Hi Peter, summer 2017 actually sounds good to me as it will allow me to sell my Lotus at peak time to fund the EV3. Ideally I will get a better feeling for build dates before summer and can sell the Lotus late spring.
Hi RoadsterBoy, I am also intrigued by the ideal of a dual motor, but will reserve judgement until I drive the launch edition of the EV3.
After my experience of the 3-Wheeler, I do not think it is a car which is all about driving with your hair on fire all the time and I suspect 60 in less than 9 seconds will feel quick enough. Bearing in mind that for me performance is gauged against the Mk2 Fiesta XR2 which in its day was a respectable hot hatch with 0-60 of 9.2s. (Guess my age yet?). You also need to remember that with full torque from 0 rpm it will be much faster off the line than the pure numbers suggest. A Nissan Leaf feels very frisky indeed at town speeds.
The EV3 does seem to be in a class of it’s own though, it’s closest rival I guess would be a tuned Renault Twizy (which you have to rent the battery for), and the EV3 trounces it in all areas apart from having a roof.
I feel that the combination of the EV3’s low weight and a respectable battery pack (remember the Mk 1 Nissan Leaf has 24kWh) is what will keep it unique. So I would be tempted to resist adding extra weight unless it really enhances the overall package of what could make an electric wheeler such a fun toy to live with.
The Ashwoods motor fitted to the EV3 looks to be quite chunky so I suspect would add a fair bit or weight.
Here are a few numbers I have managed to find to compare the two cars sorry about the formatting
Battery:-------Twizy: 6.1 kWh EV3: ~20 kWh Range:--------Twizy: 62 mi EV3: ~150 mi Length:--------Twizy: 2.32 m EV3: ~3.2 m (3 Wheeler) Width:---------Twizy: 1.19 m EV3: ~2.33 m (3 Wheeler) Curb weight-Twizy: 450 kg EV3: ~450 kg Power--------Twizy: ~25bhp* EV3: 62 bhp 0-60-----------Twizy: 36s* EV3: <9s Max speed--Twizy: 71mph* EV3: >80mph
* The actual Twizy performance above quoted with a tuning box from Norway fitted. I extrapolated the power from the quoted torque improvement. See video below for the actual run:
Even with its reduced performance the Twizy does look fun so the EV3 should be fantastic fun! See a Twiizy owners video below. (This one is also tuned)
The Twizy would not work for me as the range is way to low, and the EV3 looks so much nicer.
I want one BUT with the bugs ironed out! A grand deposit dosn't sound bad and if you don't like it then the grand is returned? My colleagues here in Cambridge have Nissan leafs BUT when they arrive at a designated charge point find that they are now in a queue. So charging away from home is going to be a problem and it takes 4 hours whereas petrol is freely available and recharged in minutes. Lots of thinking with ones head needs to be done .....
Morgan need to support the EV3 at dealerships who can then offer nationwide free charging points 24/7 via a an accessable outlet for charging at any time. Morgan need to support the infrastructure to charge these EV3s
Morgan need to support the EV3 at dealerships who can then offer nationwide free charging points 24/7 via a an accessable outlet for charging at any time. Morgan need to support the infrastructure to charge these EV3s
It's the future value of the electronics that worry me. I buy a whizz bang TV and a year later, it's value is half of feck all as there's something newer/better/cheaper etc.
Not just the electronics - many of which seem to have a projected lifespan of only a few years - but also the projected life expectancy of the battery pack (and the cost of a replacement).
I replaced a 20+ year old Central Heating Boiler a few years ago (because although it had worked perfectly well for two decades or more, it no longer met 'the new regulations' and I was faced with bashing holes in wall to provide ventilation in line with 'the new - read current - regulations'). I took the view that Sod's Law says that as soon as I had bashed the holes in the wall the boiler would have packed up anyway and so elected to replace the boiler and put in a new flue at the same time.
At the end of the job I remarked to the engineer (as I was paying him a king's ransom) that at that cost I hoped that the new boiler would last me another 20+ years. He chuckled and said that whilst the mechanical side of the boiler would probably last he doubted that the electronic side of it would go beyond 5 to 8 years (by which time it would be nigh on impossible to find a replacement printed circuit board because the manufacturer used different boards (according to third party availability) on the same model of boiler on an almost yearly basis.
Whereas once upon a time I used to try and buy high end electronics nowadays I tend to lean towards buying at the lower end of the market on the assumption that when it breaks I will just replace it (because it will be either impossible or just too costly to repair).
I wonder if I should apply the same approach to cars? Seems to me that just about anything built in the new millenium is so dependent on electronics, sensors and filters that future repairs, even if they are possible, won't be cost effective anyway.
I wonder if there is a market for simple mechanical stuff under the brand name 'Luddite'? With people living longer it surely has potential? Just need to outwit the regulations.....
