Does anyone here have an EV?

[Ron Earp]

Same in NC. Run it all the time. Don't think about it. The mileage hit doesn't affect anything you'll do with the car, as I said, it isn't a consideration for normal people using the car as it was designed to be used.

It is an issue for the hypermilers, the ones who make sport out of seeing how far they can get their EVs to go on a single charge. Someone has hypermiled a Chevy Bolt to 560 miles but only a small fraction of that, probably 20 miles, comes from not using AC. The rest is from technique, speed, tires, tire pressure, etc.

You can run around AZ with the AC on and you'll get 250-260 miles range out of the car. And be plenty cold, Bolt AC kicks ass.

Tesla AC, not so much. The car has a glass roof and in summer with the noon sun it can be fairly toasty. AC will keep the cabin cool, but the heat load from the sun is significant.

 

[Dave]

EVs = Real world JUNK...

 

[Ian Anderson]

So genuine question here, do they have a race series for say Bolts…. One make one battery size, OEM tyres etc?

Or are they considered too dangerous to race?

Sure I have seen formula e …..but road cars?

Ian

 

[Ron Earp]

Of course, everyone is entitled to an opinion and expression thereof. But, I think if you spent some time driving an EV I suspect you'd be pleasantly surprised.

As far as wheel to wheel racing, at the amateur level there are several SCCA guys I know who have converted their Spec Racer Fords over to an EV drivetrain. They are racing some weekends at Summit Point with them, but there are only a handful of them and it doesn't appear it is going to catch on. The track does allow them to race.

There is an SCCA EV Autocross class and I have done three EV autoX weekends with our Tesla. Loads of fun and the class is fairly popular at big events. We run at Cherry Point, a Marine base that is active when we run, hence pics of Harriers in the background with cars running the course.

There are far more EV race cars in drag racing. And much more custom build stuff going on over there in that area.

 

[Ryan L]

EVs = Real world JUNK...

Dave, could you vote please, so that we can understand your position.

 

[Dave]

Dave, could you vote please, so that we can understand your position.

Sorry, I didn't notice the "vote" section but I have now done so, thanks for your heads up Ryan! The thinking behind my vote is basically all about range anxiety. About the only EV I would ever consider is the Tesla Plaid because I would only use that vehicle for it's awesome acceleration to a Cars & Coffee event or a weekend drive and never, ever, as a daily driver. Ever...

 

[BenL]

That reminds me, I really like using the Bolt's Sport mode. It nicely tightens up the steering.

 

[Chris Black]

I did work in a start-up company, which built a few EV´s back in the day, when the manufacturer were trying to figure out wether there is a market for those or not. Here is a link to the cars for those of you interested.

GreenGT website

 

[Ryan L]

Thanks Dave, I'm not here to persuade anyone in either direction.

As a side note, I took mine down to a car meet tonight, no dramas, well received by the public who were having a good look at it and ignored by the police when it came time to leave.

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

As a former Caterham dealer (sold my dealership but still have some involvement) I think this is a smart and interesting take on an EV "Sports Car" https://caterhamcars.com/en/models/projectv

From the performance goal to the design, I think this will work. Some very smart use of "off the shelf" items saves tooling and more importantly engineering. Example? The doors use Audi TT aperture design so a well proven weather seal system can be used. Having been involved many years ago with the engineering of a low volume automobile, things like weatherstripping, door latches, hinges, etc. eat up a lot of engineering time and a large chunk of the tooling budget. Sure, buying out has a higher piece cost than using bespoke tooling but an extra $100.00 piece cost on an annual volume of 500 pieces is way cheaper than 100-250K of tooling and a $25.00 piece cost.

 

[Dave]

Thanks Dave, I'm not here to persuade anyone in either direction.

As a side note, I took mine down to a car meet tonight, no dramas, well received by the public who were having a good look at it and ignored by the police when it came time to leave.

Hi Ryan, which EV do you have? And how about a photo?

 

[Malcolm]

collect our first eV on Monday, a Kia ev6 gt line s awd. Tested the. VW id 4 and 5, ford mach e and Capri, and the Nissan ariya. Kia was the quietest inside, had a cross dash rather than big Central screen, and drove very well. All personal opinion. Capri is based on vw id5. So now Wendy's new daily run around is quicker than my 2003 911!!!! but not as quick as my gtd.

 

[Ryan L]

Hi Ryan, which EV do you have? And how about a photo?

https://www.instagram.com/p1nch3_the_abarth500e?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw%3D%3D

The way the family uses the second small car, it will probably average 100km per week (60 miles). So fun, zippy, easy parking was the priority.
I am playing around with a BM6 battery monitor at the moment, to understand when the 350V HV battery charges up the Auxiliary 12V battery.

When you plug the car in to charge the HV battery it also charges the 12V Auxiliary battery. It also seems to charge the 12V battery up when the car is operating. The car has an aftermarket dash cam and alarm fitted, so I am monitoring it to see how long the 12v Auxiliary battery lasts. This needs to maintain enough voltage to close the high voltage contactor on the HV battery to get the car working.

 

[Ron Earp]

That reminds me, I really like using the Bolt's Sport mode. It nicely tightens up the steering.

I think that only impacts the throttle response curve. It brings on torque faster than the standard mapping so you get more acceleration with the same pedal travel. But there isn't any more torque/hp available, just bringing it in early. It doesn't change anything about the steering as far as I know.

 

[BenL]

I think that only impacts the throttle response curve. It brings on torque faster than the standard mapping so you get more acceleration with the same pedal travel. But there isn't any more torque/hp available, just bringing it in early. It doesn't change anything about the steering as far as I know.

Apparently, the EV and EUV have different Sport modes.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2022/04/how-to-use-the-driving-modes-in-the-chevy-bolt-ev-and-bolt-euv-video/

In the EUV, which we have, the Sport mode button is also used for "adjusting the power steering rack to make the steering a bit heavier and improve feel/feedback."

 

[Ryan L]

We are really starting to deviate from what i had initially wondered when i started this thread, but that's fine. What ever the community wants.
With the electric cars, a lot of the stuff is based on programing, and you can certainly change how stuff feels quite easily. You are not stuck with a particular mechanical calibration.
The Fiat/Abarth/Mopar - Stellantis companies seem to have a protected gateway that limits what stuff can be programed. The Abarth 500e has 3 different modes which make a big difference to the way the car drives. I suspect there is even more available as you don't get the full output at low road speeds, which does not align with how electric motor technology works.
I had not considered the electric power steering calibrations!
The 500e defiantly modifies the regen braking curve and brake caliper activation depending on the mode. Unless you are really pushing on and dancing on the pedals, you don't really use the brake pads. With the cars low weight of ~1300kg / 2866lbs its mainly regen braking. It's about the size of a Go Kart as well so spins around quickly as well. 3 point turns not necessary.

 

[Ron Earp]

I didn't know the Bolt and Bolt EUV had different sport modes. That's pretty neat. My old Boss Mustang used to have steering feel adjusted via the electric rack so makes sense to use that strategy on nearly any car.

Ryan you guys get the high performance version of the 500e don't you? We only get the normal 500e here and I don't know what the power output it on it, nor much about it's performance.

 

[Ryan L]

Yes, its the Abarth 500e version with the 113kw motor, 253Nm, 18" wheels and the typical Abarth body kit, suspension and interior changes. Lots of Alcantara.
It also has a speaker under the car which mimics the Abarth Record Monza exhaust noise and clutch engagement as you pull away. The noise chances with vehicle speed and accelerator position. This noise can be turned on/off when desired.

Abarth 500e | Electric city car | Abarth Australia

Meet the all-new fully electric Abarth 500e; the first fully electric Abarth. The ultimate combination of electric performance, sound and style.

www.fiat.com.au

New Abarth Electric 500e – The New Era of Electric | Abarth

The New Abarth 500e electric vehicle unleashes the performance power of the new Scorpion. Experience the ultimate combination of electric performance, sound, and style.

www.abarth.com

It will be interesting to see if they drop a 595e or a 695e.
My guess is we wont see them until they stop selling the combustion engine versions.

They have just released a larger 600e platform which is a small SUV. This has more power and torque again.

New Electric Sports Car | Electric Sports Vehicles| Abarth

Introducing the Abarth 600e. Great performance, an iconic style & zero emissions with this electric sports car. Learn more about our electric spots vehicles!

www.abarth.com

I suspect they could drop the 600e motor or tune up the 500e motor even further to make something even more capable. At present the car won't give you full power at low speeds.

 

[Ryan L]

What i like about it is the small size. In most other cars you are slowing right down to make a low speed 90° turn. In this car, because of its size, every corner can be treated like a racetrack where you can start wide, apex and then run wide again on exit, and do this at significant speed in comparison to what you would normally do.

The road has become a go kart track and is now a lot more fun.

 

[Sean Starkey]

I bought a Lightning last year and absolutely love it! I went from a 2019 F-250 with the 6.7 diesel to this truck, I was worried I wouldn't like it as much, I was also worried about towing a trailer. The lightning out tows that diesel any day and more surprisingly, it out stops it with a heavy trailer. I'm not saying there aren't limitations, as the mileage range is significantly reduced with a trailer. However I don't plan to tow anything more than 100 miles or so which makes it work for me. I haven't towed any large profile trailers with the lightning such as a camper, so I don't know how it would do in wind with a trailer like that.

The thing I like the most about the lightning is the acceleration! It funny to see the Corvette drivers looking at me dumbfounded as I fly past them in a 7,000# pickup truck

Other big plus is it is cheaper to fill up, for 340-mile range it is around $12 the diesels range was around 360ish if i remember right and around $90 to fill up.