Is this... too punchy?

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Wback
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2022 10:39 am

Post by Wback »

We get our car mid-July (58kw Life).

We're due to go on holiday to France 10 days later, landing in Brittany and driving down to the Alps over the next couple of days. The total drive distance is 1,170km (and of course we have to come back too).

To top it all, we'd have three kids in the back seat. We won't need to take much stuff on hols with us - a week of summer clothes and a few books each.

Alternatively, we have a 10 year old Sharan as our second car. It's done 100k miles, but is up to date on work needed and runs fine. The diesel + toll costs of running it are going to be pretty horrific over a 3 week trip.

So, the obvious questions:

- Would you risk this journey as a brand-new EV owner?
- We primarily bought the ID3 for school runs and local trips. Is it too small for us to do holiday family driving? Would we get our stuff in the boot?
- Are there any special tips/tricks you'd recommend if we do decide to go for it?

Thanks!
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ID3.Life 55kw, plain grey. Delivered Aug 2022

monkeyhanger
Posts: 1273
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2021 1:33 pm

Post by monkeyhanger »

For the cost of rapid charging out and aboutbwing pretty much as much as diesel per mile, I'd take the diesel!
Cupra Born V2 e-boost 230ps Aurora Blue, replaced ID3 PP Family

Audi S3 - because I hate rapid charging for long distance driving.

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steviebabes
Posts: 107
Joined: Sat Aug 28, 2021 9:42 am

Post by steviebabes »

Go electric, the car is very roomy, the life more so as it only has the lower boot floor. Ours has been totally reliable for 10 months and 8000 miles. We easily get 240 miles now it's summer.
ID3 Life Pro Performance Glacier White Andoya 19in Alloys
Wback
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2022 10:39 am

Post by Wback »

monkeyhanger wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 1:57 pm For the cost of rapid charging out and aboutbwing pretty much as much as diesel per mile, I'd take the diesel!
Interesting. I see prices ranging from about €0.35/kwh to €0.70 (for PAYG) in France.

The Sharan will get about 900km on a full tank (€150 to fill it at €2.15/l), so that's about €0.16/km.

The ID3 seems like it should be around €0.05 - €0.10/km (e.g. with Ionity). Obviously more charges/stops than the diesel, but it's a long way, and we'll want to break up the journey...

Or am I missing something?
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ID3.Life 55kw, plain grey. Delivered Aug 2022
sidehaas
Posts: 1788
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:04 am

Post by sidehaas »

I would take the ID.3 if you can, it'd be much nicer and much more environmentally friendly, but there are three major caveats:
- do a lot of reading around the subject of charging over the next month. I was completely confident when my car arrived, but I had spent a long time reading forums...speakEV is good as well as here.
- I think you need your wecharge card, so that you can use Ionity etc without having to rely on the app. At least, I think that would be lower risk. The WeConnectID app also includes a handy charger map that you can filter on wecharge compatible chargers with it, giving you more options you know you can use. If you don't have your card, you'll need to use the Ionity app (note, full price Ionity is expensive) or do some more research into alternative French charging options. You can't register in the app and order your card until you have the car...and the card can sometimes take a few weeks to arrive. If you only have a 10 day gap you are going to struggle.
- Space - great in the cabin, but the boot is standard family hatch size. Whether this is big enough depends where you are staying and how old your kids are. I have a 4yo and a 9mo, we can get all our stuff in the ID.3 for a week trip staying in hotel(s), but it's not possible if we need extra stuff for self catering and it wouldn't be possible if I had three of them in that age range with all the paraphernalia (buggy etc). I still have an Octavia that we had to use for a trip to Font staying in a gite in April. EDIT - I just read your post properly, I think you'll be absolutely fine for boot space.
If you do go for it, try to get your family enthused. If you are enthusiastic about it (I get the impression you probably are) then charging becomes a fun experience instead of a cause of stress.

(Cost wise, I suspect will be fairly comparable if you use full price Ionity at 79c/kWh(?), but cheaper if you use other chargers or get a cheaper wecharge subscription. Not sure if you can still get cheaper Ionity rate abroad with Bonnet, worth a looking. But basically if you can afford a new ID.3 then the cost differential won't be large enough to be a driving factor here.)
Last edited by sidehaas on Thu Jun 23, 2022 3:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ID.3 Family Pro Performance (Jan 22), Makena Turquoise / East Derry alloys. Ohme Home Pro charger.
SDH7
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue May 03, 2022 10:28 am

Post by SDH7 »

Make sure to sign up for the WeCharge card before you go. £9.99 monthly fee will get you £0.28 per kWh charging at Ionity.
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OB1CCFC
Posts: 360
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:38 am

Post by OB1CCFC »

I recently travelled from Yorkshire to Colmar, near the Swiss border, and back in my 58kw 1st edition.
No problem at all, although only 2 of us! I used Ionity the whole way, with the WeCharge subscription which easily paid for itself.
The ID3 is a roomy golf size. I’ve had 3 adults in the back and a large dog in the boot and it was pretty comfortable and drove well. But size wise you know best re the size and disposition of your kids!!
The main difference with the EV is the number and length of stops, and perhaps a few small diversions to chargers. Some chargers may also be in slightly kid boring locations- garage forecourts etc. This might stress some.
The ID3 is a very nice touring car- so quiet and relaxing. Although you might be best driving nearer 115kph that 130 for efficiency….
Kia Niro EV3 in pearl white.
StuartT
Posts: 150
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2021 9:19 am

Post by StuartT »

Wback wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 1:53 pm We get our car mid-July (58kw Life).

We're due to go on holiday to France 10 days later, landing in Brittany and driving down to the Alps over the next couple of days. The total drive distance is 1,170km (and of course we have to come back too).

To top it all, we'd have three kids in the back seat. We won't need to take much stuff on hols with us - a week of summer clothes and a few books each.

Alternatively, we have a 10 year old Sharan as our second car. It's done 100k miles, but is up to date on work needed and runs fine. The diesel + toll costs of running it are going to be pretty horrific over a 3 week trip.

So, the obvious questions:

- Would you risk this journey as a brand-new EV owner?
- We primarily bought the ID3 for school runs and local trips. Is it too small for us to do holiday family driving? Would we get our stuff in the boot?
- Are there any special tips/tricks you'd recommend if we do decide to go for it?

Thanks!

Here's a screenshot from the IONITY app. Charging shouldn't be an issue. Enjoy! 👍

Screenshot_20220623-221317_IONITY.jpg

Glacier white, Life Pro. August 2021
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