My EV Experience

[Quadratica]

I have read PH forums on EVs and learnt a great deal from other's opinions so thanks to those who contributed. Now I would like to share my tuppence-worth in the hope that my I may help the undecided.

In March I p/x my Honda Jazz (which I owned for 13y) and bought a 3y old Hyundai Ionic EV with cash.

My experience has been 100% positive. I like the silence, lack of vibrations/harshness, ease of charging at home, not visiting petrol st, simplified servicing, no VED (for now) and one-pedal driving.

I drive about 75-100 miles pw and charge the car every fortnight for 15h on a dedicated 3-pin circuit with 25A cables and a tough socket/plug/ RCDs which I installed myself (no issues with heat etc, it works a treat). It costs me about £8pw and I am really happy with that. The insurance is £120 more than my old Jazz but servicing will be significantly cheaper.

I make a 110 miles journey M40 every two months and charge at Banbury for a 40 mile top up on both legs of the journey. It's £15 total and I get home with 50 miles range left. I dislike apps etc but so far I have been lucky enough to avoid the woes that some have had with journey chargers.

I really like the EV experience and I hope the car proves to be as dependable as my Jazz because I would like to keep it for a decade.

Finally, I used to look for reasons to avoid driving my Jazz ICE but now I look for reasons to drive my Ionic EV. I can't wait to drive it tomorrow !

Edited by Quadratica on Wednesday 17th July 20:15

[samoht]

Which grade, colour? Do you have any pics?

The Ioniqs seem to have a generally strong reliability reputation, so it seems that the odds are in your favour for long term ownership

I think the 38 kWh models do need a battery coolant change every four years which is a little pricey.

They're also highly efficient, strangely more so than any newer EVs. People talk about wanting a super-efficient EV with a smaller battery, and they don't realise it already exists


I got my first EV last Nov, a Citroen e-C4, and echo your enjoyment of the driving experience. I've also found the A1 adequately supplied with charging points. I wouldn't go back to a petrol engine for a daily driver now.

[Quadratica]

2021 Premium model, grey, it's had the coolant change already and still has 18 months warranty. Very efficient indeed so a charge from 20 to 80% will last me about 12-14 days.

[off_again]

Sounds like you hit the use case for an EV bang on! When they work for you, they are excellent.

Now, if you need to drive 300 miles without stopping to the north of Scotland, turn around and drive back again, well an EV wont work for you.

[Tycho]

off_again said:

Sounds like you hit the use case for an EV bang on! When they work for you, they are excellent.

Now, if you need to drive 300 miles without stopping to the north of Scotland, turn around and drive back again, well an EV wont work for you.

Don't forget towing a boat and well.

[TheDeuce]

Congrats on the purchase, glad you like it. And you're right, you won't want to go back now you're used to no sodding petrol stations!

I wouldn't go back either. People on the other side of the fence have a hard time believing it but... ICE is overall more hassle, I don't want that hassle back, I certainly don't want the expense or the shonky drive back either!

[mikeiow]

Sounds great!
Bit confused why you need to top up on a 110 mile journey - typo?
We have used our 2019 Kona on 220 mile round trips with no need to take a public charge!

I also feel it is night and day when moving from my very used but old diesel to the Kona!

[samoht]

mikeiow said:

Sounds great!
Bit confused why you need to top up on a 110 mile journey - typo?
We have used our 2019 Kona on 220 mile round trips with no need to take a public charge!

I also feel it is night and day when moving from my very used but old diesel to the Kona!

The 2020-22 Ioniq has a 38 kWh battery, whereas most of the Kona are 64 kWh. Even with its better efficiency, at 70mph the real 100-0% range is ~170 miles https://insideevs.com/reviews/431136/2020-hyundai-... So a 220 mile round trip will need a charge at some point, only question is whether you prefer to break each leg with a brief stop, or try and find somewhere near the destination for a single stop in one direction. Hopefully at some point there a suitable charger will pop up in walking distance of the OP's destination, allowing them to charge while they're there.

[Quadratica]

off_again said:

Sounds like you hit the use case for an EV bang on! When they work for you, they are excellent.

Now, if you need to drive 300 miles without stopping to the north of Scotland, turn around and drive back again, well an EV wont work for you.

That's very true....I'd fly if I ever felt a compulsion to visit Scotland.

[Quadratica]

mikeiow said:

Sounds great!
Bit confused why you need to top up on a 110 mile journey - typo?
We have used our 2019 Kona on 220 mile round trips with no need to take a public charge!

I also feel it is night and day when moving from my very used but old diesel to the Kona!

Agreed that EV and ICE are like day and night. I'd rather catch a bus or walk (I already cycle a great deal) than go back to an ICE.

[Quadratica]

TheDeuce said:

Congrats on the purchase, glad you like it. And you're right, you won't want to go back now you're used to no sodding petrol stations!

I wouldn't go back either. People on the other side of the fence have a hard time believing it but... ICE is overall more hassle, I don't want that hassle back, I certainly don't want the expense or the shonky drive back either!

fully agreed, the silence and ease of driving an EV is what I like best. My Jazz ICE was a CVT auto and it was very smooth and relaxing but my EV is even quieter and smoother.

[TheDeuce]

Quadratica said:

off_again said:

Sounds like you hit the use case for an EV bang on! When they work for you, they are excellent.

Now, if you need to drive 300 miles without stopping to the north of Scotland, turn around and drive back again, well an EV wont work for you.

That's very true....I'd fly if I ever felt a compulsion to visit Scotland.

Me too. I don't really understand why people stress about driving long distances, supposedly in a massive hurry so totally unable to stop for a short charge break - don't they need a pee and some sort of sustenance during a 300mile/5 hour drive

Just train or fly. I work in Edinburgh often and I get the train. First class is often cheaper and always faster than driving. I get to sit there with free glasses of wine and iplayer.. I have a very lovely EV but I can't do that in any car

[Quadratica]

TheDeuce said:

Me too. I don't really understand why people stress about driving long distances, supposedly in a massive hurry so totally unable to stop for a short charge break - don't they need a pee and some sort of sustenance during a 300mile/5 hour drive

Just train or fly. I work in Edinburgh often and I get the train. First class is often cheaper and always faster than driving. I get to sit there with free glasses of wine and iplayer.. I have a very lovely EV but I can't do that in any car

100% agreed, there are alternatives to driving. If my EV had a range of 2000 miles and fully charged in 1 minute I still wouldn't drive to Scotland.

[stumpage]

Quadratica said:

ully agreed, the silence and ease of driving an EV is what I like best. My Jazz ICE was a CVT auto and it was very smooth and relaxing but my EV is even quieter and smoother.

100% agree. But sometimes you don't want silence and ease, but fun and engagement. It's great that the BIK tax on my i4 M50 allows me the monthly budget for a more enjoyable and interesting weekend car.

So big thumbs up for EV from me. It gives me the best of both worlds when I want it.

[TheDeuce]

stumpage said:

Quadratica said:

ully agreed, the silence and ease of driving an EV is what I like best. My Jazz ICE was a CVT auto and it was very smooth and relaxing but my EV is even quieter and smoother.

100% agree. But sometimes you don't want silence and ease, but fun and engagement. It's great that the BIK tax on my i4 M50 allows me the monthly budget for a more enjoyable and interesting weekend car.

So big thumbs up for EV from me. It gives me the best of both worlds when I want it.

I feel the same. The savings alone pay for a fun car, and tbh the right car as in investment, only do low miles, can pretty much pay it's keep all by itself.

Occasional ICE old fashioned fun, love it. I also love that my i4 M50 allows the other 95% of journeys to be so simple and satisfying. I don't even need to drive it energetically to feel like virtually every other car on the road is bit dim witted. I get a lot of satisfaction from enjoying a machine that just works, beautifully. Even if it fails to make brum brum noises.

It's also quite nice to enjoy the performance for pennies each go, not pounds

[Discombobulate]

Having some building work down at home and took the builder (anti EV, never been in one, and calls EV owners " the gullibles") down to the local merchants last week. After a few minutes silence he admitted it was "quiet and powerful". By the time we were driving home he was raving about how refined it felt and asked if he could have a go.

[tr3a]

Tycho said:

off_again said:

Sounds like you hit the use case for an EV bang on! When they work for you, they are excellent.

Now, if you need to drive 300 miles without stopping to the north of Scotland, turn around and drive back again, well an EV wont work for you.

Don't forget towing a boat and well.

Uphill both ways, in freezing weather.

[tr3a]

Discombobulate said:

By the time we were driving home he was raving about how refined it felt and asked if he could have a go.

My way to turn luddites round is allowing them to drive my EV. The immediate transformation in their attitude towards EV's is always a joy to behold. It's never failed yet.

[TheDeuce]

If the performance and refinement doesn't convince someone, I drop in that it does 250 miles for about £7.

That cuts deep, especially if they have a fast and thirsty petrol car

[Quadratica]

Discombobulate said:

Having some building work down at home and took the builder (anti EV, never been in one, and calls EV owners " the gullibles") down to the local merchants last week. After a few minutes silence he admitted it was "quiet and powerful". By the time we were driving home he was raving about how refined it felt and asked if he could have a go.

That's a great story and I suspect many will be interested in Evs after a little sample.