Adventures in an all electric vehicle.

[GRW]

It'll be worse with EV owners. I've spoken to some that think there's no engine so it won't go wrong.

I was visiting family last weekend, next door neighbour with a 2 1/2 year old Tesla X long. 90 grand new price..Making awful noises going back and forth..His wife was staring at it trying to figure it out. I bet it's not had an ounce of maintenance in it's life.

90 Grand!!!! NINETY GRAND!@*!!!
Ye God's! And people actually pay that much!
There must be a lot of very well-off & not especially bright folk out there.
I could never afford to drop a fraction of that on a car.... & even if I could - I'd find so many better things to put that money to.

 

[GRW]

Yes, although mine to be fair so far hasn't needed more than a handbrake cable, tyres and brake pads/disks. Car mechanics mag had a good article on common faults, it isn't normal to go board level diagnostics on these you just swap the unit that has failed out - charger/inverter/heater etc. There's charts out there for compatibility of units, Nissan had quite a few revisions but seemed to try and keep compatibility up. Standard OBD diagnostics talk to it, there is a very good phone app called LeafSpy which links with your normal £10 bluetooth ELM 323 dongles and allows all manner of diagnostics to be carried out including coding of some units.

Nissan workshop manuals are out there easy enough to find FOC, CANBUS codes out there, all the bits are desirable for conversions. The EV bits in mine are destined to go into a Solihull product at the end of its life as a Leaf. I am a triggers broom type of person and I would hope to be able to keep things for a reasonable length of time, I have the IMI EV ticket which is easy for any mechanic to get and its well worth it as it will allow access to the likes of HEVRA where you buy into their knowledge/backup/specialist tool hire etc. if you need it.

I confess I followed your response pretty well right up to the last couple of sentences .

It's good to know that Nissan resisted the urge to make the Leaf a total "box of black magic" with everything coded & locked securely away.

I suspect though (like with the ICE's of the last what - 10 to 15 years?) that your Leaf is in a minority if it allows non-dealer mtce, diagnostics & repairs.

 

[not done it yet]

90 Grand!!!! NINETY GRAND!@*!!!
Ye God's! And people actually pay that much!
There must be a lot of very well-off & not especially bright folk out there.
I could never afford to drop a fraction of that on a car.... & even if I could - I'd find so many better things to put that money to.

I expect most of them have more than enough money to spend on other things they might want to purchase/rent.

Do consider that most won’t have spent out that 90 grand - just part of on a lease ‘deal’. Even then, the vehicle is likely not actually theirs and is (quite likely) a company depreciation ‘asset’.

 

[GRW]

You can sell the battery in a £4k leaf for £4k if you break it down...... any ICE vehicle 10 years old is unlikely to have a single lump in it worth more than £250. Any EV is unlikely to have a lump worth less than £250, motor, inverter, charger, heater etc. So even if you decide not to use your £4k EV as a car with low road tax and lower cost per mile it still makes more sense than an ICE as a breaker if you want to get your hands dirty! If you want someone else to fix your car and handle the hassle that's what pcp and maintenance packs are for though you pay through the nose for them and 4k doesn't get you very far down the road.

Also note the failure modes mentioned by others who work on EVs - liquid cooling- Leafs don't do complicated liquid cooled battery packs.

I dare say that's because the Leaf is a sensible-sized commuter type small EV (the sort of thing that an EV is best suited for).
No stupid power levels, so no need for a stupidly powerful bomb of a battery that needs to be liquid-cooled to prevent meltdown?

 

[not done it yet]

the sort of thing that an EV is best suited for).

Nope. Wrong again.

I use mine for both local and 100+ mile trips (that is one way, with plenty of capacity for the return trip). A 480 mile trip to Scotland will not present any problem whatsoever. I do wonder what you are on - never really bothering to think, rationally, before posting.

The longest journey so far was 230 miles. The shorter return to home trip was started with about 12 miles predicted spare range - I did not bother to go a couple of miles ‘off route’ to top up and arrived home with that spare buffer. Not a problem for anyone who can use what they have in a sensible fashion - so quite easy to use a (suitable) EV for far more than just local commuting/shopping/etc.

If I had only wanted a vehicle for round trips of 50 miles, I would have bought one with a smaller battery. If I had wanted a vehicle for local load carrying, I would have got a van, not a car. I have fitted a tow hitch for my occasional trailer requirement. Horses for courses.

 

[rhubarb7]

You can sell the battery in a £4k leaf for £4k if you break it down...... any ICE vehicle 10 years old is unlikely to have a single lump in it worth more than £250. Any EV is unlikely to have a lump worth less than £250, motor, inverter, charger, heater etc. So even if you decide not to use your £4k EV as a car with low road tax and lower cost per mile it still makes more sense than an ICE as a breaker if you want to get your hands dirty! If you want someone else to fix your car and handle the hassle that's what pcp and maintenance packs are for though you pay through the nose for them and 4k doesn't get you very far down the road.

Also note the failure modes mentioned by others who work on EVs - liquid cooling- Leafs don't do complicated liquid cooled battery packs.

4 grand for secondhand batteries that are 12 years old, no way.

New batteries for a Leaf are I believe 7 grand now. They were 14 grand when they first came out.

 

[rhubarb7]

Washing machine syndrome?

washing machine syndrome​

Urban Dictionary
https://www.urbandictionary.com › define › term=was...



when kissing someone, they swirl their tounge around your mouth, much like a washing machine. Guy: How was that date last night? Guy2: Great but she has a ...

 

[Smallfry]

Should of bought a Rover 75 (BMW build quality you know!)




Wetting myself!

You seriously think BMW build quality is great ???????????????

Might have been back in the Eighties, but not now.

 

[Smallfry]

You can sell the battery in a £4k leaf for £4k if you break it down......

Who on earth is going to pay £4K for a battery to fix a £4k car, then pay someone heaven knows how much to fit it ?

Even if you want the battery to power your house or whatever, no one it going to pay that for a ten year old battery.

 

[premmington]

You seriously think BMW build quality is great ???????????????

Might have been back in the Eighties, but not now.

I would not own a modern BMW myself

 

[premmington]

Who on earth is going to pay £4K for a battery to fix a £4k car, then pay someone heaven knows how much to fit it ?

Even if you want the battery to power your house or whatever, no one it going to pay that for a ten year old battery.

You would be suprised - I just put a new engine/injectors/DSG clutch into a 14 palte Skoda - bill was £7.2k

 

[brewdexta]

I had an older BMW 325i estate. Lovely car to drive, nice recarro style leather seats but the main dealer servicing costs were £££ and they were not very good. Left me stranded twice in London traffic just after a service then overfilled the auto box which peed oil all over my dads drive, the arrogance of the dealer was the bit that got me. I found a specialist BMW garage after that....

 

[daleyd]

*They need to make Ev’s short range, they’d be ideal for round town.

*Of course I still wouldn’t buy one because I need the ability to do 600 miles in one go.

*Ah look, they’ve made them with bigger batteries but now they’re too complicated. And they will catch on fire.

*I still wouldn’t buy one. They sound like a milk float. I much prefer the throaty roar of my 4 pot diesel banger.

*I don’t listen to any mainstream media, they are brainwashing you. Apart from this programme that says Ev’s are rubbish, because that obviously is completely true to life. (ignoring the fact that if they made a programme where he just happily charged up overnight and got up to a full car in the morning it wouldn't have made very entertaining watching).

Are they for everyone? No. Is anyone trying to convince anyone else they should buy one? No.

I simply don't understand the fascination with people who have never owned one telling people who do own them they don't work, or poking lazy stereotypes out (To own one you must be rich or stupid? Really??)

 

[minimutly]

washing machine syndrome​

View attachment 403861
Urban Dictionary
https://www.urbandictionary.com › define › term=was...



when kissing someone, they swirl their tounge around your mouth, much like a washing machine. Guy: How was that date last night? Guy2: Great but she has a ...

Oh dear obviously not what I meant ! I was reffering to the white box most used in everyone’s home - not being serviced...

 

[rhubarb7]

You seriously think BMW build quality is great ???????????????

Might have been back in the Eighties, but not no

I had an older BMW 325i estate. Lovely car to drive, nice recarro style leather seats but the main dealer servicing costs were £££ and they were not very good. Left me stranded twice in London traffic just after a service then overfilled the auto box which peed oil all over my dads drive, the arrogance of the dealer was the bit that got me. I found a specialist BMW garage after that....

Excellent reliable Cars. I owned a 1989 E30 320i Touring for 14 years. Sold it a year ago for 4 times more than I paid for her.

I'm awaiting to see it for sale, as the bloke I sold it too buys and restores them for a living.

Unfortunate that you had a tosspot service it and ruin your experience

 

[rhubarb7]

Oh dear obviously not what I meant ! I was reffering to the white box most used in everyone’s home - not being serviced...

I know, I was joking

 

[rhubarb7]

I would not own a modern BMW myself

Nor would I, and as you know I love BMWs. Their quality era was from early 80s to 1999.

Hence I run a 39 year old BMW Boxer

 

[My Old Landy]

Today I spent the day at an aerospace event. Battery planes are coming and so are hydrogen ones. They feel that the effort is going into air travel.
Oh and there will be hybrid planes using substitute fuels to get off the ground and batteries to make the flight.
Nice

 

[GRW]

*They need to make Ev’s short range, they’d be ideal for round town.

*Of course I still wouldn’t buy one because I need the ability to do 600 miles in one go.

*Ah look, they’ve made them with bigger batteries but now they’re too complicated. And they will catch on fire.

*I still wouldn’t buy one. They sound like a milk float. I much prefer the throaty roar of my 4 pot diesel banger.

*I don’t listen to any mainstream media, they are brainwashing you. Apart from this programme that says Ev’s are rubbish, because that obviously is completely true to life. (ignoring the fact that if they made a programme where he just happily charged up overnight and got up to a full car in the morning it wouldn't have made very entertaining watching).

Are they for everyone? No. Is anyone trying to convince anyone else they should buy one? No.

I simply don't understand the fascination with people who have never owned one telling people who do own them they don't work, or poking lazy stereotypes out (To own one you must be rich or stupid? Really??)

Indigestion?
Take a Rennie.

 

[GRW]

Today I spent the day at an aerospace event. Battery planes are coming and so are hydrogen ones. They feel that the effort is going into air travel.
Oh and there will be hybrid planes using substitute fuels to get off the ground and batteries to make the flight.
Nice

Will they be able to carry any people or freight?


More seriously, commercial planes need to carry 50% more spare fuel than the journey requires (so that on the event of bad weather, diversions, delays etc - they don't fall out of the sky).
If a battery-powered airliner has to carry an extra 50% (usable) battery storage, that's an awful lot of weight.