*excludes Tesla superchargers My EV adventure, day 1 rapid charging! When I got my first EV in 2016, a used Leaf, I wanted to rapid charge it straight away. Way back then the Electric Highway was free! Plugging in an EV at Membury west was awesome, I felt the future was literally here. As I … Continue reading The state of public rapid charging in late 2018 in the UK*
What spec does a long-distance family electric car really need in the UK?
I think there's a strong case for a family pure-electric car with a modest battery, good efficiency and fast charging. As public charging points become more plentiful and powerful, the modest battery EV gets more useful. A side-effect is that the embodied energy of such a car is less than one with a larger battery … Continue reading What spec does a long-distance family electric car really need in the UK?
Picking up another Ioniq electric! But wait, there’s a catch…
...it needs to be collected from Aberdeen, 530 miles away. Before this trip I hadn't attempted a really long journey in an EV. (In case you're not aware, this car is all-electric, no "engine", it doesn't take diesel or petrol). However my experience of the Ioniq was that the car could do it, and I … Continue reading Picking up another Ioniq electric! But wait, there’s a catch…
Efficiency and charging losses, Leaf vs Ioniq
I measured a charger efficiency of 86% in the Leaf and 95% in the Ioniq. Electric cars display an efficiency figure which can range from 3 to 7 miles per kWh in my experience. This is the efficiency that the car measures, from the battery to the road. There are other losses in the system, … Continue reading Efficiency and charging losses, Leaf vs Ioniq
Solar powered EVs
Now that we have solar (PV) panels and two electric cars there's much more opportunity to take advantage of sunny days and charge a car from the sun. Today is one of the first sunny days of 2018 when I've been able to do this. The panels supply, at most, 2.6kW around mid-day. The PodPoint … Continue reading Solar powered EVs
Long distance trips with the Ioniq
We chose the Hyundai Ioniq electric as a family car suitable for long trips, and to replace our old Citroen diesel. My other posts explain in more technical detail what makes the Ioniq electric a desirable car. Here I'll log our experience with rapid charging- hopefully this gives you an idea of how a pure … Continue reading Long distance trips with the Ioniq
The Ioniq electric: more like a “Model 3” class car than a Leaf
Updated with EPA figures! TLDR - The Ioniq's class-leading combination of fast charging, very low drag and battery thermal management make it a very interesting alternative to the Leaf 30, or even the "new" Leaf 40 if you want to use the car for long trips. For lower speeds, day-to-day use and commuting the new … Continue reading The Ioniq electric: more like a “Model 3” class car than a Leaf
Lets compare theoretical long journey times in the Ioniq, Leaf(s) and a diesel…(Version 2)
March 2018 Update - The 2018 Leaf 40 appears to have issues with repeated rapid charging, for example see Twitter posts tagged #AberdeenEVRace . In a contest between the Leaf 30 and the new 40, the Leaf 30 won! We have yet to see what response Nissan have to this. My guess is that it's … Continue reading Lets compare theoretical long journey times in the Ioniq, Leaf(s) and a diesel…(Version 2)
Leaf vs Ioniq energy efficiency real-world test
At 70mph the Hyundai Ioniq travels 25% further than a Nissan Leaf on a unit of electricity... I had the opportunity to compare my Leaf (Mk1.5, 2013) to our new Hyundai Ioniq today. In an attempt to make it a reasonably accurate test, we used 2 different speeds, 50 and 70mph, with a GPS speedometer … Continue reading Leaf vs Ioniq energy efficiency real-world test
simonselectriccar 