all my journeys are long ones, often to places I don't know, and I have to be there at a specific time. What I have got much better at is extending my range between charges by driving more slowly and at as even a pace as possible - which I thought was going to be part of your "No. 1 Patience" bit. It can be difficult sometimes with other drivers but there are journeys of c. 100 miles that I used to plan a charge stop for and now always do on one charge, having filled up the night before at a (cheaper) slow charger. The driving time is longer but the overall journey is shorter and easier to plan if you're not having to worry about whether a charger is going to be available or working. Also, it's better for the planet and you're less likely to get done for speeding.
Dashcam - we fitted a dashcam into our new Golf Hybrid & our Insurance dropped by £60 per annum. Did teh same on our Discovery but £80 this time! Worth doing as it saves costs in the long run
North of the border, one Chargeplace Scotland RFID card covers the entire council run network of 2400+ public chargers which also includes some 50 KW rapid chargers.
Beautiful video, such sensible advice. Hope many people watch this. I don't think I'll buy an EV, I won't be able to afford one but nevertheless I hope the infrastructure and costs come down massively.
Thanks so much! EV prices are always coming down (especially as ex-leases flood the second-hand market) so hopefully you’ll be able to afford one some day soon.
The Tyre advice is great, totally agree. I put All Season Tyres on mine and the difference is literally unbelieveable. More people should bother to change them.
I’m intrigued by the dashcam as I’m considering getting one for my EV6 as I have to charge at public 7kw charge points, so the ‘sentry’ function in particular is of interest to see how well it functions. Thanks.
Excellent info, brilliantly summarised and presented. Your expertise and experience with a broad range of vehicles, apps and charging networks really shines through. I especially like that I don't have to comment "yes, but Tesla/Merc/etc. already support this" - you've already done your homework and have probably already driven those cars, so you know what's up!
they also need patience for their own learning curve. day 1 will be their worst time for planning journeys, charging etc. so don't get annoyed and pack it in because you've not given yourself a chance to learn how it all works and get good at it.
13:11 That battery monitor is fantastic! I have one installed on my Ford Cmax PHEV because the voltage kept dropping below 12 volts shortly after driving. The car only charges the lead acid battery when the EV battery is charging. Our Tesla Model 3 is always monitoring it’s lead acid battery and can send power to it at any time.
watching your excellent videos from Alvito in Portugal . my LEAF was identical to yours in this video .. best most reliable car ever ..after a nissan techies recommended FAST charge to wake up my lazy battery pack i lost four capacity bars the very next day . bye bye beloved LEAF.
Thanks Andrew. Very informative for beginners. Elli is a great rfid card to have with their subscription. As well as ionity, Osprey and Shell amongst others are all 35p kWh to charge which is a massive saving. Soon pays for the monthly subscription cost and invaluable if you cover alot of miles. 60p plus is just way to expensive to pay for charging.
@Andrew Till / Mr. EV Yes, really handy to know. BP Chargmaster is another one amongst smaller lessons know providers. It a shame Instavolt isn't included, I avoid them at all costs. 60p plus is waaay to much. Also noticed tesla supercharger are back down to around 40p which is great!
Thanks for the very useful video, awaiting delivery of my first EV Enyaq IV Sline, and as an Octopus customer I have just signed up for Octopus Electroverse using your link and £25 credit already applied, Thanks. 👍
Thanks, I am a long term EV owner, and I think you have covered many of the points new owners need to know. Tyre inflaters, I use a portable one rather than a plug in one, very important to keep the correct pressure for best range. Your Zappi is very good, but all the exposed wiring is awful, still it works OK, but I like neat and tidy. I use the Granny on 6 amps when I am at a holiday cottage etc. You are correct to point out that your AC charging speed is determined by your car on board charger, the public chargers are really just AC supply points, not chargers, and this frustrates many new owners.
The effigy zappi is a great product. Especially if you have Home solar and plenty of sunshine and you can harvest your excess Energy generation to top up your car.
My off peak rates are 12.6p ( 21:00hrs - 07:00hrs ) , this rate also applies all weekend . My peak is 53.6p . I also have a 3.2kw PV ARRAY off grid system which charges my leaf 40 and other household stuff .
Caution. Some OBD dongles can put a permanent drain on your 12v battery. I tried a 'tracker' dongle and if you didn't drive for few days, you could hear the reluctance of the battery to spin the engine... (This was in MB E220D)
You need at least 10 apps on your mobile device, 6 rfid type cards, give your most personal data and bank details to each of them, do some incantations, and then after checking zapmap, drive 50 miles to face the frustration of trying to charge something.
It’s nowhere near that bad these days. In terms of rapid chargers, it’s really just IONITY that doesn’t accept bank cards. I only have one RFID card now and that’s Octopus Electroverse.
I've just had a Ohme charger fitted. I don't have a private parking space so I need to run cable over the pavement with a cable cover stopping a trip hazzard. I estimate I do 200 miles a week so not sure if a cheaper overnight tariff would work for me as I'd pay more for the whole week, counter acting the "saving"
I cannot charge at home and never have been able to. I charge at Tesco which is a two minute wak from where I live, so I plug mine in and walk back home until it is ready and thern walk back down and pick it up. 44p per kwh. Never failed. Been driving my Zoe since 2015 and it is ten years old at the end of the year.
I really like your number one, patience. Really what’s your rush? Whenever something is amiss I think about the early automobile owners. They didn’t even have decent roads! Surely we can deal with an occasional issue at a DC fast charger on the occasional road trip. Assuming it improves pretty soon.
Octopus go is good if you use the car to commute long journeys but if doing short low mileages the higher daytime rates for your other elec uses negates the off peak benefit.
I enjoy to watch all your your videos. Even when some of the infomations are UK only (and I live in EU/DK). Would be interested to see you review dashcam/s 👍
Octopus go or any other time of day tariff is a bit of a false economy as the other 20 hours are more than the EPG rate. I recommend OVOs add on called anytime drove, it costs 10pkw at any time and normal usage is the standard. Worth a look
Quick note on the EV Tariff. There's another one from octopus (Intelligent Octopus), which is 10p/KWh between 11:30pm and 05:30am (and sometimes a little longer)
Great little video, most car dealers could learn a thing or too from it. I added a dash cam to my car because I see so much crazy driving. A dash cam is the same price as my insurance excess and could help me get my excess back in a bump.
I do like the idea of what tesla SC do in charging you £1 per minute after your car has hit 100% it's enough of a deterrent to get you back, but not that much that if your stuck and ten mins late, its just going to annoy you but not bancrupt you.
Patiently awaiting my EV6 GTline-S awd on it's way from South Korea. Ordered last April.. Already have a 3 phase 22kw Charger installed at work (EV6 can do 11kw). Planning on getting a booster pack going off the scare stories on face book pages etc.
Check that your home electricity supply is suitable for a charger. It took the energy board about nine months for them to fit a new supply to my property.
Great video. Another point in the charging speed section is that it can be the cable that is limiting you speed on the AC 22kw charger. Lots of slightly grumpy MG4 LR/trophy drivers plugging in with their MG cable only getting 7kw when they’ve heard they can get 11kw, but the MG cable is only a 7kw (single phase) cable, you need a 3-phase cable to get more than 7kw.
That's a great point. Obviously the manufacturer should give a suitable cable with the car, although I remember some e-Niro drivers complaining about the same because Kia had bundled the PHEV type 2 cable.
@@MrEV I don’t think us MG4 drivers can complain really, it was sold to us as having a 7kw onboard (I think because 99% of homes have single phase, so they were just selling based on domestic supply). The standard supplied cable is the granny but some bought or got the MG type 2 thrown in (and very early ones got type 2 because there was a shortage of MG grannies).
Same with MG5 only charges at 7kw on a 22kw charger. If anyone is going to Scotland you NEED a charge place Scotland RFID card, lots of the chargers are not phone app capable.
@@garyhill9723 personally I would, as it’s not much more expensive to buy and provides a bit more flexibility/speed. AC chargers are usually a bit cheaper when out and about. If you’re getting a single phase type 2 cable thrown into the deal then it’s probably not worth the extra expense.
I've not seen that video, but I wonder if that was an early version? They generally have a very good reputation for reliability. Unless Rolec, for instance, which I know many installers refused to install.
@@MrEV I watched the vid yesterday but can't say when it was posted. It was really thorough. It was an interview with one of the head honchos from ZBenny. Then at the end the installer opened the box and showed what was inside and compared it to another brand. The contrast was staggering. I'll go try and find it again.
First point and second in the video...A charger. I 'll give the tip that you also can buy a protable charger with the possibility to charge in 3 phase, 11KW total. (Not with this leaf but for all EV's with a 3 fase AC onboard charging). The charger I have can be adjusted to the situation by choosing the Ampere for charging. It's 8,10,13 or 16 ampere , for each phase the same. Also it's easy, with an accessoire , to connect it to a normal house plug (one phase). The choices for ampere are the same...maximum charge in one phase is 3,7KW (16Amps) at 230Volt european (continental) sockets. This is cheper than a wall box because also easy to use somewehre else than at home only... 80% charging? Yes with a lot of cars. A friend of mine (TeslaS85 ) charged only to 50% because the charghedrop curve in the Tesla made it faster to charge more often to 50% thaen to 80% some fewer. I charge mostly above 80%...not because that is faster but because I'm not ready with my coffee when the car is already on 80% ( the ioniq 5...18 minutes is really short if you need a sanitair stop and a coffee after a few hours driving) Some advice (if they read it)...for the producers and providers from rapid chargers. Just make it IMPOSSIBLE to charge to 100%. By stopping the charging. (May be when the speed drops below a certain powerlevel AND the battery is 80+%..or simply on battery %. ). This makes the queues at charging stations much shorter because waiting until 100% is no longer an issue. Indeed in all those EV years I've had to wait one time on such a lady....because one ionity was in repair, the other was occupied by this lady charging very slow those 10% on a 350KW charger. 90% can be reached fast with my ioniq 5 5...even charging up to 100KW until 87%. 18 minutes from 10 to 80%, another 10 minutes to 90% but more than 90% is slow.
Probably worth mentioning that there is still a government grant available for those in rented accommodation to get £350 off your charger. We have just done this to get our Ohme charger down to £650 with installation:)
Great video Andrew. Like you we have driveway charging and 9KW of PV + off peak. As we hit the end of March we have plenty of surplus generation and the car /s are a great place to dump the surplus (26 KW the other day ). So with a bit of local driving and daily charging, like you, we get most of our driving for "free" late March to early November. For our longer trips we just take the hit from public charging. EV driving just takes a bit of thought and a slight change of habit. Would I go back....no.
Two comments from me. 1. Both my wife and I have noticed that driving an EV seems more relaxed and long trips even more so with having to take regular breaks for charging. 2. You mentioned people who park in charging bays or overstay but one of the most frustrating is people who park over two bays. You can see a charging cable you could use, but they've not left enough space for you to get to it 🤬
I agree - driving an EV is generally much more relaxing. I also think it’s made me a better driver as regen (and wanting to drive efficiently) makes me slow down sooner than I ordinarily would have. And yes, people parking over two bays is very annoying. It’s something that I’ve not experienced myself but I’ve seen plenty of pics on social media!
@@MrEV only been in a EV just over two months now but two or three times I've had to ask people if they'd move over and once last week i couldn't find the driver. I'm doing a lot of motorway miles though, about 4000 so far which is quite a lot of charging. Totally agree that it changes your driving style. Trying to get the miles per kW as high as possible becomes a bit of a game.
Appreciate the information here. I have to say that my take aways from this are: 1. the charging provision in the UK is a bloody mess and no where near where it needs to be. 2. If you don't have off road parking then electric cars are not yet for you.
Public charging certainly has a way to go in the UK. I know people that have no off-street parking and they manage well, but it’s dependent on local infrastructure. I was considering doing a video about it to see how feasible it is, but it’s so dependent on where someone lives, it may not be much use!
Great video Andrew. I'm seven years into EV driving myself, and your top 10 list is really useful - not only for people starting fresh with EVs. As we are planning to drive to UK this summer, I have two questions/comments to what you stated: 1) The Octopus Electroverse app/RFID you suggest is only available to UK residents. What would be your next-best suggestion for foreigners? Bonnet was previously available to me, but they kicked out all Norwegians late 2022. You suggested Elli, but I see that they lack roaming with e.g. MFG and Mer (and where Mer - a Norwegian company - does not allow Norwegians to download the Mer UK app!). Any suggestion for what is the best option wrt coverage for non-UK residents, not necessarily the best price? (And any help in getting Octopus to also support foreigners would be appreciated!) 2) You state that the UK EV infrastructure is a bit inadequate. Would you say that it is still manageable for tourists, even if our accommodation lacks destination charging? I managed navigating rural south-eastern France last summer without difficulties under the same conditions, although with a little planning.
Hi Olaf, experienced (6 years +) EV driver in UK. The UK is generally navigable fine with just a contactless bank card, but get the Podpoint app too as they do not take bank cards. Bonnet is no longer useful as the previous discount has been reduced and I have stopped mine. ZapMap is absolutely essential. There are now many more charging stations with multiple chargers, and the main routes are covered by Gridserve and Instavolt . Osprey have a reliable network in Public Houses serving food (Marston's group) always handy. Podpoint are in many Lidl and Tesco supermarkets and Instavolt in many McDonalds, not great food but reliable chargers.
Excellent video of tips and I will be using two of your links (charger for battery and octopus rfid). Please do review the dash cam and also in combination with a ecoflow River 2 for example to ensure the security mode is active once car switched off. That’s just my guess at this moment.
Can I just add a point about joining Octopus. I agree that joining it for the car-specific tarrifs is a good idea, but be aware you have to join on their standard tarrif first, and then, when they have been receiving reliable half hour readings from your smart meter for at least 20 days you can switch to Octopus-go. So make the switch at least a month before you need the tarrif. If you haven't already got a suitable smart meter allow longer time. They have also introduced a new tarrof (Intellegent Octopus) which gives even cheaper charging for longer, but both car and charger need to be compatible. My Kia Niro EV and BG eSync are both not supported.
Thanks very much Andrew for this great video - really very helpful. Once question, though - if your EV’s 12v battery is dead, how do you get under the bonnet to connect up the jump-started, as all the doors are 12v battery driven, right?
Ive currently got a 2021 facelift ioniq hybrid, and the car has a 12v battery jump button. In 30 years ive probably ran my battery out 3 times and needed a jump, intil i got this car, on the odd occation id forget to turn it off, given its scilent, and run the 12v down. The bulit in jump start buton is brilliant. But i agree with you, if thd car has a massve 48v battery back (i think they a 48v) why doesnt it just have a transformer to drop it down to 12v 🤷♂️ but thats probably why im not an engineer
Exemplary public information film. Deserves the widest possible audience.
Thank you!
There are some very helpful EV drivers out there. When I had just got my E-Niro and waiting to have the home charger fitted I had to use the local Costa coffee Instavolt charger. I pulled up and looked at the charger, then at the Niro, an elderly gentleman approached and asked if I needed any help. He was charging his leaf. We had a great 5 mins chat and he showed me how to use the charger.
That’s great to hear!
I met a lot of lovely people at charging stops driving down to Zurich and Viareggio last summer.
Probably one of your better videos. As an EV driver since Feb 2017 and having watched the growth spurt of EVs, it's amazing the lack of knowledge that newer drivers have. I blame this totally on car dealers not getting training by their dealerships. The same goes for their technicians.
Thank you so much, David. I was fortunate when I got my first Nissan Leaf. The dealer had an “EV expert” who told me quite a lot. They had experience driving long distances and had really put effort into understanding EVs.
If only all dealers did the same.
The Michelin Cross Climate are an excellent 4 season selection ! Don't trust your AWD if you have one, put on 4 seasons if you don't live in a place justifying for winter tires. Main benefit of your cross climate is that it last really long compared to competition without compromising on its winter performance. Well done Andrew !
Crossclimate 2 are probably the best tyre you can put on any car ... they also have a long life and can be used all year round. They are the best tyre I ever used in 45 years of driving .. great on ice/snow/wet grass and light mud - also stable in the Summer at high speed in Europe
I had them on my ICE, really impressed. I think the first set (cross climate 1s) did 50k and were far better than cheapo ones the previous owner had. Will stick them on my e-Niro when it comes to change time
I'd like to see the dashcam review. would be nice to know what kind of drain it has on the car if its in a "sentry" mode etc
You are spot on with your No.1 Topic, "Patience"! I waited for 12 months for a new Kia EV6 to be delivered. After 12 months of patient waiting, I dared to ask when I could expect it to arrive. About another 12 months was the reply! I cancelled the order in January this year and am now patiently awaiting the delivery of a Genesis GV60, due in July........ maybe! This is a REAL lesson in patience!!!!
That’s ridiculous isn’t it?! I don’t understand how the supply chain issues aren’t resolved yet.
Hi Andy, according to an RAC driver I met a few years ago, 90% of puncture related breakdowns can be rectified by re-inflating the tyre with getting off the motorway being the first objective. I’d avoid using gunk until I’ve tried this as a repair in a tyre shop is cheap. Cheers G
Sensible and down to earth - many thanks.
My top 4. 1. Driveway or garage with electrics, 2.Level 2 charger 3. Warm clothes and heavy jacket 4. Possibly an off-peak tariff depending on mileage (do the numbers). There are no free chargers any more and charging externally is going to cost you a packet on long trips like 70p+ on fast chargers...which means your spending almost double compared to a petrol car. Half the time chargers are not working, and there are so few fast chargers it's a nightmare. I have owned EVs for 10 years. Oh and public charging was never any good...in a 250 mile journey back down the M1 7 years ago, I did not find a single working charger!!
Granny chargers in North America only give like 1.25 kW.... For an efficient EV, you'd get about 7 km per hour. And this works for many people! 12 hours overnight is like 90 km. So for a daily go to work car, if work is 40 km away, this works just fine. Can throw in a lunch run just fine also.
My 1st EV, a 2nd hand 40kw Leaf, two weeks in and one pedal driving is the best thing so far.
It is! One pedal driving is a revelation.
Andrew, #1 is patience, that was beautiful 😻
And especially the add on, maybe angry people shouldn’t have EVs, yet.
Your video is a 10+++, even without your wife.
Good refresher for existing EV owners too.
After watching your take on the EV structure in the UK I feel blessed living here in Québec. 1. We don’t need to carry charge cables around with us except for the household sockets, all 7 KWh units have cables attached. 😅 2. We only have about 4 different charging companies and they’re all excellent especially Hydro Québec's Electric Circuit. 😊 3. The cost of charging is the cheapest in N America, a 50 KWh charger is $13 ( £9 ) an hour. 😮 I’m about to return to the UK to see family and friends and I was thinking about hiring an EV, but after watching your report and against my philosophy I am going to go for a small ICE runaround. Excellent video.
ty for the tip on AC, didnt understand why was so slow
Picked my first electric car - Hyundai Kona yesterday, I’ve been watching the MrEV/Family videos for the last few weeks… Definitely informative and entertaining! Thank you.
Congratulations! I love the Kona!
@@MrEV Thanks, next possible video idea… Jargons explainer?
Thank you for this, Andrew... it was great! Plus, I really enjoy your on-camera presence!
@@MichaelMcGaw My thoughts exactly Michael. Very pleasant demeanour - just as if you were having a chat down the pub.
Andrew, what an awesome video for any EV driver, a first timer or an over 10 year veteran like me!
Thanks so much!
@@MrEV You are very welcome Andrew. Please, please say hello to your incredible wife, Flaviana and your beautiful princess daughter!
Good idea Andrew, well done.
Outstanding! I believe my next car will be an EV!
Also patience on a long journey - slowing down by a few mph eg 70 to 65 can significantly improve economy and reduce the number of charging stops and also reduce the cost
Thanks for this Andrew - I'm in SW France and have just got my lovely Dacia Spring. I am a complete newby, and am trying to get as much information as possible. This is so helpful. Thanks again.
Congratulations! I wish we could get the Spring in the UK. Enjoy it!
Great video and a must watch for newbies - and some veteran EV owners. Glad you mentioned etiquette - MOVE YOUR CAR WHEN FINISHED.
Also - if you own a Tesla, do NOT criticise Tesla or Lord Elon on forums or social media lest you are ostracised by the Fanboys.
Also - if you own a Tesla, remember Lord Elon knows best so don’t complain about no ultra sonic sensors, lousy wipers, lousy positioning of speed display etc. ELON IS RIGHT.
Great Tesla-specific tips there! 😀
Rabid Musk fans are a fascinating bunch.
I'd love to see a dashcam review too.
Great thumbnail. I've heard of AC/DC but not familiar with other rock bands. I think Granny Charger played the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen back in the day.😉
Perfect starter for a newbie. Thank you
Thank you for a great video. I've ordered an EV and this has been an excellent introduction to many of the elements of EV driving not always mentioned by many other reviewers.
Great video, loads of good advice and tips. Thanks very much 👍
Excellent video, made it very easy to understand,
great blog Andrew, patience is a great point for both charging, infrastructure, other not so thoughtful ev drivers and ice drivers. I have recently seen on two occasions where a Tesla driver has parked in a non tesla charging bay and tried to charge to a 100%😩 and on another occasion a jag driver parked across two bays preventing anyone else from charging.
That’s particularly bad. Sadly the worst offenders do tend to be owners of certain brands!
Thanks, I really enjoyed this and learned some stuff. I've been driving a Nissan Leaf since late 2019 and I love it - despite being entirely the wrong sort of person to run an EV. I'm a free-lance musician and all my journeys are long ones, often to places I don't know, and I have to be there at a specific time. What I have got much better at is extending my range between charges by driving more slowly and at as even a pace as possible - which I thought was going to be part of your "No. 1 Patience" bit. It can be difficult sometimes with other drivers but there are journeys of c. 100 miles that I used to plan a charge stop for and now always do on one charge, having filled up the night before at a (cheaper) slow charger. The driving time is longer but the overall journey is shorter and easier to plan if you're not having to worry about whether a charger is going to be available or working. Also, it's better for the planet and you're less likely to get done for speeding.
Dashcam - we fitted a dashcam into our new Golf Hybrid & our Insurance dropped by £60 per annum. Did teh same on our Discovery but £80 this time! Worth doing as it saves costs in the long run
North of the border, one Chargeplace Scotland RFID card covers the entire council run network of 2400+ public chargers which also includes some 50 KW rapid chargers.
Yes, I should have mentioned that, although I would then run the risk of making the video even more UK-centric.
I love CPS!
@@MrEV Impossible to please everyone, Andrew. I should also have commented that I enjoyed the video which was informative and interesting.
@@MrEV in Scotland you need an CPS RFID card as many chargers are not phone app capable and it catches out many visitors.
This is brilliant, thank you.
A lot of useful information here.
Beautiful video, such sensible advice. Hope many people watch this. I don't think I'll buy an EV, I won't be able to afford one but nevertheless I hope the infrastructure and costs come down massively.
Thanks so much! EV prices are always coming down (especially as ex-leases flood the second-hand market) so hopefully you’ll be able to afford one some day soon.
This has been far more helpful than any car reviews so thank you for taking the time.
Great to hear! Thank you.
The Tyre advice is great, totally agree. I put All Season Tyres on mine and the difference is literally unbelieveable. More people should bother to change them.
I’m intrigued by the dashcam as I’m considering getting one for my EV6 as I have to charge at public 7kw charge points, so the ‘sentry’ function in particular is of interest to see how well it functions. Thanks.
Excellent info, brilliantly summarised and presented. Your expertise and experience with a broad range of vehicles, apps and charging networks really shines through.
I especially like that I don't have to comment "yes, but Tesla/Merc/etc. already support this" - you've already done your homework and have probably already driven those cars, so you know what's up!
Much appreciated!
they also need patience for their own learning curve. day 1 will be their worst time for planning journeys, charging etc. so don't get annoyed and pack it in because you've not given yourself a chance to learn how it all works and get good at it.
I find the video very useful and much appreciated .
+1 for the dashcam review
13:11 That battery monitor is fantastic! I have one installed on my Ford Cmax PHEV because the voltage kept dropping below 12 volts shortly after driving. The car only charges the lead acid battery when the EV battery is charging. Our Tesla Model 3 is always monitoring it’s lead acid battery and can send power to it at any time.
watching your excellent videos from Alvito in Portugal . my LEAF was identical to yours in this video .. best most reliable car ever ..after a nissan techies recommended FAST charge to wake up my lazy battery pack i lost four capacity bars the very next day . bye bye beloved LEAF.
Great vlog, thank you for this, informative as always. Battery starter on order.
Thanks Kevin!
@@MrEV have also signed up for Electroverse.
@@kevinmarsh9847 Thanks Kevin!
Thanks Andrew. Very informative for beginners. Elli is a great rfid card to have with their subscription. As well as ionity, Osprey and Shell amongst others are all 35p kWh to charge which is a massive saving. Soon pays for the monthly subscription cost and invaluable if you cover alot of miles. 60p plus is just way to expensive to pay for charging.
I wasn’t aware the 35p/kWh applied to other networks as well! Fantastic!
@Andrew Till / Mr. EV Yes, really handy to know. BP Chargmaster is another one amongst smaller lessons know providers. It a shame Instavolt isn't included, I avoid them at all costs. 60p plus is waaay to much. Also noticed tesla supercharger are back down to around 40p which is great!
Octopus have just increased the offpeak time to 5 hours overnight.
Yes, great isn’t it? I need to make a follow-up video about it.
Thanks for the very useful video, awaiting delivery of my first EV Enyaq IV Sline, and as an Octopus customer I have just signed up for Octopus Electroverse using your link and £25 credit already applied, Thanks. 👍
Great to hear! Thank you!
Thanks, I am a long term EV owner, and I think you have covered many of the points new owners need to know.
Tyre inflaters, I use a portable one rather than a plug in one, very important to keep the correct pressure for best range.
Your Zappi is very good, but all the exposed wiring is awful, still it works OK, but I like neat and tidy.
I use the Granny on 6 amps when I am at a holiday cottage etc. You are correct to point out that your AC charging speed is determined by your car on board charger, the public chargers are really just AC supply points, not chargers, and this frustrates many new owners.
Just used your Octopus referral! 😊
Thanks so much, Ricardo! I hope the switch goes well.
@@MrEV all went well!
Get Flaviana a nice meal and glass of wine, will keep her happy 😊
Great video and not just for NEW EV owners thank you
I would like a review on the dashcam you show in it thanks in advance
Les
Thanks Les - and yes, I'll get a dashcam review done soon. Probably next month.
The effigy zappi is a great product. Especially if you have Home solar and plenty of sunshine and you can harvest your excess Energy generation to top up your car.
Excellent! Quite possibly your best … and no Flaviana either 😮
Brilliant thanks mate
My off peak rates are 12.6p ( 21:00hrs - 07:00hrs ) , this rate also applies all weekend . My peak is 53.6p . I also have a 3.2kw PV ARRAY off grid system which charges my leaf 40 and other household stuff .
Great video.
Caution. Some OBD dongles can put a permanent drain on your 12v battery. I tried a 'tracker' dongle and if you didn't drive for few days, you could hear the reluctance of the battery to spin the engine... (This was in MB E220D)
You need at least 10 apps on your mobile device, 6 rfid type cards, give your most personal data and bank details to each of them, do some incantations, and then after checking zapmap, drive 50 miles to face the frustration of trying to charge something.
It’s nowhere near that bad these days. In terms of rapid chargers, it’s really just IONITY that doesn’t accept bank cards. I only have one RFID card now and that’s Octopus Electroverse.
Thank you, exellent information and really helpful! Just signed up to the Octopus Electroverse.
Thanks Paul (also for using the Electroverse referral code!)
Just used the Octoverse link, thank you!
Thank YOU!
I've just had a Ohme charger fitted. I don't have a private parking space so I need to run cable over the pavement with a cable cover stopping a trip hazzard. I estimate I do 200 miles a week so not sure if a cheaper overnight tariff would work for me as I'd pay more for the whole week, counter acting the "saving"
I cannot charge at home and never have been able to. I charge at Tesco which is a two minute wak from where I live, so I plug mine in and walk back home until it is ready and thern walk back down and pick it up. 44p per kwh. Never failed. Been driving my Zoe since 2015 and it is ten years old at the end of the year.
That's fantastic to hear!
Nice video Andrew. Happy Easter. Best regards Martin
I really like your number one, patience. Really what’s your rush? Whenever something is amiss I think about the early automobile owners. They didn’t even have decent roads! Surely we can deal with an occasional issue at a DC fast charger on the occasional road trip. Assuming it improves pretty soon.
Exactly that!
Octopus go is good if you use the car to commute long journeys but if doing short low mileages the higher daytime rates for your other elec uses negates the off peak benefit.
My thoughts too I do24 mile a day so I'd charge once a week for about 8 hours at 20p p-kw I recon £10 to charge up for the week
I enjoy to watch all your your videos. Even when some of the infomations are UK only (and I live in EU/DK). Would be interested to see you review dashcam/s 👍
Hi. Thanks for the tips.
I've used your Octopus Electroverse link a few days ago and did not get the credit, I thought you should know.
Thank you! You’ll get the credit when you start your first charge.
Octopus go or any other time of day tariff is a bit of a false economy as the other 20 hours are more than the EPG rate. I recommend OVOs add on called anytime drove, it costs 10pkw at any time and normal usage is the standard. Worth a look
Just madfe me happy I reside in Tassie - pay a max of 31cents Australian per KWH.
excellent, solid advice - patience certainly is extremely important. Would be interested to see you review dashcam/s.
Given most cars now dont come with a spare tyre, my last 3 haven't, a pump and some gue is all you get.
Very informative thanks
Quick note on the EV Tariff. There's another one from octopus (Intelligent Octopus), which is 10p/KWh between 11:30pm and 05:30am (and sometimes a little longer)
Great little video, most car dealers could learn a thing or too from it. I added a dash cam to my car because I see so much crazy driving. A dash cam is the same price as my insurance excess and could help me get my excess back in a bump.
That’s a really good point.
I do like the idea of what tesla SC do in charging you £1 per minute after your car has hit 100% it's enough of a deterrent to get you back, but not that much that if your stuck and ten mins late, its just going to annoy you but not bancrupt you.
Patiently awaiting my EV6 GTline-S awd on it's way from South Korea. Ordered last April.. Already have a 3 phase 22kw Charger installed at work (EV6 can do 11kw). Planning on getting a booster pack going off the scare stories on face book pages etc.
You’re going to love it. Impressive patience you’ve shown there! Great you have such a fast charger at work.
Check that your home electricity supply is suitable for a charger. It took the energy board about nine months for them to fit a new supply to my property.
Great point. Chargers also aren’t always easy to install. I’ve heard some horror stories from an engineer recently!
Great advice. New EV owner, 1 week old!
Great video. Another point in the charging speed section is that it can be the cable that is limiting you speed on the AC 22kw charger. Lots of slightly grumpy MG4 LR/trophy drivers plugging in with their MG cable only getting 7kw when they’ve heard they can get 11kw, but the MG cable is only a 7kw (single phase) cable, you need a 3-phase cable to get more than 7kw.
That's a great point. Obviously the manufacturer should give a suitable cable with the car, although I remember some e-Niro drivers complaining about the same because Kia had bundled the PHEV type 2 cable.
@@MrEV I don’t think us MG4 drivers can complain really, it was sold to us as having a 7kw onboard (I think because 99% of homes have single phase, so they were just selling based on domestic supply). The standard supplied cable is the granny but some bought or got the MG type 2 thrown in (and very early ones got type 2 because there was a shortage of MG grannies).
Same with MG5 only charges at 7kw on a 22kw charger.
If anyone is going to Scotland you NEED a charge place Scotland RFID card, lots of the chargers are not phone app capable.
@@rebeccajarratt1487 I’ve just ordered an MG4, does that mean I should get the 3 phase cable to use on the public 22kw chargers
@@garyhill9723 personally I would, as it’s not much more expensive to buy and provides a bit more flexibility/speed. AC chargers are usually a bit cheaper when out and about. If you’re getting a single phase type 2 cable thrown into the deal then it’s probably not worth the extra expense.
I saw a RUclips vid of inside one of those zappy boxes and it had hardware that home electronics ppl would use.
I've not seen that video, but I wonder if that was an early version? They generally have a very good reputation for reliability. Unless Rolec, for instance, which I know many installers refused to install.
@@MrEV I watched the vid yesterday but can't say when it was posted. It was really thorough. It was an interview with one of the head honchos from ZBenny. Then at the end the installer opened the box and showed what was inside and compared it to another brand. The contrast was staggering. I'll go try and find it again.
First point and second in the video...A charger. I 'll give the tip that you also can buy a protable charger with the possibility to charge in 3 phase, 11KW total. (Not with this leaf but for all EV's with a 3 fase AC onboard charging). The charger I have can be adjusted to the situation by choosing the Ampere for charging. It's 8,10,13 or 16 ampere , for each phase the same. Also it's easy, with an accessoire , to connect it to a normal house plug (one phase). The choices for ampere are the same...maximum charge in one phase is 3,7KW (16Amps) at 230Volt european (continental) sockets. This is cheper than a wall box because also easy to use somewehre else than at home only...
80% charging? Yes with a lot of cars. A friend of mine (TeslaS85 ) charged only to 50% because the charghedrop curve in the Tesla made it faster to charge more often to 50% thaen to 80% some fewer.
I charge mostly above 80%...not because that is faster but because I'm not ready with my coffee when the car is already on 80% ( the ioniq 5...18 minutes is really short if you need a sanitair stop and a coffee after a few hours driving)
Some advice (if they read it)...for the producers and providers from rapid chargers.
Just make it IMPOSSIBLE to charge to 100%. By stopping the charging. (May be when the speed drops below a certain powerlevel AND the battery is 80+%..or simply on battery %. ). This makes the queues at charging stations much shorter because waiting until 100% is no longer an issue. Indeed in all those EV years I've had to wait one time on such a lady....because one ionity was in repair, the other was occupied by this lady charging very slow those 10% on a 350KW charger.
90% can be reached fast with my ioniq 5 5...even charging up to 100KW until 87%. 18 minutes from 10 to 80%, another 10 minutes to 90% but more than 90% is slow.
Probably worth mentioning that there is still a government grant available for those in rented accommodation to get £350 off your charger.
We have just done this to get our Ohme charger down to £650 with installation:)
Great tip!
Great video Andrew. Like you we have driveway charging and 9KW of PV + off peak. As we hit the end of March we have plenty of surplus generation and the car /s are a great place to dump the surplus (26 KW the other day ). So with a bit of local driving and daily charging, like you, we get most of our driving for "free" late March to early November. For our longer trips we just take the hit from public charging. EV driving just takes a bit of thought and a slight change of habit. Would I go back....no.
Perfect video for me, first ev due in June and I'm a little nervous
I am interested in seeing a review of that dashcam you were showing, especially if how big the impact on the 12V battery is!
Will do!
Really good advice Andy
Thanks Geoff! I hope you and the family are well?
Two comments from me.
1. Both my wife and I have noticed that driving an EV seems more relaxed and long trips even more so with having to take regular breaks for charging.
2. You mentioned people who park in charging bays or overstay but one of the most frustrating is people who park over two bays. You can see a charging cable you could use, but they've not left enough space for you to get to it 🤬
I agree - driving an EV is generally much more relaxing. I also think it’s made me a better driver as regen (and wanting to drive efficiently) makes me slow down sooner than I ordinarily would have.
And yes, people parking over two bays is very annoying. It’s something that I’ve not experienced myself but I’ve seen plenty of pics on social media!
@@MrEV only been in a EV just over two months now but two or three times I've had to ask people if they'd move over and once last week i couldn't find the driver. I'm doing a lot of motorway miles though, about 4000 so far which is quite a lot of charging.
Totally agree that it changes your driving style. Trying to get the miles per kW as high as possible becomes a bit of a game.
Appreciate the information here. I have to say that my take aways from this are:
1. the charging provision in the UK is a bloody mess and no where near where it needs to be.
2. If you don't have off road parking then electric cars are not yet for you.
Public charging certainly has a way to go in the UK. I know people that have no off-street parking and they manage well, but it’s dependent on local infrastructure.
I was considering doing a video about it to see how feasible it is, but it’s so dependent on where someone lives, it may not be much use!
#11: when you go to your favourite kerbside charger remember that you need coins (yep, how quaint !!!) for the kerbside parking charge.
Great video Andrew. I'm seven years into EV driving myself, and your top 10 list is really useful - not only for people starting fresh with EVs. As we are planning to drive to UK this summer, I have two questions/comments to what you stated:
1) The Octopus Electroverse app/RFID you suggest is only available to UK residents. What would be your next-best suggestion for foreigners? Bonnet was previously available to me, but they kicked out all Norwegians late 2022. You suggested Elli, but I see that they lack roaming with e.g. MFG and Mer (and where Mer - a Norwegian company - does not allow Norwegians to download the Mer UK app!). Any suggestion for what is the best option wrt coverage for non-UK residents, not necessarily the best price? (And any help in getting Octopus to also support foreigners would be appreciated!)
2) You state that the UK EV infrastructure is a bit inadequate. Would you say that it is still manageable for tourists, even if our accommodation lacks destination charging? I managed navigating rural south-eastern France last summer without difficulties under the same conditions, although with a little planning.
Hi Olaf, experienced (6 years +) EV driver in UK. The UK is generally navigable fine with just a contactless bank card, but get the Podpoint app too as they do not take bank cards. Bonnet is no longer useful as the previous discount has been reduced and I have stopped mine. ZapMap is absolutely essential. There are now many more charging stations with multiple chargers, and the main routes are covered by Gridserve and Instavolt . Osprey have a reliable network in Public Houses serving food (Marston's group) always handy. Podpoint are in many Lidl and Tesco supermarkets and Instavolt in many McDonalds, not great food but reliable chargers.
Excellent video of tips and I will be using two of your links (charger for battery and octopus rfid). Please do review the dash cam and also in combination with a ecoflow River 2 for example to ensure the security mode is active once car switched off. That’s just my guess at this moment.
Dash cams are example eligal in Denmark so !
Can I just add a point about joining Octopus. I agree that joining it for the car-specific tarrifs is a good idea, but be aware you have to join on their standard tarrif first, and then, when they have been receiving reliable half hour readings from your smart meter for at least 20 days you can switch to Octopus-go. So make the switch at least a month before you need the tarrif. If you haven't already got a suitable smart meter allow longer time.
They have also introduced a new tarrof (Intellegent Octopus) which gives even cheaper charging for longer, but both car and charger need to be compatible. My Kia Niro EV and BG eSync are both not supported.
Many thanks for this. Couldn't make your affiliate links work though. But I tried!
Thanks for letting me know! Was it the dongle and 12v monitor that you tried? The others seem to work for me?
Thanks very much Andrew for this great video - really very helpful. Once question, though - if your EV’s 12v battery is dead, how do you get under the bonnet to connect up the jump-started, as all the doors are 12v battery driven, right?
There’s still a physical key inside the car’s key fob which enables you to get inside. Not sure about Tesla though!
Hey you back I have not seen your videos for a while 😊
We generally have that daily standing charge for electricity in Australia too. It bothers my mum especially. It is ridiculous really
Ive currently got a 2021 facelift ioniq hybrid, and the car has a 12v battery jump button. In 30 years ive probably ran my battery out 3 times and needed a jump, intil i got this car, on the odd occation id forget to turn it off, given its scilent, and run the 12v down. The bulit in jump start buton is brilliant.
But i agree with you, if thd car has a massve 48v battery back (i think they a 48v) why doesnt it just have a transformer to drop it down to 12v 🤷♂️ but thats probably why im not an engineer