Issues when moving to all electric towcars
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I feel your pain on the motorway issues. Ironically, for an EV, traffic helps range. Unlike with an ICE, where travelling in lower than top gear and outside the optimum rev range hits performance and economy, running at a lower speed has 0 impact on efficiency of the drive train, and so the improvements in total efficiency resulting from reduced drag become far more apparent. I.e. slower is better, and traffic extends your range…
But it’s still _no fun_ sitting in crappy traffic!
And it’s still true that EVs are not yet for everyone, especially towing with an EV. I must be in a tiny minority of folk who tow at all with an EV, let alone a full sized caravan. Early adopter fun!
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How much over 200. We will just have to hope the high end become affordable before we get rid of our ice vehicles. Incidentally would it be rude of me to ask how much your vehicle cost. Because from what I read the EV’s with a good range are very expensive. Every credit to you though for being so organised.
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Just as with an ICE, towing efficiency with a large caravan (and hence range) on an EV is a bit better than 1/2 of solo. So if you can get 500 miles on a charge sole, that translates to between 250 and 280 towing (at a rough guess).
Mine is not cheap, but its targeted at the premium performance saloon market, (400hp, 600NM torque), so at 58K list its an expensive car, but targeted at Volvo V60 T8, Audi S5, BMW 340i Msport Xdrive type market - so on a par price wise with the ICE competition.
But as a company car (arround £650 a month) its 1/20th of the cost of most of those in tax.
I am very lucky to be able to drive it, but its also a great way to tow a caravan.
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Yesterday I received an invite to test drive the new Audi Q4.
The issues for me, regarding the thread title, are-The cost of purchasing, ability and cost of installing a charger at home where car is not “alongside” the house, the range.I will be taking the test drive out of interest but , as things are currently, can’t see me going the EV route for some time.
How people who do not have the ability park “at home” will manage I don’t know, but then maybe the promised investment will remedy this and the other known and inevitable future problems.
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As time moves on I think we’ll see the popularity in EV’s grow & ICE drop thus prompting the ‘fuel’ stations to switch more & more to EV charging points. I don’t have a diesel pump at my home yet I get by👍🏻. In around 10yrs time we’ll be taking minutes to supply a full charge of that there is no doubt. At the mo it’s supply & demand.
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When EVs as our ICE can get me about 250 miles with a caravan on the hook without the need to refuel then it may be with looking at one, but certainly not at the prices now being charged, even to lease one ,I would expect a replacement new batt before buying o a used one ;company car at £650 per month
At this time the UK Gov is encouraging.? .the use of EVs if I remember they did the same for Diesel engines
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Pssst-JV. . .Don’t buy one yet-always happy to help. In 2035 you won’t be driving so don’t stress over it👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻
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I doubt it JV kids these days will be happy to see the back of planet destroying fossil fuel vehicles. You forget the children of today are more thoughtful than previous generations & a darn sight smarter too👍🏻
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You might be interested to read about the progress of alternatives generally. Hydrogen vehicles are being developed but are at a present not offering any savings in the general running of vehicles. EVs, after the initial purchase expense do offer savings in fuel and running costs as well as reducing damaging emissions.
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It is eye watering. I won’t disagree. And it it was a private purchase, I would not have done so. But as a company car it makes sense for me and the company as the government are so keen for us to use them. It is a shame that right now you have to have a high performance car, just to get towing ability, and the price of the car is positioned to compete with similar performance ICE cars. In that respect, the Polestar is actually good value. But all electric cars have lots of power and torque at the lower end, making them ideal tow cars. It’s just that the market has not yet developed enough interest for manufacturers to homologate them for towing:-( but with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, that is set to change. I think the Skoda Enyaq (sp?) has good towing ability too, at a more “normal car” price point.
I too am looking forward to when the ICE - EV price parity arrives, and actually swings the other way.
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I would love to see a real world test on towing with one.
Colin
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Perhaps this is nature's way of telling you that two people don't need a 7.5m twin axle caravan. Swift Basecamp anyone?
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On towing with the Ioniq 5 or an EV in general? I have done 3 holidays with my Polestar 2 and Bailey Unicorn Vigo Maxload (all reported in my posts in this thread), and have another coming at the end of the month. EVs (when homologated) are excellent tow cars. For me (but not for everyone) the range is not a real limit as I stop when towing after A couple of hours anyway. The costs are lower, the convenience is higher and charging while on site means I spend the holiday not thinking about ensuring I have a full tank before we hitch to go home.
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I have a Bailey Unicorn S3 Vigo max weight upgrade (MTPLM 1550) and tow it with a Polestar 2. Range wile towing is about 120 to 130 miles. Last trip was to a CL in Whitby, over 200 miles from home. Getting here there maybe 15 mins longer than towing with our ICE car. We stopped twice on the way up, for coffee after 2 hours towing for about 20 mins, and for lunch after another 70 mins towing for 45 mins.
Both times of charging we had charged more than we needed before we were done resting.
Charging on the CL was fine. We had a 10a hookup, charged via the van and will paid for the extra electricity we used when we departed.Getting home, another two stop run. We could have done it in one, from Whitby to Duckmanton in one hit, but I was ready to stop before then, so we stopped at Skelton again for Coffee and Cruffin (amazing invention), then carried on for another 75 mins to Duckmanton for some lunch, before the final 2 hour tow. Each time, we charged the car for just the time that we were servicing the humans, and didn't wait for charging to finish before we left at all, and in each case charged more than we needed for the next leg.
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