How the other half live ?

[SimonS]

Seen on X.

 

[Archev]

Seen on X.
View attachment 23713

I’ve reliably heard
1 you don’t get much range
2 you throw the engine away after 3 yrs
3 they smell terrible whilst charging
4 ditto from behind
4 The regen’s rubbish so the brake pollution is diabolical
5 I wouldn’t want it sat near my house with its tank of explosive.
Etc etc etc ??

 

[Rolfe]

The replies are a hoot. I've been mixing in with that lot while I had lunch.

 

[tsedge]

Seen on X.
View attachment 23713

It is weird isn't it - having to stand outside your car holding the cable instead of warm and cosy inside.

Apparently you also have to walk to a separate building to pay in most cases, queuing up behind lots of other people. Imagine the inconvenience!

There are no apps, so you can't even see whether there's a free stall before you arrive!

The whole experience is dirty, smelly and expensive as hell.

 

[Archev]

It is weird isn't it - having to stand outside your car holding the cable instead of warm and cosy inside.

Apparently you also have to walk to a separate building to pay in most cases, queuing up behind lots of other people. Imagine the inconvenience!

There are no apps, so you can't even see whether there's a free stall before you arrive!

The whole experience is dirty, smelly and expensive as hell.

I’ve tried it once lately - help ma Boab - the money meter spins at a helluva speed ?

 

[Rolfe]

I was just contrasting the same trip done at Christmas 2022 in a petrol car with last Christmas in the MG4.

2022, I realised shortly after running into England that I would need petrol soon. I clocked the price at the Todhills service station and nearly had a fit. It was over £1.70 per litre. I left the motorway at the next exit and started searching for a petrol station with a more reasonable price. No app to help me, I just had to drive around on intuition.

I was lucky and found one quite quickly. A tiny place right by a main road, with just a portakabin for the "shop", and it only stocked a few sweeties. No toilets. But the petrol was under £1.40 per litre, so I went for it. I wanted a break though, so parked in one of the two narrow spaces beside the portakabin. I had a bag of mini Easter eggs (yes, at Christmas!) and a bag of crisps, they didn't have any sandwiches or anything like that. I sat in the car and ate my sweeties and phoned my friend to give her my ETA. Constant stream of heavy traffic on the road and cars and vans coming in to fill up, all-pervasive smell of petrol and diesel fumes.

2023, I had to charge at or near Penrith. I (stupidly) went straight to Booth's supermarket where I found a queue. So I did what I should have done the minute I left the motorway, and checked ZapMap. There was a free plug at the Rheged Centre six miles away, so I got back in the car and whizzed down there.

Really nice visitor centre with a café and a shop and exhibitions and a cinema. I had a capuccino and a scone with clotted cream and jam. Nice toilets too. I was probably a bit longer than I had been at the petrol station the previous year, but I couldn't wait to get away from that! Again I phoned my friend with an estimated ETA, and got on my way.

I arrived feeling fresh and rested, rather than cross and irritable and with incipient indigestion.

 

[Archev]

I was just contrasting the same trip done at Christmas 2022 in a petrol car with last Christmas in the MG4.

2022, I realised shortly after running into England that I would need petrol soon. I clocked the price at the Todhills service station and nearly had a fit. It was over £1.70 per litre. I left the motorway at the next exit and started searching for a petrol station with a more reasonable price. No app to help me, I just had to drive around on intuition.

I was lucky and found one quite quickly. A tiny place right by a main road, with just a portakabin for the "shop", and it only stocked a few sweeties. No toilets. But the petrol was under £1.40 per litre, so I went for it. I wanted a break though, so parked in one of the two narrow spaces beside the portakabin. I had a bag of mini Easter eggs (yes, at Christmas!) and a bag of crisps, they didn't have any sandwiches or anything like that. I sat in the car and ate my sweeties and phoned my friend to give her my ETA. Constant stream of heavy traffic on the road and cars and vans coming in to fill up, all-pervasive smell of petrol and diesel fumes.

2023, I had to charge at or near Penrith. I (stupidly) went straight to Booth's supermarket where I found a queue. So I did what I should have done the minute I left the motorway, and checked ZapMap. There was a free plug at the Rheged Centre six miles away, so I got back in the car and whizzed down there.

Really nice visitor centre with a café and a shop and exhibitions and a cinema. I had a capuccino and a scone with clotted cream and jam. Nice toilets too. I was probably a bit longer than I had been at the petrol station the previous year, but I couldn't wait to get away from that! Again I phoned my friend with an estimated ETA, and got on my way.

I arrived feeling fresh and rested, rather than cross and irritable and with incipient indigestion.

Ahh the gastronomical delights of the long distance ice’er against the similar but relaxed ev’er

 

[Archev]

How about charging elsewhere?
I’ve just been reading about a new indoor charging emporium opening today at 248 Harrison street in San Francisco by VW group Electrify America ?. Brilliant, none of your wee canopies- everything under one roof. Theres a lounge area, food etc. and all monitored 24/7. Checkout “Car Buzz”

 

[fnegroni]

Given you had no choice of location, Would you rather have a petrol station or a charging station opposite your house?

 

[Archev]

Good question
The vehicles would definitely be quieter
The customers potentially noisier as they’d probably be there longer
Possible concerns if one worries about EVs and fires
No worries about ices and huge tanks of explosives underground.

On balance I’d prefer the charging station I think.

 

[Archev]

Good question
The vehicles would definitely be quieter
The customers potentially noisier as they’d probably be there longer
Possible concerns if one worries about EVs and fires
No worries about ices and huge tanks of explosives underground.

On balance I’d prefer the charging station I think.

If you nip over to ‘Frisco on Google it’s in a basement/underground garage of a large building - could be housing or offices? Sadly I can’t take Magnette to check it out but I might be over there for a few days later? It’d be a good trip.