Just got an ID3

It’s not what you do it’s the size that counts!

Hello again, back with more Electric car. Wisdom. You all remember the lying WLTP test? Well now I can Announce The Pat method. Don’t go believing any old nonsense, It is what you’ve got not the way that you do it.

Well my ID3 is given as being capable of 425 Kms WLTP. But everyone knows this is codswallop (well now they do).

Here is my infallible method (summer only for now!).

1. Take the battery size, in my case 58 kWh.

2. Take 2/3 of this number ~ 40

3. Multiply by ten 400, this is what your car can do without AC

4. But electric cars are so well built that AC is a must if you don’t want to suffocate! Reduce by 10% for AC

My car will then do 360kms which is what it actually does (WLTP and by consequence VW have cheated me out of 65kms real world).

Any variation on how you use it pales into insignificance.

Finally if you want to use the Pat method for any other car, multiply by the ratio of efficiencies found on any comparative website (The ID3 is at 166Wh/km)

A Kia Niro comes in at 173 Wh/km for instance, try it.

Jaguar Racing Team

Heading back to France today, Sunday, just need to recharge car in Tonbridge….yes, I said just. So I headed to the first charging station signaled by my WE CHARGE app, check out the picture, it’s shut, only open during garage hours.

So off to the second station, private but linked to BP. As you can see the machine was off, but there was a 24/7 number so I called BP who checked, very efficient, the owner turned it off on Tuesday, there’s nothing we can do. But helpful he directed me to the nearest BP PULSE garage. Both slots were occupied by Jaguar E racing team cars, but at 175 kW this should be quick……Driver 1: “Can’t get this to work I feel like telling them where to put it” (don’t think I need a map), so I try and after 10 minutes I’ve tried everything, so I call the BP 24/7 line, who like any other help line, at distance, turned it off and turned it back on again. And hey presto.

So 175kW eh…. Well I read that my ID3 is limited to 100, so that should be quick, 77% of 58kWh is 44kWh well that should take less than half an hour, so why does the machine say 95 minutes? well because the 175kW machine is only working at 28 kW. I was not happy, I checked the Jaguar on the other machine which was charging at 36 kW, but he had never done this before. A Kia Niro showed up comes here every week, “I thought this was normal” he says. So onto the 24/7 again, no this is not normal we’ll get a techie over, just not today.

So I phone the trouble and strife who drops by with my breakfast, there finished (the blog article), only another 20 minutes left now for the charge. Incidentally they charge for a 175kW service, thanks BP.

Cut It Off Mate

So up and off to the VW garage in Bristol, to explain about my charging cover: see yesterday’s blog. The staff were very helpful and quickly sent me a mechanic who told me “You’d be better cutting it off mate”. And he is probably right

So when we got to the car the filler door was already open and the mouse was free. What was going on here? Well the door is a push to open, push to close type and locks shut when the car is locked……so looks like the mouse cable is enough to throw a spanned in the works. And then it suddenly opens by itself……One for the VW people to think about……In the meantime out with the scissors

Three Blind Mice

When I went to the pub to charge the car, ——- yes the charging point is at the pub, see earlier post, ——- tragedy struck: on Type 2 chargers. (Everybody except Tesla, VW assures me) there are two possible charging modes…..AC or DC. Easy so far?

Well DC is much quicker than AC for “technical” reasons (i.e. I don’t know why)……not important today.—— AC is the default mode and in order to charge in the DC mode you need to remove a little cover retained on the end of a black cable…….SEE THE PHOTO……

Are you listening VW?

If you close the filler door without thinking to replace the cover you end up with one of the three blind mice caught by his tail!

Is this funny? No because now the filler cover won’t undo, so tomorrow it’s off to a VW garage here in Blighty to see how The car will ever do more than the 300Kms left on the clock.

Tune in tomorrow to see if my gun is spiked

Half a Sixpence

Out and about again, after the quarantine it nearly feels normal. Nipped out for a coffee (didn’t fancy a Nescafé), turned the corner and there was the bin van. Should I wait half an hour or try to turn in this narrow street?

The salesman had mentioned the turning circle it was the same as an Up he said……well I’ve no idea what that is but I can confirm “on a sixpence” and I know what that is, I’m old enough to have found a sixpence under my pillow, that’s fairies for you.

Sweating Buckets

25C before 10am, Bristol or Benidorm? Right, Bristol. This has been super fortuitous because I’ve sort of understood the range envy thing……261 Kms left and I’m asking myself should I go for aircon or should I go for an extra 20Kms range? At this temperature it’s a no brainer and should stay that way.

I’m still looking for little errands to do, just to drive the ID3………….

First Blood

I may exagerate a little here but after a bird left it’s calling card in the middle of my windscreen during quarantine I decided to remove it with a baby wipe……..well this was when the car bit me….word of advice for VW get rid of the sharp edges on the windscreen wipers mechanism, it cut my fingernail in 2 lengthwise and caused almost as much blood as the picture.

Yesterday it was hot, hot, hot and despite AC working overtime arrived in Bristol, 250km trip with 20% battery charge remaining so off to charge up.

As I mentioned yesterday the charging station, 50kW was at the local pub….Vive le commerce!

So the VW app now needs an extension to plot percentage car charge against percentage pint drunk! Seriously though if you need an excuse to go out for a drink, an ID3 is better than a dog…….70% charge in 40 minutes…..yep I’m a slow drinker.

Please Release me Let me go

Day 10, on the starting blocks waiting for day 8 test results , about to rediscover the ID3. Has some of the worry about range rubbed off? My 6 year old grand son told me not to worry if I run out of electricity, I can always push it to a petrol garage.

Have been looking ahead with the VW We Connect app for compatible charging points in Bristol and the closest will be…….In a pub car park! (The Huntsman)……Long live free enterprise.

I’ve Run out of Tricity

Day nine of the Quarantine, but working on the the younger generations, my three year old grand daughter just pulled up and told me she’d run out of tricity.

So the trickle charge is finished, 369kms out of 425 predicted at 100% WLTP. Has any one out there ever hit these WLTP numbers come clean? Ready to end the quarantine tomorrow and to get back “in the saddle”. I’ll keep you posted.

Out and about with The Prisoner

Day 8 of Quarantine, get to play with my nose again today

So whilst grounded, a second guest post from Contact, ex-colleague and friend Iain Minton who bought a Kia e-niro in January

As you may have guessed Iain is better at engineering than taking straight pictures, or is this artistic?

“after the first 1000 miles in my kia e-niro the most difficult thing is the heat” Iain lives in a sub-Arctic region, the NW England. So his problems may be amplified in much hotter regions, such as Stoke or Spain so let him tell you of his quandary: “do I out the aircon on and lose 10% range or open the windows?” I can confirm this quandary on the ID3.

“With an 11 kw home charger keeping the car full is easy, and when the local Tesco lets you fill up free then everyone’s in. Did you know how many electric cars there are – they’re always at the Tesco!”

“One of the things of having an ev is the constant range envy. The kia tells you what the current ev usage is and the percentage you’ve used. Now I’ve spent 21% of my consumption on the radio – did I have it too loud?”

“Finally, having read the blog, I found the kia has a sport mode – I’ve been in grandfather eco mode since I got it, something to try later – but I’ll leave the trickle charge and the earthed converter to Pat”