New car

[Striker]

But bad at initial purchase? ?

Not necessarily with some of the crazy discounts being offered

 

[scoobeesnac]

Not necessarily with some of the crazy discounts being offered

You are not wrong, I thought a 5k discount was amazing, now it's 10k! :-o

 

[fred12345]

Okay I've done it today I fully committed myself to an MG ZS trophy and thank you I enjoyed reading all your comments now I've got to think about charging my home runs on solar energy and this time of the year I have an abundance of energy and I am starting the day with 80% of charge in my batteries by 11 oclock they are full again and the charge controller is dumping.
Now what charger do I buy considering I have plenty of charge time between trips out it doesn't have to be anything large Capacity or special but a decent piece of kit would be needed I will connect it myself and hard wire it into my consumer unit the car has an inbuilt timer system for charging and In the winter octopus will give me my charging times. so what charging unit should I buy

before you go out and buy a charger, just use 3-pin charger that should come with the car until you figure out what is the best combination with solar. There are quite a few threads on this forum, just search "solar" and there will be plenty to read.

here is one:

Circular reasoning (Rolfe's solar energy system)

It goes like this. I really should get a home charger. If I get a home charger, I need a variable electricity tariff. A variable electricity tariff will make my daytime usage more expensive. The answer is to get a home battery and fill it with cheap electricity overnight. Look at your roof, if...

www.mgevs.com

Again, don't rush with the charger! I use 3-pin since April without any problems and never run out of charge - do the same and research your solar options in peace !

 

[Gadget Geek]

I use the portable EVSE with the 3 pin plug for my solar charging and it works fine. 350 free miles so far this month.

 

[MG steve]

I have so much excess solar this time of year that I tell my neighbour to charge his two cars!

You need to do all your long trips with the free solar then hibernate in winter.

 

[robbymax]

I've just realised I don't really have a big enough battery bank looking after everything it's a 500 amp hour battery at 48 volts that will look after the house two to three days in cloudy weather in the last six weeks I've plugged into the mains for about 16 hours waiting for some sunshine if I keep a close eye on it I can easily calculate how long for the mains charger to operate via the programmer
so this time of the year it's either a little bit for Economy 7 or nothing at all we don't do a lot of miles now although that's my fault because I sold our car and we've been managing on Ann's Hyundai i10 and she thinks as just two small to go far in it but hopefully she will take to driving the MG and if that goes okay I can sell her hyundai but she does like her car of course that will have to be outside now because the MG is going in the garage but she says we will see whoever gets home first, the garage selling the car is trying to get me to have all sorts of extras but the only one I might go for is the ceramic coat I quite like the idea of not having to clean the car has anyone had any experience of ceramic coating Can you really get away with not having to clean the car.

 

[Gadget Geek]

Just seen this:

EV Solar Charger

Our solar products make off-grid living easy. Check out the latest solar ovens, solar coolers, solar chargers, and solar lighting for any adventure.

gosun.co

Looks awesome.

 

[DB Go Rex]

Can't have everything. Top of the range, still better in my book. ??

I think the point is, depreciation is a thing, and although it might be a bit easier to sell a higher spec'd car, the depreciation means ultimately, you lose more.

 

[salty]

I think the point is, depreciation is a thing, and although it might be a bit easier to sell a higher spec'd car, the depreciation means ultimately, you lose more.

Not bothered, never have been. I get the car I want and enjoy it. ??

 

[johnb80]

I have been contemplating buying a new car for two years and it's not getting any easier I have test driven and mg ZS and thought our nice it was, initially I contemplated brand new but noticed The depreciation in the first year was horrendous and doesn't stop at the first year

Buy a one year old one, they have years of warranty left on them, it makes great financial sense.

I wasn't too concerned because I intended to keep the car four or five years if not more I've never been one for changing my car on a whim but reading all the posts on this side it would appear that there isn't a lot of joy in owning an electric car

Joy of owning an electric car, mmm, well performance - theyre all reasonably quick, noise - theyre all very quiet, responsive - instant power a delight to drive, cheap to run - Ive just done a 220 mile trip that cost the grand total of £3.30 in fuel (the equivalent of a diesel doing 466 mpg.

I just read one post where a gentleman went to Europe and never took any tools at all not even a spanner to disconnect the battery the mind boggles

I do carry a jump pack in our '5' and a 10mm spanner but have never had cause to use it. I dont carry any tools or jump packs in my BMW i3 and thats fine (98,000 on the clock now and still going strong).

I don't want to go travelling Europe I don't want to concern myself too much with charging away from home I don't really want to drive more than 80 miles there and 80 miles back in a day that's about my lot.

Easily achieved in most EV's nowadays

it would be brilliant I wouldn't have to concern myself about charging away from home anyhow it would be nice to keep it charged on my solar system at home and ride around for nothing

It is a very nice warm fuzzy feeling running a car on daylight. For a while now though export rates and import rates have made it financially sound to export all of the energy and import overnight.

in the past I have been used to tinkering with the car myself but what good are mechanical tools on an electric car a means of removing the battery is about all I am capable of

To be fair there isnt much to tinker with, braking, steering, suspension and lighting are all the same as ICE vehicles but that said, braking doesnt wear very much due to regen braking (my i3 is still on the original pads and discs at 98,000 miles / 7 years, suspension can need some work after a few miles due to battery weight, lighting mostly LED so very reliable.
Just wash and polish keep it shiny and enjoy cheap trips out.

nothing looks the same now, you need electronic equipment, digital multimeters and know what to look for I feel completely impotent and you lot wailing around don't help

Really dont worry about it, most EV's are very reliable, the main caveat to this is the 12V battery but that is no different to an ICE vehicle. If the 12V supply isnt up to scratch a whole manner of odd things can happen. If youre in the slightest doubt buy a good quality 12V battery, fit and forget.

i just can't see a lot of joy in owning an electric car at 82 years old, Can someone please give me some encouragement.

Robby, just go for it, I'd wager as soon as you have one it will be your go to vehicle for every trip. EV driving is a great experience. Our first step into EVdom happened in 2015 when we bought a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV for my wife. This was a hybrid but spent 99% of its time running electric. 158,000 miles later in September 2003 we took delivery of an MG5 trophy as it's replacement. For me I was driving a 4.4 TDV8 Range Rover in 2017 and changed to a BMW i3 (opposite ends on the pollution scale). I feared I would miss the Range Rover but I didnt. In my work I travelled quite a lot and the Rangie had a thirst of around £200 per week in diesel, the i3 with the exact same mileage and use took less than £120 A YEAR in fuel.
Dont fear EV's embrace them, it's great technology and I KNOW you will love it.

I've just realised I don't really have a big enough battery bank looking after everything it's a 500 amp hour battery at 48 volts that will look after the house two to three days in cloudy weather in the last six weeks I've plugged into the mains for about 16 hours waiting for some sunshine if I keep a close eye on it I can easily calculate how long for the mains charger to operate via the programmer.

You have 24 kWh of storage there, a tidy amount for sure. Remember with your EV you can also supplement your domestic solar battery too by doing V2L.

so this time of the year it's either a little bit for Economy 7 or nothing at all we don't do a lot of miles now although that's my fault because I sold our car and we've been managing on Ann's Hyundai i10

I'm sure you will enjoy the new car.

the garage selling the car is trying to get me to have all sorts of extras but the only one I might go for is the ceramic coat I quite like the idea of not having to clean the car has anyone had any experience of ceramic coating Can you really get away with not having to clean the car.

You do have to clean the car but it is a much easier job and it always looks very shiny afterwards. I use Sam's detailing ceramic boost in the fial rinse of the car which makes drying an absolute breeze, spray it on, rinse it off and water falls off you car.

 

[DB Go Rex]

Not bothered, never have been. I get the car I want and enjoy it. ??

Me too, I was commenting on the basis that someone mentioned higher spec buy was better on the basis of resale. Which I don't agree on.

 

[johnb80]

Me too, I was commenting on the basis that someone mentioned higher spec buy was better on the basis of resale. Which I don't agree on.

He actually said a higher spec car is easier to sell which is true, it may well not command a much better price but it will be more appealing to car buyers.

Just seen this:

EV Solar Charger

Our solar products make off-grid living easy. Check out the latest solar ovens, solar coolers, solar chargers, and solar lighting for any adventure.

gosun.co

Looks awesome.

Frankly, it looks ridiculous. It will scratch the paintwork for sure, decrease range due to extra weight and drag and not preform well due to angles of panels. Apart from that it's great, go for it.

 

[Archev]

Buy a one year old one, they have years of warranty left on them, it makes great financial sense.


Joy of owning an electric car, mmm, well performance - theyre all reasonably quick, noise - theyre all very quiet, responsive - instant power a delight to drive, cheap to run - Ive just done a 220 mile trip that cost the grand total of £3.30 in fuel (the equivalent of a diesel doing 466 mpg.


I do carry a jump pack in our '5' and a 10mm spanner but have never had cause to use it. I dont carry any tools or jump packs in my BMW i3 and thats fine (98,000 on the clock now and still going strong).


Easily achieved in most EV's nowadays


It is a very nice warm fuzzy feeling running a car on daylight. For a while now though export rates and import rates have made it financially sound to export all of the energy and import overnight.


To be fair there isnt much to tinker with, braking, steering, suspension and lighting are all the same as ICE vehicles but that said, braking doesnt wear very much due to regen braking (my i3 is still on the original pads and discs at 98,000 miles / 7 years, suspension can need some work after a few miles due to battery weight, lighting mostly LED so very reliable.
Just wash and polish keep it shiny and enjoy cheap trips out.


Really dont worry about it, most EV's are very reliable, the main caveat to this is the 12V battery but that is no different to an ICE vehicle. If the 12V supply isnt up to scratch a whole manner of odd things can happen. If youre in the slightest doubt buy a good quality 12V battery, fit and forget.


Robby, just go for it, I'd wager as soon as you have one it will be your go to vehicle for every trip. EV driving is a great experience. Our first step into EVdom happened in 2015 when we bought a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV for my wife. This was a hybrid but spent 99% of its time running electric. 158,000 miles later in September 2003 we took delivery of an MG5 trophy as it's replacement. For me I was driving a 4.4 TDV8 Range Rover in 2017 and changed to a BMW i3 (opposite ends on the pollution scale). I feared I would miss the Range Rover but I didnt. In my work I travelled quite a lot and the Rangie had a thirst of around £200 per week in diesel, the i3 with the exact same mileage and use took less than £120 A YEAR in fuel.
Dont fear EV's embrace them, it's great technology and I KNOW you will love it.


You have 24 kWh of storage there, a tidy amount for sure. Remember with your EV you can also supplement your domestic solar battery too by doing V2L.


I'm sure you will enjoy the new car.


You do have to clean the car but it is a much easier job and it always looks very shiny afterwards. I use Sam's detailing ceramic boost in the fial rinse of the car which makes drying an absolute breeze, spray it on, rinse it off and water falls off you car.

Yeah, what John said. I don’t have any solar or battery and do the majority of charging at home but if I’m out and about I just arrange my stops near food / coffee places - it usually works just fine

 

[salty]

Just seen this:

EV Solar Charger

Our solar products make off-grid living easy. Check out the latest solar ovens, solar coolers, solar chargers, and solar lighting for any adventure.

gosun.co

Looks awesome.

Jesus! Couldn't be arsed with that.

 

[johnb80]

Jesus! Couldn't be arsed with that.

It’ll will be great in a multi-storey car park and overnight ????????

 

[Archev]

It’ll will be great in a multi-storey car park and overnight ????????

Perhaps we could petition for MUCH stronger lighting so that it could …….. eh? Oh yeah a three pin socket will be grand thanks ?‍

Perhaps we could petition for MUCH stronger lighting so that it could …….. eh? Oh yeah a three pin socket will be grand thanks ?‍

I actually had pangs of jealousy as I watched my car in the car park through the windows of the Glasgow train on the opposite track, it’s pantograph reaching up for juice.
As I watched, I was suddenly aware that nine big carriages full of humans was silently and very swiftly accelerating away before my very eyes. Not an ounce of coal was shovelled - no diesel exhaust hung in the air, virtually no noise - just a tannoy saying my Edinburgh train was about to pull in - wondrous stuff - I miss the steam trains - -
Not ?

 

[DYWLC]

Okay I've done it today I fully committed myself to an MG ZS trophy and thank you I enjoyed reading all your comments now I've got to think about charging my home runs on solar energy and this time of the year I have an abundance of energy and I am starting the day with 80% of charge in my batteries by 11 oclock they are full again and the charge controller is dumping.
Now what charger do I buy considering I have plenty of charge time between trips out it doesn't have to be anything large Capacity or special but a decent piece of kit would be needed I will connect it myself and hard wire it into my consumer unit the car has an inbuilt timer system for charging and In the winter octopus will give me my charging times. so what charging unit should I buy

You'll be sorry!

 

[fred12345]

You'll be sorry!

why? I went for it and I'm quite happy... of course there are few things I would like different but overall, no complaints for the price paid

 

[johnb80]

Now what charger do I buy considering I have plenty of charge time between trips out it doesn't have to be anything large Capacity or special but a decent piece of kit would be needed I will connect it myself and hard wire it into my consumer unit the car has an inbuilt timer system for charging and In the winter octopus will give me my charging times. so what charging unit should I buy

If you're going to use a wallbox as opposed to a granny charger theyre usually 7kW or 22kW (if you have 3 phase). The actual charger is built into the car the wallbox only serves to switch on the power and tell the car how much it can take.
I would recommend either Zappi or Ohme in that order, Zappi is a good choice as you have solar and it integrates with solar really well giving enormous flexibility. I would further suggest you go for a tethered one so the cable is permanently attached, you having to unplug and store the cable away in the car when it's lashing with rain etc. The other reason for the two recommendations are they're compatible with Octopus Intelligent Go which you can use to your advantage as you have solar and a battery.

 

[robbymax]

You'll be sorry!

WHAT THE HELL SORT OF A COMMENT IS THAT IF YOU KNOW SOMETHING COME OUT AND SAY IT