Swapping the A2 for a BMW i3 - thoughts please

manhattan$ said:
Some good info there. Thanks for the link.

Regarding your i3 delivery, at least it will make it into a 66' plate


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Yes I was surprised at how much useful info there was on there. Wouldn't it be great if we could do something similar for the A2?

Yes a 66 !

Plenty of pottential for interesting reg numbers too 66 looks like bb or GG even (BU66LES) etc.

Steve B
 
Birchall said:
Yes I was surprised at how much useful info there was on there. Wouldn't it be great if we could do something similar for the A2?

Yes a 66 !

Plenty of pottential for interesting reg numbers too 66 looks like bb or GG even (BU66LES) etc.

Steve B
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Slight swerve but I have a J66 plate to go my TT, it was going on the storm until I found my current ST04MED
CHEERS Jeffers66
 
Ecotricity new charging scheme

I occasionally look at Ian Sampson's Youtube videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdHkV8RW_scN45T28FtgHHw/videos - he is a Nissan Leaf owner with almost a 100 videos on his EV experience. He reported recently that Ecotricity are now charging for charging. One could say fair enough; it was unlikely that Ecotricity would be free for ever but there are some down sides:

1. Ecotricity are charging £6 for 30 mins charging for a rapid charge. Some EVs charger at different rates, so slower charging EVs will pay more. After 30 mins you have to make another buy another 30 mins. Also, as the battery passes 80% then the charging rate reduces, so unit costs will go up.

2. Ecotricity customers get 52 free charges per year (I think that may be for those that have both gas and electricity from them) but Ecotricity is far more expensive. So now you are paying twice after the 52 charges.

3. You need to have a working smart phone and a network that can get a signal at the charging point. The RFID card will be discontinued. The app only runs on Android or Apple phones, not Windows or Blackberry. They can call Ecotricity but only Mondays to Fridays in office hours. Some chargers are in underground car parks, so drivers have to plug in the car, then go an get a signal to start the charge.

4. It inhibits a quick 10 minutes top-up charge.

5. Ecotricity has a monopoly of charging points on the motorways.

6. Another user said some people might try to avoid the charge by hitting the emergency stop after 29 minutes which might over time damage the chargers.

7. Charging regime will put the dampers on sales of EVs.

Upside is:

1. no more taxis drivers (heavy users) and home owners (wanting a freeby) clogging up the chargers.

2. might bring other suppliers into providing charging points and better charging schemes but these are unlikely to be on motorways unless there is a legal challenge.

3. should provide more money to Ecotricity for maintain the chargers and install new ones.

One person commented that £6 / 30 mins is enough for 50 miles, so that works out at 12p / mile. My A2 is 10p/mile for diesel. OK EV is greener and servicing costs perhaps is less, but the journey times are much longer due to time to charge. A 100 mile journey needs 1 hour of charging. I can see many people risking getting home to avoid paying but ending up stranded. Driving slower uses less electricity (and therefore longer range) but is boring, takes more time and holds up other traffic.

Others have commented that charging per kWh (rather than time) would be much more fairer.

Trickle charging at home using solar (but daytime only) to at least get 50 miles free is an option for retired people. Charging at work is another option if one can persuade one's employer to install charging points. A rapid charger at home is going to cost standard electricity cost (11p/kWh x 24 kW = £2.64) + capital costs.


I always thought that if my A2 was a write-off then I would seriously look at an EV car rather than 11+ year old A2, especially as fast chargers were becoming more frequent, but availability of a working charger and now expensive charging is swinging the balance back to another A2.
 
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Yes the new charges are too much and the better option is for ecotricity charge per kWh.

I probably use the fast chargers once every three months (£24 a year) so not a problem.

I used the one at Donington last week on an airport run, my first £6. Total electric cost was less than £7 return.

The i3 costs me £1.59p a full charge at home and around £20pm to run. 2p per mile.

Remember this is very early days and every year that passes and battery tech increases those high cost chargers will very rarely be used. 200-300 mile range evs, solar and battery power walls at home will store that daytime energy for free charging at night.

I will never go back to a ICE unless its a supercar




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Birchall said:
I suppose you could buy a Tessla and have both?

Slightly expensive but all supercars are.

Steve B
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Tesla Model3 will come with the option of Dual performance motors with Ludicrous mode, so id guess 0-60 in less than 3 seconds.

I still wouldn't say no to a Lamborghini Huracan
 
manhattan$ said:
Tesla Model3 will come with the option of Dual performance motors with Ludicrous mode, so id guess 0-60 in less than 3 seconds.

I still wouldn't say no to a Lamborghini Huracan
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Or a top model Maclaren (I will see if my Son can sort out a discount for you !)

Steve B
 
manhattan$ said:
Love the P1 and 675LT unfortunately i would never be able to afford to run one... Let alone buy one


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They have a guy whose job it is to drive them all day and I wouldn't mind that job for a week, the weekly rate would depend on how much I could afford to pay them!!!!

Steve B
 
Birchall said:
I am sure that all of you i3 owners on here know about this website but I found it amazingly useful

http://www.i3guide.com/index.php

Lots of things I didn't know, especially about the "Intelligent Safety system" and lots of other surprises.

Been told that mine is not in the country yet and should arrive in the UK at the end of September.

I am not the patient type, but I don't really have a choice!

Steve B
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It is a awesome site the i3guide - a great read. And yes I feel
Your pain regards the wait - early sept for me -

Buy the die cast model and stick it on your dash of the A2 in the mean Time :)
153d74d1796ab3111bf46444cc589d9e.jpg



Andy Nicoll
07977170544

JDM Import specialists
www.facebook.com/bhpimports
 
First off I like EVs however there are plenty of links available that demonstrate the poor energy density of batteries and the huge environmental impact of cobalt mining in the Congo etc. Cobalt is used in LiOn batteries worldwide. People go on about motor efficiency but don't compare like with like. It's like saying your wheel bearing is 99.9%efficient. Electricity is not a fuel it comes from alternative and fossil fuels. How it makes it to where the rubber hits the road is important. UK power station emission figures don't include losses due to transmission (about 8%), nor charging and ac to dc losses (up to 33%). At least bmw have tried to reduce the impact of construction but let's learn from the aerospace industry that carbon fibre is, extremely energy intensive to recycle.
 
ecoangel said:
First off I like EVs however there are plenty of links available that demonstrate the poor energy density of batteries and the huge environmental impact of cobalt mining in the Congo etc. Cobalt is used in LiOn batteries worldwide. People go on about motor efficiency but don't compare like with like. It's like saying your wheel bearing is 99.9%efficient. Electricity is not a fuel it comes from alternative and fossil fuels. How it makes it to where the rubber hits the road is important. UK power station emission figures don't include losses due to transmission (about 8%), nor charging and ac to dc losses (up to 33%). At least bmw have tried to reduce the impact of construction but let's learn from the aerospace industry that carbon fibre is, extremely energy intensive to recycle.
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Nothing is going to be 100% enviro friendly and most EV owners have their own free fuel from the sun or power walls. At least they are making an effort.

Everything has an impact on the enviro, even the shoes you bought/are wearing.

Stop moaning, put the tdi in storage, walk around naked and do your bit to help the planet.


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Interesting review from an A2OC member I believe!!!

By the way, I am confused about what to do about access to the charging points around the country.

I have signed up with Polar, but what others do I need to consider?

Cheers
Steve B
 
Birchall said:
Interesting review from an A2OC member I believe!!!

By the way, I am confused about what to do about access to the charging points around the country.

I have signed up with Polar, but what others do I need to consider?

Cheers
Steve B
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Ecotricity App, Source London card, or Source East card as they should work on both systems.

Download Zap-Map App and see what chargers are located in your usual routes.



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Hi Paul,

Thank you for that I will apply for them.

How many charging points are you finding that have no charge (pun intended!)

Steve B
 
Greenwash or reality check?

"Nothing is going to be 100% enviro friendly "


AGREED!

"and most EV owners have their own free fuel from the sun or power walls. At least they are making an effort."

SOME are but again what you use for the car you can't use for the house. I've got the max permitted solar 3.91kpv since 2012. Great for summer time midday washing machine but not enough to charge up a 90ah i3. In winter forget it!

"Everything has an impact on the enviro, even the shoes you bought/are wearing." Yes! And we can choose what shoes we buy and how long to keep using the same old leather.

"Stop moaning, put the tdi in storage, walk around naked and do your bit to help the planet. "

He ha! Very funny!

Joking aside, running a small tdi that can burn WVO for 25 years is probably doing ones bit more than changing cars every 2 or 3 years.

If course fossil fuels have a lot to answer for and their own ethical dilemmas but so does battery power maybe have a look at amnesty international report : https://www.theguardian.com/global-...ng-cobalt-for-use-in-smartphones-says-amnesty

Includes iPhone 6s!
 
Birchall said:
Hi Paul,

Thank you for that I will apply for them.

How many charging points are you finding that have no charge (pun intended!)

Steve B
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You are welcome.
Once or twice... Once when the bays were coned off due to the floors being painted green of my local charging points and a Ecotricity point CCS fast charger that wouldn't initialise, although i managed to get it going with a little known trick.

Zap-Map gives you live reports if a charger is down before you leave on a long journey, although with the bigger i3 battery you will have no worries!


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manhattan$ said:
You are welcome.
Once or twice... Once when the bays were coned off due to the floors being painted green of my local charging points and a Ecotricity point CCS fast charger that wouldn't initialise, although i managed to get it going with a little known trick.

Zap-Map gives you live reports if a charger is down before you leave on a long journey, although with the bigger i3 battery you will have no worries!


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Hi Paul

Sorry for all of these questions, but are they also "no charge" for use, I have heard that many charging points are free, is that true?

Steve B
 
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