Car (or bike) Chat!

[CageyH]

It is his car at the end of the scheme, if it is like the bike to work scheme.

[Beobloke]

Well, I knew the day was approaching, but it still hurt!

[Alex_UK]

Ouch! Is that the Rangie? Big tank!

[Pigmy Pony]

If you'd used the arty-farty V Power petrol you'd have got there a bit sooner.

[Beobloke]

Ouch! Is that the Rangie? Big tank!

Yep, 100 litres and, as you can see, pretty empty!

[dave2010]

I guess it depends how much the company wants to take off your pay each month for the car. New I think the Model 3 is now about £50k. The cheaper model has been taken out of the range. It can be ludicrously fast 0-60mph, and it’s pretty fast even in Chill mode. I can tell you the not so good things about it, but is there anything better for the price? Perhaps not. The Porsche may be a nicer car - I don’t know - not driven it, but it’s another £30k at least. Charging at home over night - 4 hours - costs about £1.40 with Octopus at 5p per kWh. That should be good for around 100 miles at this time of year. A full charge might take several nights if completely run down. If the deal includes free or cheap charging at work during the day, then do the maths. Free is good. 25p-30p per unit is perhaps not too much cheaper than petrol. The Tesla fast chargers are good for long trips.To my surprise, even the slow supplied charger which runs off a 13 amp socket can be useful, though does require an accessible outside socket. That’s not really recommended though, unless you go somewhere that doesn’t have at least a moderately fast home charger. It’s not recommended to run those chargers off extension cables.

In the summer you can probably get close to 300 miles on a nearly full charge, but in the cold winters you might find even 200 miles a bit of a struggle.

[Gazjam]

Thanks Dave,

Great info there.

[dave2010]

Thanks Dave,

Great info there.

You should be able to do test drives in either Glasgow or Edinburgh. Definitely in Edinburgh.

Like many outfits they are more interested in selling than anything else. I raised the issue of service with them - since I suspected that there wouldn't be much in the way of local service. We're around 170 miles from Edinburgh. "No problem" - they said "won't go wrong, and if there's anything significant we can get a mobile unit out ... or do a fix remotely".

Mmmmm!

Regarding things going wrong - mostly they don't go very seriously wrong - but a lot depends on what you mean by "very serious". Mobile maintenance units? Do they exist? I'm very sceptical.

Remote fixes - well kind of possible. The software updates from time to time - and that can be a source of problems. Just as you've got used to the interface there's an update, and all the controls you wanted to use and had figured out disappear. That's really great if you're in a hurry and don't have hours to fiddle around trying to figure out where they've gone.

As it happened we were passing Edinburgh last year, so we did flag up problems and go by the service depot. They try to persuade you that most problems are not problems, but I had evidence of water in the rear lights, so I used that with pictures to get a service appointment. I also presented them with a list of more than ten problems, almost all of which they didn't really acknowledge.

I have no idea whether Elon Musk has a clue about the service his staff are providing - or not providing - on his behalf. I suspect the guys doing the work operate mushroom management feedback - keep the "superiors" in the dark and feed them sh*t.

Having written that - sadly most other EVs are worse. The Renault Zoe is a nice runabout car - useful for local trips - and would suit many people. Other competitors are the Kia e-Niro - tried one - didn't like it much - nothing like as smooth as the Tesla, and there's another (BMW?) which has death trap doors. If there's an accident the passengers in the rear might not be able to get out because the driver's door and the passenger side door overlap the rear doors - clever that!

I'm guessing that pricier EVs - such as the Jaguar and the Porsche might have better suspension - but they are significantly more costly. Perhaps worth trying to get test drives though.

After all that - do I miss the smell of petrol? Not much - prefer not to have it. Would I rather keep the Tesla and just live with it and its multiple faults? Probably!

Hope that helps.

[struth]

the hyundai ioniq 5 series are good, and the 6 promises to blow tesla out of water, or so im told. my kona is a nice runabout; good size for me and a height that allows me in and out; it gets decent mileage if you take it canny too. Well enough put together etc but most of the cabin materials are not high class soft etc. still as i say, how often do you stroke your doors or dash

[dave2010]

Good point about height. The Model 3 is really rather low down, so wouldn't suit everyone, and I find it a bit tricky. The Zoe is easier - and much higher up, but would need a fair boost beforehand to get all the way from Inverness to Glasgow. The door width is also an issue with some cars - and it can be tricky with the Model 3 in tight parking spaces. One other issue is the turning and manoeuvring. It's quite easy to crunch into walls or other obstacles because of the front swinging round. It is a surprisingly awkward car for tight positioning - even with the various parking aids. Not as good as the Toyota Prius I'd say.

What kind of driving is Gary doing? Lots of short trips, or several long trips regularly? For long trips it really is important to get a car with a good range - though I have met people who have used Zoes and Leafs for long trips - but they do have to stop quite frequently - which is very probably a pain. OTOH I've also met people who have older short range cars - such as the Leaf - and if they are getting free or cheap top ups - or paid for by work - they are often pretty positive about that. If people have to pay for the electricity themselves then perhaps they would be less keen on a short range car.

I also met someone who regularly drives from round here - north of Inverness to Manchester - and he uses a Model 3 Tesla. I guess that his work either pays for that, or the nature of his work means that he feels that it is worthwhile and his remuneration covers the cost. [I don't know him - but maybe he's a consultant, or self employed.] I still don't like driving so much that I'd want to do that every week.