Community
Topics

Search

Explore EV Topics

Browse conversations about charging, adapters, road trips, troubleshooting, and everyday EV life.

Recent Questions

24 discussions · 332 answers
28votes
Kicked the window cord loose 3 times this month — what's the anti-slip trick?
Running a portable EVSE out the mudroom window to the Model 3 parked in the driveway, been doing it for about 8 months without issue until the dog decided th...
cedarloopcedarloop
17
answers
27votes
Ran the numbers on this month's public charging bill and it's basically what I'd have spent on fuel
Three years without a home charging option now — no carport, no driveway, whatever GPO exists in this building's basement isn't near my bay and the body corp...
petey_fxpetey_fx
7
answers
25votes
Genuinely didn't know you needed five different apps for public charging until this week
Three months into the MG4, first ever new car, first EV obviously. Charging at home's been easy enough at the house here in regional NSW, but I did a trip do...
margs4lifemargs4life
22
answers
21votes
Going untethered on the Sigenstore 22kW 3-phase wall charger — what length and amperage Type 2-to-Type 2 cable is everyone actually running?
Already got the Sigenstore battery, inverter and gateway in, and now adding their 22kW AC wall charger to finish the loop. Going untethered rather than the 5...
davo9davo9
12
answers
34votes
Got a serve from a caravan park manager over granny charger use overnight — what's actually a fair fee to offer?
Took the van down to a caravan park on the coast for a few nights last week, powered site, plugged the granny charger into the 15A outlet like I always do at...
fi_macfi_mac
8
answers
41votes
Is an 11kW L2 wall connector actually worth the $2K install if I've already got 3-phase, solar and a battery?
Ordered a Geely EX5, due sometime in November. We've had the panels and the battery in for about two years now, and when we did the rewire for those the spar...
davo9davo9
16
answers
45votes
Model Y novated lease — provider assumed 18kWh/100km, my real number is 14. Does that gap ever get reconciled?
Signed a 4-year novated lease on my Model Y back in March. The running cost budget my provider set is based on an assumed 18kWh/100km, which I only really lo...
nads88nads88
12
answers
28votes
Work carpark has BYO Type 2 charging, 6 bays per level — what length actually lives in the frunk full-time without being a pain?
Building I work in has an EV bay setup I didn't expect — six BYO Type 2 charging bays per level in the basement carpark, no cable supplied, you plug in your ...
davo9davo9
8
answers
33votes
GWM Ora, granny charger working fine — is paying for anything more actually worth it?
Picked up a secondhand GWM Ora a few months back, first EV, still on the granny charger that came in the boot off the regular GPO in the carport. Works fine ...
gregolasgregolas
6
answers
33votes
Chery, Jaecoo J5, MG S4 — which one has the fewest "surprise" costs in the first month?
Still in the research phase, haven't signed anything yet. Sub-$40K budget, mostly city commuting, maybe 4-5 drives a week, nothing exotic like towing or long...
hankmoodyhankmoody
23
answers
27votes
Just picked up my MG4 — dealer only put a Type 2-to-Type 2 cable in the boot, no granny charger. Is that actually normal?
Three months of research and I finally picked up my MG4 last weekend! First car I've ever bought brand new, so I was pretty excited. But delivery day threw m...
margs4lifemargs4life
17
answers
34votes
Committee knocked back the shared charger proposal — is wiring a GPO to my own car space actually a legal workaround?
Been in this block eighteen months now, one of five owners with an EV (up from two last year, so it's clearly not a phase). There's a shared underground gara...
kelso_jkelso_j
14
answers
32votes
Semi-rural block outside Hobart, Model Y finally ordered — do I actually need to keep a second car for towing?
Been going back and forth on this for the better part of a year and finally signed the novated lease paperwork on a Model Y last week, delivery expected Octo...
nads88nads88
5
answers
29votes
MSI EzGo vs a mystery-brand AliExpress 15A portable — is the 3x price actually worth it just to go from 10A to 15A?
Been running the granny charger that came with the car off a standard 10A GPO since I got it, works fine for what I need but it's slow — reckon I'm getting m...
gregolasgregolas
23
answers
56votes
What actually needs to happen in week 1 with a new EV?
Three weeks into retirement now and this car showed up on the driveway Monday, so more research than actual driving so far if I'm honest — wife says I've rea...
graniteforgegraniteforge
14
answers
53votes
How do you actually plan a first road trip with an EV and kids in the car?
We've had the EV about three weeks now and my in-laws are already asking when we're driving up to see them — it's about 260 miles, would've been nothing in t...
quietloomquietloom
14
answers
45votes
Why did my range drop so much faster than expected in the cold?
Moved from Phoenix to Denver a few months back and finally got hit with an actual cold snap this week — dash said something like 210 miles when I left the ho...
dustpebble_rdustpebble_r
15
answers
47votes
Do I actually need a Level 2 charger, or is a wall outlet enough to start?
Truck gets delivered in three weeks and I'm trying to figure out charging before then instead of scrambling after. Dealer's finance guy pushed the $2000-ish ...
briarcovebriarcove
15
answers
42votes
Insurance jumped 40% switching to an EV — is that normal, and what else costs more than expected?
Renewal notice just came in and my insurance jumped almost 40% switching from my old Corolla to the EV, same coverage tier, same company. Half of that I thin...
hazypilothazypilot
14
answers
56votes
Did charging to 100% for a few days actually damage my battery?
Two months in and I think I already messed up my battery permanently. Got home late last week, just plugged in and let it charge to 100% instead of stopping ...
thistleknotthistleknot
16
answers
43votes
Is it normal for range to drop overnight when the car isn't even plugged in?
One month in with my first EV (a Bolt EUV, if that matters) and there's a handful of little things throwing me off that nobody mentioned before I bought it. ...
marblepigeonmarblepigeon
14
answers
57votes
What do you wish someone had told you NOT to do in your first month with an EV?
3 weeks in with my first ev (moved to columbus a bit ago too so still getting used to everything). instead of asking what i SHOULD do, feels like nobody actu...
lampthreadlampthread
15
answers
47votes
What should I actually be doing differently for my EV in extreme heat vs. cold?
Been putting off asking this because it felt like a silly question, but with this heat wave the last two weeks I've caught myself just parking wherever's ope...
graniteforgegraniteforge
15
answers
47votes
How's everyone's experience been with direct-to-consumer EV buying vs. a dealership?
Had my first direct-to-consumer buying experience (no haggling, fixed price, ordered online) and it was so different from my last dealership purchase that I'...
silverpicklesilverpickle
10
answers