Real world use range

[whinbush]

Hi all,

Im currently running a 2018 Macan and have a Spyder on its way

From a business perspective its starting to look like the tax and running costs of an EV might stack up but I have lots of questions and I don't trust / believe book quoted info.
However all that said Im am seriuosly interested in ownership but not if it results in the loss of ease and covenience.

90% of my journeys are sub 100miles so no concerns there.
But I do go from Surrey near J9 M25 to Bath via M4 and back once a month, a 230 mile round trip. It takes me on average 2hrs each way in the Macan with no need to stop
Then 2 or 3 times a year I drive up to Scotland just south of Edinburgh M40-M6-M74 410 miles. I normally stop at Charnock Richard services 229miles in for a 30min comfort break
Similar on the way back
Including my 30min stop on average it takes me 6.5hrs
Ps no car charging stations at my very rural destination, so it would be a 13amp socket charge!


So what better to do than get the facts from real users / owners, from the horse's mouth so to speak.
Questions below.

Q 1 What is your Average range / Best Range/ Worst Range in miles?
Q2 If you charge at home who long does it take from near zero to 100% charge? Also are you using a dedicated and installed charge point to just a std 13amp plug socket
Q3 how much does it cost for a full charge
Q4 If you had a dedicated Charge point installed at home what was the rough cost for everything you needed Over and above what is standard with the car
Q5 Have you had any problems finding charge stations on journeys and again how long to you need to take for a charge
Q6 Given my trips to Bath and Scotland mentioned above . Do you think I can still make those trips in the same times or will being EV require more stops and in turn longer journey times ?


Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing from you all.


James

 

[jonwoodhead]

Hi James
All good questions. here are my experiences:
Q 1 What is your Average range / Best Range/ Worst Range in miles? A: 190 / 230 / 170. Note - range is not fixed. If you drive lots of short journeys with your pedal to the metal, the car will predict a lower range. If you drive longer journeys, conservatively, the apparent range will increase. Range is also affected by temperature (less in winter, more in summer).
Q2 If you charge at home who long does it take from near zero to 100% charge? Also are you using a dedicated and installed charge point to just a std 13amp plug socket A: On a dedicated 7kw charger, around 12 hours would do it, but it does slow down the closer you get to 100%.
Q3 how much does it cost for a full charge A: at home, depends on your tariff e.g. I have a lower night time tariff, so using that is around £8-10 to charge. On the road, prices can vary by provider, and by speed of charging. The most I have paid is probably c£20.
Q4 If you had a dedicated Charge point installed at home what was the rough cost for everything you needed Over and above what is standard with the car A: I have an Andersen charger, which is more expensive. For the unit plus installation was c£1k (I don't remember exactly). There are cheaper alternatives e.g. Podpoint, which are more like £600ish.
Q5 Have you had any problems finding charge stations on journeys and again how long to you need to take for a charge A:It just requires some planning and careful use of Apps to make sure you leave enough margin. Generally speaking if you are sticking to main roads, you will have no problem. The game-changer is what is called 'super-fast' chargers (150kw+). These can charge your car from 20% to 80% in around 15-20 mins, so by the time you've had a p, got some coffee etc, it is done. This makes the whole experience more like 'filling up' normally. The number of these superfast chargers is rising quickly, and the Gov has just announced funding to make sure motorway services have them by 2023. So the revolution is already happening.
Q6 Given my tris to Bath and Scotland mentioned above . Do you think I can still make those trips in the same times or will being EV require more stops and in turn longer journey times ? Looking at the Bath trip, for example, there is a superfast charger just off J16 (Chippenham, not at the services themselves, but 2 mins away), so you will hardly notice the difference. (I know because I live 10 mins away near Castle Combe). The Scotland trip will be similar - I havent looked where a suitable charger would be but you will be able to find one around the mid point of your journey.

I hope this helps - hope to see you sometime on one of your trips to Bath...you are welcome to stop by and take a look at my car/charging set up.

best regards
Jon

 

[whinbush]

Hi Jon,

that's great information.
Thanks so much for taking time to comment.
As you have no doubt worked out, I am peering over the wall looking at EV and I can see all the good stuff.
Yet niggling doubts as to the effect on ease and convenience are still there but Im nudging towards taking the jump.

I may well take you up on the offer to have a look at your set up in the spring when passing, as Mayfair are going to get me a Taycan for a weekend to try for myself.
Best

James

Anyone else?
Id love to hear if your experience is the same, better or worse?
I want to hear it all, so that I go in with my eyes wide open.

 

[AndrewCS]

Not a user but the new RWD and Cross Turismo models do appeal [8D]

Picture the future though ....

Height of the travel season - are the commercial charging points / areas set up for our `institutionalised queuing` process ... ? !

 

[whinbush]

Could be a danger if EV car sales are not matched by Charging infrastructure development.

 

[Tizzy]

Hi James

Jon has responded in a lot of detail, so just to add to that as another owner.

Mine is a Turbo, so has the so called performance battery as standard.


real world range thus far is around 210 miles if driven very gently. However I’ve done less than 1k miles so it may improve and also it’s been fairly cold.

charging: I’ve been using the Shell Recharge units, if I need to charge enroute. Thus far 150kW and 175kW versions tried. They never give more than 120kW in my experience but from around 25% they get you to 85% (the profile maximum mine is set to) pretty quickly c. 20 minutes tops. Cost is between £16-18 per charge.

home charging: on a 3 pin it’s around 30 hours to fully charge. No point in getting an EV if you’re not going to install a 7kW home charger frankly.


I use a 22kW at work, that takes around 4 hours to do 20-100%.

Hope that’s useful.

cheers.


Chris

 

[whinbush]

Hi Chris,

again great info.

I have a lot to think about.

I guess I will get a better idea when I get one for a weekend to give it some real world use.

Thanks