Anyone run a EV or range extended car?

Alphabettispaghetti

Alphabettispaghetti

Club Member
I might take the plunge and take a company car.

nearly 300bhp, 0-60 in 5.8ish, only 7%bik.

Not sure if I can get my head around the EV side. Anyone run similar as a company car?

it'll be 20k a year.
 
Seriously thinking about this myself, currently have an A6 Avant 23% BIK, looking at an Outlander or Mercedes C350e, both with 7%.
Due to change next month, still not totally comfortable with the idea though, residuals, and battery warranty are my biggest concerns.
But I really really like the idea of putting £300+ extra into my back account every month.
It would be really good to have thoughts from people on here. After all if you can't trust a Z owner, who can you trust?
 
I have thought about it but not for financial reasons just because it would be something different.

I don't think they make financial sense due to initial cost, battery rental, depreciation.

Insurance?

EV alone is too risky unless you have another car for long journeys.

I did think of a Vauxhaul Ampera at one time but realised that after about 35 miles you are driving a big, heavy 1.4 ltr car.

Tesla - yes please but the cost!
 
EV will get much less risky as the charging network grows though and the technology is improving at an exponential rate in terms of range and shortening charge times. Depends on mileage too - if you are only travelling well within the range of the charge on a daily basis, it's perfectly fine.

FYI, my brother-in-law and his wife (over in the US) have both gone electric/hybrid, with a full electric Smart, and a second-gen 2016 Chevy Volt (essentially the evolution of the Vauxhall Ampera, although the Ampera was discontinued instead of being updated) - and are extremely happy with the setup. They get various tax breaks etc.
 
Its a company car so it only costs me the BIK tax.

I've driven

Mercedes c350e estate
bmw 330e
bmw 225xe
audi a3 etron
golf gte

All have 'normal' engines. The c350e was the best by a long shot, so much smoother, properly quick with nearly 300bhp and with a 2.0turbo petrol when the battery is dead, still not lacking. Lovely spec and smooth with the air suspension.

330e was the next best but lacking family space.

225xe was good from a family point of view, 4x4 as its the same drivetrain as the bmw i8, just not as well resolved as a package.

From a cost point of view, in company car tax, the c350e estate is about £90 a month, as a ref point, a6 tdi estate, about £250....

I wouldn't do it if it was my cash as I'd never justify £40k on a car.

The technology is great though, I like the idea that the battery is just a supplement, all have a real world petrol engine.
 
UPS run a few experimental electric delivery vans using a small 1.4 diesel engine to charge the batteries if out of range, 1 of the problems IMO is that when the heating or air conditioning is used in an all electric vehicle the range suffers dramatically
 
I have a Lexus IS300h as a company car and although I rarely see the mpg they state it is a calm and comfortable place to be.

Its not slow but by no means a responsive race car! For some reason Lexus have put a sport mode on it which generates a fake engine note through the speakers, flappy paddles for the gearbox even though its not a proper gearbox. All a bit fake.

If your doing a lot of miles it is great though. The moment you lift your foot of the throttle the engine stops so you just waft up to the traffic jam and sit there in quiet comfort without any stop start vibrations etc.

If I didn't have the Z to go out for a blast in I dont think I would be able to cope though!
 
I have a c350e and had an IS300h before that. The big diference is the gearbox. The IS is a CVT unit and generates a lot of noise on the move. The 350 is a traditional 7 speed unit and is a lot quieter.

Franky you'll struggle with 15 miles on pure electric I live just under 10 miles from my office mix of rural and town driving but usually travelling in traffic and I can just make the journey on a full charge. If the heaters on the engine cuts in after about 8 miles.

I've covered nearly 8000 miles in the car in 4 months and according to the display about a 3rd of that has been with the engine off.

I charge the car at the office and at home but in some of the regular car parks I use that have charge point 50% of the time the charge points aren't working. I wouldn't want a pure electric on the basis of my experience with the charge network.
 
asbojohn said:
I have a c350e and had an IS300h before that. The big diference is the gearbox. The IS is a CVT unit and generates a lot of noise on the move. The 350 is a traditional 7 speed unit and is a lot quieter.

Franky you'll struggle with 15 miles on pure electric I live just under 10 miles from my office mix of rural and town driving but usually travelling in traffic and I can just make the journey on a full charge. If the heaters on the engine cuts in after about 8 miles.

I've covered nearly 8000 miles in the car in 4 months and according to the display about a 3rd of that has been with the engine off.

I charge the car at the office and at home but in some of the regular car parks I use that have charge point 50% of the time the charge points aren't working. I wouldn't want a pure electric on the basis of my experience with the charge network.
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What sort of mpg do you get on a long motorway run? Any niggles? It did drive like the best package from all the options.

To be honest i'm not bothered about the electric range, its more about the BiK savings.


I'd have gone for a 300h but I can't stand CVT gearboxes!!
 
I've got a base model Outlander PHEV............... Where anyone got 148 miles per gallon from is completely beyond me.

I'd say it all depends on how fast you want go and how far.

If you do +70 mph range is 300 or less miles per tank of fuel, you have to fill up a lot. I do 30,000 a year on the way to work and back, even with a company fuel card I have to plan where to stop for fuel.
Range on an electric charge is 25 miles, so if you run round town you never need to put petrol in it.

BIK was the main factor for me, it was like a pay rise all of it's own!

Push the lever forward it goes backward..... pull the lever back it goes forward. That's all you have to think about.
 
franky said:
What sort of mpg do you get on a long motorway run? Any niggles? It did drive like the best package from all the options.

To be honest i'm not bothered about the electric range, its more about the BiK savings.


I'd have gone for a 300h but I can't stand CVT gearboxes!!
Click to expand...


Average over the 8000 miles is 42ish so not brilliant. Bu this purchase was driven by the desire the given the chancellor as little as possible and company co2 reduction drive.

The ideal car would be the Lexus with the C350 box. I found Lexus a better drive overall the C350 in sport mode is quick but when you hit a bend the steering is far to light and assisted and the suspension to soft on the air ride.

I'm sure if I spend several days reading the manual and playing with the settings I could improve it but life's to short to waste and its a work car after all.
 
asbojohn said:
Average over the 8000 miles is 42ish so not brilliant. Bu this purchase was driven by the desire the given the chancellor as little as possible and company co2 reduction drive.

The ideal car would be the Lexus with the C350 box. I found Lexus a better drive overall the C350 in sport mode is quick but when you hit a bend the steering is far to light and assisted and the suspension to soft on the air ride.

I'm sure if I spend several days reading the manual and playing with the settings I could improve it but life's to short to waste and its a work car after all.
Click to expand...

I think 42mpg for a near 300bhp auto to be pretty good.

I need 40mpg to make my pence per mile work.

Thanks for the feedback, I've just sent the request in to our fleet manager, hopefully they'll get their 'stuff' in one sock before the offer expires.
 
i drove the bmw i3 as a company car for a while and i have to say i liked the concept.
it was very quick, much quicker than i was expecting and quite fun to drive.
the only negative is having only a 13 amp plug socket at home charging it was a nuisance and took a long time, however there are many purpose built charging points popping up all over the place so charging at one of those is a quarter of the time.
i would seriously consider owning one if i didnt do 50 mile round trips to work as the range is 100 miles.
that said i would rather use the money to fuel my z for the next 5 years and burn rubber.

just a thought, there are companies that do electric conversions and some really fruity conversions at that! so it might be worth lookng at getting a rear wheel drive motor with a dud engine and converting it as a useable and fun car for the same money?
 
I opted for a Volvo D6 Hybrid after paying £800+ a month company car tax for the X5. The always felt seasick in the Volvo, pros pretty quick in a straight line, would run pure electric rnge about 22 miles on pure electric. I couldn't get on with the car so swapped it for an Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV much better drive, great car - its a 2 litre petrol and fuel consumption is pretty poor. I would have another Outlander for sure. Tax is going to rise and settle at 12% I believe. In short paying £88 a month the X5 having cost 10 times the price is not 10 times a better car. Hybrid the way to go for sure.
 
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