Non-Tesla recommendations for 2nd cheaper EV

[spooksman]

I’ll be interest to hear what spooksman has seen but, from my POV, I think your wife might get nervous (or at least need to be mindful of her speed) on a 110mile trip in the winter.

We've had the car since October, but never really been on long trip (lockdown!) - when she's driving to work the return trip is only about 20 miles. She is planning very occasional long(er) trips to Swindon (about 150 miles), but she'd be anticipating to stop on the way regardless. In the cold its currently showing a range of about 190 miles when full - but at motorway speeds, no idea.

When we got ours (its leased) there was a stonking deal going, which made it way cheaper than the Zoe - I liked that bit loads!

 

[Avendit]

On the Corsa Vs 208, doesn't the Corsa get much better range from the same package? I think it was carwow that did the motorway test with them all?

 

[Glan gluaisne]

On the Corsa Vs 208, doesn't the Corsa get much better range from the same package? I think it was carwow that did the motorway test with them all?

I'll check that later, thanks. The EV Database lists the "real world" range of both as being about 170 miles, with all the other numbers looking much the same. The WLTP range is 211 miles for the e-208 and 205 miles for the Corsa e, so pretty much the same. Be interesting if there is a big real-world range difference to understand why that is, as I believe both cars are mechanically pretty much identical under the skin (same battery, motor drive train etc).

 

[ACarneiro]

If the range is different then the obvious culprit will be the car’s design and drag coefficient, I should think...

 

[Adopado]

If the range is different then the obvious culprit will be the car’s design and drag coefficient, I should think...

Or they were tested on a different day with wind and temperature variations. A trip down a motorway against a headwind vs one with a following breeze would do it. I don’t know the details of their article but not everyone takes the most scientific approach... and invariably with only a single sample.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Found the Carwow review:

They tested the Honda e, Mini e, VW e-up, Corsa e, e-208 and the Zoe (R135), starting with a fairly short town driving section, where they looked at the urban energy efficiency (in miles/kWh) then they did a motorway driving range test section, essentially driving them until they died. The weather was very hot, from the video it looked like the outside air temperature was around 30°C, so they were all using a lot of aircon, at least until they ran low on charge. They didn't try to drive in "eco" mode in any of the cars until the charge level got low.

The results were, for town driving:

Honda e
3.7 miles/kWh

Mini e
3.7 miles/kWh

VW e-up
3.8 miles/kWh

Corsa e
4.1 miles/kWh

e-208
4.2 miles/kWh

Zoe
5.2 miles/kWh

and total range (mainly motorway driving):

Honda e
113 miles

Mini e
154 miles

VW e-up
162 miles

Corsa e
174 miles

e-208
161 miles

Zoe
229 miles

So, overall the Corsa e was better than the e-208 in total range, although the town driving figures suggest that the e-208 may have been better if driven mainly in urban areas. The clear winner in terms of efficiency was the Zoe, though, massively better than any of the others.

 

[browellm]

Poor Honda-e. Such a lovely car.

 

[Alan J]

Poor Honda-e. Such a lovely car.

The Corsa e comes with 'free' 30,000 miles of electricity but the Peak Rate on that deal is 21p /kWh so be aware depending on your circumstances this could well be / is a ripoff.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Just seen the Hyundai Iconic 5 reveal: Hyundai IONIQ 5 | The Electric Car Revolution Is Here

Probably one of the best looking EVs Hyundai have made so far. Got some interesting features, too, like a 3.6kW AC mains outlet powered from the car battery, so can be used a bit like an emergency generator. The interior looks pretty good too.

 

[ACarneiro]

Just seen the Hyundai Iconic 5 reveal: Hyundai IONIQ 5 | The Electric Car Revolution Is Here

Probably one of the best looking EVs Hyundai have made so far. Got some interesting features, too, like a 3.6kW AC mains outlet powered from the car battery, so can be used a bit like an emergency generator. The interior looks pretty good too.

Truly exciting times!
Not sure I like the design that much, though.
Any information on battery size and estimated range?

 

[HenryT]

Just seen the Hyundai Iconic 5 reveal: Hyundai IONIQ 5 | The Electric Car Revolution Is Here

Probably one of the best looking EVs Hyundai have made so far. Got some interesting features, too, like a 3.6kW AC mains outlet powered from the car battery, so can be used a bit like an emergency generator. The interior looks pretty good too.

So you could use that to top up stranded EVs?

Flag down a passing Iconic if you ever get stuck!

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Truly exciting times!
Not sure I like the design that much, though.
Any information on battery size and estimated range?

Two battery sizes, 58 kWh and 72.6 kWh. Single or dual motor, AWD, range up to 290 miles, up to 350 kW rapid charging (800V DC system, like Porsche). 0 to 60mph 5.2s for the most powerful version. Price around £45k for the top end AWD model, on sale here this summer.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

So you could use that to top up stranded EVs?

Flag down a passing Iconic if you ever get stuck!

Yes, Hyundai actually quoted this as a use for the AC outlet, being able to slow charge another EV, as well as being able to use it for things like power for a kettle or small cooker when camping. Might be handy if you live somewhere prone to power cuts, too, as an emergency power supply.

 

[nxsynjs]

Two battery sizes, 58 kWh and 72.6 kWh. Single or dual motor, AWD, range up to 290 miles, up to 350 kW rapid charging (800V DC system, like Porsche). 0 to 60mph 5.2s for the most powerful version. Price around £45k for the top end AWD model, on sale here this summer.

I saw the reveal too. It looks a great car and a promising platform for future EV's.. I have to admit Hyundai/Kia seem to have stolen a march on VW as the above specs, price and warranty seem to make a more desirable and basically better car than the VW efforts of ID.3/4/Enyaq. 45K puts it slap bang in Polestar 2, M3LR as well as Mach-E market and tbh on paper it should be near the top of any prospective EV owner who needs a little more space than a saloon offers.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Interesting comments from Robert Llewellyn on Fully Charged about it. He mentioned driving a Jaguar I Pace in convoy with Johnny Smith in a Hyundai Kona, so same speeds, same road conditions etc, on a long trip. The Kona achieved 5.2 miles/kWh, versus the I Pace's 2.6 miles/kWh, which seems to indicate that Hyundai have cracked the way to make EVs efficient. If the new Iconic is as efficient as the Kona, which seems likely, then the official range figures (which haven't yet been released) may well be a lot better than the reviewers are estimating at the moment.

 

[RedMod3]

These EV ranges are very interesting. I'm due to drive a Smart EQ ForTwo from Manchester to the south coast on a 270 mile drive only, the battery is quoted as having a range of between 50-100 miles. If the actual range is closer to 100 miles, no problem, but if closer to 50 miles, I'll have a big problem.

Maybe I need to connect a generator (like the Hyundai) to the battery to charge up the battery, that way I'll have infinite range.

 

[Alan J]

E

These EV ranges are very interesting. I'm due to drive a Smart EQ ForTwo from Manchester to the south coast on a 270 mile drive only, the battery is quoted as having a range of between 50-100 miles. If the actual range is closer to 100 miles, no problem, but if closer to 50 miles, I'll have a big problem.

Maybe I need to connect a generator (like the Hyundai) to the battery to charge up the battery, that way I'll have infinite range.

EPA rated range is 63 Miles, good luck !

 

[RedMod3]

E

EPA rated range is 63 Miles, good luck !

I know! Expecting 6 recharging stops at the moment, or it could be 4/5 if the actual range is longer than I expect.

 

[mk677]

These EV ranges are very interesting. I'm due to drive a Smart EQ ForTwo from Manchester to the south coast on a 270 mile drive only, the battery is quoted as having a range of between 50-100 miles. If the actual range is closer to 100 miles, no problem, but if closer to 50 miles, I'll have a big problem.

Maybe I need to connect a generator (like the Hyundai) to the battery to charge up the battery, that way I'll have infinite range.

First off that EV or any other low range EV is the wrong tool for a long distance drive like that, find a better tool.

secondly if you are a masochistic and make the ride in that low range car at least plot out every charger on your route and use a lot of diligence to plot out every charging stop with an emergency alternative.
lastly the generator idea is quite foolish, it would take a day or two of charging off of a generator to get 60 miles of range into the car.
the bottom line is; don't make the trip in a low range EV.

 

[Adopado]

First off that EV or any other low range EV is the wrong tool for a long distance drive like that, find a better tool.

secondly if you are a masochistic and make the ride in that low range car at least plot out every charger on your route and use a lot of diligence to plot out every charging stop with an emergency alternative.
lastly the generator idea is quite foolish, it would take a day or two of charging off of a generator to get 60 miles of range into the car.
the bottom line is; don't make the trip in a low range EV.

Maybe you missed the smiley on the generator comment!

If you need to get the car from A to B and you don’t have a trailer then a one off longer distance adventure seems reasonable. Pretty obvious that charge planning will be required... as it would be for any ev, just more stops.