I've had mine (58KW) for roughly 5000 miles. Honest appraisal so far. Lovely/smooth/handles superbly & quiet to drive. Full charge averages about 230 miles (mostly motorway), very comfortable, loads of safety features that really impresses me. Negatives, haptic buttons are a little fiddly, sound system not great and not as loud/as many features as i would want. Clima (air) control, this is the thing that pisses me off the most, i have not found a wau just to use a fan without the clima being on. As soon as it's turned on it eats into my range, although not massive it simply shouldn't be an issue at all. If anyone has sussed out how to do it please let me know. Overall; this is my first EV and there is sooooo much to like about it, just hope some of the little gripes can be ironed out in future versions
Great review. My Sister in law just pickup her Born after a wait of over 12 months after order placed (we live in Melbourne Australia). I think she has the model below your car - smaller battery and range as it cost $65k plus on road costs. Thanks Pete.
We have an i-Pace which we regularly use on longer journeys. We now plan our trips to stop at a variety of chargers that we know from experience are likely to be free. Unfortunately this does not include any on the motorway network where it is common to have to wait up to an hour before you can start a charge because the facilities are massively short of where they need to be. You just need to look at a petrol station on the motorway to see that they refuel well over 100 cars an hour whereas there might only be 4 electric chargers which, at best, might manage 6 cars an hour. Last week we did a journey of 220 miles each way which required one recharging stop each way but what is now concerning is the cost of recharging: it cost us 59p/Kwh at a supermarket about 5 miles off the motorway but at motorway speed that equates to around 25mpg. There are other chargers on the motorway where we have been charged 69.9p/Kwh but given that was a few months ago, it could be a good bit higher now. Charging at home is giving the equivalent of about 40mpg just now but with the large increases in the electricity price cap coming, this will fall significantly. We have a V8 on the driveway which would do the journey at less cost so something needs to be done quickly before the cost becomes public knowledge and the electric revolution hits a wall. We love the i-Pace which is a very comfortable way to travel, has plenty of power and a handling/grip balance and poise that is truly excellent. EV's should not be feared by petrolheads but the current infrastructure and cost needs huge improvement.
Great example of a ‘typical real’ journey. More charging stations like Gridserve needed asap across the country. I would go for the 58kw Born myself, but interesting to see the 77kw version.
It'll probably take Gridserve another 5 to 6 years to get somewhere up near where they want to be. But hey, how long do you suppose it took to get a half decent petrol station infrastructure?
I really enjoy these EV long range tests. I am still unsure about owning one but your videos educate us all on the technology, the driving modes and styles to maintain a decent range.
I was genuinely shocked about the cost of lunch! I drive an old LPG volvo and can't afford to pay that kind of money for lunch even though my fuel bill would be £35. That is why I buy meal deals for lunch if I am out and about or take it with me!!😯
I've got a V2 Born 58KW and I'm averaging 4.2m per KW. I don't use Cupra mode as the standard mode is quick enough for me. I'm new to EVs but so far I'm loving the car (apart from the haptic buttons on the steering wheel but I can live with them). I wish there was a Gridserve in the Midlands!
I own the V2 62kwh (58kwh useable) battery version and have got 4.7m/kwh to 4.2m/kwh easily. The bigger battery adds a lot of weight but handy if you do lots of motorway driving. The 58kwh battery will charge in less time as its smaller so it all depends on your range needs. I do have been told an Audi Etron driver was so concerned about range and the charging time they sold the Audi and drive an electric mini as its cheaper and charges quicker. The 77kwh version wasn't available in June this year but a pre built 62/58kwh was so I bought it trading in my Audi S3 as it had a possible water pump issue around the corner and Audi's after 5 years old depreciate like a brick off a cliff. I did a 60 mile range test using A roads on two different days covering the same route and motorway at 70 and at then 60 mph. Reducing the speed by 10 mph increased the m/kwh by quite a bit. RAPID CHARGING will shorten the cars battery capacity / life faster over 3 years (or longer.) AC charging at 22kw or 7kw is recommended and like you said only to 80%. Used prices in 3 years might depend on the battery condition and the garages will do a battery test when you trade your car in. If you are linked to Cupra by the app they most probably know how you are charging the car. Will lease companies add costs if you rapid charge a lot as the value of the car will be less or do they factor it in to the lease costs?
My V3 (58Kw) arrives 5th September....excited doesn't even come close. I never even test drove one....chose it based on You Tube vids...including yours my friend!!
Would love to see Gridserve open on Australian highways, esp with our longer distances! 3 between Sydney and Melbourne, 3-4 between Sydney and Brisbane, 3 Melbourne to Adelaide etc just for starters! That looks fantastic.
Great video. Having recently taken delivery of an i4 and now experiencing the learning curve of living with an EV, it’s good to see other peoples experiences. The Gridserve hub looked great and if they can start to replicate that type of arrangement across the country, we’re moving in the right direction.
I look at all that range with envy! My e-208 will manage around 130 miles at motorway speeds. That said, it was £28k so quite a lot cheaper, and I personally rarely need more range and am comfortable enough with planning longer trips via chargers as and when.
Comparing efficiency from point A to B vs B to A is a non starter. For example: In my Nissan LEAF my 50 mile drive to work I will use 20% battery on the way home I will use 35% battery. This is because I live on top of a mountain and my workplace is right at sea level. Better to compare efficiency on the same route rather than comparing A to B vs B to A. Also it's suprising how much standing water on the road affects yours efficiency as them storms to Norwich would have made a dent in your range. Great video and I love your content, especially your enthusiasm for EV's. 👍
Infrastructure Infrastructure Infrastructure! After five years of driving a BEV now on my second bev and with only 8 years to go the oil companies need to step up! Cheers for the video mate
Stats are interesting between cupra mine and range mode, and looking at the day, the journey out would possibly have used more power due to adverse weather. Great review
Great Video, Rain does make a big difference to range, I also have the V3 77kw in white and have also used Norwich when i was on holiday in Norfolk which is amazing - I tend to use "performance mode" which is between Comfort and Cupra and just gives you a sharper ride and better throttle, luckily mine is a company car so the price tag isn't a concern but love it and everyone who has been in it loves it
As good as the Video is, my concern is still the charging stations/ Infrastructure within the UK. Yes they are beginning to surface (IE Manchester area and the North), but it's still too slow to meet the demand/ requirements. Whilst it's good to be able to charge from home and 1 of the 2 or 3 decent EV's with substantial range. Another area that needs improvement like the Cupra you tested and Taycan etc.
Wow Pete your enthusiasm for this car makes me want one also. Not sure when or who will sell cupra down under. Happy 18th to Ben. Right car for him, but a little expensive. Cheers from me.
Happy birthday Ben - what a time to be 18 very exciting. I'm 55 and a bit old fashioned but I really appreciate technology so long as said technology simplifies or improves our lives. EV's have come a long way particularly in the amount of range now on offer. However, there is still a big stumbling block - cost. Ben would appreciate Ev's more than most people of my era but he is priced out of them. The other big issue is the charging network for the next 30 years we will have petrol stations and charging stations as we slowly whittle through ICE vehicles. This is where hydrogen would be an easier winner as hydrogen could be more easily integrated into fuel stations, not to mention the issues with rare earth minerals required for current battery technology. I'm definitely not anti-electric but these are genuine issues that need to be dealt with before a big shift in people's purchasing habits change, although the manufacturers are pushing the technology because of global government pressure. Most manufacturers are marketing small petrol engines coupled to small electric motors and small battery packs. It is really inefficient engineering as you carry the weight without the benefit of range or power.
The new Honda Civic is a self charging hybrid that to me at the moment is the best of both worlds until the infrastructure catches up. I just haven't got anywhere to charge a car at home and don't trust that I will be able to turn up at a public charger without finding other people waiting and as more and more people switch the problem is going to get worse and the amount of money you spend whilst waiting for the car to charge is an issue as well though I realise you don't have to.
Happy Birthday Ben. Good review Ped I guess the issue is still going to be planning the long distance trips to make sure you can get a charger. It is little hassle to wait 5 mins for your turn at a fuel pump but would be a massive pain if you had to wait an hour for your turn to then charge an hour. The charge network will need to up the info on what charge ports are available and likely wait times can be expected or charge rage will become an issue.
Hi Ped That is what I would term a real life test review.🤗I I can see why you were impressed, and Gridserve excellent. Maybe warming to the idea but still some reservations before I cross the line.
I’ve had my born for 3months it’s a 58kwh but my average over 1800 miles mixed use is 5.1 mi/kWh lol I don’t drive like miss daisy lol but this is my 3rd electric car , absolutely love it also brilliant car
Good going! There's a guy at my work with an ID4 58kWh that's doing 4.8 mi/kWh average over 3000 miles, mainly Reading to East London & back. That family of cars all seem amazing, but for me, the Born looks the best and I think it handles great, it put a smile on my face during a test drive. Just one thing to note, which I don't think has been covered in this video, if you get the larger battery 77kWh then you lose the middle seat at the rear, so the car only seats 4!
@@davidclothier8446 it’s not about driving slow I had 2 previous EVs with much smaller batteries so I couldn’t go hooning it around lol but EVs really suit my driving style , it’s simply not accelerating or braking unnecessarily, especially the braking part , nothing kills you’re range more than having to stamp on the brakes , the car use the friction brakes so doesn’t get anything back , I also rarely have the a/c on I don’t see the point the cabin temp is ok most of the time 6 months of the year I use to do this in my fossil cars also , but the cars acceleration is still great fun and I definitely use it , a lot !
I love my Born. Commuting from Derbyshire to Bristol and not had an issue with public charging. I'm averaging around 4m/kWh, which I'm happy with. Agree with the comments about haptic buttons & infotainment system though.
Awesome one ped love the cupra its a nice looking car snd right there with you bout the changing infrastructure but think will come in time love my electric corsa for my first electric car 👍🏼👏
My 1st car was a Renault 16TS which I bought when it was a little over 2yrs old, a LONG time ago (1973), was in decent condition but had quite a high mileage for its age as it had made regular lengthy trips with the owner from new, a colleague - can’t remember how much I paid as it was a long time ago, but probably around £400 equivalent I think, a few months before my 21st birthday. My next car was a new Fiat 127, bought 1974 for about £800 equivalent. This was when I lived in Morocco for information & both cars were locally assembled from parts shipped in by Renault & Fiat. Apart from my first few cars until about the mid-1980s, when I bought using employer-provided loans at favourable interest rates (I worked for a bank), I have since then always bought new cars outright from my own resources, but I have never owned or wanted to own what most would call a “fancy, prestige” car, although some were undoubtedly high-powered & I almost never kept them more than 2 or max 3 years, in UK or elsewhere. I would have bought an electric vehicle (a Niro or a Soul) late last year, but as I live in an apartment, home charging would currently be impossible & the local public charging network (north of Scotland) is decidedly sketchy/ so I couldn’t risk it. Since since June 2022 I therefore now have a top of range Stonic mild-hybrid for which I paid a little less than £24k. I’m pretty happy with it, it won’t break any records, but it is a well put-together car (like a Kia’s in recent times), reliable and with a good warranty - it will certainly be fine for my usual 3 years max & as I’m now older (21 in ‘73, see above, you do the maths 😉), who knows how many more years I will be driving, maybe another 10-15 if I’m lucky 🙏. But I enjoy watching EV reviews as I’m hopeful in a few years it may be a practical proposition from a charging perspective for me to own one.
Great video Pete and yes the charging network should be like grid serve but it’s not and it’s a long way off being like that. Ben seems a nice lad as well and hope he’s on your channel more.
Hadn't heard of this car. Thx for showing it. Turns out it's a great ad for Tesla. Drive one and you'll know what I mean. For those who say, " They're too expensive. I'm meeting more people who have bought a used Tesla and love it...as it performs as well as it did when new. Great video. Thx again.
Ben was a legend , I would seriously consider this car even do I’m a complete petrol head , mite wait till born mark 2 as there is rumour of vw going back to functioning buttons
Fantastic way to review. We've ordered the same as your test car but with wider Michelin Pilot EV wheels and heat pump. We won't receive it for many months. Software update means max charging is now 135kw.
Happy birthday Ben It'll be another 3 years before we replace our current car, assuming that it'll be a hybrid, so in 6 or 7 years things with leccy cars will be better. And of course there is hydrojen Gridserve looks good
Great review. In the market for a daily EV and this would have been our 1st choice however the EV market is beginning to get really interesting. MG about to launch the MG 4 at a very competitive price point, several thousand less than the CUPRA. So we’re now going to wait and have a look at it, unless you can get your hands on one and do a review and either poo-poo it or give it a thumbs up.
Great review Petrol ped very interesting video my thoughts from watching are when you are charging and depending on how many cars are there charging at them same time the volts lower so it would take longer the problem i think is how long it takes to charge 1hour so you when planing the journey it has to be add on. That why I would go hybrid but the problem with combustion engines ( normal cars) is what we put in them (petrol) so looking forward to E fuel and hydrogen fantastic video and HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🥳 🎂 Ben Tristan
In my experience of driving a Zoe and a Leaf for the last four years, the eco modes don't save much if you are not heavy footed and most importantly keep the speed down. On my Leaf (first gen, 2016), the efficiency is fine up to 55mph - 4.2miles/kWh. But efficiency drops like a stone at 70-75mph, only about 2.5 (or worse). That's the case in Eco or normal mode. The only genuine saving in Eco is the heating gets switched off (I think).
That is one impressive car. We took our Leaf for the first time south last month from Orkney to Pitlochry. The whole trip cost a little more than £16 in electricity! And the infrastructure in (North)Scotland is really good now. That was with a full car too!
The difference in efficiency was the rain. It used the same amount of energy to do X speed regardless of driving mode. It's just a different throttle map.
I agree. Wet roads sap a surprising amount of energy as the tires move the water out of the way, and as long as you modulate your right foot, you don’t really need ECO modes.
It could also generally have been more of a decline one way, and an incline back. Sea level etc. Would be interesting to see the exact same video driven in economy mode going to Norwich, and Cupra mode coming back.
@@andrewlawton5838 and/or wind direction is a factor too. You can never simply compare trips in opposite directions as the consumption pattern is not the same. Rain, speed, and control of the right foot are all big factors of course. "Range mode" makes no difference if you travel at the same speed and moderate your acceleration.
Happy Birthday Ben....I would have been bugging Pete to let you drive a bit. And if he really wanted to make this birthday memorable how about letting him drive the Porsche!
Happy Birthday Ben … it was like Clarkson and Caleb without the stupidity. A really good car review that will help people understand EV ownership. I hope to see Ben on more of your content.
good vid as always. the 2 biggest problems for me with electric cars is the charge time and range. if the charge time could be reduced to 10 - 15 mins, i think the range issue would disappear. After all, if you are on a long drive you are going to have to stop for a loo break at some point!
@@PetrolPed Yep, take it from people who’ve driven EVs for a number of years already, hardly anyone really needs charging stops to be quicker than about 20-25 minutes. Any faster than that, and the car is ready before you are and that’s a pain as it can mean having to go and move it off the charger before you have really done all you want to do.
Manufactures are now heading towards efficiency with most EV's now and ditching this "Range Anxiety" most people might have, Also the Charging infrastructure is improving OVERNIGHT while you sleep. 🙏🙏
Have the Cupra Born V1 58Kw in Aurora Blue and absolutely love it, going to place an order for the V3 in the same colour with some extras and the bigger battery. Great review just what I was looking for. Great review and thats how a range test is done!! Love this channel, keep up the good work.
Looks like a good experience at Gridserve. The utopian dream for EV is being able to pull into a forecourt and be back on the road in minutes. 30 mins is even to long for me. Ordered a Cupra, alas a petrol Formentor, I'm not quite ready for an appliance just yet.
A 58kwh born would do the same( at a minimum I think possibly more ) for around £11 according to my current home tariff. I suppose the difference is the born would be then at the point needing charge but the diesel could keep going. Cost Vs distance in pure fuel terms
@@philmorbey1827 I agree with you. As a working musician diesel is still best for me. Aberdeen to Southampton in a day is something that happens for me. For my wife with her 15 mile a day commute I am really looking forward to her going electric. I love electric cars 👍🏼
Whilst 29.54 is the cost at a public charge point, remember the vast majority of most people's journeys year round won't require a public charge as journeys are within the total range from home. I pay 4.7 pence per unit from Octopus Go EV rate, so for the majority of 211 my journeys in an EV it will cost about £2.80. That's a far more useful comparison statistic. Yes occasionally I need a public charger for the long journeys, but they are realistically less than 5% of my journeys in a year...
Driving mode has minimal impact of potential efficiency in any EV - or most cars full stop for that matter. It would be fairly easy to be less efficient in eco mode than in sport mode. The main impact of mode is the influence it has on driving style. Adjust style to drive efficiently in sport mode and it can be just as efficient as eco mode, just with the bonus that you have sharper responses immediately on tap when wanted.
Great video guys, Happy birthday Ben you added a lot to the video 👍 as a person with ADD and living in Ireland with really poor charging infrastructure the thoughts of hanging around a station for an hour fills me with absolute dread…. Also the cost by the time you factor in the food and exchange rate means your now not far of filling partly ,, a Golf diesel!, but you’ll be there and back a lot quicker 😎 but I suppose eventually the range and infrastructure will get better but just not at the moment. So plug in hybrids are the way but Love your videos keep them coming,.
Great video, thank you for this Pete. I am seriously considering this exact version when it gets to Australia in the coming months. Looks great, nice interior and perhaps my perfect Monday to Friday car. Really appreciate the practical aspect of this video. No BS, just great.
An good looking EV which does at least have a usable range… Interesting re your costs to recharge, my RAV4 hybrid would cost me currently £31.78 to refuel after 211mls as I average around 53mpg on a similar run averaging mid 50’s mph and I wouldn’t have to spend the same amount again on food while I waited for my car to refuel! Just a thought 🤔
Ignoring the fact that motorway service stations are significantly more expensive for petrol or diesel than local garages, your initial 211 miles would also have also cost you £31.78. His initial 211 miles on a nighttime tariff of 7p/kWh probably cost him about a fiver. Fortunately, eating whilst you wait is optional, regardless of what you fill your car up with.
@@markparker5585 as I said just a thought.. not an argument for or against just pointing out that we are constantly told EVs are cheaper to run but clearly not when you have to charge at a charging station away from home?? Of course I wouldn’t have had to fill up at Motorway prices as my hybrid can comfortably do 550 miles on a tank of fuel so would have done the journey there and back without refuelling. I’m not anti EVs but don’t believe the technology is there yet for longer trips outside of town driving where of course an EV is perfect.
@@reinmansmith I think you could make that argument for my car that I've had for 7 years and has a 70 mile range, but it doesn't really hold up for more modern mainstream EVs that have a 200-300 mile range. I bought mine because we did have a second car in the family if we needed to do a longer run, but we are considering going down to one car, with that being a newer generation EV. Journeys over 200 miles would be exceedingly rare for us, and I'd suspect the majority of UK drivers. As far as technology not being there yet, it's always been the charging infrastructure. The cars are generally very good.
I'm very sceptical about the whole infrastructure and its capabilities for the future. If we look at these sort of Mega Stations that can service 40 plus cars at a time, we would still need these every so many miles (as we have petrol stations). As far as price of the cupra....its not bad at all but unless you can charge at home, you really don't save that much. I drove from Warrington in Cheshire to Southampton in my Puma ST and got there and back on a tankfull. (500 miles). Cost, £80. GREAT VIDEO as usual but it still doesn't sell it to me. Oh and yes I had a break and that cost me £20+ as well . Keep the good work up m8.
We wouldn’t actually. Don’t forget most EV miles come from home charging. Each morning you have a full ‘tank’ and the vast majority of journeys do not require public charging. How many petrol stations would there be if we all had a petrol pump at home ?
@@PetrolPed Yeh I get that but people who live in apartments, terrace houses etc would be in a situation where they wouldn't be able to have a charger facility at home....that would force them to public charge?
First and foremost: Happy Birthday, Ben! All the best for you. As the Born is concerned: Great car, but the software still has quite some room for improvement (let alone the app…). But we‘ll keep ours anyway… ;-)
415 miles in the day, that's a fair chunk of Sydney to Melbourne (870km / 540 miles). Which, 2 charges en route would be 20-80% with a full charge at each end, that's basically how you'd do stops and breaks anyway (I do it regularly). Just means I'd eat in instead of takeaway, but I wouldn't need to stand outside whilst pumping fuel. Very do-able!
Good review Ped👍.......still some way to go for EV charging. I've seen they are developing a large charging station in Oxford too. The future has begun!
Top video as usual Ped I would really like someone to take an electric car and travel to say Andorra and back and compare to someone doing the same route in say a Yaris. Then compare costs and 'waiting' time etc etc. Am happy to come along and add ballast to the electric car.
The knack is adding enough charge to continue. Anyone watching will shrug that 40 minutes to charge although they probably haven’t timed going to the toilet, a bit to eat and refill at a services. I worked out going 400 miles in a Tesla from glasgow to Duxford starting with a full charge from home or free from a local wind farm 😉 i’d have to charge 28 minutes and split 20 and 8 over two stops. 400 miles your going to need a few toilet breaks, lunch or even just stretch your legs. Ironically the Hotel I was staying at had free charging although I would have arrived with 30% at the hotel. That’s the real test. Great clip on what looks a great EV. I still think EV’s are 10k overpriced what they need to be.
Really good review Pete, though Norwich seems a slightly odd location for such a large hub. My own experience of Gridserve thus far has been very poor with out of action chargers and then ones that won’t talk to your car! For me on the longer trips I’ve done so far, the InstaVolt chargers win hands down as they’re in good locations on or adjacent to major arterial routes and usually work really well - though top-tip, give the initial handshake a bit of time, as it sometimes takes up to 2 mins to establish connection!
Yeah, they took over the old ecotricity network a year ago or something. That was notoriously the worst fast charging network in the UK. So for now, Gridserve is probably a jekyll and hyde affair, with your experience reflecting whether you use the newer network or the old ecotricity.
Thanks for the review never the less I need to add a few little comments. If you do the fastest charging go from 10% and charge up to 70% this should cut a few minutes. Look at the charging curve. But only in good conditions in winter 20% is more safe. It is very interesting how „high“ you miles per kWh is. I have a ID3 until my Born arrives hopefully by the end of the year. Yesterday I drove 137.5 miles with a lot of autobahn at 75-85 miles plus 30 miles into the mountains with 4 miles/kWh . My average over 4500 miles is 4.4 miles/kWh and my hole family is driving with it more or less careful. Hm what is the difference. The Born should in this regard 1:1 to an ID3. Hopefully I get my Born still in 2022.
Hi Pete, great content with young Ben riding shotgun. It was interesting to hear his input on EV’s, after all they are the generation that will have to fully embrace them. I must admit that Cupra are getting a lot of things right. I find it strange how the VW Group seems to compete with itself across its brand structure! Good commentary on the car’s performance throughout the journey and a real life taster of what the EV experience should be if everything goes to plan, which unfortunately isn’t always the case yet. 👍😎
Trouble is the EV platform is VW and despite the stated charging speed figures, it doesn’t deliver those! When you complain they say it’s only a range (albeit it never gets in to the range!). My experience was DC charging 20-80% is more like 50-55 minutes not 35. AC charging about 80% of the time was only half charging due to some battery safe mode that apparently randomly cuts the charge so on a cheap overnight 6hr charge I was getting 20kw not 40! Big difference. I had mine for 4 months, it then spent 6 weeks in garage and I got a BM i4 instead which is brilliant and does exactly what it says it will
Range estimate after the fill will be lower than the morning, cos it is based on the recent usage. Your recent usage is in Cupra mode on the motorway, whereas the morning was likely comparing to the delivery being in normal mode at sub-motorway speeds.
Excellent review, I ran an Outlander Phev years ago as a novelty but settled with a BMW 730d due to range, quality and comfort issues. You've gone along way in convincing me that EV's are now pretty practical, realistic alternatives to Ice cars and not just fashion statements. Well done.
I have an MG5LR and I also find the so called 'Eco Mode' is hardly any more efficient than normal or sport modes and has more to do with how I drive. I suspect it's a psychological thing for many people. If you conciously put the car in eco mode, you are more likely to drive more economically anyway due to your mindset. Great channel, keep the content coming. 🙂
Happy 18th Birthday (today !) to Ben my co-pilot in this video. Let’s see how many Happy Birthdays we can get for him. Answer below 👍
Happy 18th Birthday Ben! 🎉🎉
Happy birthday Ben
Happy Birthday Ben 🥳
Happy birthday Ben, from Lincolnshire
HaPpY 18th Burfday Ben 🎉👍🏻
Impressive. Happy birthday Ben, a very good wingman!
He sure is 👍
I've had mine (58KW) for roughly 5000 miles. Honest appraisal so far. Lovely/smooth/handles superbly & quiet to drive. Full charge averages about 230 miles (mostly motorway), very comfortable, loads of safety features that really impresses me. Negatives, haptic buttons are a little fiddly, sound system not great and not as loud/as many features as i would want. Clima (air) control, this is the thing that pisses me off the most, i have not found a wau just to use a fan without the clima being on. As soon as it's turned on it eats into my range, although not massive it simply shouldn't be an issue at all. If anyone has sussed out how to do it please let me know. Overall; this is my first EV and there is sooooo much to like about it, just hope some of the little gripes can be ironed out in future versions
Thanks for this 👍
Switch of AC, than put the Temp down to low and adjust the amount of air you need with the slider -> now you are using no heating or AC only fan
@@rainermenes5921 Cheers, i will try this
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I have an opportunity to choose my next car, and your series of videos really helped me to go for Cupra Born!
You will love it. Great cars 👍
Pete and Ben, that was a REALLY good video of the Cupra capabilities to watch - honest and enjoyable - 5***** 👍
Thanks 👍
Great review. My Sister in law just pickup her Born after a wait of over 12 months after order placed (we live in Melbourne Australia). I think she has the model below your car - smaller battery and range as it cost $65k plus on road costs. Thanks Pete.
Great video Ben and Pedro.
Really like this vehicle, looks way better than the id3.
Happy 18th Birthday Ben.
(ask Uncle Ped to buy you a car 😉)
We have an i-Pace which we regularly use on longer journeys. We now plan our trips to stop at a variety of chargers that we know from experience are likely to be free. Unfortunately this does not include any on the motorway network where it is common to have to wait up to an hour before you can start a charge because the facilities are massively short of where they need to be. You just need to look at a petrol station on the motorway to see that they refuel well over 100 cars an hour whereas there might only be 4 electric chargers which, at best, might manage 6 cars an hour. Last week we did a journey of 220 miles each way which required one recharging stop each way but what is now concerning is the cost of recharging: it cost us 59p/Kwh at a supermarket about 5 miles off the motorway but at motorway speed that equates to around 25mpg. There are other chargers on the motorway where we have been charged 69.9p/Kwh but given that was a few months ago, it could be a good bit higher now. Charging at home is giving the equivalent of about 40mpg just now but with the large increases in the electricity price cap coming, this will fall significantly. We have a V8 on the driveway which would do the journey at less cost so something needs to be done quickly before the cost becomes public knowledge and the electric revolution hits a wall.
We love the i-Pace which is a very comfortable way to travel, has plenty of power and a handling/grip balance and poise that is truly excellent. EV's should not be feared by petrolheads but the current infrastructure and cost needs huge improvement.
Great example of a ‘typical real’ journey. More charging stations like Gridserve needed asap across the country. I would go for the 58kw Born myself, but interesting to see the 77kw version.
It'll probably take Gridserve another 5 to 6 years to get somewhere up near where they want to be. But hey, how long do you suppose it took to get a half decent petrol station infrastructure?
I really enjoy these EV long range tests. I am still unsure about owning one but your videos educate us all on the technology, the driving modes and styles to maintain a decent range.
Thanks 👍
I was genuinely shocked about the cost of lunch! I drive an old LPG volvo and can't afford to pay that kind of money for lunch even though my fuel bill would be £35. That is why I buy meal deals for lunch if I am out and about or take it with me!!😯
We did go for it 😂
I've got a V2 Born 58KW and I'm averaging 4.2m per KW. I don't use Cupra mode as the standard mode is quick enough for me. I'm new to EVs but so far I'm loving the car (apart from the haptic buttons on the steering wheel but I can live with them). I wish there was a Gridserve in the Midlands!
Rugby has a Gridserve
@@alanbrad3727 But nothing like in Braintree and now Norwich. BTW, have used all 3!
Looking forward to this video with what is a very interesting EV.
happy birthday ben and nice to get young people into electric cars and learn to understand them. cupra born love it
Great that we are meeting some friends of yours that aren’t you tubers - adds a nice dimension to do it ccasinall!
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Happy birthday Ben! Good to see my neck of the woods making an appearance.
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I own the V2 62kwh (58kwh useable) battery version and have got 4.7m/kwh to 4.2m/kwh easily. The bigger battery adds a lot of weight but handy if you do lots of motorway driving. The 58kwh battery will charge in less time as its smaller so it all depends on your range needs. I do have been told an Audi Etron driver was so concerned about range and the charging time they sold the Audi and drive an electric mini as its cheaper and charges quicker. The 77kwh version wasn't available in June this year but a pre built 62/58kwh was so I bought it trading in my Audi S3 as it had a possible water pump issue around the corner and Audi's after 5 years old depreciate like a brick off a cliff. I did a 60 mile range test using A roads on two different days covering the same route and motorway at 70 and at then 60 mph. Reducing the speed by 10 mph increased the m/kwh by quite a bit.
RAPID CHARGING will shorten the cars battery capacity / life faster over 3 years (or longer.) AC charging at 22kw or 7kw is recommended and like you said only to 80%. Used prices in 3 years might depend on the battery condition and the garages will do a battery test when you trade your car in. If you are linked to Cupra by the app they most probably know how you are charging the car.
Will lease companies add costs if you rapid charge a lot as the value of the car will be less or do they factor it in to the lease costs?
My V3 (58Kw) arrives 5th September....excited doesn't even come close. I never even test drove one....chose it based on You Tube vids...including yours my friend!!
Would love to see Gridserve open on Australian highways, esp with our longer distances! 3 between Sydney and Melbourne, 3-4 between Sydney and Brisbane, 3 Melbourne to Adelaide etc just for starters! That looks fantastic.
Great video. Having recently taken delivery of an i4 and now experiencing the learning curve of living with an EV, it’s good to see other peoples experiences. The Gridserve hub looked great and if they can start to replicate that type of arrangement across the country, we’re moving in the right direction.
We sure are and the i4 is a great car 👌
Gridserve are planning 100 sites on most of Britain's major routes Rob....
I look at all that range with envy! My e-208 will manage around 130 miles at motorway speeds. That said, it was £28k so quite a lot cheaper, and I personally rarely need more range and am comfortable enough with planning longer trips via chargers as and when.
I have the petrol 208, it does 380 miles, fully fuel up, apart from government scams what made you choose electric 🤔
@@dancooper2072 You should test drive one. Then all will become clear.
great piece tonight , insight to the “let’s jump in the car and go days “ nice one Peter 👍
Thanks for this. Appreciated the comments on the infotainment system 👍
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Great video again, when you sat down in the cafe, I thought the building was moving with the screen behind you. 🤣
😂😂👍
Comparing efficiency from point A to B vs B to A is a non starter.
For example: In my Nissan LEAF my 50 mile drive to work I will use 20% battery on the way home I will use 35% battery.
This is because I live on top of a mountain and my workplace is right at sea level.
Better to compare efficiency on the same route rather than comparing A to B vs B to A.
Also it's suprising how much standing water on the road affects yours efficiency as them storms to Norwich would have made a dent in your range.
Great video and I love your content, especially your enthusiasm for EV's. 👍
That's because you want to go home so you drive faster.
Great review. Happy birthday Ben. Pete you have a moke. Haven’t seen that in the channel before.
Just had it for a week. There will be a video on Monday 👍
Infrastructure Infrastructure Infrastructure! After five years of driving a BEV now on my second bev and with only 8 years to go the oil companies need to step up! Cheers for the video mate
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I’m glad you left the navigation to your phone! “Into the Blackwall tunnel we go”… as you enter the Dartford tunnel.
LOL 😂
Great video interesting between eco and cupra modes thought it would be bigger difference...happy birthday Ben🍰
Thanks 🙏🏻
Stats are interesting between cupra mine and range mode, and looking at the day, the journey out would possibly have used more power due to adverse weather. Great review
Great Video, Rain does make a big difference to range, I also have the V3 77kw in white and have also used Norwich when i was on holiday in Norfolk which is amazing - I tend to use "performance mode" which is between Comfort and Cupra and just gives you a sharper ride and better throttle, luckily mine is a company car so the price tag isn't a concern but love it and everyone who has been in it loves it
As good as the Video is, my concern is still the charging stations/ Infrastructure within the UK. Yes they are beginning to surface (IE Manchester area and the North), but it's still too slow to meet the demand/ requirements. Whilst it's good to be able to charge from home and 1 of the 2 or 3 decent EV's with substantial range. Another area that needs improvement like the Cupra you tested and Taycan etc.
Wow Pete your enthusiasm for this car makes me want one also. Not sure when or who will sell cupra down under. Happy 18th to Ben. Right car for him, but a little expensive. Cheers from me.
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Ben is a great driving buddy, happy birthday too. Great test and what a car!!!
He sure was 👍
That was a proper test , real time driving , the drive out was very impressive being in cupra mode plus the weather conditions you were driving in ,
Thanks 👍
Happy birthday Ben - what a time to be 18 very exciting. I'm 55 and a bit old fashioned but I really appreciate technology so long as said technology simplifies or improves our lives. EV's have come a long way particularly in the amount of range now on offer. However, there is still a big stumbling block - cost. Ben would appreciate Ev's more than most people of my era but he is priced out of them. The other big issue is the charging network for the next 30 years we will have petrol stations and charging stations as we slowly whittle through ICE vehicles. This is where hydrogen would be an easier winner as hydrogen could be more easily integrated into fuel stations, not to mention the issues with rare earth minerals required for current battery technology. I'm definitely not anti-electric but these are genuine issues that need to be dealt with before a big shift in people's purchasing habits change, although the manufacturers are pushing the technology because of global government pressure. Most manufacturers are marketing small petrol engines coupled to small electric motors and small battery packs. It is really inefficient engineering as you carry the weight without the benefit of range or power.
The new Honda Civic is a self charging hybrid that to me at the moment is the best of both worlds until the infrastructure catches up. I just haven't got anywhere to charge a car at home and don't trust that I will be able to turn up at a public charger without finding other people waiting and as more and more people switch the problem is going to get worse and the amount of money you spend whilst waiting for the car to charge is an issue as well though I realise you don't have to.
Happy Birthday Ben.
Good review Ped
I guess the issue is still going to be planning the long distance trips to make sure you can get a charger.
It is little hassle to wait 5 mins for your turn at a fuel pump but would be a massive pain if you had to wait an hour for your turn to then charge an hour.
The charge network will need to up the info on what charge ports are available and likely wait times can be expected or charge rage will become an issue.
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Hey pal, love to Pooch and Pup. High 5 to you and T. 👍🇬🇧
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Hi Ped
That is what I would term a real life test review.🤗I
I can see why you were impressed, and Gridserve excellent. Maybe warming to the idea but still some reservations before I cross the line.
I’ve had my born for 3months it’s a 58kwh but my average over 1800 miles mixed use is 5.1 mi/kWh lol I don’t drive like miss daisy lol but this is my 3rd electric car , absolutely love it also brilliant car
Good going! There's a guy at my work with an ID4 58kWh that's doing 4.8 mi/kWh average over 3000 miles, mainly Reading to East London & back. That family of cars all seem amazing, but for me, the Born looks the best and I think it handles great, it put a smile on my face during a test drive.
Just one thing to note, which I don't think has been covered in this video, if you get the larger battery 77kWh then you lose the middle seat at the rear, so the car only seats 4!
Wow 😮
@@davidclothier8446 it’s not about driving slow I had 2 previous EVs with much smaller batteries so I couldn’t go hooning it around lol but EVs really suit my driving style , it’s simply not accelerating or braking unnecessarily, especially the braking part , nothing kills you’re range more than having to stamp on the brakes , the car use the friction brakes so doesn’t get anything back , I also rarely have the a/c on I don’t see the point the cabin temp is ok most of the time 6 months of the year I use to do this in my fossil cars also , but the cars acceleration is still great fun and I definitely use it , a lot !
I love my Born. Commuting from Derbyshire to Bristol and not had an issue with public charging. I'm averaging around 4m/kWh, which I'm happy with. Agree with the comments about haptic buttons & infotainment system though.
Good to know I’m on the right page 😜👍
This is amazing , Wow That is some trip 👍👍👍👍 Haptic buttons are over done ..They will improve over time im sure
Awesome one ped love the cupra its a nice looking car snd right there with you bout the changing infrastructure but think will come in time love my electric corsa for my first electric car
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Brilliant test, and the star of the video was Ben, cracking kid 👍
He sure was 👍
My 1st car was a Renault 16TS which I bought when it was a little over 2yrs old, a LONG time ago (1973), was in decent condition but had quite a high mileage for its age as it had made regular lengthy trips with the owner from new, a colleague - can’t remember how much I paid as it was a long time ago, but probably around £400 equivalent I think, a few months before my 21st birthday. My next car was a new Fiat 127, bought 1974 for about £800 equivalent. This was when I lived in Morocco for information & both cars were locally assembled from parts shipped in by Renault & Fiat. Apart from my first few cars until about the mid-1980s, when I bought using employer-provided loans at favourable interest rates (I worked for a bank), I have since then always bought new cars outright from my own resources, but I have never owned or wanted to own what most would call a “fancy, prestige” car, although some were undoubtedly high-powered & I almost never kept them more than 2 or max 3 years, in UK or elsewhere. I would have bought an electric vehicle (a Niro or a Soul) late last year, but as I live in an apartment, home charging would currently be impossible & the local public charging network (north of Scotland) is decidedly sketchy/ so I couldn’t risk it. Since since June 2022 I therefore now have a top of range Stonic mild-hybrid for which I paid a little less than £24k. I’m pretty happy with it, it won’t break any records, but it is a well put-together car (like a Kia’s in recent times), reliable and with a good warranty - it will certainly be fine for my usual 3 years max & as I’m now older (21 in ‘73, see above, you do the maths 😉), who knows how many more years I will be driving, maybe another 10-15 if I’m lucky 🙏. But I enjoy watching EV reviews as I’m hopeful in a few years it may be a practical proposition from a charging perspective for me to own one.
Brilliant video ped! We love our born. Had it just over a week and exceeded our expectations. Such an awesome car. 👌
Thanks Nick 👍
well done mate I`m in Germany and enjoyed this now I know what Car I want zhanks Dennis
Great video Pete and yes the charging network should be like grid serve but it’s not and it’s a long way off being like that. Ben seems a nice lad as well and hope he’s on your channel more.
I’m sure he will be 👍
Hadn't heard of this car. Thx for showing it. Turns out it's a great ad for Tesla. Drive one and you'll know what I mean. For those who say, " They're too expensive. I'm meeting more people who have bought a used Tesla and love it...as it performs as well as it did when new. Great video. Thx again.
That’s a good option 👍
Ben was a legend , I would seriously consider this car even do I’m a complete petrol head , mite wait till born mark 2 as there is rumour of vw going back to functioning buttons
Fantastic way to review. We've ordered the same as your test car but with wider Michelin Pilot EV wheels and heat pump. We won't receive it for many months. Software update means max charging is now 135kw.
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Happy birthday Ben
It'll be another 3 years before we replace our current car, assuming that it'll be a hybrid, so in 6 or 7 years things with leccy cars will be better.
And of course there is hydrojen
Gridserve looks good
You absolutely needed Ben with you in every review, he makes the whole journey really interesting......I'm not saying that you are boring! 😂😂🤣
LOL 😂
Great range review.Very interesting and good to have a co-pilot to keep you on your toes.
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Great review. In the market for a daily EV and this would have been our 1st choice however the EV market is beginning to get really interesting. MG about to launch the MG 4 at a very competitive price point, several thousand less than the CUPRA. So we’re now going to wait and have a look at it, unless you can get your hands on one and do a review and either poo-poo it or give it a thumbs up.
Yeah I noticed that too.be interesting to see how much is the competition to the rest of the ev
Hope to try it at some point 👊
Eager to watch this as I’ve ordered one of these as a company car coming (hopefully) in December.
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Great review Petrol ped very interesting video my thoughts from watching are when you are charging and depending on how many cars are there charging at them same time the volts lower so it would take longer the problem i think is how long it takes to charge 1hour so you when planing the journey it has to be add on. That why I would go hybrid but the problem with combustion engines ( normal cars) is what we put in them (petrol) so looking forward to E fuel and hydrogen fantastic video and HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🥳 🎂 Ben
Tristan
Brill video - Ben is brill too - Happy Birthday Ben
Thanks Stuart 👍
Great vid as always Pete. Certainly thinking about getting an EV at some point in the future. Glad young Ben enjoyed his trip with you.
Thanks 👍
In my experience of driving a Zoe and a Leaf for the last four years, the eco modes don't save much if you are not heavy footed and most importantly keep the speed down. On my Leaf (first gen, 2016), the efficiency is fine up to 55mph - 4.2miles/kWh. But efficiency drops like a stone at 70-75mph, only about 2.5 (or worse). That's the case in Eco or normal mode. The only genuine saving in Eco is the heating gets switched off (I think).
Another excellent video Peter!
Thanks 🙏🏻
That is one impressive car. We took our Leaf for the first time south last month from Orkney to Pitlochry. The whole trip cost a little more than £16 in electricity! And the infrastructure in (North)Scotland is really good now. That was with a full car too!
Great 👍
The difference in efficiency was the rain. It used the same amount of energy to do X speed regardless of driving mode. It's just a different throttle map.
I agree. Wet roads sap a surprising amount of energy as the tires move the water out of the way, and as long as you modulate your right foot, you don’t really need ECO modes.
It could also generally have been more of a decline one way, and an incline back. Sea level etc. Would be interesting to see the exact same video driven in economy mode going to Norwich, and Cupra mode coming back.
@@andrewlawton5838 and/or wind direction is a factor too. You can never simply compare trips in opposite directions as the consumption pattern is not the same. Rain, speed, and control of the right foot are all big factors of course. "Range mode" makes no difference if you travel at the same speed and moderate your acceleration.
Battery temperature is the biggest difference, the trip back had a fully warm battery from the 4hrs driving and 1hr rapid charge.
Happy Birthday Ben....I would have been bugging Pete to let you drive a bit. And if he really wanted to make this birthday memorable how about letting him drive the Porsche!
Sadly not old enough 😢
@@PetrolPed18 is old enough isn’t it?
Happy Birthday Ben … it was like Clarkson and Caleb without the stupidity. A really good car review that will help people understand EV ownership. I hope to see Ben on more of your content.
I’ll take that 👍
good vid as always. the 2 biggest problems for me with electric cars is the charge time and range. if the charge time could be reduced to 10 - 15 mins, i think the range issue would disappear. After all, if you are on a long drive you are going to have to stop for a loo break at some point!
By the time we had a wee, order a coffee and toastie and then ate it 45 mins had passed and the car was charged 👍
@@PetrolPed Yep, take it from people who’ve driven EVs for a number of years already, hardly anyone really needs charging stops to be quicker than about 20-25 minutes. Any faster than that, and the car is ready before you are and that’s a pain as it can mean having to go and move it off the charger before you have really done all you want to do.
Manufactures are now heading towards efficiency with most EV's now and ditching this "Range Anxiety" most people might have, Also the Charging infrastructure is improving OVERNIGHT while you sleep. 🙏🙏
Definitely a great test. To bad cupra aren’t in the USA. If they can make EVs more affordable with that kind on range I’m all in
Have the Cupra Born V1 58Kw in Aurora Blue and absolutely love it, going to place an order for the V3 in the same colour with some extras and the bigger battery. Great review just what I was looking for. Great review and thats how a range test is done!! Love this channel, keep up the good work.
Thanks dude 👍
Little point in the bigger battery on this car!
Looks like a good experience at Gridserve. The utopian dream for EV is being able to pull into a forecourt and be back on the road in minutes. 30 mins is even to long for me. Ordered a Cupra, alas a petrol Formentor, I'm not quite ready for an appliance just yet.
Formentors are great 👍
Love it. I really like the look of the Born
Great review, great car. I know electric is great but range anxiety is always there in the forefront 😅 My diesel will do 211 miles for £29.54.
A 58kwh born would do the same( at a minimum I think possibly more ) for around £11 according to my current home tariff. I suppose the difference is the born would be then at the point needing charge but the diesel could keep going. Cost Vs distance in pure fuel terms
@@philmorbey1827 I agree with you. As a working musician diesel is still best for me. Aberdeen to Southampton in a day is something that happens for me. For my wife with her 15 mile a day commute I am really looking forward to her going electric. I love electric cars 👍🏼
Whilst 29.54 is the cost at a public charge point, remember the vast majority of most people's journeys year round won't require a public charge as journeys are within the total range from home. I pay 4.7 pence per unit from Octopus Go EV rate, so for the majority of 211 my journeys in an EV it will cost about £2.80. That's a far more useful comparison statistic. Yes occasionally I need a public charger for the long journeys, but they are realistically less than 5% of my journeys in a year...
@@Steveandhelenprice I get that. But the EV was more expensive to start with and energy prices are rising.
Driving mode has minimal impact of potential efficiency in any EV - or most cars full stop for that matter. It would be fairly easy to be less efficient in eco mode than in sport mode. The main impact of mode is the influence it has on driving style. Adjust style to drive efficiently in sport mode and it can be just as efficient as eco mode, just with the bonus that you have sharper responses immediately on tap when wanted.
Great video guys, Happy birthday Ben you added a lot to the video 👍 as a person with ADD and living in Ireland with really poor charging infrastructure the thoughts of hanging around a station for an hour fills me with absolute dread…. Also the cost by the time you factor in the food and exchange rate means your now not far of filling partly ,, a Golf diesel!, but you’ll be there and back a lot quicker 😎 but I suppose eventually the range and infrastructure will get better but just not at the moment. So plug in hybrids are the way but Love your videos keep them coming,.
Will do 👍
Another great video Peter. I like these real tests. Thanks mate.
Great video, thank you for this Pete. I am seriously considering this exact version when it gets to Australia in the coming months. Looks great, nice interior and perhaps my perfect Monday to Friday car. Really appreciate the practical aspect of this video. No BS, just great.
Thanks dude 👍
Nice to see you came to Norfolk, I live about 20 miles from Gridserve Norwich.
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Great video ! I wouldn’t go for the red neither 😬😬
An good looking EV which does at least have a usable range… Interesting re your costs to recharge, my RAV4 hybrid would cost me currently £31.78 to refuel after 211mls as I average around 53mpg on a similar run averaging mid 50’s mph and I wouldn’t have to spend the same amount again on food while I waited for my car to refuel! Just a thought 🤔
Ignoring the fact that motorway service stations are significantly more expensive for petrol or diesel than local garages, your initial 211 miles would also have also cost you £31.78. His initial 211 miles on a nighttime tariff of 7p/kWh probably cost him about a fiver. Fortunately, eating whilst you wait is optional, regardless of what you fill your car up with.
@@markparker5585 as I said just a thought.. not an argument for or against just pointing out that we are constantly told EVs are cheaper to run but clearly not when you have to charge at a charging station away from home?? Of course I wouldn’t have had to fill up at Motorway prices as my hybrid can comfortably do 550 miles on a tank of fuel so would have done the journey there and back without refuelling. I’m not anti EVs but don’t believe the technology is there yet for longer trips outside of town driving where of course an EV is perfect.
@@reinmansmith I think you could make that argument for my car that I've had for 7 years and has a 70 mile range, but it doesn't really hold up for more modern mainstream EVs that have a 200-300 mile range. I bought mine because we did have a second car in the family if we needed to do a longer run, but we are considering going down to one car, with that being a newer generation EV. Journeys over 200 miles would be exceedingly rare for us, and I'd suspect the majority of UK drivers. As far as technology not being there yet, it's always been the charging infrastructure. The cars are generally very good.
He did double that 200 plus miles each way. So double your fuel costs the cupra was 50% cheaper to fuel.
I'm very sceptical about the whole infrastructure and its capabilities for the future. If we look at these sort of Mega Stations that can service 40 plus cars at a time, we would still need these every so many miles (as we have petrol stations). As far as price of the cupra....its not bad at all but unless you can charge at home, you really don't save that much. I drove from Warrington in Cheshire to Southampton in my Puma ST and got there and back on a tankfull. (500 miles). Cost, £80.
GREAT VIDEO as usual but it still doesn't sell it to me.
Oh and yes I had a break and that cost me £20+ as well .
Keep the good work up m8.
We wouldn’t actually. Don’t forget most EV miles come from home charging. Each morning you have a full ‘tank’ and the vast majority of journeys do not require public charging. How many petrol stations would there be if we all had a petrol pump at home ?
@@PetrolPed Yeh I get that but people who live in apartments, terrace houses etc would be in a situation where they wouldn't be able to have a charger facility at home....that would force them to public charge?
Just looked at figures for terraced and apartments throughout UK. 40% of housing are either terrace or apartments. That's a lot Pete.
Have you had a perm Peter what with all the curls? Car good, car style good, car colour (it’s red), cars range good too, all told GOOD 👍👍👍🚘🚘🚘🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
First and foremost: Happy Birthday, Ben! All the best for you. As the Born is concerned: Great car, but the software still has quite some room for improvement (let alone the app…). But we‘ll keep ours anyway… ;-)
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415 miles in the day, that's a fair chunk of Sydney to Melbourne (870km / 540 miles). Which, 2 charges en route would be 20-80% with a full charge at each end, that's basically how you'd do stops and breaks anyway (I do it regularly). Just means I'd eat in instead of takeaway, but I wouldn't need to stand outside whilst pumping fuel. Very do-able!
Good review Ped👍.......still some way to go for EV charging. I've seen they are developing a large charging station in Oxford too. The future has begun!
Yep 👍
Happy birthday young man.
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Happy Birthday Ben.
🙏🏻
Top video as usual Ped
I would really like someone to take an electric car and travel to say Andorra and back and compare to someone doing the same route in say a Yaris. Then compare costs and 'waiting' time etc etc. Am happy to come along and add ballast to the electric car.
😂😂😂
The knack is adding enough charge to continue. Anyone watching will shrug that 40 minutes to charge although they probably haven’t timed going to the toilet, a bit to eat and refill at a services. I worked out going 400 miles in a Tesla from glasgow to Duxford starting with a full charge from home or free from a local wind farm 😉 i’d have to charge 28 minutes and split 20 and 8 over two stops. 400 miles your going to need a few toilet breaks, lunch or even just stretch your legs. Ironically the Hotel I was staying at had free charging although I would have arrived with 30% at the hotel. That’s the real test. Great clip on what looks a great EV. I still think EV’s are 10k overpriced what they need to be.
Really good review Pete, though Norwich seems a slightly odd location for such a large hub. My own experience of Gridserve thus far has been very poor with out of action chargers and then ones that won’t talk to your car! For me on the longer trips I’ve done so far, the InstaVolt chargers win hands down as they’re in good locations on or adjacent to major arterial routes and usually work really well - though top-tip, give the initial handshake a bit of time, as it sometimes takes up to 2 mins to establish connection!
They have taken over existing chargers that might need updating etc. they seem to be on it though 👍
Yeah, they took over the old ecotricity network a year ago or something. That was notoriously the worst fast charging network in the UK. So for now, Gridserve is probably a jekyll and hyde affair, with your experience reflecting whether you use the newer network or the old ecotricity.
Nice trip, but the most important bit that you missed was, 'did the e-boost button make any difference?' Can we have an update please?
Thanks for the review never the less I need to add a few little comments. If you do the fastest charging go from 10% and charge up to 70% this should cut a few minutes. Look at the charging curve. But only in good conditions in winter 20% is more safe. It is very interesting how „high“ you miles per kWh is. I have a ID3 until my Born arrives hopefully by the end of the year. Yesterday I drove 137.5 miles with a lot of autobahn at 75-85 miles plus 30 miles into the mountains with 4 miles/kWh . My average over 4500 miles is 4.4 miles/kWh and my hole family is driving with it more or less careful. Hm what is the difference. The Born should in this regard 1:1 to an ID3. Hopefully I get my Born still in 2022.
Interesting 🧐
Hi Pete, great content with young Ben riding shotgun. It was interesting to hear his input on EV’s, after all they are the generation that will have to fully embrace them. I must admit that Cupra are getting a lot of things right. I find it strange how the VW Group seems to compete with itself across its brand structure! Good commentary on the car’s performance throughout the journey and a real life taster of what the EV experience should be if everything goes to plan, which unfortunately isn’t always the case yet. 👍😎
Happy birthday buddy
Brilliant car this is the future, hopefully I will have one as my next car 🚗 😀
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Trouble is the EV platform is VW and despite the stated charging speed figures, it doesn’t deliver those! When you complain they say it’s only a range (albeit it never gets in to the range!). My experience was DC charging 20-80% is more like 50-55 minutes not 35. AC charging about 80% of the time was only half charging due to some battery safe mode that apparently randomly cuts the charge so on a cheap overnight 6hr charge I was getting 20kw not 40! Big difference. I had mine for 4 months, it then spent 6 weeks in garage and I got a BM i4 instead which is brilliant and does exactly what it says it will
Well done mate, great test
Cheers 👍
Range estimate after the fill will be lower than the morning, cos it is based on the recent usage. Your recent usage is in Cupra mode on the motorway, whereas the morning was likely comparing to the delivery being in normal mode at sub-motorway speeds.
Happy Birthday Ben
🙏🏻
Excellent review, I ran an Outlander Phev years ago as a novelty but settled with a BMW 730d due to range, quality and comfort issues. You've gone along way in convincing me that EV's are now pretty practical, realistic alternatives to Ice cars and not just fashion statements.
Well done.
Great to hear 👍
Great video Pete 👍
Thanks 🙏🏻
That was very interesting great video guys
I have an MG5LR and I also find the so called 'Eco Mode' is hardly any more efficient than normal or sport modes and has more to do with how I drive. I suspect it's a psychological thing for many people. If you conciously put the car in eco mode, you are more likely to drive more economically anyway due to your mindset.
Great channel, keep the content coming. 🙂
Thanks Dave. Will do 👍