Citroen E-C4 - affordable electric and what is a charging curve for electric cars?
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2024
- The Citroen C4 is quite a capable car and has just won its class in the Irish car of the year, now Citroen have put in a battery so it's all electric but does that make it worse or better?
In this episode I also discuss the charging curve of the electric cars and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, please let me know in the comments down below.
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Timecodes
0:00 - Intro
0:29 - How you would normally charge
1:35 - What is a charging curve
4:55 - Charging information and pricing
5:37 - What dealers don't tell you
7:15 - Review of the e-C4 and driving 
Авто/Мото
Well I have had my Citroen eC4 for two weeks now and whilst I am very happy with the comfort I’m really disappointed with the Range, I expected to lose range over a distance but when I left the house with 312 k on the clock I thought that I could do my journey of 104 return in that amount however when I got to my destination which was 104 kilometers from home I had 114 left on the guessometer, I certainly realised that there was no way that I was going get back home on that charge seining that I had used up 208 kilometres on my 104 distant journey and this was driving on ECO mode and an average of 74 kph. I am going on my holidays to France in 5 weeks time so from my house to Ringaskiddy Cork to catch the ferry is 291 K, I will stop in Thomondgate where there is a fast charger which is 177 k and from there to Ringaskiddy is 122 K, if I have the time I will probably stop in Cork and just do a quick top up so that I might get from Roscoff to Carnac which is a journey of 181 kilometers. Most of my driving other than holidays or a trip to Dublin will be local but like I say disappointing that you cannot do a 200 k round trip on a full charge. I think if you are in the market for buying an EV you need to do your homework. I chose comfort over Range but honestly thought that I would have been able to drive to Galway and back in a full charge. Anyway I will see how I get on with my trip to France and I will let people know how I get on.
Have You returned from Your France trip? Any update on car distance efficiency? Any new things or misthings about eC4?
@@mart_baja Hi yes I have returned from our holiday in France. I can safely say that I actually exceeded the range in France of course the Toads and weather contributed a lot to that. I kept to roads with a speed limit of 80kph. I love the car it is really so comfortable to drive which makes up for its lack of range here in Ireland. Once you plan your route there should be no problems.
Very informative Bob, nice to see someone talk about the curve and break it down a little more. Nice car, quite under the radar when it comes to its competition and that price is decent in today's market. Some real quirks like that ipad holder, clever feature.
I recently had a test drive in a shine plus E-C4 and I loved it, especially when you hit the sports button, And like you say it is easy to drive but for some bizarre reason the insurance is £150 more than the MGZSEV facelift.
Thank you for your review videos I enjoy watching them.
Well explained, thank you.
Thanks for the explanation, as always 👍
Great review. I'm glad to see one that is of the car after the updates to the transmission and heat pump to help with the cold weather battery problems.
I actually bought a Citroen E-C4 Shine Edition after doing some research on electric cars then felt quite a lot of range anxiety despite the fact that the thing hasn't even arrived yet - mostly as I live in England where it's very cold for most of the year, similar to Ireland. I was seriously considering trying to get my deposit back and to get out of the PCP agreement to get an MG ZS instead, purely because its range is better and the car is bigger, but trying to get a good deal on one of those is hard at the moment. Lately, after I heard about the range improving tech being added, I started to feel better.
It also doesn't help when watching reviews by big review outlets: people who say it's mediocre because they are used to driving Ioniq 5s or Teslas. One thing they never really take into serious consideration is that people might be on a budget and that "just" an extra £1,500 for a "better" car can be a deal breaker for some as that's an extra £40 or so per month on 4 year PCP.
This video has really helped me to warm up to my new vehicle, which I am really looking forward to seeing in another month, so thank you for the video.
Here's hoping that my wall charger is installed with no issues in two weeks!
I am actually also looking to purchase this instead of the MG EZ EV which has jumped in price. The first MG EZ EV that came was a no brainer, however the price increase is not justified. This is an awesome car. You have to charge more times on longer road trips and plan differently. Its a great car.
Best of luck when u get your new car. I think this is a car I would go for too.
@@brec5879 Its was to small for me =( I am tall (over 190 cm) and slightly heavy and it was to cramped for me. Now I have plans on conversion of my ordinary car
Hi, I am also looking to buy this car. what is your experience and will you recommend buying this EC car?
Thanks in advance.
At last an EV my wife likes, it is not too big, and -just about - has enough range. It is cheaper in UK. Great review Bob, thanks.
Great review bob honest and down to the point. I have a ec4 I get 236 miles an hour on a fast 100kw charger I get 80-99kw from 10-80% takes about half an hour kind regards Mark
Superb review again Bob. I have realy enjoyed it very much ! The power of the ë-c4 is the elegant design, the unique comfort.,The simple and realistic elektric drivetrain and of course the lovely French quirkyness. A can't wait to see a test between this car and the new Renault Megane- elektric. Greetings from the Netherlands.
Thanks for sharing Robert! I'll be testing the Megan as soon as I can
@@BobFlavinVideo Cheers Bob
Do I not recall that Renault (or was it PSA) do a deal with Google to use their software as it was too expensive (and most car makers has little expertise) vs building their own and they could get updates. Look at the poor VW ID software vs the better old petrol version of the same in Golf/other VW ICE.
Great review Bob.
Great review Bob, as of course I've come to expect. Honest and in layman's terms, more especially important as I'm one of those drivers on the cusp of deciding my next move and facing a decision to leave a lifetime use of diesel to 21st century electricity and the e-C4 is one on top of the list of contenders. Thanks for sharing, keep safe.
Same here, the e-C4 has very good charging performance considering it's battery size, slightly better than the ID.3 with similar battery size, and much better than some of the korean competition. Not to mention leaf Zoe I3 etc. which are all unusable on long distances.
I had the same dilemma and ended up buying the EC4X. I haven’t got it yet, but I’m looking forward to it.
An interesting video thanks for sharing good luck with your channel 👍👍
Thank you too
Bob, Many thanks for this review. By watching this i have decided to buy one.
Well explained 👍
My issue with cars adapted from their ICE roots is the room given over to what was the engine and drivetrain, underused yet not available in the cabin. I would pay extra to have that space: others have said the ID.3 has the cabin space of a Passat in a Golf sized car. While no expert on VW, that's the sort of benefit I would be looking for.
Hi Bob , love your reviews but I would like to see an more in-depth review of the interiors of the cars you are reviewing , boot size, space in the back seats , available USB ports etc are all important things esp for family cars .
hi bob can you forgive my ignorance and tell me why does the cold weather affect range. i got my id4 in june its a great yoke I'm also lucky to be able to charge it at home i have 4500km on it so far anyone that buys one of these cars will not have range anxiety the only thing that annoys me is driving on rough surfaces there's a bit of a loud thud from the suspension
Picked up my used (4,200 miles) Shine 130 Auto four weeks ago and I love it. Not exactly a 'magic carpet' ride as Citroen describe it but it comes pretty damn close! Hardly any road noise up about 60mph. Easiest car I've ever driven round town and despite what some reviewers seem to be saying, once you get up to about 60/65, the steering does stiffen up and that's with the Lane Keep Assist turned off! The 130bhp engine and the 8 speed auto gear box are the dream team. Very quick off the lights and effortless and unnoticeable gear changes. There's just one caveat to that though. The car is reluctant to accelerate much in 8th or even 7th gear; you just breath on the accelerator pedal and it'll shift down a gear and although that's not too bad, if your doing 65 on the motorway and you want to get past a truck easily, the sudden down shift always comes as an unwelcome surprise.
Hi Ray, read your review and it seems you're the only one who mentions road noise! A consideration for me as the road noise on my 2017 C4 Cactus is such that i can't use the radio on a motorway at all. You mention up to 60mph, given that its Ireland did you not mean 60kph? Thanks. David
@@odysseus373MPH for me, David. I'm in the UK. To expand a bit on the subject of noise: of course, a lot of it depends on the tyres fitted but the standard ePrimact eco tyres fitted, are rated at 69dB which is about as low as you can go. Road noise form other cars is virtually non-existent. I read/watched one review which mentions that the side windows are double-glazed and I can well believe it, though how they can provide that level of insulation for the price astounds me. If you're looking to change your vehicle any time soon, you'll not go wrong with the Gen 3 C4! My problem is that I wish that Citroen had released the C4X as a hatchback.
Nice review there Bob..... City runner for sure.... Now..... The mounts you use for AV.... Brand and where can I buy please.... They seem solid and steady to be fair.... Thanks Bob
The mount for the big camera and the one near my head are called Fat Gecko and I've had them for years, they are still available everywhere. The third camera is a gopro hero 9 on a gopro mount.
@@BobFlavinVideo thanks a mill for that Bob...... Excellent down to earth reviews.... Keep up the great work....👏👏
Owen
Brilliant analogy of filling a glass of Coke Bob. May I use that one, or do I have to pay you?😉
Seeing as it’s you Colin it’ll be grand over a pint 😀
Hi,any charg vith 80kw ??? Speed
Really great review. Except my eC4 can take up to 100kW charge. Certainly I got 42kW recently.
I looked at one of these today but found that the driving position badly flawed as the seat will not go back any where near far enough.With the steering column right in and seat fully back I was crouched in a very uncomfortable position and this was on both the electric and petrol versions.The salesman agreed with me and as I am only 5 feet 10 inches tall this should not be an issue so did you not notice this Bob?
I'm 6 foot and found ample seat and steering wheel adjustment to get the perfect position. I don't know why you couldn't get your seat back, but there must have been something blocking it. Unless there was confusion about the seat controls? Because there is electric adjustment for seat height and backrest, but moving the seat forward/back is still manual.
Like you to run a set route for every EV (not launch day) drive and see what its real range is in Ireland (is WLTP even accurate when its done in a test environment). What did I learn from the C4 test- not much- bar its charging curve and its a "nice car to drive". Whats the suspension like, rear seat space/boot space. Driving position any good, visibility? Safety systems? Braking? Headlights? All cars are average good these days so saying its a nice car means why have reviews at all? Whats the warranty like (since most EV buys will for a while mostly be new). Were you not going to do more long term EV tests (like to see an Ionic5 "long term").
Great review. No drama good explanation.
Much appreciated!
I'm looking at buying a 2nd hand one in England, the prices are the same for petrol or electric. A 2 year old Electric Shine+ with 12k milage is £14k. If my wife likes it, we'll be getting one. Its the best value Electric car at the moment.
Bob, I’m in the market for buying an electric car and I am being drawn to the Citroen E C4, I live in Ballaghaderreen and on occasions go to visit family in Dublin so my question is would they e C4 be suitable or should I maybe be looking at the MG ev. With oul aching bones the comfort seats sound very attractive. Thanks, Bob Smith
There are plenty of charge points between your home and Dublin so realistically any of the electric cars could make that journey. The EC4 is a tremendous car and very comfortable for the long drive. You’ll just need a home charger keep it topped up
@@BobFlavinVideo Thank you for your reply Bob it is very welcome, just something that I heard on an English review of the eC4 they said that Citroen are bringing out an upgrade to improve the mileage/ kilometres range of the car have you heard anything about that? I love you reviews they are always straight to the point and with a bit of Craic thrown in, keep it up. Bob Smith
7:44 is a great camera angle 👌 good to see the full view of the interior on a drive
Also 3.9KM Per KW/H is very poor
Currently averaging 5.8 in the EV6
Agree, 3.9 km/kWh is really poor. It equals 25.6 kWh/100 km and the WLTP for the e-C4 is about 16 IIRC.
I had a Peugeot e-2008 for a week and did about 650 km with it, averaging 13.0 kWh/100 km, which makes almost 7.7 km/kWh. Admittedly in the summer, but still quite the difference.
Right now I'm waiting for delivery of an e-C4, I hope I won't see as abysmal figures when we get winter up here in the north of Europe.
U can buy in citroen case for Amazon Fire 7’’, Vexia E1, Vexia E2 Plus, Danew 1013QC , iPad Air 2 , Apple iPad 7 and Samsung Galaxy TAB A 10,5 so if your tablet matches any of the offered cases, it shouldn't be a problem to fit in.
Carwow did an EV test and 3kwh/per km was pretty good. Most were doing 3.x and that was pure motorway driving. TEsla had one of the lowest BUT its battery had a longer range/efficiency.
Hello, I remember seeing that test but is that number correct? 3kwh per km? That seems a bit much. Could it be 3km per kwh?
Actually, when using miles, it’s getting 4 mi / kWh and if you do it with the 50 kWh battery it has, you get the theoretical WLTP 200-ish mile range.
Now, not so sure about those KM values to be honest because 3 kWh / km would mean you get only 16 kms out of the 50 kWh battery which is definitely not the case. To get the claimed range, it would need to be 0,16 kWh / km. [rough values]
Very good , unfortunately sales people would need to watch this
Bob, A Question? Would you be comfortable going on a holiday to France in this car? All of the reviews that I have seen from various reviewers never mention anything about holidaying. I am hoping , after cancelling my holiday to France for the last two years because of Covid, that this year we will be going that is of Mr Putin steers clear of starting WW3😩. Would you think it better to wait until I come back from holiday to buy my car. Would you think the Range would be a problem??
I have a Citroen ec4. I usually charge at home but the last time I used a 50kw charger which was probably last September I got the full 50kw until the car was 80% full and then it throttled down for the last 20%. The spec says it charges at a max of 100kw. Bob, I agree with your review; its not a car for long distances but is quiet and comfortable. My only dislike is the poor cabin heating in winter - how was yours?
won’t go above 30 because the battery is cold, try to avoid fast charging on a cold morning unless you have driving over 200 km or you can preheat the battery.
U only need to drive 50km. For it to be warm enough to charge. Somewhat fast. On a cold morning. I do it all the time
Great info, thanks Jimmy!
@@Id3fornow... depends on the size of the battery, mine is still cold after driving over 100km, when i had the small Zoe battery 50 would do it okay.
@@JPgolf2009 you must have a hugh battery. Or else not using the climate control? I hear that helps. Also no matter how far you drive. If ambient temp is below 8deg. Or battery temp is not above 25deg C , you wont get the ultra rapid charging they all claim. According to battery life in Germany for example.
@@Id3fornow... 64kwh, i pre heat the car and leave it at 23 degrees on the lowest fan, after 100km i’ll get a higher speed than Bob was getting but won’t reach anywhere close to what i’d get in the summer
Y'see that's the main problem I have with EVs. I do alot of motorway driving and it's hard enough sometimes when you're sitting at 70mph on the motorway with someone up your jaxi but to have to drive slower because it's electric is one of many things that would put me off. The price of it plus the insurance hike too would mean a definite no for me.
Great upload..but for the normal working man..another 10 years, when prices become affordable
Yes, true
Totally agree.
J'en ai acheté une d'occasion (shine 10.000 km) et j'en suis très satisfait. Pour les trajets quotidiens c'est parfait (110km/jour) et parfaitement utilisable occasionnellement en longue distance grace à une charge assez rapide sur superchargeur. La faible taille de la batterie étant bien compensée par cette vitesse de charge. Ce qui fait que les parcours autoroutiers sont au final plus rapides que certains véhicules affichants des tailles de batterie supérieures. Autour de 18kw/h à 110/120 sur autoroute.
Hi Bob, Well i have made my choice and bought a Citroen eC4 which i will collect on the 1st April (ok I know April fools day ha ha ha) My wife and I went to Castlebar on Tuesday and took it out for a run I was really very impressed a beautiful quite comfortable car. I know that it does not have a massive range but like you said it will spend more time on my drive than on the road and there are lots more Charging Points on route now. I watched a You Tube video about charging in France and the guy that done it advised getting two Apps Chargemap and chargeprice which I have downloaded. As I have never had an E car using the chargers is a strange new way of fueling, I dont know can you just pull in and use your credit/debt card or have you got to have special cards depending on the charger that you are at? We will be going on Holiday to France on the 21st May (Mr Putin allowing???) we travel Brittany Ferries to Roscoff and the guy that done the video on travelling to France said that if you have an EV that is the best port to be arriving at and that Brittany is well catered for with chargers. Anyway Bob thank you for your very useful reviews i am really impressed with the eC4 citroen.
Hi Robert. I'll be interested in your thoughts when you have had it a little while. I'm looking at getting an EV and the e C-4 is a favourite. I test drove it for only about 20 minutes and the only downside was that it wasn't as powerful as other cars i've test drove. I think it has 136bhp? It was notably slower than the i3s i drove. That had about 175bhp. The E C-4 was a lot better in pretty much everything else. Thank you.
@@simonsinclair3784 hi Simon, I pick it up on Thursday next it is the Feel Pack model the price suited my pocket more, I’m not really interested in heated seats or heated steering wheels. Like you I only had about 20 minutes in it but I was very impressed with the comfort and 99%of the reviews I have seen spoke highly of that aspect of the car. I will certainly let you know how I get on, it is the way forward there is no doubt about that. It will be a big learning curve for my wife and myself but I’m sure we will adapt very quickly. Robert
@@Kilmoveebee Hi Robert. Appreciate your reply and look forward to hearing how you get on. Like yourself, I do think it's the way forward. Thanks again.
Hi Robert I would like to hear how you get on too. Going to France etc. range n charging. Tnks
@@simonsinclair3784 Hi Simon, Sorry I lost your address, I had 10 days in France in my eC4 had a really lovely time. I actually reached the Range that is advertised a little bit more in fact, lovely weather and good roads. I have settled in to the car now and really enjoy driving it, the range does not bother me that much I have got used to planning my journeys and stopping to charge at around 100kWh just to be comfortable. Hope you got your car and are enjoying it also. Robert
In five years time, the batteries will be €5k cheaper so if you're looking at this in 5 yrs, you'll be amazed at the purchase price (power might be more expensive for high levelcharge use to make back all that lost fuel tax). Like to see you test at another charge and see if the 18-30kw charging was changed much. It should be doing alot better than 30kw charging...In future new homes will come with 22KW chargers (happening in some homes in the UK)
Thats what they said for tesa S in 2012 when it lounched...and gues what?🤣
It was charged when the car was cold so should hv driven the car to heat up battery and then charge- wud hv been faster from what I learned from all the comments here.
Nat if I was giving one for free
Red diesel for life 🤜🏻🤛🏿
Has the living with an EV for a year, driving the MG I think? Has that finished?
Yes the car was sold due to a shortage of EVs on the market. It turned out ok although there are much better cars to drive now but nothing at that price.
@@BobFlavinVideo That's a shame, was looking forward to the stats over the year. Agreed not a special car, but it's affordable compared to others.
Hi, if you get 3.9 kw per miles on your car times it by the battery size gives you range 195 mikes
3.9 in per kWh for winter not great
👍👏👌🎉
Is it wrong that I now want to take a bath in coca cola? 🤣
I can see what’s going to happen, every country will end up with old cars that people will keep going forever, just like they do in Cuba. Except the cars will be 2000 vintage.
I can just manage 58 to 60kWh at J14 when corsa is warm enough and battery is below 20%
You unintentionally did the Bjørn Nyland 'Geilo test', where the purpose is to investigate 'coldgating', i.e. trying to rapid charge a cold battery. That's why you get such low charging figures of 30 kW and less. If the battery is a bit warmer, the e-C4 can charge up to 80 kW and it will charge from 10-80% in 30 minutes.
So: always put the EV on a charger before you go to sleep; not when you wake up. Then you can drive it empty, and it will be warmed up and ready to really rapid charge, 'like a boss' 🙂
Hi, great review as always. However the French cars that I've had have all had dreadfully unreliable electrics. I can see a nightmare on the horizon with this in 3 or 4 years, especially when it's out of warranty. As regards style and looks the French can't be beaten, but all that means nothing if they are unreliable. Perhaps I was just unlucky, but since driving Japanese cars I've had no problems. Yes there are going to be French car owners who are perfectly happy with their cars and that's good, but for me once bitten, twice shy. Thanks again for s good, balanced review 👍
Saying French cars all have dreadfully unreliable electrics is a bit of a sweeping statement, for the last decade or so Warranty underwriters seem to rate French makes as having middle to above average reliability.
If you are really concerned about a reliability you should avoid premium makes particularly Jag/Landrover or Audi.
Not all Japanese Brands are equal Mitsubishi & Nissan come to mind .
The French Brands have been building EVs for over a decade, The electrics for are these are developed & supplied by the German Firm Continental Automotive AG
I have driven Citroën for the last 15 (C5 estate, C4 Cactus, 2x C5 Aircross) years and never had any mechanical or elektric problems what so ever. An I do about 40.000 Km a year.
I think the reputation for French cars is outdated. My dad had 11 CX's, two visas and two BX's, the last of which was my first car and yes, electrics were an issue. However, my wife's everyday driver is her AX bought new in 1994 and apart from a dodgy rear stop light, it has no problems and has been utterly reliable. I drive a 2008 C5 Tourer with 305000km on the clock and it has no electrical gremlins so far, it's been absolutely brilliant.
I actually think a lot of the French problems come from a long time ago when all cars were a bit rubbish. TopGear or The Grand Tour hasn't helped with their very bias work towards both France and French cars.
In the last decade I haven't had any problems with French cars but I have had problems with many other brands
FAKE NEWS. I have had mostly french cars. Never had any issue. People like You have no integrity, spreading FAKE NEWS and stereotypes, just because you hate french people. I'm not defending french cars makers, but you need to be honest.
A soccer mom EV.
Le football or le foot.
The bigger issue I have with theC4 is that no matter what Citroen says, its a compromise car if its not designed as a pure EV. Thats why the ID is so much better than the Golf-E (it still needs major fine tuning). If an ICE engine needs to be an option then it has to work for both which means its never designed to excel as an EV car. Is the C4 not a Qashqui in a different body shape (Nissan coming late to getting more EVs out). Like to see the recharge experience on testing others at fast chargers to see what their max is.
You have to look at what it delivers and not go by “not designed as a pure EV” because where have they really made compromises? The battery size chosen is made with price in mind.
I don’t really see it as a compromise car, there is some little bit of compliance with the CO2 rules for a good car is a good car no matter the fuel. I’m all in for more electric cars on the road
Nissan is in partnership with Renault, not PSA or Stellantis as it's now called. Just know Your stuff before commenting.
@@ezys3215 So the C4 is not a Nissan Qashqui competitor? Its ICE versions are aimed exactly as this model price wise. If you think otherwise, then know your stuff. Nissans SUV EV- the Ariya is another model up in price (and big price up) Renault does not offer a pure EV version of their qashqui version - the Kadjar - so they were always irrelevant. So citroens e-C4 is a pure EV alternative to the Qashqai which at best will just be offered as a full hybrid for much the same sticker price. Customers will see the same size of car and then choose either a pure ev powertrain or a Nissan half measure for the same price
@@BobFlavinVideo THe reason Tesla works well is that its designed for one powertrain. If you have to design for the space to fit an ice engine under the bonnet and then space under the car for a battery then its always a compromise. Hence the reason most car makers are designing one dedicated model for one powertrain. Hybrids are a compromise as you have to fit all the gear for an ice engine/transmission etc and then either shoehorn an EV underneath. The best EV cars are not plugins or hybrids, they are designed and tested to work with one propulsion system. Hence also the reason for so many mild hybrids as the extra space and design needed to carry an extra small battery and the extra electronics is minimal and all it does is fix the bad stop-start experience that worked badly with the older batteries. Compromises were the Golf-E .Fiat 500-E/i3 range extender/Prius plugin. All made to work as well as poss with a legacy ice engine and then a battery that was offering the ev badge but the woeful EV range.
I just can't understand how do people buy electric cars they are rubbish, Diesel is miles ahead in every way even the emissions are now almost zero. don't touch electric cars until they can do 1000 Km in a charge in about 5 Years time......and hopefully they will charge in 10 minutes
Well, being someone who made the transition four months ago from diesel to electric, I can not see myself going back to diesel...ever.