Plug and Play Volvo V60

[Dustydog]

Been reading this road test in CAMC August edition. Sadly not impressed. So much for plug in hybrids. Poor mpg, but at £54,500 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫. Throwing stones now but are we really in the real world with all this EV stuff🥵🥵🥵Ducks now while the bullets fly🤪

 

[PTA]

I have to agree. Buying any new electric or hybrid car, suitable for long distance towing and capable of towing our 1450 kg mtplm caravan, seems fraught with obstacles.

I recently drove a VW Id3 as a courtesy car while my Touareg was being serviced. A brilliant car!

Maybe the answer is to drive my, fully paid for, diesel tow car into the ground and buy an electric car for day to day use.

 

[otherclive]

I have to agree. Buying any new electric or hybrid car, suitable for long distance towing and capable of towing our 1450 kg mtplm caravan, seems fraught with obstacles.

I recently drove a VW Id3 as a courtesy car while my Touareg was being serviced. A brilliant car!

Maybe the answer is to drive my, fully paid for, diesel tow car into the ground and buy an electric car for day to day use.

If you are using the ID3 for daily drives it will take aeons to run a Touareg into the ground. Diesel fuel will have to be non obtainable before the Touareg lets go.

 

[Hutch]

If you are using the ID3 for daily drives it will take aeons to run a Touareg into the ground. Diesel fuel will have to be non obtainable before the Touareg lets go.

Diesel fuel will still be around for many years, I haven't seen many electric motors, for sale for canal boats and music festival generators, As yet.
Yesterday, I had to fiuel my motorbike up with the new E 5 Biofuel, as My bike has carbs.

 

[otherclive]

Diesel fuel will still be around for many years, I haven't seen many electric motors, for sale for canal boats and music festival generators, As yet.
Yesterday, I had to fiuel my motorbike up with the new E 5 Biofuel, as My bike has carbs.

Mine was a light hearted post recognising the integrity and longevity of a Touareg.
New E5 biofuel? E5 95 RON has been around for a good while. The new biofuel is E10 95 RON but you can still get E5 97 RON or higher. That’s been sold as premium again for a good while.

 

[Hutch]

Mine was a light hearted post recognising the integrity and longevity of a Touareg.
New E5 biofuel? E5 95 RON has been around for a good while. The new biofuel is E10 95 RON but you can still get E5 97 RON or higher. That’s been sold as premium again for a good while.

It has been, but it only going nationwide from September 1st. E5 is 99RON. . Ran my bike with carbs for over 80 miles no problems so far. Have to check the spark plugs for colour, though.

 

[otherclive]

It has been, but it only going nationwide from September 1st. E5 is 99RON. . Ran my bike with carbs for over 80 miles no problems so far. Have to check the spark plugs for colour, though.

No, the remaining E5 can be any RON from 97 upwards. This is the legal minimum RON for premium fuel. Texaco is 97, Tesco is 99.

Why say new E5 biofuel if existing E5 is still available. Confused.

PS edit. In the thread on E10 fuels I posted details from an HMG website that gave the Government powers to allow E5 regular pumps to be relabelled E10 in advance of the formal changeover date. As clearly labels and deliveries cannot happen on Day 1. So it’s likely that you may purchase E10 95 when it’s actually a mix of the old E5 95 and new E10 95. But as deliveries progress the changeover will complete.

 

[PTA]

If you are using the ID3 for daily drives it will take aeons to run a Touareg into the ground. Diesel fuel will have to be non obtainable before the Touareg lets go.

Too true. The problem is I covet the new Touareg Black Edition. .....all I need to do is afford it.

 

[Hutch]

No, the remaining E5 can be any RON from 97 upwards. This is the legal minimum RON for premium fuel. Texaco is 97, Tesco is 99.

Why say new E5 biofuel if existing E5 is still available. Confused.

PS edit. In the thread on E10 fuels I posted details from an HMG website that gave the Government powers to allow E5 regular pumps to be relabelled E10 in advance of the formal changeover date. As clearly labels and deliveries cannot happen on Day 1. So it’s likely that you may purchase E10 95 when it’s actually a mix of the old E5 95 and new E10 95. But as deliveries progress the changeover will complete.

Thanks for that OC, I had never noticed the E5 Markings before, I thought it was also new, live and learn eh.

 

[Tobes]

I have to agree. Buying any new electric or hybrid car, suitable for long distance towing and capable of towing our 1450 kg mtplm caravan, seems fraught with obstacles.

I recently drove a VW Id3 as a courtesy car while my Touareg was being serviced. A brilliant car!

Maybe the answer is to drive my, fully paid for, diesel tow car into the ground and buy an electric car for day to day use.

The question is thee fold
1) What is your expectation of a Solo car
2) What is your expectation of a Tow car
3) What are you prepared to compromised on between the two.

I have wanted my next car to be an EV for a number of years, but needed a car that would tow 1500Kg. It took until this year for that to become viable for me.
The only downside of an EV for towing (over my previous ICE based cars) is 1) the lower total train weight (which translates to lower car payload) and 2) the need to have to un-hitch and re-hitch to allow charging during my already planned stops. I don't stop more frequently or for longer than I did in the ICE, but I do charge at all stops.

Those challenges are more than made up for by the convenience of home charging and the simply amazing solo driving experience afforded by the EV.

I was fully intending my PHEV to be my long distance tow car to supplement the EV as my mid-distance tow car. So far that has not been needed.

 

[Tobes]

Diesel fuel will still be around for many years, I haven't seen many electric motors, for sale for canal boats and music festival generators, As yet.
Yesterday, I had to fiuel my motorbike up with the new E 5 Biofuel, as My bike has carbs.

I have seen a fully electric canal boat on the Grand union where I live. Was possible to charge it from the solar on its roof and from the dock power.
https://thamessolarelectric.co.uk
Music festival "generation" is also available - as a battery. https://skoon.world
Diesel and Petrol will be around for a long time, but they will both continue to escalate in price, and alternatives will become more attractive over time as a result.

 

[otherclive]

I have seen a fully electric canal boat on the Grand union where I live. Was possible to charge it from the solar on its roof and from the dock power.
https://thamessolarelectric.co.uk
Music festival "generation" is also available - as a battery. https://skoon.world
Diesel and Petrol will be around for a long time, but they will both continue to escalate in price, and alternatives will become more attractive over time as a result.

We hired a narrow boat from Upton on Severn when our kids were young so around 35-40 years ago. There was a company there called The Electric Boat Company and they had electrically propelled narrow boats. The batteries supplemented the need for less ballast. There were dedicated hook up points on the intended radius for cruising over a 7 day hire period.

I think that there will come a time when EVs hit the S curve on sales, some folks will buy PHEV and quite quickly garages will disappear. Motorways and trunk routes will have liquid fuels still but garages that don’t have other products for sale will close. Big supermarket will probably meet both needs fir a while. A bit like France where local garages fir fuel can be quite rare. There will be no need to convert petrol stations as EV charging will become far mor distributed and mainly undertaken at home. If fuel availability decreases and cost increases it will push EV sales further up the S curve and prices may respond by closing the gap to ICE. Difficult to predict when this may happen but it may come quicker than many think.

https://www.ortomarine.co.uk/

 

[Buckman]

If you run out of diesel or petrol, the vehicle can be topped up. If you are foolish enough to run out of power with an EV, I wonder how they will be topped up to get to the nearest charging station? It will happen to someone.

 

[Tobes]

If you run out of diesel or petrol, the vehicle can be topped up. If you are foolish enough to run out of power with an EV, I wonder how they will be topped up to get to the nearest charging station? It will happen to someone.

The AA are equipping their fleet with battery based chargers that will give 10 or more miles range to a car. They are also looking at a 4 wheel lifting towing system to tow a car to a nearby charger if needed.

Electric car breakdown cover | The AA

Breakdown cover for your hybrid or electric car. Battery run down? We'll tow you to the closest charging point or to your destination. All other faults repaired as standard.

www.theaa.com

 

[Buckman]

The AA are equipping their fleet with battery based chargers that will give 10 or more miles range to a car. They are also looking at a 4 wheel lifting towing system to tow a car to a nearby charger if needed.

Electric car breakdown cover | The AA

Breakdown cover for your hybrid or electric car. Battery run down? We'll tow you to the closest charging point or to your destination. All other faults repaired as standard.

www.theaa.com

They should already have a 4 wheel lifting system for AWD vehicles currently on the road?

 

[otherclive]

They should already have a 4 wheel lifting system for AWD vehicles currently on the road?

The newer systems can be deployed from the recovery van without requiring a heavier vehicle. The RACs is here.
https://www.rac.co.uk/innovation/all-wheels-up

 

[SamandRose]

I have to agree Dusty.

Granted, a plug-in hybrid car could be well suited to someone who had off-road parking and did mostly short journeys, with only the occasional longer trip. My wife, and my sister-in-law are prime examples. But I can't even begin to think how long it would take either of them to recoup the cost of spending £50k + on a car in the first place from the fuel savings. The cars they actually drive cost about a tenth of that.

For those such as myself, that regularly do long motorway journeys for work, don't do frequent urban journeys and like to go away in a caravan when we get a break, diesel is still the answer.

The reason for the popularity of plug-in hybrids, I think, is the company car tax benefits. My colleague has a Kia Niro PHEV as a company car and it saves her a fortune. But she only has on-street parking at her home, so rarely plugs it in and drives it most of the time on the petrol engine. Which means that it uses more fuel than my diesel-powered VW Arteon and emits more CO2 to lug the weight of those batteries around.

She wins (poor engine performance, pathetic boot space and the absence of a spare wheel notwithstanding). The loser is the rest of the planet.

I'll probably have to make a similar decision next year. Financially, it's a no-brainer. But I have a conscience ...

 

[Beachball]

I have to agree Dusty.

Granted, a plug-in hybrid car could be well suited to someone who had off-road parking and did mostly short journeys, with only the occasional longer trip. My wife, and my sister-in-law are prime examples. But I can't even begin to think how long it would take either of them to recoup the cost of spending £50k + on a car in the first place from the fuel savings. The cars they actually drive cost about a tenth of that.

For those such as myself, that regularly do long motorway journeys for work, don't do frequent urban journeys and like to go away in a caravan when we get a break, diesel is still the answer.

The reason for the popularity of plug-in hybrids, I think, is the company car tax benefits. My colleague has a Kia Niro PHEV as a company car and it saves her a fortune. But she only has on-street parking at her home, so rarely plugs it in and drives it most of the time on the petrol engine. Which means that it uses more fuel than my diesel-powered VW Arteon and emits more CO2 to lug the weight of those batteries around.

She wins (poor engine performance, pathetic boot space and the absence of a spare wheel notwithstanding). The loser is the rest of the planet.

I'll probably have to make a similar decision next year. Financially, it's a no-brainer. But I have a conscience ...

I know of someone who tows with a Kia Niro PHEV pulls his caravan great he very happy with it

 

[SamandRose]

I know of someone who tows with a Kia Niro PHEV pulls his caravan great he very happy with it

As you say, "to each his own ..."

 

[Tobes]

I have to agree Dusty.

Granted, a plug-in hybrid car could be well suited to someone who had off-road parking and did mostly short journeys, with only the occasional longer trip. My wife, and my sister-in-law are prime examples. But I can't even begin to think how long it would take either of them to recoup the cost of spending £50k + on a car in the first place from the fuel savings. The cars they actually drive cost about a tenth of that.

For those such as myself, that regularly do long motorway journeys for work, don't do frequent urban journeys and like to go away in a caravan when we get a break, diesel is still the answer.

The reason for the popularity of plug-in hybrids, I think, is the company car tax benefits. My colleague has a Kia Niro PHEV as a company car and it saves her a fortune. But she only has on-street parking at her home, so rarely plugs it in and drives it most of the time on the petrol engine. Which means that it uses more fuel than my diesel-powered VW Arteon and emits more CO2 to lug the weight of those batteries around.

She wins (poor engine performance, pathetic boot space and the absence of a spare wheel notwithstanding). The loser is the rest of the planet.

I'll probably have to make a similar decision next year. Financially, it's a no-brainer. But I have a conscience ...

Plugin-hybrid ONLY makes (green) sense as a personal car with the ability to charge at any time. Lots of PHEVs were sold (and still are) as company cars to reduce the tax burden. My company prohibits the selection of a PHEV as a company vehicle if you cant charge at home, but encourages it if you can, and cant have a full EV (which the encourage even more).

I bought my own PHEV (2nd hand) in 2017 as the company scheme back then was not geared up for PHEV (as it is now) and wanted a vehicle that could both tow and be green on short journeys. As a tow car - its very very good, the compromises being less boot space, no spare wheel and a smaller fuel tank than its pure ICE counterpart. The upsides, no road tax, an average of >70 MPG, lots and lots of power and torque, heavy kerb weight for a stable tow, AWD and much reduced fuel bill.

The only downside is that it was a gateway drug to getting my full EV (company car), which is even better, meaning my PHEV is barely used at all.

 

[SamandRose]

Tobes - am I right in thinking that you tow with your PHEV? If so, can I ask what the car is, and also the weight of your caravan please?

The trouble is that smaller boot space, and particularly the absence of a spare wheel can be big drawbacks. I've recently been unlucky enough to have got a puncture whilst in the New Forest (and that's the third time in 4 years that I've had a puncture whilst on holiday - maybe I'm jinxed?!) Whatever caused the puncture this time must have done a good job, because the low pressure warning sounded on a single track road and by the time I had reached a car park where I could jack the car up (about 1 mile, at very low speed) the tyre was as flat as a pancake and the sidewall had creased, rendering it scrap.

This being the New Forest in holiday season, the local tyre depots were inundated with tourists getting punctures and couldn't fit me in for another 2 days. But, I had a full size spare in the car so it didn't matter. However, I dread to think what would have happened if this hadn't been the case. Recovery to our (somewhat remote) campsite on a tow truck, followed by no transport for 2 days of our 1 week stay?

 

[Tobes]

Tobes - am I right in thinking that you tow with your PHEV? If so, can I ask what the car is, and also the weight of your caravan please?

The trouble is that smaller boot space, and particularly the absence of a spare wheel can be big drawbacks. I've recently been unlucky enough to have got a puncture whilst in the New Forest (and that's the third time in 4 years that I've had a puncture whilst on holiday - maybe I'm jinxed?!) Whatever caused the puncture this time must have done a good job, because the low pressure warning sounded on a single track road and by the time I had reached a car park where I could jack the car up (about 1 mile, at very low speed) the tyre was as flat as a pancake and the sidewall had creased, rendering it scrap.

This being the New Forest in holiday season, the local tyre depots were inundated with tourists getting punctures and couldn't fit me in for another 2 days. But, I had a full size spare in the car so it didn't matter. However, I dread to think what would have happened if this hadn't been the case. Recovery to our (somewhat remote) campsite on a tow truck, followed by no transport for 2 days of our 1 week stay?

Yes - details of the car and caravan in my Sig. MTPLM is 1550. The PHEV can tow up to 1800 with 90kg nose weight. The EV up to 1500 with 90kg noseweight.

Lack of bootspace is not an issue in the PHEV - its still big enough for 4 people for a week or more. So far I have not been troubled with a puncture, and I confess it has not really bothered me as I have had the caravan club breakdown service with Greeflag (used 3 times with the XC90 in about 6 years).