To EV or not to EV, that is the question....

[Splashalot]

Whilst we're doing videos, here's the new Megane EV:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yvN4EtIRvQ

This looks very promising indeed, if you're after a small-ish, practical, good driving hatch that isn't an SUV brick.

He mentions a couple of good points: 
A.) It has a heat pump for Winter efficiency (massively less power consumption than element heaters in some EVs);
B.) It has liquid cooling for battery management - a major determinant of how quickly the battery degrades.  That is, air-cooled batteries (Leaf etc) degrade much quicker.
C.) It is efficiency. This varies wildly amongst EVs.  The Mini, for example is amongst the most efficient, but some, like the Audi E-tron are horrendously inefficient. 

This seems a much better resolved offering than the ID3.  Massively better user interface with Google software and real buttons.  Visibility is much better in the ID 3, though.  I prefer the ID3's styling and visibility, but that's about it.

Looks like a very good EV option.

[SRGTD]

That new Renault Megane looks a really nice car and I personally much prefer the styling of it to the ID.3. Agree, it seems a far better resolved offering than the ID.3, and the interior looks very premium (something that couldn’t be said about the ID.3’s interior), just let down by the rear seat accommodation.

If I was currently in the market for an EV in the ID.3 sized car segment, it’d be a serious contender for me, although I don’t need a car that ‘large’ these days. Looks promising for an EV version of the Renault Clio though, which I would be interested in in a few years time if it’s as accomplished as the Megane EV.

[Exonian]

Funnily enough I’ve been keeping a close eye on the Megane E-Tech as I love the chunky Hot Wheels looks, the tech for all the reasons you’ve mentioned Splashalot and the fact it’s not an SUV. Lower and more compact is what I want rather than the excessive bulk of most EV’s which just have to be less efficient and a waste of resources (and cash) if they’re only going to be carrying one or two people most of the time.

A RenaultSport edition would be lovely please Messrs Renault.

[david25]

Good fun little vid and topical for the forum:

https://youtu.be/nV3CeD3324U

Very impressive against the 300bhp Golf R all the way up to 70-ish and even at the end, there was a car's length between them. Does it have any of the Megane's features like a liquid cooled battery?

Renault Megane E-Tech EV60 220hp is getting there at "just" 1700Kg but I would prefer a Polo GTI EV at 1500Kg

[david25]

That perfectly illustrates my thoughts - I still cannot align the Mini's 135kw/270nm and 1465kgs with the performance on offer.  My GTI had 169kw/380nm

Was the GTI a 230PS Mk7?

[Exonian]

A Polo sized sporty EV (ID.1 or 2) is what the European market lacks and I think would be popular too. There are literally dozens of choices of SUV but not too much that’s slightly smaller.

The Mini doesn’t have the trick battery of the E-Tech as it’s based on BMW i3 mechanicals which are nearly ten years old. No bad thing either as its a well proven and reliable unit in a very solid package.
The Renault system is ultra modern but not yet proven, and we know all about French cars and electrics! It’s a great bit of design though and a handsome car.

[Splashalot]

.....The Renault system is ultra modern but not yet proven, and we know all about French cars and electrics!

Must admit, that was my first thought!  I think I may take some convincing that they've fixed that. 

David25.  My GTI was a 2018 7.5 - 169kw/380nm.

[david25]

.....The Renault system is ultra modern but not yet proven, and we know all about French cars and electrics!

Must admit, that was my first thought!  I think I may take some convincing that they've fixed that. 

David25.  My GTI was a 2018 7.5 - 169kw/380nm.

Sorry, I've now read your earlier posts and can see you were comparing against your 7.5

Would you say your Mini is really as quick as Exonian's video https://youtu.be/nV3CeD3324U shows?

[david25]

A Polo sized sporty EV (ID.1 or 2) is what the European market lacks and I think would be popular too. There are literally dozens of choices of SUV but not too much that’s slightly smaller.

The Mini doesn’t have the trick battery of the E-Tech as it’s based on BMW i3 mechanicals which are nearly ten years old. No bad thing either as its a well proven and reliable unit in a very solid package.
The Renault system is ultra modern but not yet proven, and we know all about French cars and electrics! It’s a great bit of design though and a handsome car.

Agreed, little choice in the Polo sized segment, below that you have the Fiat and Honda, above that Leaf, then "hundreds" of boxy/soapy SUVs.

Can anyone help on the mathematics of changing?

I using about 50 litres of petrol per month (big drop after the pandemic and hybrid working) at current prices that about £85 or £1020 per year, then I would save £250 car tax. Beyond that reduced servicing costs.

If I assume electricity is free, total annual saving of around £1500 or £7500 over five years

[Exonian]

If you can get free electric then it’s a big plus.

In the UK right now I’d say it has become a (comparatively) bad time to buy an EV.
The cars cost a fair bit more than ICE with long lead times (there are some Cupra Borns still in stock with dealers from the first batch imported though). Discounts have all but gone out of the window.
Uptake has been huge recently as the great unwashed have been brainwashed and infrastructure in much of the UK lags way behind. You need a LOT of public chargers to keep up with current demand taking into account how long it takes to charge a car.

A couple years ago you’d get a £2k grant for an EV under £35k(?) but that’s been withered away plus the cars have increased in price (PCP costs have increased even if list prices have stayed fairly constant in some quarters) almost across the board. You’d have got £650 off a home charger which I think might have gone now too, so you’d need to budget another £1k for a charger.

On a subsidised lease through an employer maybe an EV makes good sense if you can charge at work for free but there’s still a very limited choice of available cars.

Retained values of EV’s will have improved massively though so that’s one thing in their favour in the longer term of ownership costs if you buy rather than lease.

I’ve never actually sat and crunched any numbers, I tend to buy for the driving experience and would do the same with an EV rather than looking solely at running costs. We’d have all bought Bluemotion Diesels a few years ago if low running costs were priority (and those models cost more than their regular badged stablemates too back in their day).