1. Pre heat the van using the app 10 mins before you get in(saves you sitting in the cold waiting) 2. Don’t wind down a frozen window as it could damage the motor 3. A lot of EVs don’t let you remove the plug until you unlock the release. Stops ppl unplugging you 4. Always good to know how to use a handbrake 5. Always good to know how long it takes to fully charge Most of the above is user error, well that’s what’s going on the call out invoice.
Wouldn't be the first time Jordan, vehicles, and user error all came together... I recall last winter he uploaded himself driving off with side windows totally frosted over (couldn't see out of them) and a roof covered in snow, then complaining that the snow which should have been cleared before driving fell in his boot. Some people shouldn't drive, apparently this van knew it.
Driving with snow on roof is illegal, because it can slump off onto the windscreen,meaning you can't see. There's a high tech solution, called a broom. It's also illegal to drive with front or side windows frosted or misted up enough you can't see. As for scrapers, credit card, union card, plastic spreader for filler, any old piece of plastic...
@@stephenmurray2851 I wasn't going to mention this, but some years ago a friend of mine was killed by a man-child who didn't take responsibility enough even to wipe his damp windows with a rag. The driver was given a short jail sentence, but that didn't help the family left behind. So forgive me if I lower my opinion of you notch or two, eh?
I dunno what’s worse the vehicle’s performance or the fact I just watched a fully grown adult attempt to defrost a windscreen by putting their hands on it
It was switching the wipers on with a frozen screen that got me. nLost all credibility from that point. The guy must have a Clubcard in his wallet or something, that'll work as a scraper too, (but only once).
I'm absolutely shocked at this guys approach, I would not hire this guy to do my electrics, has he actually got 18th/19th edition, ? There is no adapt/ to the situation at all regarding the van /ice issue? Shocking !!!
I'm absolutely shocked at this guys approach, I would not hire this guy to do my electrics, has he actually got 18th/19th edition, ? There is no adapt/ to the situation at all? Shocking !!! Where's, the red hair nose and huge black shoes? I would seriously be embarrassed posting this video shocking 😐
I honestly find this highly amusing. I'm an electrical/mechanical engineer, why all these electricians are buying electric vans is completely lost on me.
I actually don't understand why anyone would buy VW Transporter, since it's an aftermarket conversion done by ABT. The range is silly. There is so much better electric alternatives.
I'm taking all the stuff you said about the van with a pinch of salt and hoping the issues you had were dramatised for entertainment, but if not then I have to ask who goes and buys a 55k pound van, kits it out and brands it without knowing a damn thing about it?! 🤷
OK....how bout a normal car has no issue so wtf is this piece of shit? I'm a mechanic and im my windows dont defrost on a NEW car tthen that car is shit. Tesla and Mache E does is no prob....maybe a shit model or DOA heater element parts?
@@jonathangeorgopoulos1097 yeah my Kia Niro EV is already warm inside by the time I am 1km from home in the morning and boiling within a few mins and I live in Canada. This thing is a piece of garbage.
I could understand if he was in the middle of nowhere but he's outside his house. Go and get something flat out the kitchen? Use a ruler, Use a credit card. To sit in your van and moan for 20 minutes, FML!
Damn, I wouldn't want this guy working on my electrics. In the first 6 minutes alone he has demonstrated lack of knowledge on everyday life and personal safety!
A lot of difference when an electrician deals with AC currents/voltages in homes or businesses (wiring, diagnosing). Dealing with highly complex EV system batteries is completely outside of constant high power AC systems that electricians do. These guys are not electronic engineers. Give them a break.
The window won't go up because it is struggling against the ice and that's giving enough resistance that the safety system thinks someone may be trapped in it and lowers the window again - as pretty well all cars do. Usually, holding the the switch in the close position for long enough will override the safety system and close the window.
I have no words to use without getting banned from TH-cam, but my gosh how does this guy survive on a daily basis? I can only assume someone is paid to tell this guy how and when to breath in and out!
Everyone has a windscreen scraper, it's called a credit card. A bowl of cold water will clear the windscreen almost as well as hot water, so long as you put the wipers on as soon as you've poured it on the windscreen.
Step 1- Read the van's handbook before using it for the first time. Step 2- Use a fan heater in the vehicle with an extension lead. A quarter hour or so will warm up the van and defrost the windscreen. Step 3- If steps 1 & 2 are too difficult, send for an electrician.
To MERVYN PARTIN. NEXT thing would be for someone to invent cordless fan heaters, so you can put one in the van - together with A P or whatever, to warm it up before you drive off. Would also be a great idea for warming garden sheds, which of course are not on the mains or your garage!
Battery heating pads are on the market. Install that and charge your electric car earlier. Being cheap and saving electric on a electric is not efficient in the cold months
Your definitely better suited to the office. What helmet uses the wipers and winds windows down when there's ice on the windows. A kettle as well. You don't treat your tools like that.
@@TheMentalblockrock no after he found button he was fine plus he was still tethered to the charger. Offsetting that loss in battery to create the heat.
Looks to me that the van was having a nightmare with the incompetent behind the wheel than the van being faulty (apart from maybe the driver side window, which wouldn’t be an electric van specific issue)
The window issue is the window thinking the resistance from the ice is a child's finger so it immediately drops back down when it thinks there's an obstruction. The engineers didn't compensate for retarded electricians.
Charging batteries is not linear, it is rapid for the first 3/4 or so, then tails off as the battery management has to keep the cells from going over charge.. bit like filling up a glass to the very brim without spilling it: you can pour water in quickly for the first bit, then you have to slow down more and more as you get near the top.
@@--Nath-- When you're fast charging, yes. But the video quoted 3.6kW. That's slow, onky slightly more than a 13A "granny cable" but less than the next step up, a single-phase Type 2 home connection at typically 7kW. Is it a limit of the van? Whatever, assuming they didn't get their facts wrong, 3.6kW is slow charging already and there would be no need to reduce charging rate until the battery is very close to full.
@@RupertReynolds1962 some battery chemistry makes low temp chargimg a problem.. so that may be why..? If it doesnt have active thermal stuff (like a tesla for instance) then maybe it was low temp cutoff as the issue? But I thought that was more of a "complete stop of charging" type issue..
I think I have a solution. What you need is some sort of liquid fuel such as say diesel or petrol, stored in a tank under the floor of the van. Then you would get something like 350 - 450 miles of range and a heater that actually works.
My VW T4 2.5 Tdi does almost 600miles on a full tank of diesel. When its dark and frosty I can use the lights , heated screens, carry more weight and even two passengers and still get 550+ miles without stopping . Sorry to EV owners.
@@keithwilson1554 My little comment was a tad tongue in cheek, but this video shows good evidence that EVs are not up to some applications. Trades people can't afford two hours down time for charging every day. Yes my 20 year old diesel camper van which is also my everyday vehicle, ( I don't have a car ) it does contribute to global warming. It is extremely well maintained and I do less than 5000 miles a year in it ( 3,500 miles during 2020 ) so my contribution to pollution is vastly lower than someone who does 20,000 a year. I'm retired and live in a rural area and there is no way possible that I can afford the initial cost to buy even the cheapest EV, this is why I drive around in a 20 year old vehicle, I do not have a choice. I would like to help with pollution and buy an electric vehicle but only the financially well off can do it. My camper van is also very convenient , if I'm doing DIY I can get a 8x4 sheet of plywood in it, or 30 stone slabs for patio and if my bladder fails me when I'm on my way to the supermarket I can have a pee in my onboard toilet. .....You can't do any if that in a Prius. 🤣 I sometimes use my bicycle to go to the shops for small items which is also helping to reduce driving milage. I don't think I will live long enough to see electric vehicles come down to affordable prices, so Im stuck with what I have and I will have to take the extortionate Vehicle excise duty and fuel duty on the chin as the government tries to price petrol and diesel vehicles off the road.
@@pedalman130 Good to see you are trying to lessen your pollution output. I just get tired of people people talking about their fossil fuel cars after 140 years of development and infrastructure built societies. Yes EV's are expensive but imagine 20 years of real development which would have happened had Pollution Fuel bought Politicians hadn't killed it off. Right now there are EV trucks that can do everything you need plus power a home for a few days in a blackout. Again expensive but with a Tsunami of Cheap Indian and Chinese Cars/Buses/Trucks etc already being built it will be less than 5 years when they will be available to the market. China is the biggest Car Market and already 20% of all Vehicles sold are EV's. When you tell a Transport Company there running costs will be 70% less they will buy the EV. Same with passenger vehicles.
@@keithwilson1554 Yes I am very aware of the environment and I try my best to cut down on burning fuel in my vehicle and heating oil ( No mains gas where I live) I try also to have just one trip into the city in my camper van ( 40 mile round trip) and I organise myself to get everything I need in that one journey. I have been a cyclist since I was 18 yrs old so I can still pedal the 15 miles round trip to the closest small shops if I only need a few items. The thing that gets me is I still pay £260 tax the to the DVLA every year , I think vehicle excise duty should be reduced if you do low milage like I do, even though my vehicle is more polluting according to the Co2 but I am less polluting overall because I do less than 5000 miles a year. They could easily see the yearly mileage from the MOT . As I said earlier, I don't think I will live long enough to see affordable EVs , if as yo said it takes 20 years of development I'll be 85 years old by then .....if I'm not already pushing the daisies up ! 😁⚰️ My life long dream has been to be off grid with solar panels and a wind turbine but sadly I have never had the funds to do it . 😫
As a Vw mechanic for 31 years, I found that vw’s built 1998 onwards started a decline in build quality. It was clear to see by the amount of warranty work we did on the 3b passats and 1j golfs. Now sadly I just see the brand as junk.
No he doesn't, they're crap and you know it, too many issues, so bloody far to go, if they even ever get there! Charge time, Range, Safety issues, Longevity issues, Unreliability, Cost of Cells to name but a few, the list goes on, suppose you just do the shopping or School run?
I thought exactly the same :) Firstly the notion of leaving for a day's work without a full charge is madness, particularly in winter. Also, why on earth was the van not set to 'climatize' at the time of your departure? That's one of the best things about EVs in my opinion - every winter's morning I hop into a toasty warm car and literally never scrape the windscreen. Another thing that drove me mad was the window issue - pretty obvious that the window was so iced up it was triggering the "trapped finger auto reverse" mode. Don't get me wrong I don't think this is a great EV (far from it, you're dead right about conversions vs. purpose built EVs) but there are some simple things you can do to make this thing work very well for you. Do another follow up on the van in the summer when you've worked out the kinks!
@@keithcoltron3171 Another person that doesn't know what they're talking about! I've owned my fully EV car for 7 years. I use it for my business, determined that the range was perfectly adequate when I bought it and have been proved correct. It has done 80,000 miles, never missed a beat in that time, still maintains good range, and has saved me approximately £10,000 in fuel, tax, and service costs. I've just traded it in for a new one and received an allowance of another £10,000. Given that the car cost £18,000 when new I've effectively made money! Recharging was almost always done at home, occasionally being overnight, and I'm certain I spent less time than others have when standing around with a hose in their tank waiting for it to fill, followed by the tedious trek to the till and waiting behind the other clowns paying for their fuel, ciggies, and papers, etc. Weigh up your use carefully, pick the right vehicle, and they leave ICE cars for dead. I'd never go back as they're like something from the stone age!
Totally agree, how you can spend 50K without doing any research on what you are buying and then not know how it actually works is totally stunning, how did he even become a sparks ??? can only imagine his youtube subs pay for such massive errors.
As a kitchen fitter I get that kitchen fitters have a bad rep but I’ve seen lots of bad electrical work done by electricians too. The worst one was an electrician rushing and then wanting to be good to the customers and flicking the power back on for the night. Problem was he hadn’t checked and there were 2 unmade ends that were livened up for me or an enthusiastic cleaning customer to kill themselves on. My recommendation to you is not generalise!!! I was once told it’s the easiest thing in the world to pull someone’s work apart.
Personally it's a pet hate of mine, I see a lot of local electricians now doing CCTV/Security installs and often using awful products/brands. By all means subcontract if you want to be a generalist.
As we all know, there are good and bad in all trades. But like you say, everyone is very happy to slate poor work and rarely does the good work get credit. We should all be a bit more kind.
I like the vibe you all have in your company, the Electric Van seems (at this time of year) like a complete pain, it’s bad enough doing first fix in a empty new house in the cold without the van your going home in being freezing bloody cold…
NEVER use your wipers before you have scraped or defrosted the screen. Massacres the rubber and, if frozen can even rip the rubbers off the blades. Same problem with window, ice friction load on rubbers causes overload protection to trigger.
Here's a thought, what happens in a cold country and you get stuck in snow? The heater drains the battery really quickly and then you die of hyperthermia. In an internal combustion engine you run the engine sporadically to keep warm.
electric cars can run for days with any decent amount of charge (which id assume you had because you charged over night). using heated seats burns a lot less electric than running the whole vehicle heater.
When I was an Electrician a fault finding course was included in my courses which I had to pass to get my diploma as part of my electrical course work ....I would love to have seen this guy doing a fault finding course on mains electrics when a van has him stumped....I tend to agree with Hugo below
Hey, tip from a Norwegian here. Preheat the car while its charging on your house, there's probably an app for it or perhaps a setting on the controller unit. It should heat up in like 5 minutes honestly. We have a few Toyota Proaces in our elecrical firm and its -10 -20 regularly here and it works well, though the range is about double of the VW, might be different versions for nordic countries though, not sure.
For removing screw caps I find duct tape often works better than blu tac, especially if you place it over the cap then pull both ends of the tape at a 90 degree angle from the accessory at the same time so the cap is being pulled straight out rather than at an angle. As an added bonus you can then leave them stuck to the tape so they don't get lost.
With these electric vehicles it seems like you're taking 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. The terrible range for a work vehicle is a problem for me. My old diesel has a range of 700 miles (and the heater is brilliant)
In some respects, I'm not surprised, you've invested in Volkswagen's FIRST electric van. It's expensive, poor on range (WLTP 82 Miles!), poor on payload. Vauxhall Vivaro-e, Peugeot e-Expert or Citroen e-Dispatch all exceed this van in every respect, all over 200 Miles. Either you didn't do your research or the salesman really exaggerated this being suitable for you.
It’s not even really VWs EV is it? It’s a new VW van that a third-party company has shoehorned EV gear into, hence the pathetic range because there isn’t room for a decent battery. It’s a status symbol more than anything else - a ‘posh’ VW van and the bragging rights of it being electric.
My 50kWh Vivaro-e has a max of 140 miles fully charge. After 6 months it has dropped to 124 miles fully charged. I guess it’s adjusted to my driving style?? This is plenty enough for me most days. I charge every day for 5p per kWh. Looked at the VW as I love VWs, too expensive and range was too low.
@@Vedmore71 didnt drop to 124 after 6 months. just happens that after 6 months is winter, and batteries have less capacity in freezing conditions. the chances are that your battery is still 99-100% of its original capacity and the same range as new next summer.
I've got a VW Passat GTE (hybrid), the batterylife in sub-zero conditions is dreadful. What does help is being able to tell the car to heat up on schedule or on demand through the VW 'We Connect' app. Haven't had to scrape the windows even once this year.
I was Volkswagen through and through, I still have a T6 but just sold my 2 year old caddy which was plagued with emission problems from day 1, I now have a high spec Transit Custom for half of what you paid for the electric T6. VW’s are getting too expensive and no better than the rest unfortunately
After owning a 2014 Amarok and a 2015 Caddy from new. both at 10,000 miles had emission system breakdowns. Both were binned. My stepson currently drives a 2018 Transporter that had emission problems at 11,000. miles. I now drive a 2016 Discovery No emission problems at 25K.
Mate come on. You’ve had a Tesla for how long and you don’t seem to know the basics of preconditioning? You’re an EV charging specialist and you don’t check that your new work vehicle has 32A charging? Cmon.
@@nw5835 To be fair, he fits these chargers for customers so he should know the product. Who spends 55 grand without doing proper research or reading the FM?
@@ArcanePath360 this is something else he should know about.but he's not told anyone. " All new chargepoints must have a data connection, with the ability to measure, record and transmit usage (in minutes and as units of energy) and delay charging or slow it down during periods where grid demand is highest. Manufacturers will also have to provide a user interface for drivers, such as an app, to set parameters. If this sounds familiar, it’s because OZEV’s home and workplace charging schemes already require similar functionality[7, 8]. However, the new regulations mandate finer control of energy flow and charging times and apply to all new chargepoints. This includes the growing share of units being installed without the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme which, from April 2022 will no longer be available for single-occupant properties such as houses and bungalows[9]."
@@barryclarke3010 Thanks for the info. I just love government interference in our lives. They really know how to look after us don't they? This whole drive (pardon the pun) to electric in 10 years makes no sense, since it will cause more problems than it solves. Don't be fooled for a minute that it's about "the environment".
@@ArcanePath360 my reply to you was removed because I mentioned cc being the cause or one of of these ridiculous environmental rules, I agree with you.
The long storage drawers on this vehicle are all very well As long as there are no obstructions at the side of the vehicle or somebody parks too close at the rear😳
The VW van does seem to be a letdown. I have just brought the Peugeot E expert 75kw. Really happy with it. Getting 160 to 170 miles on a charge in this cold weather. I sit on the motorway at 60. I can turn climate on from the app so the van is nice and warm when I get in. I love the van. I was a transporter man for years then when transit custom which was good and nearly half the price of the equivalent VW. I have had electric cars for about 10 years now but the Peugeot is the 1st van i have thought to be fit for the job. Keep us updated on how things work out. Good luck 👍
had 3 VW multivans in company, all of them had engine and DSG swap by 100k miles ... I will rather live with some small issues Ford or Citroen/Peugeot have. Generally you only avoid brand services, use quality local services and you have no issues, also they have 5 years of warranty instead of VW 2 ...
@@markreed9853 Hi Mark I charging at home what would have cost £100 of diesel in the transit is costing me about £30. This doesn’t take into account rises in energy yet but diesel is going up to. I pay 15p per KW to charge the van at home at the moment. I brought an ex demo with 2000 miles for 31K so good deals are out there. Sold my transit for 21k.
@UnjustifiedRecs the E expert is limited to 80 mph. Driving above 60 does have a big impact on range. You can drive them like a diesel, although if you drove a diesel at 60 as opposed to 80 you would see about 20% increase in efficiency. I think the VW is limited to 60 because the range is so bad, at 80 you would probably kill it in 40 miles.
So, the window keeps going down because it's feeling a resistance from the extra thickness and roughness of the ice and there's a sensor in the window that prevents people's body parts of objects from getting stuck in the window as it raises. Obviously. The button you thought was a windscreen deicer is in fact a rear demister. Do not use boiling or even hot water on your windows. Lukewarm water is warm enough to melt the frost instantly. I cannot believe you are a tradesman and an electrician. I thought you lot were supposed to be the 'smart' ones. The van is part of your job and your toolkit. You should have a fucking ice scraper. You should also know what the symbols in your car mean. If you do not you should consult the user manual. It is not VW's fault you cannot read symbols that have been ubiquitous for decades and were so during your driving test. It is people like you who are forcing companies to treat us like idiots. Honestly, if you just had a de-icer or improvised with a CD case or something you wouldn't have slagged off the van, wouldn't have been late and wouldn't be irritated (neither would I).
I’m from a place where we have way rougher winter weather than the UK and our cars look like igloos for several months every year. The thin layer of frost on the van windows is nothing that should bother the window motor one bit. The way the glass tilts back and forward when he messes with it makes me think there’s something wrong with the lift mechanism. I would have the dealer look at it.
Hot water out of the tap, NOT OUT OF THE KETTLE, poured GENTLY and evenly across the windscreen, is a quick and excellent defroster. 2 x 2l milk bottles does a whole car, including wing mirrors- v impt!
In the meantime every trade still owning a Diesel has defrosted their vans, picked up a Costa and are well into their first job of the day. In an Artisan Top Gear style challenge, Jordan would be James May!.
And if he'd read the owners manual beforehand he would've been away too. How can you not know how to operate your vehicle, let alone not know what specs it has. My EV is defrosted & ready to go on minutes & hot & toasty. I start it up turn everything on & wait insude job done takes less time than warming a diesel up. Oh & having owned big diesel vehicles outside of having something with quick clear windscreens I've been sat in a cold diesel for many miles before its gotten warm enough to stop shivering vs the instant heat I get in an EV. Nothing to do with EV vs ICE here it's down to user error & not understanding your vehicle
And every EV owner would have started the pre-warming 30 minutes before leaving the house to get into a fully warmed and defrosted vehicle, something wrong with Van settings!
@@norfolkngood8960 it's 2022 you shouldn't have to read a manual to work out how to unplug the vehicle and turn on a heated windscreen. Should be easy enough to find. Plus 64 mile range is just pathetic Hydrogen will be the way forward for commercial vehicles I think since EV vans have poor range and EVs in general struggle towing.
@@cameronmurray3039 hahaha ha hahahaha that's hilarious you're more likely to not need a manual for a 1980s car than a 2022 car so that's a stupid comment Also I wasn't just referring to the windscreen nor the cable release but how about the fact he couldn't even drive off. Its a complicated machine & like all complicated machines you should be 100% competent operating it & if that means reading the manual the do it. If you weren't meant to read the manual they wouldn't provide one ffs. As for releasing the cable it was still charging so if course there was going to be a method to release it, my car it's press the unlock button again to withdraw the locking pin. The reason this was a mess was rush to use something without the requisite care. Put it like this a pilot can fly a plane but if they get into a new plane they have to qualify with it first despite all that training & knowledge, OK an ott example but it makes the point. As for complicated don't rant at me about it go moan to VW & people that buy it without testing first & don't read the manual beforehand because I couldn't care less. Far too few people read the manual on their car
This assement of the van matches quite well with my latest experience of the new vw golf, the software is shoddy and the car is not predictable. it slams on the brakes on motorways for no good reason, it swerves into parked cars, and the parking sensors register constant false positives. and the list goes on, vw have truly given up on making drivable vehicles and you should avoid.
For this very reason I've just bought a 2020 mark 7.5 golf that works instead of a mark 8. It seems something has gone really horribly wrong for VWs software department. Like someone designed it that didn't drive and whoever thought haptic feedback buttons were a good idea clearly didn't think. I have haptic buttons on my wireless earphones. They do whatever they want randomly without me touching them! If a spec of water touches them or they come into contact with a hair the Google assistant is activated or they power off.
@@Fearnstein the E Golf is based on the mark 7.5 which is what I've got. The infotainment and haptic controls were introduced on the mark 8. The 7.5 is a great car. Well built and easy to use.
You may have already seen this. Get hold of a large sized heavy duty zip-up type freezer bag. Fill with warm water and lay it on the frozen windscreen. Move bag to a new area and scrape off melted ice. Repeat as necessary. Change water in bag when too cold to be effective.
Had the “cable disconnect “ problem on my E-Nero the first time I charged. Just could not release the cable and ended up ringing the dealer! The solution was so simple - you have to press the unlock button twice! Might be the same on your VW. Worth a try.
That's the same newbie mistake I made on my first attempt! Luckily there was a helpful Zoe who helped get an answer. Now I remember that 15 second rule. Probably why the AC charge intake suddenly drops down to 0.5kW
Seeing you melt the ice off the windows with a kettle reminded me of the story about a Ferrari rental service where they had an issue unlocking the car. Turns out the lock shrunk due to the freezing cold of Atlanta, Georgia and the only way to fix it was to poor water down the side of the window so the lock would expand back to it's normal size.
EVs, we used them in the steel works 40 years ago, fork lift and store vehicles. We noticed that in the winter the battery life was almost half, these were big lead acid batteries. But I guess battery technology hasn't moved on much in over 100 years.
Batteries have improved but they still have the same problems with weight and charging. fast charging still destroys them faster, in eight years time that £50,000 van will be worthless if the old battery is down to 60% capacity and a new battery pack costs £10,000.
Wrong. The technology is now light years ahead. Unfortunately any type of batttery is governed by the laws of physics and chemistry which say that the chemical reactions involved run more slowly at lower temperatures.
You should be able to set the van to heat up an hour before you get up in a morning... so you can set the heaters to come on at 3am or 4am while it is still plugged in and if its before 5 degrees giving it enough time to defrost.... but I guess they have dodged all that by just throwing a motor and battery in a diesel van shell.... easier, cheaper development and charge a fortune to the customer...
Problem is there are many situations where you won't be plugged in first thing in a morning, you should still have the option to use some sort of fast heating/defrosting. Also doesn't excuse how ropey it seems every other feature is on this van, really not ideal given how many other tradespeople will likely see this video!
@@alexthewheelers there is its called Electric fan heater on extention lead to keep van warm and defrosted atleast with a Diesel van start hater defrosts and warms Interior then has upto 600mile range things Electric van owners can only Dream of 😉
Defrosting your window doesn't need boiling hot water. You can fill a small plastic bag with warm tapwater and slide it over the windscreen in strokes from top to bottom. Safer than throwing hot water on but still much faster than just a scraper.
We are still about at least 10 years from 1.having the technology for electric vans doing what we want i.e mileage fully loaded. 2.infrastructure i.e charging for all. 3. Affordability
3 years at the max. Rivian already has Amazon vans on the road. Once tesla decides to dip their toes in the commercial vehicle sector, most of the problems will disappear
@@tommymack3210 For Vans yes i think hydrogen is the way forward electric ok for tootling around down or school run , but the reality is we just will not have the infostructure
Rubbish. My Peugeot e-expert is fantastic and I’d never go back to a diesel. I’ve got the smaller battery and it’ll happily do 100 miles in cold weather.
My wife had VW once. Her problem was it wouldn't stop driving. The fuel injection system stuck wide open. She had stomp on the brake until she felt it was safe to turn off the ignition on the highway and let it coast to a stop on an exit ramp. She opened the hood and jiggled the throttle cable to get it unstuck. Then limped it to a dealer. Where they charged $900 to replace it (The car only cost $9000 new, late 80's). We knew of other coworkers with VW's that had the same problem. The icing on the cake was seeing an ad for a police show with a run-away car. It was the same model of VW.
Hot water could be bad news for the windscreen... Water straight out of the cold tap has always worked fine here, especially if it is the last thing you do before driving off!
@@davesimms5397 Depends on how warm it is, & how cold the windscreen / windows are. If there is too big a difference, that creates the thermal shock that cracks the glass... It is better to use two kettle fulls of cold tap water than one from the hot tap... Replacing a windscreen is an expensive job that takes a while even if it is covered by the insurance company! Have used water from the cold tap down to about -6C here, though when really ... cool, better to get moving as quickly as you can having flushed the ice away... When really cool it has taken a few runs to the house to fill the kettle (& jug or saucepan) up again!
I've always used hot tap water with a little bit if cold water added to take the temp down a bit. Not yet cracked a screen but do wonder if it weakens the glass. My last car suffered terrible glass scratches fro the times I had to scrape the ice off.
Cold water de-ices the windscreen just fine in my experiences. And -2 is not all that unusual in Australia during winter in Victoria or Tassie or many other country areas.
My highline used to do that. Its the trap sensor. Thinks someone is stuck in your window lol. It also has a heated windscreen and front seats lol. Until they can consistently clear 150 miles loaded impractical for us. Nice van tho!
I just started driving an e-208 and it's great, even though it's really cold here in Germany right now. Pre-heating via app, no problems with ice. Range reduced a bit, but not too terrible. Charging plug unlocks for 30 seconds when the car is unlocked. If it's already unlocked, you need to lock it first to unlock again, that may be somewhat inconvenient at times. Has automatic parking brake, easy to use. Pressing start button without pushing the brakes turns on the heating/ac and infotainment, but does not put the car into drive ready mode. This requires pushing the brakes while pressing start. On a wallbox the van should be able to Charge faster. The e-208 has a 3-phase 16A onboard charge that can do 11kW at 240V. 3.6 kW sounds like only 1-phase 16A. Maybe your van has a 32A 1-ph charger for 7.4kW and your wallbox is 16A 3-ph for 11kW. In that case the car only gets 16A 1-ph 3.6kW, because it's not the right wallbox for this car.
The Transporter supports 7.2KW charging, when set up correctly, I suspect reading the book would have solved those issues. 82 mile range though ... that's pretty poor. I'm really surprised they didn't opt for a larger battery and 3 phase charging support, but that extra battery weight has to be offsett from the payload capacity I guess.
I just dunno why you'd buy one with such a crappy range. The vivaro elife people mover variant I looked at still had more than that. Those electric purpose built ups trucks do waaaaay better & they're British designed & built
Should have had a demonstration of how to use the vehicle or read the manual, mind you probably best to wait a couple of years before buying, new vehicles will probably have better batteries you then.
Fellow electrician in Canada. Love the idea of an electric van as my gas consumption would cover the payment on a new van. But here it gets pretty cold and it’s seems like even if the batteries weren’t affected by the cold - the original estimated range still wouldn’t suffice as a full time work truck. Think battery technology still needs work before it will be convenient. Also my thought is that there should be stations that swap out modular batteries on vehicles instead of charging them. That way the batteries are in constant service and you don’t physically own a battery but are more or less renting one.
The problem you have with vans is you could add more batteries BUT that would limit the load-carrying capacity more than in a car and add extra costs - also Tesla tried battery swaps but it just adds more costs with extra batteries needed and another point of failure in the vehicle and now with more rapid chargers for most its not an issue especially with home charging as well. I know a guy from Calgary that runs 3 electric vehicles in the house and it works for him and his family though 2 are Tesla's. At the end of the day its about buying the right vehicle for YOUR needs and this VW van is not the best on the market for this electricians use case with others easily achieving well over 100 miles of range in winter.
Battery swap stations and renting/leasing the battery is the approach Chinese EV maker Nio have adopted, they have over 700 swap stations and recently passed 2M swaps. So many city dwellers in China have no home charging options (nearly all live in flats). Their battery swap is done in under 3 minutes! No vans yet though.
I have a Nissan EV 200 we’ve had it for about 12 months 40 kW battery we haven’t had frost problem we put it on pre-heat in the morning get to the van it’s toasty warm it’s fully charged we doing about 14,000 miles a year in Lancashire which is a lot colder than where you are
We use ENV200 vans and they are just about viable for the work we do (high voltage substation craftsman) On the motorway we can get about 90 miles with the 40kwh battery. Only issue is that with the racking and tools its very easy to overload it past its max vehicle weight. The 15 minute morning preheat is a godsend on days where its frosty outside. Get into a nice toasty van.
To be fair 40kw works fine in London but all the sites I'm based at have 7kw chargers. I'm charging the van at work everyday. On journeys where I can avoid the motorways the van is fine but sitting at 60-70mph destroys the range.
On an average day I drive about 150 miles in my Renault trafic. My days are so full on if I'm lucky I might find time to grab a sandwich then eat it while I'm driving to my next customer. I usually fill up on my way home, there's no way I could ever factor enough time into my day to charge an electric van once let alone twice or even 3 times. The fact is that electric vans are stupid and are completely unusable for 99% of businesses that use a van.
To de-fog the windscreen turn the A/C on, using the heater only makes it worse. Scrap the van altogether, battery powered vans aren't up to being use commercially. Thomas Nagy said something about them being rubbish when he was picking his van up from being racked out. He spotted one in the car park and spoke to the driver about the range and was told it was rubbish when loaded out for work. Happy New Year from Australia
Jordan Minus 2 is not cold. Heat pump manufacturers will tell you there is plenty of heat at minus 2. Have a look at the videos of Wim Hoff, it is all in your mind apprently.
Skill Builder, that illustrates the reality that heat is relative to who or what is being affected. Scientifically you need to get to minus 273 degrees K before there is no heat.
I have used a boling kettle for years but slow drip the hot water dont chuck tons on or you might crack the wind screen... I have been doing it for 30 years never had a problem....Leave wipers on..dont splash your self.
In Scandinavia lots of people take their EV back to the shops they can’t withstand cold harsh climate,battery die too quick. The media and production companies just dont say those things
Sorry, but that's nonsense. How do i know? I live in central Norway, drive an EV and know many many people also driving EVs. I have yet to hear of a person returning their car because it "couldn't withstand the cold harsh climate". Quite the opposite actually - consumption is for sure higher, but immediate heat from the HVAC and great traction control make up for it.
It's the same with Lithium batteries they try to sell you as a replacement for motorcycles. They claim that they are a fraction of the weight, but mention nothing about how they completely die in cold weather. Very annoying that they don't care about their customers getting stranded.
@@15bit62 Theres been numerous videos about people leaving their cars next to highway roads and or parking them to keep heat inside it going. The whole returning cars thing is probably overblown but there sure as hell is alot of people who are dissapointed by the whole range reduction and all that.
Tip from Australia: You know you need to park your vehicle under cover on frosty nights, right? You don't need to change countries, just live where you have the space for a carport.
You can set the van to defrost at a specified time whilst plugged in. The range on the bigger vans is a major issue at the moment. I have a Renault kangoo for work and gives 100 miles to a charge and has a diesel heater for the cold days. The only fault it can only charge at a max of 7.5kwh
@@hybrid9mm Yes, it is considered good practice to preheat the vehicle while plugged in to reduce battery drain since it uses more energy to heat up the vehicle than it does to keep it at a temperature.
it's normal you can't remove the cable by pressing the button. The cable is locked even after the end of the charge until you unlock it with the keys. It's to avoid people stealing your cable :)
-2°C isn't even that cold really, considering where these electric pieces of poop are being sold. Can reach -40°C here sometimes... (humidity and wind can make -2 feel worse than -40 at times for us humans though) btw, just a bit of a push-push with the windshield washer fluid would clear up the frost from your windscreen right quick...
Keep the A/C on as this will dehumidify the cabin air which will stop the windows from fogging up. This will work at normal cabin temperatures and the A/C will use less power compared to the HI heat setting. Remember A/C will dehumidify the air and can be used with heat but using heat with no A/C will evaporate the moisture from the air but will use much more energy due to the higher temperatures needed. Turning the A/C on will SAVE you energy and give you a clearer view of the road.
@@Lewdacris916 That's good at start up as the mode will provide max fan speed and max temp at the windscreen with A/C active. But after the defrost is complete the climate settings will revert to the previous settings, so if the A/C was off the fresh air coming in while driving will cause fogging as heated air hits the colder interior glass. In the video the fogging started mid drive but if the A/C was on the air inside should always remain dry. Best to always leave the A/C on in all seasons.
The wife's Ioniq can be set to warm up and defrost before you come out to it in the morning. A pre-heating cycle when it's on charge. This guy should read his manual.
To clear frozen windscreen 1. Use Lukewarm water only, when you hand in you neither feel it cold or hot. 2. Do not use very hot water or boiling water as risk of cracking. 3. Do not use cold water as it will freeze immediately. 4. Start at top of windscreen or window and pour downwards towards wipers. 5. Immediately wipe away with autoglym flexi water blade if you have one. 6. Avoid using wipers unless absolutely necessary and make sure they have been soaked in with the lukewarm water. Works for me Ps, for frozen doors pour in between the gaps starting from top of the door.
Thanks for sharing this information about this farcical disgrace of a van. It’s seems more like a con by VW. Hopefully many people will now be made aware of how rubbish the range is not to mention the other shortcomings etc. Thanks for posting this up.
The VW Transporter is great van, only the diesel one, as I've driven one at work, also as an electrician and one tank gets 500 plus miles range, drove from mid Cheshire to Newcastle and back and still had just under half a tank of fuel left. The EV one is a joke...
Hot tap water is 55 to 70 Deg. If you pour it on roof first and let it cascade down onto windscreen you will never do it any harm. That's how I have been doing it for years with chips in my windscreen and no cracks at all.
Me too, that's exactly what I used to do. Water from the hot tap pouring it over the roof first just to take the edge off of it, then move down and pour the remainder directly over the screen.
I'm just a DIY'er and I also hate finding when previous electricians have twisted the cpc's together. whenever I find it I also pull it out and sleeve each one individually
Surely when you are spending 50k on a van you want it all singing and dancing. How can you payout so much and not even know what spec it has? With people reviewing every product known to man, why would you want to buy the first generation of electric van? I have yet to see anyone get the expected range out of any vehicles let alone an electric van that you are going to carry a load in most of the time. Stick with diesel or get used to loosing customers because you get a reputation for turning up late. Unbelievable.
Very disappointing to see him taking chances with a misted windscreen, morning and evening, because he didn't want to drain the battery. Very poor judgement, are his poor judgments only related to driving or is it poor in other regards, what about his judgements about his work???
You're just slightly below freezing. Use the windshield washers to melt the frost off the windshield. Assuming you have washer fluid in it instead of just water, the fluid will lower the melting point of the frost.
Ford supply vans that behave like vans, VW supply vans that pretend to be luxury vehicles and lose focus on what they are actually supposed to be doing. Bought by people who are too snobby to buy Ford.
Hi, have you checked the charging settings, as all VW's are set to 10 amps from the factory. Had quite a few customers having the same problem with the chargers we installed, but bit was the car holding back. Adjusted the car to 32amps and happy customers. Good videos are always keep it up.
In germany people have scrappers. They also cover the window. Also the window not closing is to stop trapping peoples fingers. The ice is casusing too much resistance.
I'm surprised by a couple of things regarding clearing the ice. How does the heater not get to heat immediately as it doesn't have to rely on engine temperature? How come a spark doesn't have an extension lead and a fan heater?
Not a good add for you you come off looking like you lack a bit in the iq department would not encourage me to hire you maybe you should not put just anything up
Fifth Gear did a test of that van against the equivalent Mercedes this week and didn't like either. It was on the channel "Quest" this week, so you should be able to see it on catch up.
Should've bought the vivaro-e much better range, think the smaller battery is about 144 miles. Unfortunately for sparkies it's all about image and not practicality
I'm a big fan of EV's and Vans and from my research i have to say its not worth buying into an Electric van for another 2 or 3 years. All the design and technology has been going into cars and vans are years behind. Well done for giving it a go though.
@@TheRealMrLaserCutter nice, the Stellantis group mid sized vans are probably the best out there right now but I'd still wait a few more years before i bought one as it would be for personal use. Van technology is changing alot now even VW and Ford are making a van together next year!
And the government are telling us that in 10 years we HAVE to have these inferior things that cost the price of half a house. As well as heat pumps which are also useless in winter. Thanks Boris!
According to research it could even be as little as 5 years time. Green zones are being set up in cities and towns making it costly and therefore impossible to run our ICE vehicles. This is absolutely disgraceful how this cons-servative government can just render our cars useless and therefore worthless. It's all project fear and they are clearly not on our side.
@@levelcrossing150 It's no different to how they tax us with inflation, which is another form of stealth tax. We are also taxed on the tax we pay every time we buy petrol. The petrol is mostly tax, as petrol without government is very cheap, and then on top of this, look at the reciept; you pay VAT on top of that, so are paying tax on tax, after you've already paid income tax and vehicle tax. CONservative is right. Keep the poor poor and the rich rich.
To be fair that van is an awful example of an EV. There’s good ones already out there - Mercedes makes a couple of vans with 200 miles + and a top speed of 160km/h. There are even longer range ones coming. It depends on your use case. If your regular day consists of less than 100 miles then that’s a great solution. With one proviso - you need to be able to charge at home.
@@lioncrunch yes but with the cost of electricity 1kw is ok ..but 8 hours a day a bit different But 4kw isn't going to heat 2 large classrooms .. Then considering it's a school ,I would assume possibly 100kw is needed .. Saying a ratio of 4 to 1 .. That's 25 kw's PER HOUR at full power ...it stops being that cost effective when you look at it realistically ... And a 4 to 1 ratio is possibly it's best ... The ratio drops the colder it gets
Lived in Chicago. Defrosting fast in a pinch: A quart of cold water-not hot or even room temp-mixed with a tablespoon or so of table salt. Pour that along the top of windshield and then smear/rub with a clean rag* Get on the way. Use the wipers to get the water off. Get a scraper, because you don’t want to do this often. *Not an oily rag-even a little oil-like friend did once. There was a smidgeon, a spot, of grease on his rag. What a mess.
How can an electrician be this daft with an electric vehicle.... The David Brent comparison above is quite fitting - I'm laughing, cause otherwise I'd cry
Boiling water might crack screen , warm tap water is fine . You can not TOW an electric vehicle will damage the motors , it has be on a trailer . Chris
standard that isnt it. Even my shitty renault kangoo ze has a prewarm function. If i was buying another ev van today id buy the ldv with the huge battery in it.
I used to work in property and this is what proper electricians are like. Null'd cables, and a cross over test. Reconnecting and fixing other issues while they are there. Showing up the usual builder bollo£$ That are not botches but they are not well thought out, builders usual answer, "what you want me to do mate". well done chaps for being decent and honest and doing stuff well. Spotting people who are passionate about their trade. Rare unfortunately.
I think Ford are planning later this year to bring out a transit size electric van with near to 200 miles range, the advice is of course to wait for this.
200 miles is still not enough I regularly do150 miles plus a day , but sometimes your stuck in traffic for hours with heater and lights on no Chance your making it home with out pulling off and charging the thing for a couple of hours There is a reason people are not using these more , the range is still crap ! You can write almost the entire cost of these off against your corporation tax but still the vast majority don’t buy them
Hilarious , its appalling! To be honest it’s better than I thought, I figured 60 miles when loaded.All electrical vehicles suffer in the cold with reduced battery performance. Didn’t you test drive , it’s 50 grand ! 2 electricians and a camera guy doing an EICR and your £100 an hour , hate to think how much cost the homeowner.
1. Pre heat the van using the app 10 mins before you get in(saves you sitting in the cold waiting)
2. Don’t wind down a frozen window as it could damage the motor
3. A lot of EVs don’t let you remove the plug until you unlock the release. Stops ppl unplugging you
4. Always good to know how to use a handbrake
5. Always good to know how long it takes to fully charge
Most of the above is user error, well that’s what’s going on the call out invoice.
Wouldn't be the first time Jordan, vehicles, and user error all came together... I recall last winter he uploaded himself driving off with side windows totally frosted over (couldn't see out of them) and a roof covered in snow, then complaining that the snow which should have been cleared before driving fell in his boot.
Some people shouldn't drive, apparently this van knew it.
Driving with snow on roof is illegal, because it can slump off onto the windscreen,meaning you can't see. There's a high tech solution, called a broom.
It's also illegal to drive with front or side windows frosted or misted up enough you can't see.
As for scrapers, credit card, union card, plastic spreader for filler, any old piece of plastic...
@@RupertReynolds1962 spray de-icer. Large tin 4 quid any autostore.
Mandatory in the UK.
@@RupertReynolds1962 Everything is illegal nowadays except for actual crime. Don't worry about it. Nobody pays attention to the law anymore
@@stephenmurray2851 I wasn't going to mention this, but some years ago a friend of mine was killed by a man-child who didn't take responsibility enough even to wipe his damp windows with a rag.
The driver was given a short jail sentence, but that didn't help the family left behind.
So forgive me if I lower my opinion of you notch or two, eh?
I dunno what’s worse the vehicle’s performance or the fact I just watched a fully grown adult attempt to defrost a windscreen by putting their hands on it
😂😂😂
It was switching the wipers on with a frozen screen that got me. nLost all credibility from that point.
The guy must have a Clubcard in his wallet or something, that'll work as a scraper too, (but only once).
I'm absolutely shocked at this guys approach, I would not hire this guy to do my electrics, has he actually got 18th/19th edition, ? There is no adapt/ to the situation at all regarding the van /ice issue? Shocking !!!
I'm absolutely shocked at this guys approach, I would not hire this guy to do my electrics, has he actually got 18th/19th edition, ? There is no adapt/ to the situation at all? Shocking !!! Where's, the red hair nose and huge black shoes? I would seriously be embarrassed posting this video shocking 😐
Don’t you have credit card?
I honestly find this highly amusing.
I'm an electrical/mechanical engineer, why all these electricians are buying electric vans is completely lost on me.
Yup they should know better.
Why
@@MrKongatthegates
Do you think there sustainable?
Its great marketing for an electrician when you are installing hundreds of ev chargers. They work well enough and are getting better
I actually don't understand why anyone would buy VW Transporter, since it's an aftermarket conversion done by ABT. The range is silly. There is so much better electric alternatives.
I'm taking all the stuff you said about the van with a pinch of salt and hoping the issues you had were dramatised for entertainment, but if not then I have to ask who goes and buys a 55k pound van, kits it out and brands it without knowing a damn thing about it?! 🤷
@N S
I think that's a bit harsh on the muppets
I agree….if I was paying £50k for a vehicle I’d be dissecting the manual and online forums for months before even considering a buy
@@jennyli7749 yh mate that's easy to do when you have a family and 10 employees....
@@radosaw4616 it's not hard to read up on something at all, regardless of having 1 or 100 employee's!
30:30 Driving with the rear doors not fully locked and not knowing despite looking right at it.. suprised it wasn't beeping away at him
I'm amazed that someone in a technical trade found de-icing car windows such a challenge.
Yeah, just lay a sheet of newspaper on it overnight; is that the go? I don't know; no frost or snow ever, where I am !
OK....how bout a normal car has no issue so wtf is this piece of shit? I'm a mechanic and im my windows dont defrost on a NEW car tthen that car is shit. Tesla and Mache E does is no prob....maybe a shit model or DOA heater element parts?
@@jonathangeorgopoulos1097 yeah my Kia Niro EV is already warm inside by the time I am 1km from home in the morning and boiling within a few mins and I live in Canada. This thing is a piece of garbage.
@@michaelwebster6219 I don't drive and I know how to de-ice a windscreen and take the handbrake off.
I could understand if he was in the middle of nowhere but he's outside his house. Go and get something flat out the kitchen? Use a ruler, Use a credit card. To sit in your van and moan for 20 minutes, FML!
Like, I’m the first guy to bash EVs but come on give the poor van a chance...!
Damn, I wouldn't want this guy working on my electrics. In the first 6 minutes alone he has demonstrated lack of knowledge on everyday life and personal safety!
A lot of difference when an electrician deals with AC currents/voltages in homes or businesses (wiring, diagnosing). Dealing with highly complex EV system batteries is completely outside of constant high power AC systems that electricians do. These guys are not electronic engineers. Give them a break.
@@melbro62 i just didn't turn the key to on, it's just dumb
@@MauriceNL1 KEY?
@@melbro62 lol yes. Or did this one have a start button.
The window won't go up because it is struggling against the ice and that's giving enough resistance that the safety system thinks someone may be trapped in it and lowers the window again - as pretty well all cars do. Usually, holding the the switch in the close position for long enough will override the safety system and close the window.
You’d think someone with more than a passing interest in auto electrics would know that
My transporter does this when I hit a big bump while closing the window, you just have to stop using the auto close and close it carefully on "manual"
not its not...
Its because the glass moves in the frame and binds..
you need to move the glass and you can clearly see it moves when he touch's it
Just not the sharpest pencil in the box. I'd be worried if he was my leccy
Yep! Common sense would come to this conclusion
I have no words to use without getting banned from TH-cam, but my gosh how does this guy survive on a daily basis? I can only assume someone is paid to tell this guy how and when to breath in and out!
Have you ever heard of a thing called a kettle with Luke warm water.Absolute Snow Flake!
guy a clown no hope !!
breathe*
Stick to putting 3 wires on an outlet and stay away from electric vehicles. Do yourself a favor and stick with a gas work van.
I don’t think I’d have much faith in your abilities as an electrician after watching you trying to operate a vehicle!
Good at using his van PC as he drives along giving us a presentation on YT.
Ha ha very good
Idiotic comment
Idiotic comment
Wow even in the face of actual evidence of how shit these ev’s are you still live in denial! Wow
Everyone has a windscreen scraper, it's called a credit card.
A bowl of cold water will clear the windscreen almost as well as hot water, so long as you put the wipers on as soon as you've poured it on the windscreen.
I tried using a store discount card, but it only got 10% off.
I broke my card doing that. 😭
@@dynamicd1425 😂😂 you legend!
Exactly! No one does it that way
Do sacrifice one of your promotion cards…
Ice? Windscreen? You don’t own a credit card? Come on man!
Step 1- Read the van's handbook before using it for the first time.
Step 2- Use a fan heater in the vehicle with an extension lead. A quarter hour or so will warm up the van and defrost the windscreen.
Step 3- If steps 1 & 2 are too difficult, send for an electrician.
To MERVYN PARTIN. NEXT thing would be for someone to invent cordless fan heaters, so you can put one in the van - together with A P or whatever, to warm it up before you drive off. Would also be a great idea for warming garden sheds, which of course are not on the mains or your garage!
Battery heating pads are on the market. Install that and charge your electric car earlier. Being cheap and saving electric on a electric is not efficient in the cold months
They do diesel version of the same Van's, as far as I know they work just fine and you can recharge them in about 5 mins virtually anywhere lol.
@@salisburyplain998 rapid charge in about a minute lol. also rapid charge not as fun as saying splash and dash
@Mervyn Partin, if steps 1 & 2 are too difficult, then revert to a diesel or petrol vehicle. Reliability matters when you have to get to work.
Your definitely better suited to the office. What helmet uses the wipers and winds windows down when there's ice on the windows. A kettle as well. You don't treat your tools like that.
I agree I wouldn't trust him to do anything for me if that's his level of Intelligence!
Because there is no other way of clearing the screen with no hot air coming from the cooling system of a combustion engine!
@@petecoventry6858 🤣🤣🤣 totally agree , it makes you wonder and this guy is going into peoples houses and messing around with the electrics 😳
Lacks common sense
@@TheMentalblockrock no after he found button he was fine plus he was still tethered to the charger. Offsetting that loss in battery to create the heat.
Looks to me that the van was having a nightmare with the incompetent behind the wheel than the van being faulty (apart from maybe the driver side window, which wouldn’t be an electric van specific issue)
The window issue is the window thinking the resistance from the ice is a child's finger so it immediately drops back down when it thinks there's an obstruction. The engineers didn't compensate for retarded electricians.
It’s not the drivers fault that the range is bad and takes a long time to charge
@@pgood7266 Right, that one's on the converter's side to not put heating on a battery that sits outdoors in British winter.
Let me get this straight--you can't predict how many hours it takes to charge at 3.6kW, even though you're electricians
🤣🤣🤣 the van probably does it.
Charging batteries is not linear, it is rapid for the first 3/4 or so, then tails off as the battery management has to keep the cells from going over charge.. bit like filling up a glass to the very brim without spilling it: you can pour water in quickly for the first bit, then you have to slow down more and more as you get near the top.
@@--Nath-- When you're fast charging, yes. But the video quoted 3.6kW. That's slow, onky slightly more than a 13A "granny cable" but less than the next step up, a single-phase Type 2 home connection at typically 7kW.
Is it a limit of the van? Whatever, assuming they didn't get their facts wrong, 3.6kW is slow charging already and there would be no need to reduce charging rate until the battery is very close to full.
@@RupertReynolds1962 some battery chemistry makes low temp chargimg a problem.. so that may be why..? If it doesnt have active thermal stuff (like a tesla for instance) then maybe it was low temp cutoff as the issue? But I thought that was more of a "complete stop of charging" type issue..
@Alex Nelson constant, linear, logarithmic, exponential, factorial would *all* qualify as "algorithmic" surely..?
I think I have a solution. What you need is some sort of liquid fuel such as say diesel or petrol, stored in a tank under the floor of the van. Then you would get something like 350 - 450 miles of range and a heater that actually works.
My VW T4 2.5 Tdi does almost 600miles on a full tank of diesel. When its dark and frosty I can use the lights , heated screens, carry more weight and even two passengers and still get 550+ miles without stopping . Sorry to EV owners.
@@pedalman130 And spreads Carcinogenic Pollution all day and contributes to Global Warming.
@@keithwilson1554 My little comment was a tad tongue in cheek, but this video shows good evidence that EVs are not up to some applications. Trades people can't afford two hours down time for charging every day.
Yes my 20 year old diesel camper van which is also my everyday vehicle, ( I don't have a car ) it does contribute to global warming. It is extremely well maintained and I do less than 5000 miles a year in it ( 3,500 miles during 2020 ) so my contribution to pollution is vastly lower than someone who does 20,000 a year.
I'm retired and live in a rural area and there is no way possible that I can afford the initial cost to buy even the cheapest EV, this is why I drive around in a 20 year old vehicle, I do not have a choice. I would like to help with pollution and buy an electric vehicle but only the financially well off can do it.
My camper van is also very convenient , if I'm doing DIY I can get a 8x4 sheet of plywood in it, or 30 stone slabs for patio and if my bladder fails me when I'm on my way to the supermarket I can have a pee in my onboard toilet. .....You can't do any if that in a Prius. 🤣 I sometimes use my bicycle to go to the shops for small items which is also helping to reduce driving milage.
I don't think I will live long enough to see electric vehicles come down to affordable prices, so Im stuck with what I have and I will have to take the extortionate Vehicle excise duty and fuel duty on the chin as the government tries to price petrol and diesel vehicles off the road.
@@pedalman130 Good to see you are trying to lessen your pollution output. I just get tired of people people talking about their fossil fuel cars after 140 years of development and infrastructure built societies. Yes EV's are expensive but imagine 20 years of real development which would have happened had Pollution Fuel bought Politicians hadn't killed it off. Right now there are EV trucks that can do everything you need plus power a home for a few days in a blackout. Again expensive but with a Tsunami of Cheap Indian and Chinese Cars/Buses/Trucks etc already being built it will be less than 5 years when they will be available to the market. China is the biggest Car Market and already 20% of all Vehicles sold are EV's. When you tell a Transport Company there running costs will be 70% less they will buy the EV. Same with passenger vehicles.
@@keithwilson1554 Yes I am very aware of the environment and I try my best to cut down on burning fuel in my vehicle and heating oil ( No mains gas where I live) I try also to have just one trip into the city in my camper van ( 40 mile round trip) and I organise myself to get everything I need in that one journey.
I have been a cyclist since I was 18 yrs old so I can still pedal the 15 miles round trip to the closest small shops if I only need a few items.
The thing that gets me is I still pay £260 tax the to the DVLA every year , I think vehicle excise duty should be reduced if you do low milage like I do, even though my vehicle is more polluting according to the Co2 but I am less polluting overall because I do less than 5000 miles a year. They could easily see the yearly mileage from the MOT .
As I said earlier, I don't think I will live long enough to see affordable EVs , if as yo said it takes 20 years of development I'll be 85 years old by then .....if I'm not already pushing the daisies up ! 😁⚰️
My life long dream has been to be off grid with solar panels and a wind turbine but sadly I have never had the funds to do it . 😫
As a Vw mechanic for 31 years, I found that vw’s built 1998 onwards started a decline in build quality. It was clear to see by the amount of warranty work we did on the 3b passats and 1j golfs. Now sadly I just see the brand as junk.
Sounds like Boeing😮
For someone that makes such a big thing about charging points, you demonstrate an astonishing lack of knowledge or sense when it comes to EVs!
No he doesn't, they're crap and you know it, too many issues, so bloody far to go, if they even ever get there! Charge time, Range, Safety issues, Longevity issues, Unreliability, Cost of Cells to name but a few, the list goes on, suppose you just do the shopping or School run?
I thought exactly the same :) Firstly the notion of leaving for a day's work without a full charge is madness, particularly in winter. Also, why on earth was the van not set to 'climatize' at the time of your departure? That's one of the best things about EVs in my opinion - every winter's morning I hop into a toasty warm car and literally never scrape the windscreen. Another thing that drove me mad was the window issue - pretty obvious that the window was so iced up it was triggering the "trapped finger auto reverse" mode. Don't get me wrong I don't think this is a great EV (far from it, you're dead right about conversions vs. purpose built EVs) but there are some simple things you can do to make this thing work very well for you. Do another follow up on the van in the summer when you've worked out the kinks!
@@keithcoltron3171 Another person that doesn't know what they're talking about!
I've owned my fully EV car for 7 years. I use it for my business, determined that the range was perfectly adequate when I bought it and have been proved correct. It has done 80,000 miles, never missed a beat in that time, still maintains good range, and has saved me approximately £10,000 in fuel, tax, and service costs. I've just traded it in for a new one and received an allowance of another £10,000. Given that the car cost £18,000 when new I've effectively made money!
Recharging was almost always done at home, occasionally being overnight, and I'm certain I spent less time than others have when standing around with a hose in their tank waiting for it to fill, followed by the tedious trek to the till and waiting behind the other clowns paying for their fuel, ciggies, and papers, etc.
Weigh up your use carefully, pick the right vehicle, and they leave ICE cars for dead. I'd never go back as they're like something from the stone age!
Totally agree, how you can spend 50K without doing any research on what you are buying and then not know how it actually works is totally stunning, how did he even become a sparks ??? can only imagine his youtube subs pay for such massive errors.
@@kravdraa7 How about you do a video showing us how clever you are and how it's done?
As a kitchen fitter I get that kitchen fitters have a bad rep but I’ve seen lots of bad electrical work done by electricians too.
The worst one was an electrician rushing and then wanting to be good to the customers and flicking the power back on for the night. Problem was he hadn’t checked and there were 2 unmade ends that were livened up for me or an enthusiastic cleaning customer to kill themselves on. My recommendation to you is not generalise!!!
I was once told it’s the easiest thing in the world to pull someone’s work apart.
Personally it's a pet hate of mine, I see a lot of local electricians now doing CCTV/Security installs and often using awful products/brands.
By all means subcontract if you want to be a generalist.
Best you get a roll of insulation tape, extra sticky.
Bathroom fitters are the worst
Well said Mark.
I have meet some horrendous, and dangerous so called approved electricians over the years.
As we all know, there are good and bad in all trades. But like you say, everyone is very happy to slate poor work and rarely does the good work get credit. We should all be a bit more kind.
I like the vibe you all have in your company, the Electric Van seems (at this time of year) like a complete pain, it’s bad enough doing first fix in a empty new house in the cold without the van your going home in being freezing bloody cold…
More than half of the gripe would have been resolved by preconditioning. Still for a 50k van, what a pitiful range.
NEVER use your wipers before you have scraped or defrosted the screen. Massacres the rubber and, if frozen can even rip the rubbers off the blades. Same problem with window, ice friction load on rubbers causes overload protection to trigger.
Yes, but the stupid sensors think frost is rain when in automode as you start the thing. And when you nudge it the wrong way, you get the same thing.
I've been trying to stop my partner using the wipers to clear the window for years
I bet you are the life and soul at parties.👍
He's wearing a mask in his van. Don't expect any common sense.
Protecting the cameraman
Here's a thought, what happens in a cold country and you get stuck in snow? The heater drains the battery really quickly and then you die of hyperthermia. In an internal combustion engine you run the engine sporadically to keep warm.
electric cars can run for days with any decent amount of charge (which id assume you had because you charged over night). using heated seats burns a lot less electric than running the whole vehicle heater.
Owning an EV is just pointless in general. Unless gas is really expensive in your country.
I really don't think hyperthermia is going to be a problem in the cold.
@@WayToManyAssassins I Still Wouldent want one Regardless of the cost of fuel..
PING! lol
50Grand+ for a battery van that stresses you by looking at your fuel level on top of everything else...Insanity
@@MsWagons The battery of modern EVs Will outlast Diesel engines and they’re so cheap to run they pay for themselves really quickly.
Can you imagine the excuses he can give to the client. Sorry run out of juice. Go to go and charge. 600 quid later
@@andrewbarlow8577 That's an educated guess at best.
@@andrewbarlow8577 No. No they won't. Lol.
@@andrewbarlow8577 no they won't, and I guarantee my 3.5l used ranger is cheaper than a used model 3 over a 5 year period.
When I was an Electrician a fault finding course was included in my courses which I had to pass to get my diploma as part of my electrical course work ....I would love to have seen this guy doing a fault finding course on mains electrics when a van has him stumped....I tend to agree with Hugo below
Looks like a good van, could be a great van with a nice diesel engine.
Or a bigger battery.
Hey, tip from a Norwegian here. Preheat the car while its charging on your house, there's probably an app for it or perhaps a setting on the controller unit. It should heat up in like 5 minutes honestly. We have a few Toyota Proaces in our elecrical firm and its -10 -20 regularly here and it works well, though the range is about double of the VW, might be different versions for nordic countries though, not sure.
His van is not an actual EV, it's a normal van that has been converted by a non-brand garage. I highly doubt they included a pre-heat version.
It's interesting that VW would go for an after-market conversion (ABT) for their first efforts into the eV van space.
@@112Haribo Oh, that's interesting, Sounds a bit strange to me.
Ja Jeg er enig....Men han er dumm tømmebukk.
For removing screw caps I find duct tape often works better than blu tac, especially if you place it over the cap then pull both ends of the tape at a 90 degree angle from the accessory at the same time so the cap is being pulled straight out rather than at an angle. As an added bonus you can then leave them stuck to the tape so they don't get lost.
With these electric vehicles it seems like you're taking 2 steps forward and 3 steps back.
The terrible range for a work vehicle is a problem for me. My old diesel has a range of 700 miles (and the heater is brilliant)
Jesus, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone so clueless. Good luck getting out of bed in the morning and getting dressed
Imagine this guy working on your fuses and electric stuff… omg
And why is he clueless Mr brain of Britain?
@@mikewilliams274 if you don’t know then you can join the bunch
I mean, the rest of their videos are great!
Pour some warm water over it duh
In some respects, I'm not surprised, you've invested in Volkswagen's FIRST electric van. It's expensive, poor on range (WLTP 82 Miles!), poor on payload.
Vauxhall Vivaro-e, Peugeot e-Expert or Citroen e-Dispatch all exceed this van in every respect, all over 200 Miles. Either you didn't do your research or the salesman really exaggerated this being suitable for you.
It’s not even really VWs EV is it? It’s a new VW van that a third-party company has shoehorned EV gear into, hence the pathetic range because there isn’t room for a decent battery. It’s a status symbol more than anything else - a ‘posh’ VW van and the bragging rights of it being electric.
My 50kWh Vivaro-e has a max of 140 miles fully charge. After 6 months it has dropped to 124 miles fully charged. I guess it’s adjusted to my driving style?? This is plenty enough for me most days. I charge every day for 5p per kWh. Looked at the VW as I love VWs, too expensive and range was too low.
@@Vedmore71 The cold weather is most likely range is showing less.
The 3 vans you list are the same van with different badges . All PSA group products.
@@Vedmore71 didnt drop to 124 after 6 months. just happens that after 6 months is winter, and batteries have less capacity in freezing conditions. the chances are that your battery is still 99-100% of its original capacity and the same range as new next summer.
I've got a VW Passat GTE (hybrid), the batterylife in sub-zero conditions is dreadful. What does help is being able to tell the car to heat up on schedule or on demand through the VW 'We Connect' app. Haven't had to scrape the windows even once this year.
I was Volkswagen through and through, I still have a T6 but just sold my 2 year old caddy which was plagued with emission problems from day 1, I now have a high spec Transit Custom for half of what you paid for the electric T6. VW’s are getting too expensive and no better than the rest unfortunately
Germans have for a long time had issues with “emissions” going as far back as 1939-1945
Ford Transit Custom is the daddy by a long way. The MS-RT isxa beast!!!
After owning a 2014 Amarok and a 2015 Caddy from new. both at 10,000 miles had emission system breakdowns. Both were binned. My stepson currently drives a 2018 Transporter that had emission problems at 11,000. miles. I now drive a 2016 Discovery No emission problems at 25K.
Mate come on. You’ve had a Tesla for how long and you don’t seem to know the basics of preconditioning? You’re an EV charging specialist and you don’t check that your new work vehicle has 32A charging? Cmon.
....bit harsh, are you suffering from SAD as well.
@@nw5835 To be fair, he fits these chargers for customers so he should know the product. Who spends 55 grand without doing proper research or reading the FM?
@@ArcanePath360 this is something else he should know about.but he's not told anyone.
" All new chargepoints must have a data connection, with the ability to measure, record and transmit usage (in minutes and as units of energy) and delay charging or slow it down during periods where grid demand is highest. Manufacturers will also have to provide a user interface for drivers, such as an app, to set parameters.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because OZEV’s home and workplace charging schemes already require similar functionality[7, 8]. However, the new regulations mandate finer control of energy flow and charging times and apply to all new chargepoints. This includes the growing share of units being installed without the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme which, from April 2022 will no longer be available for single-occupant properties such as houses and bungalows[9]."
@@barryclarke3010 Thanks for the info. I just love government interference in our lives. They really know how to look after us don't they? This whole drive (pardon the pun) to electric in 10 years makes no sense, since it will cause more problems than it solves. Don't be fooled for a minute that it's about "the environment".
@@ArcanePath360 my reply to you was removed because I mentioned cc being the cause or one of of these ridiculous environmental rules, I agree with you.
The long storage drawers on this vehicle are all very well As long as there are no obstructions at the side of the vehicle or somebody parks too close at the rear😳
The VW van does seem to be a letdown. I have just brought the Peugeot E expert 75kw. Really happy with it. Getting 160 to 170 miles on a charge in this cold weather. I sit on the motorway at 60. I can turn climate on from the app so the van is nice and warm when I get in. I love the van. I was a transporter man for years then when transit custom which was good and nearly half the price of the equivalent VW. I have had electric cars for about 10 years now but the Peugeot is the 1st van i have thought to be fit for the job. Keep us updated on how things work out. Good luck 👍
Have you an idea of fuel-savings yet and does that cover the higher monthly cost?
Good news - mine is finally due in Feb
had 3 VW multivans in company, all of them had engine and DSG swap by 100k miles ... I will rather live with some small issues Ford or Citroen/Peugeot have. Generally you only avoid brand services, use quality local services and you have no issues, also they have 5 years of warranty instead of VW 2 ...
@@markreed9853 Hi Mark I charging at home what would have cost £100 of diesel in the transit is costing me about £30. This doesn’t take into account rises in energy yet but diesel is going up to. I pay 15p per KW to charge the van at home at the moment. I brought an ex demo with 2000 miles for 31K so good deals are out there. Sold my transit for 21k.
@UnjustifiedRecs the E expert is limited to 80 mph. Driving above 60 does have a big impact on range. You can drive them like a diesel, although if you drove a diesel at 60 as opposed to 80 you would see about 20% increase in efficiency. I think the VW is limited to 60 because the range is so bad, at 80 you would probably kill it in 40 miles.
So, the window keeps going down because it's feeling a resistance from the extra thickness and roughness of the ice and there's a sensor in the window that prevents people's body parts of objects from getting stuck in the window as it raises. Obviously. The button you thought was a windscreen deicer is in fact a rear demister. Do not use boiling or even hot water on your windows. Lukewarm water is warm enough to melt the frost instantly.
I cannot believe you are a tradesman and an electrician. I thought you lot were supposed to be the 'smart' ones. The van is part of your job and your toolkit. You should have a fucking ice scraper. You should also know what the symbols in your car mean. If you do not you should consult the user manual. It is not VW's fault you cannot read symbols that have been ubiquitous for decades and were so during your driving test.
It is people like you who are forcing companies to treat us like idiots. Honestly, if you just had a de-icer or improvised with a CD case or something you wouldn't have slagged off the van, wouldn't have been late and wouldn't be irritated (neither would I).
I’m from a place where we have way rougher winter weather than the UK and our cars look like igloos for several months every year. The thin layer of frost on the van windows is nothing that should bother the window motor one bit.
The way the glass tilts back and forward when he messes with it makes me think there’s something wrong with the lift mechanism. I would have the dealer look at it.
@@Naughty_Squad well he didn’t do it to make himself look good. 😂
Rear demist in a closed back van… yeah
Hot water out of the tap, NOT OUT OF THE KETTLE, poured GENTLY and evenly across the windscreen, is a quick and excellent defroster.
2 x 2l milk bottles does a whole car, including wing mirrors- v impt!
In the meantime every trade still owning a Diesel has defrosted their vans, picked up a Costa and are well into their first job of the day. In an Artisan Top Gear style challenge, Jordan would be James May!.
And if he'd read the owners manual beforehand he would've been away too. How can you not know how to operate your vehicle, let alone not know what specs it has.
My EV is defrosted & ready to go on minutes & hot & toasty. I start it up turn everything on & wait insude job done takes less time than warming a diesel up.
Oh & having owned big diesel vehicles outside of having something with quick clear windscreens I've been sat in a cold diesel for many miles before its gotten warm enough to stop shivering vs the instant heat I get in an EV.
Nothing to do with EV vs ICE here it's down to user error & not understanding your vehicle
And every EV owner would have started the pre-warming 30 minutes before leaving the house to get into a fully warmed and defrosted vehicle, something wrong with Van settings!
@@norfolkngood8960 it's 2022 you shouldn't have to read a manual to work out how to unplug the vehicle and turn on a heated windscreen. Should be easy enough to find.
Plus 64 mile range is just pathetic
Hydrogen will be the way forward for commercial vehicles I think since EV vans have poor range and EVs in general struggle towing.
@@cameronmurray3039 ask him why he owns a Tesla if EV’s only go 64 miles and can’t defrost the windscreen.
@@cameronmurray3039 hahaha ha hahahaha that's hilarious you're more likely to not need a manual for a 1980s car than a 2022 car so that's a stupid comment
Also I wasn't just referring to the windscreen nor the cable release but how about the fact he couldn't even drive off. Its a complicated machine & like all complicated machines you should be 100% competent operating it & if that means reading the manual the do it.
If you weren't meant to read the manual they wouldn't provide one ffs. As for releasing the cable it was still charging so if course there was going to be a method to release it, my car it's press the unlock button again to withdraw the locking pin.
The reason this was a mess was rush to use something without the requisite care.
Put it like this a pilot can fly a plane but if they get into a new plane they have to qualify with it first despite all that training & knowledge, OK an ott example but it makes the point.
As for complicated don't rant at me about it go moan to VW & people that buy it without testing first & don't read the manual beforehand because I couldn't care less. Far too few people read the manual on their car
This assement of the van matches quite well with my latest experience of the new vw golf, the software is shoddy and the car is not predictable. it slams on the brakes on motorways for no good reason, it swerves into parked cars, and the parking sensors register constant false positives. and the list goes on, vw have truly given up on making drivable vehicles and you should avoid.
Have just extended the lease on my Mk7.5, because I really don't like the sound of the Mk8 at all, it doesn't look great either !!
You bought a car from a manufacturer who lied about their diesel emmissions, why would you trust them to produce a good car?
For this very reason I've just bought a 2020 mark 7.5 golf that works instead of a mark 8. It seems something has gone really horribly wrong for VWs software department. Like someone designed it that didn't drive and whoever thought haptic feedback buttons were a good idea clearly didn't think. I have haptic buttons on my wireless earphones. They do whatever they want randomly without me touching them! If a spec of water touches them or they come into contact with a hair the Google assistant is activated or they power off.
Couldn’t disagree more, I have an e-golf and I think it’s brilliant, build quality is much better than other similar cars.
@@Fearnstein the E Golf is based on the mark 7.5 which is what I've got. The infotainment and haptic controls were introduced on the mark 8. The 7.5 is a great car. Well built and easy to use.
In the 1970's at least one electricity company in the UK ran converted Bedford vans with lead-acid batteries, which got more range than this van !
We’re going backwards 😂
Don't use hot water, room temp water or slightly above is all you need, just make sure to wipe the window quite quickly after with the wipers.
yes just enough to melt it and then wipe it away before it refreezes
from the lack of steam, that looks like what happened
You may have already seen this. Get hold of a large sized heavy duty zip-up type freezer bag. Fill with warm water and lay it on the frozen windscreen. Move bag to a new area and scrape off melted ice. Repeat as necessary. Change water in bag when too cold to be effective.
@@markmiwurdz202 that's way more effort then just tipping room temp water over the window and setting the wipers away 😂
Cold water run staright from the tap does exactly the same or garden hose is even quicker for no refilling
Had the “cable disconnect “ problem on my E-Nero the first time I charged. Just could not release the cable and ended up ringing the dealer! The solution was so simple - you have to press the unlock button twice! Might be the same on your VW. Worth a try.
That's the same newbie mistake I made on my first attempt! Luckily there was a helpful Zoe who helped get an answer. Now I remember that 15 second rule. Probably why the AC charge intake suddenly drops down to 0.5kW
RTFM
@@craigedgar2828 You’re kidding - manuals are for emergency use only. No self-respecting bloke reads the manual :)
Seeing you melt the ice off the windows with a kettle reminded me of the story about a Ferrari rental service where they had an issue unlocking the car. Turns out the lock shrunk due to the freezing cold of Atlanta, Georgia and the only way to fix it was to poor water down the side of the window so the lock would expand back to it's normal size.
But on the windshield... the easiest result pouring hot water is a cracked glass...
Never underestimate the incompetence of the average person…
Technology is nowhere near where we need to be for loaded commercial vans especially in UK
EV Government white elephant totally b💩
I'll be paranoid for the rest of my life now thinking he's the average electrician.
Average? This is a premium electrician company!
@@lua-nya my electrician is different
That is top of the top shining, polished, well advertised , self-proclaimed company of the year!
Why you are still worried 😂?
EVs, we used them in the steel works 40 years ago, fork lift and store vehicles. We noticed that in the winter the battery life was almost half, these were big lead acid batteries. But I guess battery technology hasn't moved on much in over 100 years.
Batteries have improved but they still have the same problems with weight and charging. fast charging still destroys them faster, in eight years time that £50,000 van will be worthless if the old battery is down to 60% capacity and a new battery pack costs £10,000.
Wrong. The technology is now light years ahead. Unfortunately any type of batttery is governed by the laws of physics and chemistry which say that the chemical reactions involved run more slowly at lower temperatures.
You should be able to set the van to heat up an hour before you get up in a morning... so you can set the heaters to come on at 3am or 4am while it is still plugged in and if its before 5 degrees giving it enough time to defrost.... but I guess they have dodged all that by just throwing a motor and battery in a diesel van shell.... easier, cheaper development and charge a fortune to the customer...
It's still a crap product. Excuses not required.
Problem is there are many situations where you won't be plugged in first thing in a morning, you should still have the option to use some sort of fast heating/defrosting. Also doesn't excuse how ropey it seems every other feature is on this van, really not ideal given how many other tradespeople will likely see this video!
Never an issue with the Vauxhall Vivaro E
@@alexthewheelers there is its called Electric fan heater on extention lead to keep van warm and defrosted atleast with a Diesel van start hater defrosts and warms Interior then has upto 600mile range things Electric van owners can only Dream of 😉
@@andyplage6590 new e-vans do 210 miles with £2 of leccy. economy that diesel owners cant even dream of.
You can't beat Internal Combustion
Defrosting your window doesn't need boiling hot water.
You can fill a small plastic bag with warm tapwater and slide it over the windscreen in strokes from top to bottom.
Safer than throwing hot water on but still much faster than just a scraper.
I just pour lukewarm water on it,been doing it for 20 years in Scotland, has never caused me any problems
@@derekcasserly1561 Same never had issues,
We are still about at least 10 years from 1.having the technology for electric vans doing what we want i.e mileage fully loaded. 2.infrastructure i.e charging for all. 3. Affordability
Or hydrogen will take the lead
3 years at the max. Rivian already has Amazon vans on the road. Once tesla decides to dip their toes in the commercial vehicle sector, most of the problems will disappear
@@tommymack3210 For Vans yes i think hydrogen is the way forward electric ok for tootling around down or school run , but the reality is we just will not have the infostructure
Rubbish. My Peugeot e-expert is fantastic and I’d never go back to a diesel. I’ve got the smaller battery and it’ll happily do 100 miles in cold weather.
@@thomassmith7819 that's all very well but my daily commute is about that just now with no charger on the other end
My wife had VW once. Her problem was it wouldn't stop driving. The fuel injection system stuck wide open. She had stomp on the brake until she felt it was safe to turn off the ignition on the highway and let it coast to a stop on an exit ramp. She opened the hood and jiggled the throttle cable to get it unstuck. Then limped it to a dealer. Where they charged $900 to replace it (The car only cost $9000 new, late 80's). We knew of other coworkers with VW's that had the same problem. The icing on the cake was seeing an ad for a police show with a run-away car. It was the same model of VW.
Hot water could be bad news for the windscreen... Water straight out of the cold tap has always worked fine here, especially if it is the last thing you do before driving off!
warm water?
@@davesimms5397 Depends on how warm it is, & how cold the windscreen / windows are. If there is too big a difference, that creates the thermal shock that cracks the glass... It is better to use two kettle fulls of cold tap water than one from the hot tap... Replacing a windscreen is an expensive job that takes a while even if it is covered by the insurance company! Have used water from the cold tap down to about -6C here, though when really ... cool, better to get moving as quickly as you can having flushed the ice away... When really cool it has taken a few runs to the house to fill the kettle (& jug or saucepan) up again!
I've always used hot tap water with a little bit if cold water added to take the temp down a bit. Not yet cracked a screen but do wonder if it weakens the glass. My last car suffered terrible glass scratches fro the times I had to scrape the ice off.
@@the_lost_navigator7266 I would be concerned about weakened glass, hence I always used cold water
Cold water de-ices the windscreen just fine in my experiences. And -2 is not all that unusual in Australia during winter in Victoria or Tassie or many other country areas.
My highline used to do that. Its the trap sensor. Thinks someone is stuck in your window lol. It also has a heated windscreen and front seats lol. Until they can consistently clear 150 miles loaded impractical for us. Nice van tho!
Yeah it's what I'm thinking about. It's more than a in City Runabout.
I just started driving an e-208 and it's great, even though it's really cold here in Germany right now. Pre-heating via app, no problems with ice. Range reduced a bit, but not too terrible. Charging plug unlocks for 30 seconds when the car is unlocked. If it's already unlocked, you need to lock it first to unlock again, that may be somewhat inconvenient at times. Has automatic parking brake, easy to use. Pressing start button without pushing the brakes turns on the heating/ac and infotainment, but does not put the car into drive ready mode. This requires pushing the brakes while pressing start. On a wallbox the van should be able to Charge faster. The e-208 has a 3-phase 16A onboard charge that can do 11kW at 240V. 3.6 kW sounds like only 1-phase 16A. Maybe your van has a 32A 1-ph charger for 7.4kW and your wallbox is 16A 3-ph for 11kW. In that case the car only gets 16A 1-ph 3.6kW, because it's not the right wallbox for this car.
When you couldn' t get the lead out i was shouting "unlock the doors again" . 3 kw limit on charge is madness. Needs a much bigger battery for sure.
The Transporter supports 7.2KW charging, when set up correctly, I suspect reading the book would have solved those issues. 82 mile range though ... that's pretty poor.
I'm really surprised they didn't opt for a larger battery and 3 phase charging support, but that extra battery weight has to be offsett from the payload capacity I guess.
I just dunno why you'd buy one with such a crappy range. The vivaro elife people mover variant I looked at still had more than that.
Those electric purpose built ups trucks do waaaaay better & they're British designed & built
Should have had a demonstration of how to use the vehicle or read the manual, mind you probably best to wait a couple of years before buying, new vehicles will probably have better batteries you then.
@@stuinNorway "Reading the book"? Are you mad? That's what professional car charger installers expect their customers to do.
Fellow electrician in Canada. Love the idea of an electric van as my gas consumption would cover the payment on a new van. But here it gets pretty cold and it’s seems like even if the batteries weren’t affected by the cold - the original estimated range still wouldn’t suffice as a full time work truck. Think battery technology still needs work before it will be convenient. Also my thought is that there should be stations that swap out modular batteries on vehicles instead of charging them. That way the batteries are in constant service and you don’t physically own a battery but are more or less renting one.
The problem you have with vans is you could add more batteries BUT that would limit the load-carrying capacity more than in a car and add extra costs - also Tesla tried battery swaps but it just adds more costs with extra batteries needed and another point of failure in the vehicle and now with more rapid chargers for most its not an issue especially with home charging as well. I know a guy from Calgary that runs 3 electric vehicles in the house and it works for him and his family though 2 are Tesla's. At the end of the day its about buying the right vehicle for YOUR needs and this VW van is not the best on the market for this electricians use case with others easily achieving well over 100 miles of range in winter.
Batteries are great if your work or drops are in urban areas 20miles a job then park up charge up. they dont waste road fuel stuck in traffic etc
Dosent matter, it won't change the climate. Irs all unessecary BS
Battery swap stations and renting/leasing the battery is the approach Chinese EV maker Nio have adopted, they have over 700 swap stations and recently passed 2M swaps. So many city dwellers in China have no home charging options (nearly all live in flats). Their battery swap is done in under 3 minutes! No vans yet though.
@@garyday615 Wish there were an easy way to save useful comments like this. ITs the way Car Rental dealers will have to go at least
For the record to people from outside of the UK 99% of Britain is not this hopeless
I have a Nissan EV 200 we’ve had it for about 12 months 40 kW battery we haven’t had frost problem
we put it on pre-heat in the morning get to the van it’s toasty warm it’s fully charged we doing about 14,000 miles a year in Lancashire which is a lot colder than where you are
We use ENV200 vans and they are just about viable for the work we do (high voltage substation craftsman) On the motorway we can get about 90 miles with the 40kwh battery. Only issue is that with the racking and tools its very easy to overload it past its max vehicle weight. The 15 minute morning preheat is a godsend on days where its frosty outside. Get into a nice toasty van.
Had 2
Same story with the env200 from me. Just about carry what's needed for the job. Nothing more. Can't travel any distance with the heater on either.
A 40KW battery is a van sounds woeful to me. I have 38KW in my small car so I would want a van to have at least twice as much capacity, 75kw upwards.
To be fair 40kw works fine in London but all the sites I'm based at have 7kw chargers. I'm charging the van at work everyday. On journeys where I can avoid the motorways the van is fine but sitting at 60-70mph destroys the range.
@@Marks-Garage on my second now40 kw loaded do 100 but on motorway I do 55 mph
On an average day I drive about 150 miles in my Renault trafic. My days are so full on if I'm lucky I might find time to grab a sandwich then eat it while I'm driving to my next customer. I usually fill up on my way home, there's no way I could ever factor enough time into my day to charge an electric van once let alone twice or even 3 times. The fact is that electric vans are stupid and are completely unusable for 99% of businesses that use a van.
To de-fog the windscreen turn the A/C on, using the heater only makes it worse.
Scrap the van altogether, battery powered vans aren't up to being use commercially.
Thomas Nagy said something about them being rubbish when he was picking his van up from being racked out. He spotted one in the car park and spoke to the driver about the range and was told it was rubbish when loaded out for work.
Happy New Year from Australia
Jordan
Minus 2 is not cold. Heat pump manufacturers will tell you there is plenty of heat at minus 2. Have a look at the videos of Wim Hoff, it is all in your mind apprently.
Thanks for watching! Will take a look. Love your videos!
Skill Builder,
that illustrates the reality that heat is relative to who or what is being affected. Scientifically you need to get to minus 273 degrees K before there is no heat.
I have used a boling kettle for years but slow drip the hot water dont chuck tons on or you might crack the wind screen... I have been doing it for 30 years never had a problem....Leave wipers on..dont splash your self.
In Scandinavia lots of people take their EV back to the shops they can’t withstand cold harsh climate,battery die too quick. The media and production companies just dont say those things
Best comment of the day!
Sorry, but that's nonsense. How do i know? I live in central Norway, drive an EV and know many many people also driving EVs. I have yet to hear of a person returning their car because it "couldn't withstand the cold harsh climate". Quite the opposite actually - consumption is for sure higher, but immediate heat from the HVAC and great traction control make up for it.
It's the same with Lithium batteries they try to sell you as a replacement for motorcycles. They claim that they are a fraction of the weight, but mention nothing about how they completely die in cold weather. Very annoying that they don't care about their customers getting stranded.
@@15bit62 Theres been numerous videos about people leaving their cars next to highway roads and or parking them to keep heat inside it going.
The whole returning cars thing is probably overblown but there sure as hell is alot of people who are dissapointed by the whole range reduction and all that.
Are you sure? Norway has the highest percentage electric vehicle use in Europe with great charging infrastructure.
Remember those prehistoric days when people put a cover over the windscreen or deployed vast amounts of de icing spray ? Those were the days
That's when having CDs came handy in the winter!
I use de icing spray😁
I was sat there thinking "Tesco loyalty card" :)
Tip from Australia: You know you need to park your vehicle under cover on frosty nights, right?
You don't need to change countries, just live where you have the space for a carport.
You can set the van to defrost at a specified time whilst plugged in. The range on the bigger vans is a major issue at the moment. I have a Renault kangoo for work and gives 100 miles to a charge and has a diesel heater for the cold days. The only fault it can only charge at a max of 7.5kwh
Will it defrost while still plugged in?
If so that’s actually really cool.
@@hybrid9mm Yes, it is considered good practice to preheat the vehicle while plugged in to reduce battery drain since it uses more energy to heat up the vehicle than it does to keep it at a temperature.
@@roger1818 that’s really handy to be honest, especially considering how much it costs me to warn up my car or van vs using the electric to do it.
I think this would involve reading the f'ing manual and this guy clearly hasn't, lol
Seen your van going round its fucking shit
it's normal you can't remove the cable by pressing the button. The cable is locked even after the end of the charge until you unlock it with the keys. It's to avoid people stealing your cable :)
They don't bother unplugging them to steal the cable, they tie a rope round it and rip it out of the van and the wall in some places.
-2°C isn't even that cold really, considering where these electric pieces of poop are being sold. Can reach -40°C here sometimes... (humidity and wind can make -2 feel worse than -40 at times for us humans though)
btw, just a bit of a push-push with the windshield washer fluid would clear up the frost from your windscreen right quick...
Keep the A/C on as this will dehumidify the cabin air which will stop the windows from fogging up. This will work at normal cabin temperatures and the A/C will use less power compared to the HI heat setting. Remember A/C will dehumidify the air and can be used with heat but using heat with no A/C will evaporate the moisture from the air but will use much more energy due to the higher temperatures needed. Turning the A/C on will SAVE you energy and give you a clearer view of the road.
yeah most vehicles if you put them into defrost the a/c comes on, gets rid of the moisture as the fog evaporates.
@@Lewdacris916 That's good at start up as the mode will provide max fan speed and max temp at the windscreen with A/C active. But after the defrost is complete the climate settings will revert to the previous settings, so if the A/C was off the fresh air coming in while driving will cause fogging as heated air hits the colder interior glass. In the video the fogging started mid drive but if the A/C was on the air inside should always remain dry. Best to always leave the A/C on in all seasons.
The wife's Ioniq can be set to warm up and defrost before you come out to it in the morning. A pre-heating cycle when it's on charge. This guy should read his manual.
So can all Tesla's they just work properly.
To clear frozen windscreen
1. Use Lukewarm water only, when you hand in you neither feel it cold or hot.
2. Do not use very hot water or boiling water as risk of cracking.
3. Do not use cold water as it will freeze immediately.
4. Start at top of windscreen or window and pour downwards towards wipers.
5. Immediately wipe away with autoglym flexi water blade if you have one.
6. Avoid using wipers unless absolutely necessary and make sure they have been soaked in with the lukewarm water.
Works for me
Ps, for frozen doors pour in between the gaps starting from top of the door.
Thanks for sharing this information about this farcical disgrace of a van. It’s seems more like a con by VW. Hopefully many people will now be made aware of how rubbish the range is not to mention the other shortcomings etc. Thanks for posting this up.
Any one got a match
The VW Transporter is great van, only the diesel one, as I've driven one at work, also as an electrician and one tank gets 500 plus miles range, drove from mid Cheshire to Newcastle and back and still had just under half a tank of fuel left. The EV one is a joke...
Hot tap water is 55 to 70 Deg. If you pour it on roof first and let it cascade down onto windscreen you will never do it any harm. That's how I have been doing it for years with chips in my windscreen and no cracks at all.
Agreed 1000000000%
Never pour Boiling water onto a windscreen or paintwork for that matter. You will destroy your clear coat before you know it!
Me too, that's exactly what I used to do.
Water from the hot tap pouring it over the roof first just to take the edge off of it, then move down and pour the remainder directly over the screen.
I'm just a DIY'er and I also hate finding when previous electricians have twisted the cpc's together. whenever I find it I also pull it out and sleeve each one individually
Under the drivers mat there is a pull out panel where you can fit peddles.
They have thought of everything to get you home.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
LOL resort to flintstone power
The rectangular heated windscreen button is for the back window and the slightly rounded one is front window
The man is a complete tool 🔧
This guy is bright as night. Big heated screen button on the dash. I looked at these vans but an 82 mile range is embarrassing.
Surely when you are spending 50k on a van you want it all singing and dancing. How can you payout so much and not even know what spec it has? With people reviewing every product known to man, why would you want to buy the first generation of electric van? I have yet to see anyone get the expected range out of any vehicles let alone an electric van that you are going to carry a load in most of the time. Stick with diesel or get used to loosing customers because you get a reputation for turning up late. Unbelievable.
Very disappointing to see him taking chances with a misted windscreen, morning and evening, because he didn't want to drain the battery. Very poor judgement, are his poor judgments only related to driving or is it poor in other regards, what about his judgements about his work???
Yup!!
You're just slightly below freezing. Use the windshield washers to melt the frost off the windshield. Assuming you have washer fluid in it instead of just water, the fluid will lower the melting point of the frost.
Can’t beat Ford work vans with heated seats & heated front wind screens 😂👌🏻
💯💯💯 Agreed
Ford supply vans that behave like vans, VW supply vans that pretend to be luxury vehicles and lose focus on what they are actually supposed to be doing. Bought by people who are too snobby to buy Ford.
@@Thegardener87 😂
@@Thegardener87 truth
@@Thegardener87 110% truth
Hi, have you checked the charging settings, as all VW's are set to 10 amps from the factory. Had quite a few customers having the same problem with the chargers we installed, but bit was the car holding back. Adjusted the car to 32amps and happy customers. Good videos are always keep it up.
In germany people have scrappers.
They also cover the window.
Also the window not closing is to stop trapping peoples fingers. The ice is casusing too much resistance.
I'm surprised by a couple of things regarding clearing the ice.
How does the heater not get to heat immediately as it doesn't have to rely on engine temperature?
How come a spark doesn't have an extension lead and a fan heater?
Yeh not agood ad for v. W. Is it..
he didn't read the manual and had no idea how to operate the vehicle. in an EV the heating starts immediately.
Not a good add for you you come off looking like you lack a bit in the iq department would not encourage me to hire you maybe you should not put just anything up
Tepid water clears ice and does not break the glass. Not hot water.
@@jamescollins3647 Yes, I have used that that method for years without any issues.
Fifth Gear did a test of that van against the equivalent Mercedes this week and didn't like either. It was on the channel "Quest" this week, so you should be able to see it on catch up.
Should've bought the vivaro-e much better range, think the smaller battery is about 144 miles. Unfortunately for sparkies it's all about image and not practicality
I'm a big fan of EV's and Vans and from my research i have to say its not worth buying into an Electric van for another 2 or 3 years.
All the design and technology has been going into cars and vans are years behind.
Well done for giving it a go though.
make that 200-300 years!
I have a 75kwh Peugeot e-expert van and it’s pretty good. Looked at the vw but I thought the battery was too small.
@@TheRealMrLaserCutter nice, the Stellantis group mid sized vans are probably the best out there right now but I'd still wait a few more years before i bought one as it would be for personal use.
Van technology is changing alot now even VW and Ford are making a van together next year!
And the government are telling us that in 10 years we HAVE to have these inferior things that cost the price of half a house. As well as heat pumps which are also useless in winter. Thanks Boris!
According to research it could even be as little as 5 years time. Green zones are being set up in cities and towns making it costly and therefore impossible to run our ICE vehicles. This is absolutely disgraceful how this cons-servative government can just render our cars useless and therefore worthless. It's all project fear and they are clearly not on our side.
@@levelcrossing150 It's no different to how they tax us with inflation, which is another form of stealth tax. We are also taxed on the tax we pay every time we buy petrol. The petrol is mostly tax, as petrol without government is very cheap, and then on top of this, look at the reciept; you pay VAT on top of that, so are paying tax on tax, after you've already paid income tax and vehicle tax. CONservative is right. Keep the poor poor and the rich rich.
To be fair that van is an awful example of an EV. There’s good ones already out there - Mercedes makes a couple of vans with 200 miles + and a top speed of 160km/h. There are even longer range ones coming. It depends on your use case. If your regular day consists of less than 100 miles then that’s a great solution. With one proviso - you need to be able to charge at home.
Actually heat pumps work extremely well, we’ve got them in our school warm in minutes, Feb 7 2022, great. 4kw for the price of 1 kw,
@@lioncrunch yes but with the cost of electricity 1kw is ok ..but 8 hours a day a bit different
But 4kw isn't going to heat 2 large classrooms .. Then considering it's a school ,I would assume possibly 100kw is needed .. Saying a ratio of 4 to 1 .. That's 25 kw's PER HOUR at full power ...it stops being that cost effective when you look at it realistically ...
And a 4 to 1 ratio is possibly it's best ... The ratio drops the colder it gets
Lived in Chicago. Defrosting fast in a pinch: A quart of cold water-not hot or even room temp-mixed with a tablespoon or so of table salt. Pour that along the top of windshield and then smear/rub with a clean rag* Get on the way. Use the wipers to get the water off. Get a scraper, because you don’t want to do this often.
*Not an oily rag-even a little oil-like friend did once. There was a smidgeon, a spot, of grease on his rag. What a mess.
Can you pre-heat the van whilst plugged in?
Couldn’t you just scrape the ice with a credit card?
I was thinking the same thing. Who doesn't preheat on such a cold day? What an idiot!
@@VSS1 As it's a conversion perhaps it can't.
@@VSS1 literally don't think its a feature on this vehicle
@@VSS1 I wasn't sure if its possible. perhaps the onboard charger cant handle charge & load unlike tesla?
How can an electrician be this daft with an electric vehicle....
The David Brent comparison above is quite fitting - I'm laughing, cause otherwise I'd cry
Boiling water might crack screen , warm tap water is fine . You can not TOW an electric vehicle will damage the motors , it has be on a trailer . Chris
I bet VW commercial vehicle division is thrilled by your experience with their wonderful product!
You should be able to set the van to warm up before you unplug it from the charging point, possibly via an app or via controls in van !!
standard that isnt it. Even my shitty renault kangoo ze has a prewarm function. If i was buying another ev van today id buy the ldv with the huge battery in it.
Doing the right / Normal thing doesn’t create content.
All that uninsulated heat escaping to atmosphere and extra electricity generation will help reduce global warming.
@@mdf2mdf287 as opposed to burning dead dinosaurs to achieve the same thing
I used to work in property and this is what proper electricians are like. Null'd cables, and a cross over test. Reconnecting and fixing other issues while they are there. Showing up the usual builder bollo£$ That are not botches but they are not well thought out, builders usual answer, "what you want me to do mate". well done chaps for being decent and honest and doing stuff well. Spotting people who are passionate about their trade. Rare unfortunately.
My question would be why would you not just wait for the VW ID Buzz cargo as it's a fully built EV bus from VW then getting a diesel converted?
I think Ford are planning later this year to bring out a transit size electric van with near to 200 miles range, the advice is of course to wait for this.
200 miles empty add your tools etc more like 150 if your lucky!
As range increases payload decreases, the current Transit EV is doing around 45miles on a full charge, totally useless
The next ford will more or less also be the next be as they have a joint development deal for commercial vehicles
Useless
200 miles is still not enough
I regularly do150 miles plus a day , but sometimes your stuck in traffic for hours with heater and lights on no Chance your making it home with out pulling off and charging the thing for a couple of hours
There is a reason people are not using these more , the range is still crap !
You can write almost the entire cost of these off against your corporation tax but still the vast majority don’t buy them
I like that you did your friend a favor. (not charge a call out)
That sort of honesty brings in more work .
Hilarious , its appalling! To be honest it’s better than I thought, I figured 60 miles when loaded.All electrical vehicles suffer in the cold with reduced battery performance.
Didn’t you test drive , it’s 50 grand !
2 electricians and a camera guy doing an EICR and your £100 an hour , hate to think how much cost the homeowner.