Electric vehicles tricks and energy trends with Daniel Sumanth, TX: Hyundai, along with its sister brand Kia, has lead the pack when it comes to affordable electric cars with long ranges. The Kona Electric, for example, came along in 2018 with almost double the range of its electric small SUV rivals. But now it’s the Ioniq 5’s turn to set the standard. Although it’s shaped like a big hatchback, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is larger than you might expect and similar in size to the Skoda Enyaq. A key part of the Hyundai’s appeal is its styling, with a funky blend of futuristic and retro details to make it really stand out. While the inside isn’t as dazzling on the eye as the outside, it is a very nice place to sit with a spacious, airy feel, great technology and clever features including (on Ultimate models) a sliding centre console and ‘vehicle to load capability’ which lets you power anything from a domestic socket via the car itself. Discover additional information on https://www.instagram.com/issacdanielsumanth/?hl=en
If your average daily mileage exceeds the range of your electric car, we’d advise you to think twice, but the occasional longer trip should be perfectly manageable. As the technology improves and the average range of electric cars grows, more and more people will find that they could live quite happily with an electric car. The list prices of electric cars can look expensive compared to equivalent petrol or diesel models, even when the Government’s plug-in car grant has been applied, but looks are very likely to be deceiving. List prices are just one part of the cost of vehicle ownership and the overall cost becomes much more palatable when you factor-in the relatively low running costs of EVs – often around 60% of those of a similar petrol model depending on usage patterns. As a general rule, charging an electric car is far cheaper than fueling a petrol or diesel one – even if you use more expensive public charging points.
Solar energy has to be used right away, or it can be stored in large batteries. These batteries, used in off-the-grid solar systems, can be charged during the day so that the energy is used at night. This is a good solution for using solar energy all day long but it is also quite expensive. In most cases, it is smarter to just use solar energy during the day and take energy from the grid during the night (you can only do this if your system is connected to the grid). Luckily your energy demand is usually higher during the day so you can meet most of it with solar energy.
Starting at just under £37,000, the Ioniq 5 features a superb infotainment system and generous standard kit, while the available space has to be seen to be believed. It’s comfortable, too, so you’ll relish the chance of racking up the miles. We certainly did, which is why we named the Hyundai Ioniq 5 our Car of the Year for 2021. The Kia EV6 is the sister vehicle to the Hyundai Ioniq 5, so it’s a great pick if you love that model’s technology, but aren’t quite as sold on its retro-futuristic looks. The EV6 is arguably the more conventional of the two, and it’s a bit lower and more sporting. This is reflected in its handling, with slightly firmer suspension offering sharper responses. It’s offered in Long Range RWD, Long Range AWD and a high-performance GT version, and the entry-level version is our favourite. It not only offers the best range figure of up to 328 miles from its 77.4kWh battery, but we also found its 7.2-second 0-62mph time to be quick enough.
The more electricity you want to produce, the more solar panels you will need, as you want to collect as much sunlight as possible. Solar panels require a lot of space and some roofs are not big enough to fit the number of solar panels that you would like to have. An alternative is to install some of the panels in your yard but they need to have access to sunlight. If you don’t have the space for all the panels that you wanted, you can opt for installing fewer to still satisfy some of your energy needs.
A small household may do fine with a 2000 watt generator. However, a house with a well, off grid water pump system, or other appliances to run at the same time will likely need a generator in the 5000-7500 watt range, or larger. Note 1: small generators tend to produce lower quality electricity than larger models. They also tend to vary the voltage more. This can damage your appliances and equipment. Note 2: Some generators deliver 120 and 240 volts, with the full power only available at 240 volts. Some have two separate 120-volt outlets, each providing up to half the rated power.
The Mustang Mach-E is Ford’s first proper effort at a purpose-built electric car: designed to take on Tesla and beat it at its own game. It drives well enough to justify the Mustang badge, but at the same time it’s no hardcore sports car: it’s large and practical enough to fulfil the family SUV brief with ease. A variety of models are offered, with driving ranges from 249 to 379 miles, either rear or four-wheel drive and significant rapid-charging capability. But if you want more, there’s a high-performance GT model available now, too. Read our full review to find out more, and make sure to check out our head-to-head twin test between the Mach-E and the Tesla Model 3 here.
Those appliances in the household with the highest electricity demand are the dish washer, the washing machine, the tumble dryer and the kitchen stove. These can easily be equipped with timer switches, so that they run during the day, when the solar generator on the roof is producing a lot of output, which can be used directly. A high-wattage stove might be a challenge for PV by itself. In this case, a large storage unit (solar battery) can be used as a buffer for short-term load peaks. Because it is not just the number of kilowatt hours on the roof that has to be sufficient, but also the currents made available at short notice. This determines if a storage unit is designed for capacity (in kilowatt hours) or output (in kilowatts).