Would you have an electric car if you had the money for a new car and were in the market for one?

[Noggin]

The company I worked for last season runs Tesla's. They are based in the valley and can do the valley to a resort to an airport - then need a minimum of an hour to recharge to return. I did hope to be allowed to drive one of those, but at that time, only a few drivers used those and the rest of us used VW T6s

Just had an email today saying they are looking to confirm drivers for next season and that they will need more drivers as they will be increasing the fleet by 3 x Mercedes EQV!! Apparently not quite such a good range as the Teslas, but pretty close!!

Almost fancy saying I'll do that if I can drive an EV!! But I doubt they'd let me keep one in resort!! (And I REALLY want to work in resort this winter, not driving out of it!!)

[Docca]

Yeah- 96% charged.

Mostly motorway, so 70 mph cruise control. I think that’s rather excellent. Twin motor Volvo thing and very comfortable for 5 of us.

[Mussels]

The company I worked for last season runs Tesla's. They are based in the valley and can do the valley to a resort to an airport - then need a minimum of an hour to recharge to return. I did hope to be allowed to drive one of those, but at that time, only a few drivers used those and the rest of us used VW T6s

Just had an email today saying they are looking to confirm drivers for next season and that they will need more drivers as they will be increasing the fleet by 3 x Mercedes EQV!! Apparently not quite such a good range as the Teslas, but pretty close!!

Almost fancy saying I'll do that if I can drive an EV!! But I doubt they'd let me keep one in resort!! (And I REALLY want to work in resort this winter, not driving out of it!!)

Just remember what @Mr. Dazzle said about brake design on EVs, make sure the brakes are big enough to get you down the mountain with a full battery.
Then remember batteries are a bit rubbish when it's cold

[Noggin]

The company I worked for last season runs Tesla's. They are based in the valley and can do the valley to a resort to an airport - then need a minimum of an hour to recharge to return. I did hope to be allowed to drive one of those, but at that time, only a few drivers used those and the rest of us used VW T6s

Just had an email today saying they are looking to confirm drivers for next season and that they will need more drivers as they will be increasing the fleet by 3 x Mercedes EQV!! Apparently not quite such a good range as the Teslas, but pretty close!!

Almost fancy saying I'll do that if I can drive an EV!! But I doubt they'd let me keep one in resort!! (And I REALLY want to work in resort this winter, not driving out of it!!)

Just remember what @Mr. Dazzle said about brake design on EVs, make sure the brakes are big enough to get you down the mountain with a full battery.
Then remember batteries are a bit rubbish when it's cold

TBF, given they've been running the Teslas four 4 or 5 years, I reckon they've got all that in hand!! And is probably the reason that its taken so long to get EV minibuses!!

Whilst they all start in the valley and go up to resort and back down to then head to the airport, I doubt they'd want one based up in resort due to the temperatures. Maybe, but unlikely (it's generally about 10 degrees warmer in the valley - except last winter when it was inverse for about two months and a bit freaky!!)

[Potter]

Cross thread [apologies] but I didn't want to clutter up the competition thread with discussion on EVs and power generation...

Even I, the guy who designs EVs for a living, would give more than 2s thought to having an EV in the current climate

I'm sure it'll all work out, but the fuel cost increase must be smarting. A full charge on that Skoda must have gone from about £15 to about £40 in the last year

However if you've got a decent sized solar set up and don't do that many miles...

That's my plan, I have a large double garage and workshop and a back of fag packet calculation tells me a simple PV set up on the roof will be enough to cover our vehicle charging needs with a 2yr payback, plus after a search it seems that a fair few people locally have planning permission* for a mini wind turbine and I fancy putting one in as well.

*including a bloke in a bungalow on a normal residential street with neighbours either side, he hasn't put it up yet but he has permission to. The houses are five feet apart and the gardens are all joined with just a fence panel in between, I'm surprised it's allowed because I thought it would be noisy?
I know next to nothing about wind powered generation btw except for the electrical theory.

[Mr. Dazzle]

The really big thing with EVs in this context is V2G power. Vehicle to grid.

As an example....my house typically uses 7-8kWh a day, which isn't actually that much. A fairly small solar system should on average be enough to meet my needs. My average draw is less than half a kilowatt.

Average.

Obviously a huge chunk of my demand is at night. Probably most of it. Then you have things like ovens, kettles and washing machines which exceed the peak power a realistically sized panel can provide.

So of course the solution is to have a battery. You can already buy power walls and the like, but batteries are expensive and tend to be quite small in relative terms. But if I've already got a honking great battery (10 times bigger than most powerwalls) in my car....

There are already some cars which can flow power back into your house. The ones from my bunch can do it. In this country the limitation is actually the charging infrastructure we've gone with, so the V2G aspect of our cars only works in Japan and a few other places. That's gonna change though.

With regards to the OP I've just ordered a new diesel car from my bunch. I didn't really want to, but my old car died and that's all i could get. I'm hoping to get an EV through work maybe "next time around" on the scheme, at which point I'm looking at PV.

[Potter]

Yeah we're not buying an EV yet either, the plan is to knock work on the head in two years, so I've got two years to plan and then I want to do the work myself, so maybe six months to execute (or electrocute depending on how well I get on ).
I'm hoping that in 2.5yrs things have moved on a bit, otherwise I'll also kick the can down the road a bit with a small used petrol car.

I want to try and generate/contain enough electricity so that I'm self sufficient and use the mains as a back up.
I'm experimenting with my boat and PV, and at the moment it works a charm, I can live on it and very easily be self sufficient, the AC on it probably draws as much as a heater would, but it's obviously a much smaller set-up and doesn't have some of the things my house has, or an EV to charge.

[wheelnut]

So of course the solution is to have a battery. You can already buy power walls and the like, but batteries are expensive and tend to be quite small in relative terms. But if I've already got a honking great battery (10 times bigger than most powerwalls) in my car....

There are already some cars which can flow power back into your house. The ones from my bunch can do it. In this country the limitation is actually the charging infrastructure we've gone with, so the V2G aspect of our cars only works in Japan and a few other places. That's gonna change though.

Yep, you’re going to get people charging their cars up at work and then taking them home to power their hot tubs. That’s going to go down really well with the accountants

[Mr. Dazzle]

The idea never occurred, honest

Also just realised I said I only need a small solar system. Couple of planets should be fine

[Potter]

Ideally you don't want any kind of battery system in place (a static one I mean) so I'm hoping that in the future I can feed my excess energy into the grid and then get it back when I want it, at a cost neutral price, i.e. I sell to them at the same price I buy it back. Perhaps my standing charge pays for that infrastructure.

Although I suspect that the power services are thinking the opposite, i.e. they'll store all their electrons in our devices/storage and then take it back when they want it, at a cost neutral price - and add a standing charge for the privilege.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I doubt you'll ever be able to do that, they'll always want a cut.

Iirc the buy back rate is currently something like 4p/kWh.

There are/have been tariffs where the cost is significantly different to that depending on WHEN they buy it off you.

[slowsider]

The really big thing with EVs in this context is V2G power. Vehicle to grid.

As an example....my house typically uses 7-8kWh a day, which isn't actually that much. A fairly small solar system should on average be enough to meet my needs. My average draw is less than half a kilowatt.

Average.

Obviously a huge chunk of my demand is at night. Probably most of it. Then you have things like ovens, kettles and washing machines which exceed the peak power a realistically sized panel can provide.

So of course the solution is to have a battery. You can already buy power walls and the like, but batteries are expensive and tend to be quite small in relative terms. But if I've already got a honking great battery (10 times bigger than most powerwalls) in my car....

There are already some cars which can flow power back into your house. The ones from my bunch can do it. In this country the limitation is actually the charging infrastructure we've gone with, so the V2G aspect of our cars only works in Japan and a few other places. That's gonna change though.

With regards to the OP I've just ordered a new diesel car from my bunch. I didn't really want to, but my old car died and that's all i could get. I'm hoping to get an EV through work maybe "next time around" on the scheme, at which point I'm looking at PV.

Isn't there an issue with rate of charge? The solar setup will only trickle charge the EV, and that only when its plugged in. If you drive to work, your big battery is not connected to your PV until you come home, when it's mostly dark. Hence the need for a PV + battery system to store charge during the day and DC charge the EV at night. or have I missed something?

[Pirahna]

Just checked my panels, it's bright sunshine outside and the sun has been in the valley for an hour or so but is low in the sky, I'm getting 135w at the moment from a 3.6kw panel array. I won't get near to maximum until the afternoon.

This in the Alicante region of Spain.

[slowsider]

Just checked my panels, it's bright sunshine outside and the sun has been in the valley for an hour or so but is low in the sky, I'm getting 135w at the moment from a 3.6kw panel array. I won't get near to maximum until the afternoon.

This in the Alicante region of Spain.

What direction and pitch are your panels?

[Mr. Dazzle]

or have I missed something?

I only drive to work one day a week.

[Pirahna]

Just checked my panels, it's bright sunshine outside and the sun has been in the valley for an hour or so but is low in the sky, I'm getting 135w at the moment from a 3.6kw panel array. I won't get near to maximum until the afternoon.

This in the Alicante region of Spain.

What direction and pitch are your panels?

The old ones were spot on south with a 23 degree tilt. These one have been up for a week and are flat to the roof. I don't have the exact numbers but they have more of East lean which works with the way the sun rises and then drops behind the hill at the back of the house.

Just been out for a quick check with a couple of phone apps and they're approx 15 degrees of tilt to the east.

[slowsider]

or have I missed something?

I only drive to work one day a week.

That's moot with your diesel.

[Potter]

I doubt you'll ever be able to do that, they'll always want a cut.

Indeed and that's why I'm prepping to have it all on my terms, I'll produce what I need and if I have any spare I'll throw it their way for whatever they want to give me for it.

[Horse]

or have I missed something?

I only drive to work one day a week.

That's moot with your diesel.

Only if Dazzle's employer will require (or he wants to) a return to majority office-based working.

Otherwise, his travel model now is what he is likely to be doing when he gets an EV.

[slowsider]

I only drive to work one day a week.

That's moot with your diesel.

Only if Dazzle's employer will require (or he wants to) a return to majority office-based working.

Otherwise, his travel model now is what he is likely to be doing when he gets an EV.

Obvs in Dazzles individual case, if nothing changes, etc. But in general, on a larger basis, most people aren't gonna buy an EV and only drive it one day a week. So does the concept still apply?