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Original poster

people with plug-in hybrid or fully electric cars...

59 replies

fucknuckle · 30/08/2020 20:39

...what made you choose one and how do you manage it?

i have a self-charging hybrid and find myself idly wondering what people who need to plug in and charge do.

have you had an outside charger installed at your house? how do you know where public charge points are? do you pay to use them? what do you do about long journeys?

i know it’s not very interesting but i thought i’d ask! there are loads of tv ads for fully electric or plug-in hybrids and it always makes me wonder who’s buying them and why.

OP posts:
OneEpisode · 30/08/2020 23:01

We charge overnight on the drive at home when elec is less in demand and tariff lower. On a scheduler. Takes a few hours on our charger, and for normal commuting only once a week. Much cheaper than petrol/diesel.
Some public chargers are slow some are fast and the apps are supposed to tell you: which is which, if they are working and if they are in use right now.
We plan to stop somewhere there is more than one, they are working to increase chance of their being one free when we arrive.
Most public chargers are pay to use, and usually you have to register for the scheme. Some are free/easy to use, e.g included in the normal parking for an attraction.

HexyAndIKnowIt · 30/08/2020 23:08

Ioniq plug in hybrid here.
We had a grant and the charge point was installed on our garage. Dh charges every night and range on electric is about 35 Miles. This is fortuitous as work is 30 Miles. Work has free charging points.

We can actually go weeks without putting petrol in it. The only reason we didn't go full electric is because he has frequent work meetings on the south coast which wouldn't have worked.

We never charge on car parks etc as they are almost always more expensive. The exception is ikea who are very often on a free vend.

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 30/08/2020 23:11

Has anyone had any trouble with theft? Apparently around here there have been thefts of the charging cable while cars are plugged in overnight.

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Cars & vehicles
HexyAndIKnowIt · 30/08/2020 23:14

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar

Has anyone had any trouble with theft? Apparently around here there have been thefts of the charging cable while cars are plugged in overnight.
That would be unusual as most of them lock in when charging and can't be released until the car is unlocked.
Hopingtobeamum · 30/08/2020 23:22

I have a 4x4 hybrid purely for tax reasons. It's a fully expensed company car (inc all fuel) so makes sense to let the company pay for fuel whereas I'd have to pay to install a charger at home and pay for electricity. It does eat fuel doing it this way though and is not economical at all.
I rarely charge it up due to lack of facilities although it does regenerative breaking so builds up some charge that way.
It's a fab car, I love it. Very quick and great in the snow. Getting a new hybrid later this year, gone for the 3 series BMW this time.

Hopingtobeamum · 30/08/2020 23:26

Ps it is quite handy as in some car parks the EV spaces are closer to the shops. That's about the only time I charge it.
I have noticed though my hybrid (Mitsi Outlander) is pretty shocking in terms of the electric range, probably due to its weight and size and also the fact it's got phones etc running off it (and maybe my driving!)

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 30/08/2020 23:29

I'm sure my new car will lock the cable then. I've had a google and apparently it's mostly a glitch with Teslas, and my car isn't a Tesla.

Bellebelle · 30/08/2020 23:31

We’ve had a hybrid for four years but can’t charge at home as we live in a flat. When DH was going into his work he could charge it in the car park there which was enough to keep it charged for our needs. Now that he’s WFH we’re using it a lot less but there are charging points 5 mins up the road from us at a university which we can use so when it does need charged we take it up there and leave it for four hours which is enough for a full charge. We don’t do many long trips, just city driving so can go months without having to put petrol in it (which you have to watch as apparently petrol goes off after three months and you have to fresh stuff in - only found that out in June when a warning came up on the dashboard I’d never seen before!)

We originally chose the hybrid as we liked the car and the idea of not being so reliant on petrol but as we got it through DH’s work car scheme there was a big tax incentive involved so that was a factor. However the tax breaks for company car schemes and for choosing electric/hybrid were changed by the government so it’s not that great now. However we’re about to come off that scheme and we’re going to get the same car again as we really like having a hybrid.

DH has his own space at work and there are loads of charging points near our house so we don’t really experience issues with all the points being full. However there is a cinema we used to go to (pre-lockdown) that has some charging points. For the first couple of years that we had the car we could always get a charging space without issue but it started to get harder a couple of years ago with more people using them. I think there was an issue with people leaving their cars all day taking up the charging point and spaces so signs were put up asking people to move their cars once they had charged but I’m not sure if it made any difference. People used to get quite annoyed and would leave notes on other people’s cars telling them to stop hogging the spaces! I do think that more needs to be invested in public charging points as demand grows. A lot of people in my city live in flats so can’t charge at home but the government and council are encouraging people to go electric. It seems to depend on local councils as well, we did a few day trips to beaches over the summer which are in a different local authority to ours and there were charging points everywhere, in every car park we used and some on street parking. I’d expected to use some petrol to drive back but was able to charge at every stop which was great, would love to see more places like that.

Mercedes519 · 31/08/2020 18:11

@Hopingtobeamum the Mitsubishi is pretty poor on range isn’t it. Works for me as most of my driving is through town so slow and short range so the electric is enough.

About to get a new hybrid and this had a bigger range but we’ll still be reliant on petrol for longer journeys. I don’t think I’m ready for fully electric and the planning that would come with it. The charging network isn’t there yet - and they are all different companies and networks.

In terms of the charging point - we have ours installed inside the garage so the cable runs under the door and can’t be removed easily. Not surprised they have a value as stolen objects.

PrayingandHoping · 31/08/2020 18:20

We have the outlander phev. We can get 30 miles out of it but that's with sensible country (not motorway) driving, no air con, no headlights (obv daytime lol!)

It just make u think how to drive to get the most out of it....

During lockdown when I was the main driver and only go local we didn't use any fuel and it had a meltdown and refused to let us use the battery until we emptied the tank and refuelled! It was to keep engine healthy....

It suits us... but wouldn't be enough range for many

MrsT1405 · 31/08/2020 19:38

We've had a Ford Kuga plug in hybrid and its fabulous. We do mostly short trips with really long ones twice a year. ( in normal times). We charge it in our apartment carpark overnight....you can schedule it for when leccy is cheap. There are free charge points down the road. Its a seaside town, so they are busy now but will be quiet soon. Also there are 2 free charge stations in the nearby town where we go for coffee. We put petrol on it pn the way home from the dealer and gave only used half a tank. Its a lovely car....exactly the same as the one on the TV ad.

H1978 · 31/08/2020 21:24

@fucknuckle

jealous of all the Teslas out there..
They are amazing cars and we get free charge at their own superchargers so it’s great. I’m nearly always travel sick but the car is so smooth I’ve not felt sick since we got it.
pollyannaperspective · 31/08/2020 21:43

We have chargers installed at home using the grant. Charge is scheduled overnight on cheaper electric rate. Much cheaper to charge than fill up our previous petrol car of Model X size.
Ours are Teslas and we were early adopters so have retained rights to free charging on the Tesla network. There are Tesla fast chargers along motorway networks - worst direction is to the south west. Teslas have info on all Tesla chargers at service areas, Tesla dealers and including 'destination' chargers at hotels etc. The app/onscreen info is live and will tell you how many chargers are open and available at the charging location. If you are on a long journey you do need to plan just a bit but the car charges quickly while you grab a coffee/go to the loo. The App will let you know the charged miles being added.
We are fortunate to have such vehicles.

Legoroses · 31/08/2020 23:05

Interesting about less car sickness in a Tesla. I've read the opposite about electric cars in general because of the rapid acceleration.

I'm such a child that I still love tearing away at the lights when I'm next to a bloke in a silly souped up petrol car. They get so offended that they often go over the speed limit at the camera just up from the lights to prove what a big man they are. Presumably that will stop being entertaining at some point.

Twigaletta · 31/08/2020 23:05

@PrayingandHoping

"and why choose a plug in over a self-charge? "

Ours does both. So it gives u more choice.

@PrayingandHoping may I ask what make and model yours is please?
Hopingtobeamum · 31/08/2020 23:53

@Mercedes519 I agree re range. I try and use electric mode in urban/built up areas for environmental/pollution reasons.
I do love the car though and with a dog the boot space is absolutely fantastic. Not sure how pooch will get on with the 3 series, he'll have to have the back seats, we'll probably look to get a roof rack with a carrier on top for luggage etc. That won't do much for economy though.
Agree with you re going full electric, give it another few years and I'd hope the infrastructure will be there to support them.

PrayingandHoping · 01/09/2020 06:42

@Twigaletta Mitsubishi Outlander phev

Herewefall · 04/09/2020 20:41

Why buy electric?
Just got a Tesla - company car - zero percent tax on P11D for first year - unbelievably cheap, it's be 2% next year but even so - it's a no brainer. The supercharger network means we are fairly confident charging isn't a problem. Not sure if we'll install a charger at home - already have an external power point - it charges at 8 miles per hour - probably enough for us we think.

uglyface · 04/09/2020 20:45

How do you manage charging if you don’t have a driveway/parking space AND you live rurally, so public chargers are an extra half an hour drive away?

I’m genuinely interested in getting a plug in hybrid or EV next but fail to see how it’ll work where we live. I work in the next village, and don’t have time before or after work to drive to a charging point and back due to childcare.

PrayingandHoping · 04/09/2020 20:46

@uglyface if u can't plug in at home tbh I can't see how a plug in would work for u....

uglyface · 04/09/2020 20:55

@PrayingandHoping That’s what I thought...such a shame, most of the villages around us are full of narrow streets with old Tudor houses so lots of people will he unable to join the EV movement.

I wonder if parish councils will eventually install charging points in village hall car parks etc?

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 04/09/2020 20:55

If I wanted a hybrid I'd have to have self charging as I don't have off road parking and there's no charging point at work.

*which you have to watch as apparently petrol goes off after three months and you have to fresh stuff in - only found that out in June when a warning came up on the dashboard I’d never seen before!

I've still got a quarter of a tank left from the last time I filled up in March!

fairydustandpixies · 04/09/2020 21:02

I wonder about this. My elderly petrol car is on it's last legs. I have no designated parking available outside my house or in my road and have to purchase a public car park permit which is 200m away. It has a single charging point in a car park for 300 cars, many of which are resident permit holders like myself.

PrayingandHoping · 04/09/2020 21:06

@PinkSparklyPussyCat before 3 months came up the car refused to let us use the battery until the petrol had been refuelled (which meant using it up first). Apparently old stale fuel damages engines

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 04/09/2020 21:20

Is that only for hybrids @PrayingandHoping? Mine is a normal petrol and seems to be fine. I'm getting a new car in a couple of weeks so I'm gutted I'll have to petrol in before that!