The time is rapidly approaching that we buy a new car.
With new job I am doing quite a few km. Mostly 30km or less.
Also occasionally need to drive to UK (1100km) or absolutely need to drive to the mountains (700km) for skiing.
Obviously choices are petrol, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or full electric (probably would not get another diesel) .
Electric would work for my local journeys - I am just concerned for the much longer journeys.
Therefore I am interested in those who currently have a fully electric car in France and how do you get on recharging on the longer journeys. It would also be great to know which electric car you have.
We have the same concerns, so until battery life or recharging changes for the better, we have two hybrid Toyota’s. No need to charge the battery from a socket as the engine and or braking does that. The economy is not as good as pure electric, but there is total peace of mind and no time wasted charging on long journeys.
Interestingly, my own car has done over 60,000 miles and yet to have replacement brake pads, because the electric motors do a lot of the stopping.
Sorry, just noticed you only requested replies from those who are fully electric.
We have a VW ID3, and I love it. So zen driving an electric car! The autonomy is 440km, but they recommend only charging to 80% and affected by temperature and terrain so reality is less. Our 20km journey to shops and back uses of 50km worth of autonomy. We’ve not been more than to Dijon in it -140km each way.
The difference in winter and summer is very noticeable, especially as it gets cold here. But it does power up hills very easily.
We’ve not tried very long journeys as we still have a back-up estate diesel that comes our for long holidays. And which hopefully will last forever as does so few km a year. But as there are more and more charging points this would be doable with planning, and being even more zen with breaks. And more planning in winter!
Hardly use brakes at all, and few moving parts so servicing is less. Also discount on insurance for first 2 years.
Same experience here with a Toyota Rav4 hybrid and for the same reasons. Fuel economy is only slightly better than my previous diesel Nissan XTrail, currently looking at 6.8L/100 km on motorways trips. Commute to work is 20 km, with hills, so battery charging kicks in on the downhill and ICE on the uphill bits, which with a return trip evens things out.
Same with ICE engines but no one ever thought to mention it.
Tuning out now so others can continue. Sadly my friend with his Tesla is not the slightest bit interested in joining the forum.
I am looking at the plug-in hybrid version of these as an option also Kia Sportage.
My issue with plug-in hybrid is the car having to carry a heavy engine around when running on battery. Then when on petrol having to carry all the batteries around. The upside is peace of mind on long journeys.
Share that thought process, the london cab driver I spoke to the other day. Just returned from Switzerland averaged 48 miles per gallon he said. Mitsubishi outlander phev and of course 4WD when required but equally his can recharge whilst running on fuel at the touch of a button. The later RAV 4 can now do the same I believe. Another friend has just returned from his holiday in France on his new RAV4 having got am upgrade whilst taking the old one in for a service just before his holiday so waiting to hear how he got on.
Our Tesla owning neighbour who works in Germany swans to and fro without breaking into a sweat. I really cannot imagine him putting up with anything that required any effort on his part!
I am not a fan of leasing generally but I believe Renault electric lease may include a free rental car for about 6 weeks per year. Did for the Spring so I suspect the Renault leasing co can offer this.
Deedee was our expert but haven"t seen her for a while.
Two points: with electric cars you are not reducing, only exporting even worse pollution abroad. Those rare earths need vast amounts of ore extraction and processing, and there is not enough mining in the world etc etc. The other point is that wholesale electricity prices have shot up tenfold in a year (who woulda thunk? Could that be from increased demand by EVs?) and you should not expect prices at charging stations to continue to be cushioned. Government wants to encourage EV adoption to meet its own targets but this is a money trap for you and a raspberry to the atmosphere.
The car is a 2018 Nissan Leaf 2.0, 40Wh battery. Real safe range of about 230km, despite the guessometer telling me nearly 280km on occasions. As with all vehicles that will depend on your driving style, kind of road & time of year.
The van is an early (2015) Nissan E-NV200, with a 24kWh battery. Safe range is around 100km, but the guessometer can report 130km sometimes.
Both vehicles have been used for cross-channel trips i.e. I don’t find distance off-putting, just need to plan a bit.
Rapid charging infrastructure (what you need for long trips) is getting better all the time. There are many apps that are your friend for such planning. The Leaf is going to be used for a bit of a tour in October, from Normandie to Salisbury, Poole, Folkestone, London, Nottingham & back. I’m not at all anxious about charging.
Needing to plan recharging on longer trips is a fair exchange for having the better driving experience, silence & low maintenance that EVs give you. I’ve spent under 200€ on the Leaf in nearly 40 000 kms - it would have been less if I’d not needed to use the Nissan dealership to get their stamp in the guarantee book.
For day to day driving both vehicles get charged at home via Heures Creuse (overnight cheap rate) using a 7kW charger, or via free solar via a plug-in 2,3kW trickle charger if conditions allow.
I will never own an ICE vehicle again.
P.S. I’m very aware that both my vehicles are now old in EV technology terms & that there are many models with much better range.
