Kia Nero (Niro) EV experience my first electric car. How different is an EV car to petrol or diesel? 

Thank you Andrew, I really appreciate the feed back. I showed it as it was for me. Good luck with your journey. I do not regret buying an EV for one second. I never want or hanker for a fossil fuel gear changing car.

Well researched? He can't even spell Niro correctly. It's not the Roman Emporer, it's a Korean EV.

@@mondotv4216 Fair enough, the spelling is wrong, but the video still talks about so many things that might be unknown to first-time EV drivers. One-pedal driving. Charging options at home and while traveling, including a cost breakdown. Charging losses. The recommendation to only charge to 80% for daily use to keep the battery healthy. This last one in particular is not known at all to many new drivers. It might go away eventually when more and more cars have LFP batteries which are much more forgiving in this regard, but for now I consider it a very vital piece of information.

@@mondotv4216 spelling never my strength, Hope you ow what I meant anyway. Appreciate you showing me my error. Thank you

@@Astrophysikus Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate your comments. I suppose I just covered the issues and thoughts as I tried to understand the car. Regarding the charge losses. my brother has a Tesla, he is going to collect his charge or transmission losses with a view to bringing out a video talking about how the losses vary at different charge rates. Thank you for standing up for my poor spelling. It has always been atrocious.

​@@mondotv4216What is an emporer?

Thank you Lance, I really appreciate that. I have just tried to show it as I experience the car. I plan to produce another showing my experience over 4 months, as I grow to learn the short cuts and the must do applications of the Kia Niro. I am currently up in Scotland gaining yet more drive time in different conditions. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.

Thank you. Wow, that is lovely, thank you.

Thank you Lance. I enjoy producing videos of real life day to day experiences. My brother has a Tesla and because my experiences being in close contact with him and his EV, it help break down the barriers we all have to change, anything new. Having said that experiencing an EV first hand as you imagine, is very different to watching some one else. Enjoy your EV when it arrives. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Thank you Andrew, much appreciate you taking the time to share that with me. I produce a range of videos on everyday experiences from wildlife to solar, heat pumps, ploughing to hedge laying. I consider it is like being an artist, my colours are the clips I take before putting the story together. Best wishes with your EV vehicle, I have absolutely no regrets.

Thank you Paul.

I shared exactly what experience hoping it would help others. Thank you, for let me know it helped.

Wow, I really appreciate your comments. I am not a car boffin. I enjoy making videos of every day events, getting a new EV car was too big an opportunity not to try. I literally showed my experiences and thoughts as I worked my way through how to operate the car. My biggest suggestions to anyone buying a Niro is make sure the three pin plug comes as standard. This is so important as it means you can literally charge your car anywhere. I am still not sure about being sold a 'Car Service Plan' especially when the manual tells me the car only needs to be serviced every 20,000 miles or two years. The dealer told me the Service Plan, although not recommended in the manual is on the web site. I am guessing the web site is the UK agents web site. It needs more questioning, as I am still not convinced what I am really getting with this.

@@JamesRattray Hello James, I can see your frustration with the car dealership selling you a dubious service plan. I hope you find an amicable solution. Perhaps you will find a subtle way to inform them of your successful car review channel on RU-vid. Also, I look forward to an analysis of the efficiency of the 3-pin charge cable vs. an 11kW AC charge cable. I've heard that the higher power AC charger is more efficient, but it would take a long time to pay off the installation cost of an higher power AC charger for home use. An interesting study, in any case.

@@yhfsywfit I have installed a home charger, there is a short video it. As I live in rented house, there was a grant to help, so I installed it. The 7.2Kwh charger doesn't actually give me a reading of how much charge goes in to the car, which is a draw back. My brother has a Zappy charger which does tell him how much he is actually putting in the car, versus how full the car battery is. Interestingly at the lower rates he too has higher losses. His conclusion (which sounds logical to me) is that the car's electronic systems are all on during charging, which naturally consumers power, so at low rates of charge the power used by having the car's electronics is reflected in the higher percentage losses. We hope to put forward a proper video once we have all the facts lined up on different charge rates and losses as %s. Thank you for commenting.

Thank you Richard, I hoped it might be of interest to some. I thought showing the thought process, at least my thought process might help others when they consider a new car. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Thank you for letting me know. I am working on the next part showing my experiences after 4 months, which will be out towards the end of February.

Good luck with your Kia Niro. I am not car expert, but what I can tell you almost 16months on, is I have not detected any deterioration in battery range. I don't know what to expect from a Niro 4. Please let us know how you get on. Good luck, I love my electric car especially as it only costs me 9p a kWh with Octopus to charge it at night. 90% of journeys are done from home, so this cheap rate electricity is certainly a great asset to have.

Thank you very much. I really appreciate that. I enjoy producing videos of real life every day expereinces.

Thank you, I really appreciate your feedback. I will probably produce another video of the car with 6 months experience. I am really enjoying the Kia Niro EV2 I am getting a better understanding of how an electric vehicle needs a different mind set. It is so easy to drive. Its fuel, electricity is everyhwere. It is always cheapest charging the vehicle from home. 90% trips will be from home, that is where the car will be parked for the majority of its life and so charging it from home is easy. I have installed a fast home charger, (here is the video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XJiKOoARiNI.html) I live in a rented property (with the landlords permission). The fast home charger does make a difference, making charge very simple. Three pin charger works well, but is recommended only for top ups. If you do decide to use an extension cable, with the 3 pin, make sure the extension is as short as possible and never wound when the current passes through it, as 12amps passing through the cable will generate a lot of heat especially if it is wound, which can cause electrical fires. Always make sure the cable is fully extended, allowing the heat to dissipate, is my understanding. Good luck with your car hunting and enjoy it when you buy one.

Thank you

I am Octopus Go, 9p currently will be changing to Intelligent when we move to our new house. I still love the Kia, if anything even more, as I get to EV thinking as opposed to diesel vehicles. Enjoy your purchase.

Thank you Nigel. I totally agree, having driven an electric car, it is so much easier to drive than a gear changing internal combustion vehicle.

Thank you Denis, I really appreciate that. As well as Marine, I went on to get a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, that was a long time ago. I am now working of a video for 4 months driving the Kia and what I have learnt, as well as night mare experience at the local Kia garage. All a work in progress. Thank you for your comments Dennis

Thank you Ben, I really appreciate your feedback. I really showed myself trying to come to terms with an electric vehicle.

Thank you Mike, we always think things are new, I found it interesting to learn the electric car has been around much longer than we think. It's the battery that has been revolutionised, that might be too strong a work. Improved might be better.

Thank you Kenneth. I plan to produce another one talking about winter and Transmission charging losses, which is quite interesting. My aim is to show it as I experience.

I appreciate your feed back. I have just completed the 6 months experience, I am still really enjoying the car, but sadly waiting for the two software faults to be resolved ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wI-eU2tvoF8.html

I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you thought. Thank you.

Thank you Gerry I really appreciate your comments. I never know which videos I produce will be of interest. I try and capture things as they are, so thought why not the new car? We are really enjoying it, I am sure you will too. Best wishes

Hi Again James. I hope you are still enjoying your new EV. I am still awaiting mine. I do have a query for you. Is the regenerative breaking using the paddles better or easier that the conventional brake pedal?

@@gerryfinegan Hi Gerry, I personally love the regenerative braking. I always drive with it enabled, it gives me the best control of the vehicle. What do I mean by this? The power peddle (the accelerator in a conventional vehicle), allows me to move the vehicle forward and slow the vehicle down. How far I press the peddle down or raise my foot off the peddle, totally controls the vehicles speed. So when ever I approach a corner, I want to drop my speed slightly, I just raise my foot off the peddle a touch and the car slows down and what is more, that energy that would normally be lost in to brake pads, goes back in to the battery. Brilliant! I never want to have to drive a conventional car again. All those gear changes especially in slow traffic, when you are continually raising and lowering the clutch to move along at snails pace are a distant memory. I am sure you will enjoy it too. When you get your car, I would love to hear what you think. I am working on another video I plan to put out towards the end of February all going well showing my experiences after 4 months with my first electric car. Yes, I am still loving it and I am still learning. Thanks for getting back in touch.

Thank You James. That sounds fantastic. I always hated when I drove automatics having to use the foot break to change down or for corners. I can’t wait for this car to arrive. Regards Gerry.

Happy New Year James. If I could once again avail of your Kia Nero EV experience. I am still awaiting delivery in March 😢 I hope I am not asking too many questions! As I am a bad person to be given too much research time. Did you give any more consideration to a spare wheel 🛞 Does it actually fit? in the boot and can one actually “jack” the car up. Obviously you would need a lifting jack and wheel nut wrench as well. As I live in a rural area tyre damage rather than pin hole puncture is more likely. I am not sure if I am too enamoured with having a can of sealing foam instead of a spare tyre. My 6.2 kWp Solar panels were fitted in February. Combined with the €650 Irish Government Fuel Subsidy last year has given me a year end €320 Credit. So I can’t wait to put the excess in the car! Regards Gerry

Thank you Big Joe. I just try and show it as it is, at least how it is for me. Best wishes from South Wales.

Thank you Sean 007. I basically shared what I was learning and experiencing. I plan to have another pout during early March on 4 months on with my new EV. Always learning.

@@JamesRattray a lot of info my little peanut wouldn't have been able to workout 🤣🤣

Thank you for your comments. I hope to bring out a video on charge losses at different rates of charges and temperatures too. I will find it interesting let alone one or two others might do too. Once again thank you for commenting.

I use automatic steering. Still to move on to cruise control, that has to be one of my next learning tasks. I can certainly see how it will help. Thank you for commenting.

@@JamesRattray You can use adaptive cruise control to keep a set distance behind the car in front: it will slow you down if you get too close.

@@ChrisLRow It sounds perfect for me. I must get in to trying/using it. Thank you

Wow ...... Thank you. I am really pleased you enjoyed me coming to grips with my first electric car. It is still going strong and I still love it. I plan to do a two year video of driving an electric car later this year.

Thank you. I have also created one after 6 months showing where I am at with the Kia EV ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wI-eU2tvoF8.html

Thank you Derek. I suspected that might be the case, no longer supplied as standard. I would recommend everyone has one, as it is so reassuring to know you can connect to any 3 pin socket, if one needs a charge. I haven't used mine since learning how to use it in the first video. But I thought I might use it when staying in Scotland, it turned out I didn't need to. I would recommend everyone has one in their EV vehicle.

i'm Considering this car. Kia quoted me 365 quid. lol. it's insane. why would anyone buy from Kia when you can get 3rd party for (almost) a 3rd of the price?

I do use the reg function all the time, I find it so easy to drive, as the reg brings me to a stop too. I am not sure how easy it would be to calculate the reg effect. Possibly drive a route with and without reg on. I definitely prefer driving with full reg on. So easy and great to feel that all that energy is going back in to the battery nor is one wearing down brake pads

Thank you I really appreciate the feed back. My next video will be my experiences driving it in the first 4 months. What I have learnt and how I have progressed. I plan to start editing it in February with launch by the end of the month.

thank you david, I have literally just charged the vehicle while staying a relatives using the 3 pin plug for the last 14 hrs , set at 10amps. it all went fine, home electric is 30p, service station if s 80p. big difference in price. hopefully 10amps is within safe limits for house wiring. thank you for sharing that with us.

Thanks John, appreciate history is not for you. Gladly others said they appreciated the history. The good thing is we all see things from a different angle. Thank you for commenting it is always good to exchange different views.

Thank you. I am very colour blind, my wife commented on that when I showed her the clip. I will watch out for this the next time. Thank you.

Thank you. I know there is a lot of negative press about electric. I don't know where it is coming from, is it the establishment? Anyway, having now driven an electric car for a year, I don't want to go back. Driving is very very easy, one pedal does everything in hill starts, no clutches, hand brakes required. Charging is very inexpensive at 7p per kwh - main domestic electric is around 30p. Charging is done at home while the car is parked up at midnight to 6am in the morning, when the grid can easily cope. Over 90% of charging is done at home. Long trips is when I need a charger, there are always chargers at motorway services. If you don't travel at busy Friday on a Bank Holiday weekend 9 out of 10 times you go straight on to a charger, while you go for a comfort break and a coffee. Very fast and efficient. Don't be dissuaded, I am chuffed to bit with my car. Thank you for commenting

Thank you Anthony for sharing that with us. We have only option to charge the vehicles here in the UK, it is all 220V. We are in our second winter with our EV, I continue to record every charge in my log book. I have recorded, start charge %, finish charge %, When charge commences after driving in hrs (most of our charges are done from 00.30am to 04.30am as this gives us electricity at a quarter of the rate of the normal daily tariff). The type of charge (home or rapid at a service station) The milage, and the amount of charge. When I get time I will go through these and see if I can detect anything with losses. I am currently renovating our home, a massive task. Video too on this in the future. Best wishes from the UK

Thank you Phil. I think the point of not unreeling an extended cable, is the windings of the cable generate heat, so one should always full unwind a cable when using any electrical appliance. I totally get that. I got the impression that the super charger would cost more, than a slower rate charger that suits the car. So paying for a super fast charger would cost more, when you could not use all the extra charge. I do appreciate your comments, all really good points for me and anyone else who reads this, thank you.

Thank you, I appreciate that advice.

Hi Dave, thank you for your comments. Regarding charging on holiday, what we have done is asked accommodation providers if we can use a 3 pin plug, we meter it and send them the shot of how many kWh units used. Using the 3 pin plug set at 10am which is well below the 13am plug rating works really well, as the vehicles is parked up over night, you can get quite a bit of charge in. Our self catering provider was only too happy to provide this facility, we paid him in cash when we were there. Regarding the annual service plan, it wasn't that costly, so we did it anyway. One of the things they check is software updates. But it does show how the motor industry tries to grab as much money off us motorists as they can possibly squeeze. I am sure the most resent Kia Nero model will be great. We love ours.

Thank you Gordon. I am hoping to put out another video showing my conclusions after 6 months, as you suggest, I will include what I would ask Kia Nero designers to improve on for future updates. I have a short list. Going to your two questions. 1). Steamed up windows - I have found the fans and direction of the air, excellent. Any steamed up window is quickly sorted once the fan and direction is put on. We have experienced no problem there. 2). A hole through the arm rest? I have no knowledge on this at all, so please take these comments with that in mind. I have just had a look. The arm rest in the back, goes down. The cavity has what appears to be a thin hard plastic backing. When I go to the boot and look at where the arm rest is, I see a covering of very thin carpet type material, which I presume you would need to cut, before you can cut the plastic at the back of the armrest. I believe it is all doable, BUT my comments come as some one with no knowledge on this area at all. Not sure if that helps, but you do have my views. Hope that helps and once again thank you for sharing your thoughts and questions.

@@JamesRattray thanks, much appreciated! Looking forward to your next report, and also how you're finding your removable charging stand, as I think lots of people - myself included - are also interested in that!

It is an interesting point you raise about complexities of longer journeys of the EV. I know my old VW Golf had a range of some 500 miles. But have petrol or diesel cars always had this range? I tried to look and find some facts on Google, not easy. It needs more digging. I do recall there used to be more petrol/diesel pumps around, many have disappeared in the last 30 years or so. I wondered what the reason was. Did the petrol/diesel vehicles have a lower range back then? I remember driving up in to the Norther Frontier District of Kenya in the early 1970s and having to work out fuel required and carrying Gerry cans of fuel, as the tank did not hold the range we were travelling. The Kia EV 2, I have, has a range of some 280 miles in the summer, dropping to just about 220 miles on a cold winter's day. In my next video I will trace our trip from Scotland in freezing weather. The EV charging infrastructure definitely needs developing. Having said that when we drove back from Glasgow to South Wales, we pulled off the motorway to service stations, unplanned and always found chargers, leaving the car charging when we went for a pee break and coffee. When a normal ICE vehicle stops at a motorway services, how long does it normally stop for? How much EV charge time will this give? How much charge can you get in to the tank. Remember often you do not want to fully charge the battery. You only want enough to get you to your destination, where you can charge it over night at half the price. I suppose I am trying to weigh up in my head, how much the charging debate is because charging an EV is different to ICEs. I charge it at home and never go to a charge point within a 100 mile of home or 200 mile round trip. Beyond that I do need to stop and charge, but how often do I drive 200 miles without stopping in an ICE? Never, we always stop after 2 to 2.5hrs, roughly 150 miles, or so of diving. What does concern me is I read, "The UK could fail to deliver on its pledge to install 300000 electric car charging stations by 2030, with a new report." More and more EV's are on the road. 90% of EV journeys are charged at home or work, but these charger installations are essential for long distance journeys. Sorry I have gone on a bit hear, but I needed to go through my thought process, provoked by your comment, for myself. There you have it. Love the debate, thank you.

@@JamesRattray I think you nailed it. For nearly all journeys an EV makes perfect sense for most folk. For UK holidays, you need to be prepared for additional hassle compared to an ICE. Good point about range, older cars I've owned have had ranges from 250, an Impreza WRX, to 350 miles.

Before it comes, what can you do to prepare for its arrival? My suggestions are, look at how you charge it. I installed a home charger, which I recommend, there are different options. Look at the different electricity supplier options. It might be worth looking at Octopus who have a number of tariffs, I would look at these and weigh up adding a house battery, which allows you to buy cheaper electricity peak. Remember around 90% of charging will be from home. Make the most of the wait and enjoy it when it arrives. Thank you for commenting.

@@JamesRattray This will be my second EV (replacing a Nissan Leaf e+ tekna model). I have a house charger already. The electricity tariff is more complicated. Up until the big increase in fuel costs, the Octopus Go tariff was excellent, but I have since had to migrate to their Variable tariff in order to qualify for the Government support package. Solar panels would not be suitable here and a battery I believe is only really effective in the long run if part of a solar panel solution. I am hoping the Niro EV (3) will come in just under the so-called Tesla tax proposed by HMG from 2025.

@@colin.d Thank you Colin, interesting points you make especially about the electricity tariffs. I am at the point of moving or weighing up whether to move from Ovo who do absolutely nothing for EVs, despite advertising an Ovo Electric car tariff on their web site. The Ovo EV tariff does not exist when you ask for details. I produced a video of my brothers Solar panels, house battery and car. I definitely think a house battery is worth thinking about as it allows you to buy the daily house electric at off peak rates. Having said all this, it does not mean I have any superior knowledge, it is just what I think from what I have seen. Thank you for your comments, really helpful.

What a really interesting comment about efficiencies of the two types of vehicles power systems. I don't believe many people are aware of this, I may well bring that in my 6 months of driving the Kia Niro EV. I am also interested in what you say about 'battery pre heating'. I am not sure where or how to turn this off or on. There is a setting called 'Winter mode' which there is absolutely nothing in the manual about. I have just googled it and I learn 'he Kia e-Niro winter mode recognizes when the battery is cold. It then heats the battery and keeps it at an efficient temperature for the duration of your journey. You'll notice the following side effects: Improved responsiveness and driving experience. Better charging performance.'

@@JamesRattray Hey, this video explains the details. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0n882p3uq6w.html this data is now a little old, as Electric cars have improved since then. Hope the link works. Winter mode is a setting where the car will keep the battery above a certain temperature, if the outside temperature drops considerably. I think it's -10c. The car will turn on a heater to warm the battery. I have had my e niro 18 months, the setting has always been on, but the car has never had to use it. So I leave it on as no harm done. The new Niro EV has what is called battery pre conditioning. I'm not sure if it is across the entire electric range or if only the top of the range gets it. When you use the cars sat nav and put in a fast charger as a destination, the car starts to heat, (pre condition) the battery, so the cells are at the perfect temperature to receive the high voltage output of the fast charger. The trade off is it'll use some range, but your stop is shorter as you charge quicker. I hope this helps and all makes sense.

@@mev202 Thank you, that is useful. Learning all the time.

I suppose the video shows my naivety of the technology. I no longer use a separate phone screen. I use the screen in the car, it is much better. My car does not have Kia Connect. I have produced a video of the 6 months experience, which includes a horrendous service experience where I clearly learn there is no Kia Connect with my version of Kia EV 2.

@@JamesRattray thanks for the confirmation of the Kia Connect compatibility - I have to confess that I must have skimmed through that specific, but ultimately critical part of the video. I did think as much. From what I've heard, it's not the most reliable of apps in any case ☺️ I'm looking forward to the same spec Niro arriving in the next few weeks. Thanks for the quick reply!

I do charge to 100% when setting off for long journeys. But charge to 80% for local trips. Thank you for that, it's a good tip to keep in mind when not charging to 100% after a long period of time.

Thank you Andy, you make a very significant point by comparing the amps to a kettle being run for a few minutes, to a continuous charge going to an EV for hours. I have used the 3 pin to charge my EV literally a couple of times with absolutely no evidence of heating. My rational was by setting the EV charge to 10amps instead of the 12 amps option, I was leaving a 25% safety margin, so I was being cautious. But it does depend on the quality of the home installation as you point out. A couple of thoughts immediately crossed my mind:- Firstly, dropping the current to 8am will extend the charge time, but often this is not significant as the vehicle spends more time parked up than being driven. Secondly, we do use an additional circuit breaker when using 220V outside the house, on garden hedge trimmers and the like. May be I should be including this trip in the car as added protection, if I plan to use a 3 pin plug charging away from home. Thank you for this, a really good comment to add to the thought/learning process. I will do more checking and discuss this with friends and electricians to try and work out best practical advice going forwards.

I will definitely try this for my next motorway drive. Than you

@@JamesRattray I am sorry I should not have mentioned this as I don't think your car has the Highway Drive Assist (HDA) system but on motorways, cruise control makes driving more comfortable.🤠

@@pgbaines65 It does have cruise control. I do think your suggestion has done no harm, I do need to get my head round it. It's on the to do list next.

Hi Aly, As I recall there is next to no advice about the battery mode of operation. I will go and dig it out of the car later to double check what it says. What I have learnt to do, is only top the battery up to 80% when i am based at home for local and shorter journeys. On a long trip I charge the battery to 100% the night before. I aim to run the battery down to 20% or lower on the journey, topping it up to 80% during the journey, using fast chargers. I will check what the manual says and add more later. After 17 months, there appears to be no deterioration in battery life, one hears about in the mainstream paparazzi media.

It's an interesting point you make about the service plan. I have been a bit undecided as to what to do for the best. On the one hand my brother has a Tesla, there is no service required for two years. Here Kia try and get us to sign up to an annual plan. An electric vehicle is no where near the complexities of a Petrol or diesel car. I felt it might be the garage trying to keep itself in a job. What are they going to check? It so happens I have this afternoon returned from the annual service. What did they do? Check the 12 volt battery, the brake fluid oil and levels, the tread left on the tires, the wipers and blades, has the vehicle had the latest software updates, ummmm..........I am not convinced all this was really relevant. So I am left wondering if this a service for the car dealership more than what is actually required by the vehicle.

Thank. Kenya accent. We farmed on the plateau where there many South African farmers. Perhaps that is where I got it from. Long time ago.

Yes, I made sure the 3 pin was included. One garrage included it another wanted £700 something extra. I believe you can buy it for over half this price, if not through the dealer.

Hi Shelagh, My priority was getting a new car, as we usually buy old cars and run them to the end of their life. My old car had collapsed, we were driving around in my sister in law's car. Instead of buying old petrol/diesel we decided on EV. Delivery time was important but not the over riding factor. As I mentioned in the video I considered Nissan, VW and second hand Tesla, as well as Kia. I liked the warranty, we totally believe in going green. The model 2 also fitted our budget. I love the car, it does what it says on the tin. Yes it is the basic model so it does not have things like Kia Connect, I believe the only Kia car that has not been fitted with this. Not sure why not. As I understand Kia Connect allows you to connect directly to your car from your phone. I don't miss it as I have never had it. I am not really sure what I am missing with all the extra features costing more money. For me the car works really well, I love driving it. I hope never to go back to a petrol/diesel vehicle and all their complexities ever again.

@@JamesRattray thank you for your reply. It is very helpful.

The granny charger is 220V X the amps. So a 13 amp plug, as I prefer to operate without over stretching/heating the connections. I set it to 10amp charge X 220V = 2.2kWh per hour. I operate between roughly 50% charge to 80% charge at home. The Kia's battery is 64kWh, so to take the charge from 50% to 80% or 30% requires 19kWh at 2.2kW per hour = approx. 9 hours on charge. I have my granny charger for emergencies, when I am some where and I need a top up charge at a friends or B&B etc. Thank you for your comment.

Interestingly one dealership (Newport) said we needed to buy the 3 pin charge extra. They quoted some £700 for it. I shopped around and found Kidderminster dealer who supplied it with the vehicle for the same car deal price. I think you can buy one on line for about half the Newport dealer's verbal quote to us. I personally would highly recommend making sure you have one, it can make a big difference as you can get a small top up when visiting friends or family or that B&B that does not have a charger. My brother goes to London to visit his son. He always tops up his EV battery with his 3 pin, this gives him enough charge to get back to south Wales without having to visit an expensive fast charger or a extra stop. Hope that is what you asked.

@@JamesRattray Just what I needed to know...thank you James.

The logic behind the higher charging losses at the lower charging rates is that the vehicles electronics are on when the car is being charged. The electronics consumes electricity, so the slower the charge rate the greater the per centage of the charge going to the electronics. It will be interesting to see, as I have now collected nearly 6 months of charging using different chargers, also the day time temperatures, how long the charge was after the car was driven, as well as the different charge rates. I will look at these in my next video of driving my Kia EV for the first 6 months and what I have learnt. Your other question was about a home charger. I was unsure too whether I needed one when I started too. Now, I know it was the right decision for me to install the 7kWh charger at home. It makes it so much easier to charge your vehicle. Remember 90% of your charging will be from home or at work, if they provide chargers there. Overall it cost me about £1,000, but well worth it. Remember no trips anymore to the petrol pumps. There are a range of chargers out there, ask yourself if you will ever install solar etc as there are different chargers for different set ups. Here is my short video on mine being installed ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XJiKOoARiNI.html n

My charger did come with the vehicle. But I recently had a comment under the video telling me the 3 pin charger is no longer supplied as standard. They bought one for £133 if I remember correctly. I know one Kia dealership mentioned something like £700 from them. So I would shop around. I personally would highly recommend getting one, as it is for peace of mind. Electricity is everywhere, without a 3 pin charger, you can old charge at certain locations.

@@JamesRattray Do you have the model number for the 3-pin charger, James?

@@uksurveyors Hi Sam, This is what my 3-pin charger has on it. Product:- IC - CPD Manufacturer:- Kyungshin Corporation Model No:- 91996 - G1050 Type A :- AC 30mA

@@JamesRattray Thank you very much James

@@JamesRattray wow. even on thr Kia website the 3 pin charger is supposed to be 365 quid. (which is still expensive) never known one to be 700. even a BMW 3 pin cable is around 400.

It came with the car. Interestingly one garage did not include it in the sale. I made sure it was included in the purchase. It really is for peace of mind. Today we drove 230 miles and were getting low battery. It was VERY reassuring to know I could get a small charge when visiting my friends house, if I needed via the 3 pin charger.

@@JamesRattray thanks for the reply. I received my car yesterday but didn’t get a 3 pin charger so trying to work out where to get one.

@@Lockerz83 I think you can buy them away from the main dealers. If my memory is correct the Kia dealer who didn't supply it was quote something like £750. I did look at the time over a year ago and I found some at £350 or there abouts. I would definitely buy as mentioned previously. Electricity is everyhwere, not to be able to connect in with a 3 pin is madness, so reassuring to be able to. Good luck.

That is interesting. From looking at one charge station only, I saw Tesla were charging 49p per kWh when the opposition were charging 79p. So I will definitely have to get Tesla charger App on my mobile for my next trip. Thank you for that.

I have done this now, and as you say it is much easier. I suppose I am doing one thing at a time, I am slowly getting there. I think. Thank you for sharing that with me.

Yes, I am still not sure about it. It appears they check your software and tyres. Teslas don't need a service in the first two years or 20,000 miles. I think these plans were set up for the garages, so customers feel it is necessary to continue the annual services as if it was a fossil fuel vehicle. I call it sharp practice!

Earl you are welcome to ask any questions, I am an ordinary motorist just like you. I had to google what 'duel aspherical wing mirrors' meant. This is what google tells me. "Aspherical exterior mirrors have a dual, partially curved (convex) mirror surface. This increases the viewing area of the rear-facing mirror." Now to show my ignorance. I don't know. How do i check? Have checked the manual and can't see anything other than how to operate them and don't scrape ice off them etc as it could damage them. Its a frosty morning here, I have looked at the mirror surface and can't see any obvious curvature, having said that I would suspect the curvature would be very small to make a big difference. What I do know is the wing mirrors are very good, in fact the best I have ever had on any car, in terms of what I can see in the mirrors. II am not sure why, is that they are better positioned, bigger, or they convex curved. I don't know. Any suggestions on how would I check if they are aspherical wing mirrors?

@@JamesRattray Thank you for your reply! In the US, we have many anachronistic rules regarding car designs. One of them regulates the wing mirrors. On the driver's door, the mirror surface is flat; on the front passenger's door, it is convex with an approximately constant, though rather large, radius of curvature (i.e., spherical). The curved mirror also has an inscribed message stating, "objects in mirror are larger than they appear." These mirrors suffer from large blind spots, so much that newer cars have a complex system of sensors and indicator lights in the mirrors to alert the driver of nearby cars that may not be visible in the mirrors. Aspherical mirrors are convex, but the radius of curvature is not constant - the curvature is more gradual (larger radius) on the inner 2/3 of the surface, and more sharply curved (smaller radius) on the outer edge. The ones I've seen also have a dashed vertical line inscribed where the radius changes. The advantage of this design is that the driver has a much wider field of view on each side of the car. When adjusted so that the door handles are just visible on the inner edge of the mirror, there are very few places surrounding cars, bicycles, or pedestrians can hide. I hope my description has been helpful. Even more, I hope our regulatory bodies will somehow spring into the 21st century in the near future; but I digress....

@@earlmorren3858 Thank Earl, that is fascinating. I didn't know any of that. So how would you suggest I check to see if the mirrors on my Kia EV Niro 2 has aspherical wing mirrors? I would be fascinated to know.

Hey James... sorry I didn't respond sooner. All of the aspherical mirrors I've seen have a vertical line on the surface demarking the change from larger to smaller radius of curvature. I've been told in other discussion threads that threse are used on all cars in the EU. Cheers!

It works really well for me. I love the fact I can down load how much electricity I have used each time I charge the vehicle, making it easy to separate the vehicle charging from the house electric costs. I have no issues with it. The things I would suggest is ask yourself if you will in the future install solar panels, in which case check how it would handle these etc. If no solar (which i don't have) it works very well.

@@JamesRattray thanks for your feedback, that's good to know.. I do already have solar panels, and I am planning on installing the Wallbox and the energy meter, to divert any excess solar to the Niro

@@stevesmithuk44 I produced a video of my brother's set up. Solar, house battery and EV. He makes some interesting points after running this for a couple of years. There is a second video where he talks through the sums on the various system. Here is the first video on the set up ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NBc551y7B2g.html

@@JamesRattray thanks... Impressive set-up

It was free, sadly not any more

I set the current to 10 amps, if you are worried you can set the current even lower. I have used the extension cable once, from a self cottage in Devon. The cable and plug never even got warm, let alone catch fire.

Hi Keith, Nice to get your question. Yes the Kia Niro has a built in Scheduling Charging System. So you can program when you want the charging to start and stop. Happy to answer questions here, as I am sure you are not the only person who wants to ask the same question. Enjoy your car when it comes.

@@JamesRattray Hi James, Can I set the charge time on the car, without any leccy to the granny charger ?

@@keithreynolds279 Keith, I have only used the granny charger or 3 pin charger twice, as you have seen in the video. Having said, for me it is a very important piece of kit to have, in fact I would say it is imperative to have one, (I see some Kia EVs are sold without one), as it is reassuring to know that you can be charged from any building, home, office etc where the costs will always be less expensive than public service chargers. I did question initially, whether I ready needed the fast home 7kWh charger at home. I installed one anyway. My conclusion, now is having the 7kWh charger is a good move, as it simplifies the charging, especially if you are looking to make use of some of the off peak electricity deals. These are often for a stretch of 4 hours in the early hours of the morning. In which case it is important get as much charge as you can over this period in to your vehicle. The 7kWh version I have (I suspect other too) records the power taken each time you charge, so I can separate my home elect costs and vehicle costs, which I like. Also remember your car spends an awful lot of time parked outside your home. One person cautioned me on line about using the granny charger through a 13amp socket all the time. He said make sure the 13 amp plug and system is tested for this high continuous usage, as these plugs are not designed for long periods of high amp charging. I don't know the full facts surrounding this, but it is worth being aware of and speak to your electrician. Here is the link showing my home charger being installed ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XJiKOoARiNI.html Back to your question - Can I set the charge time on the car, without any leccy to the granny charger ? The Schedule car charge software is in the car, I believe you can set this and then plug your granny charger to the car. The car's schedule chargers would then call for the power at the time you have scheduled from the granny charger. That is my understanding. I haven't specifically done this, but I believe it is possible as I have described. Hope that helps and makes sense. I will work on my 4 months video in February for release late in that month showing what I have learnt after 4 months.

@@JamesRattray Hi James, Many thanks for detailed reply, answers to all my questions. Most grateful. Rgds. Keith.

Yes it did. One garage wanted to charge me £750 extra for the cable, so I found a garage where the cable was included with the car, as standard. If I recall correctly, I did a search and I could buy this cable elsewhere for half that cost. I made sure the car I purchased included the 3 pin cable.

Bought mine from EV Extras….£133 including carry bag.Great price and arrived about 16 hours after placing my order!

It’s no longer included with the car.

Can you tell me mins and secs in the video you are looking at? So I can give you an exact answer. Everything is very well finished in the car to a very high standard.

14:10

15:45

@@ab-js2gw It is plastic and it is fully shiny, I suspect it is the camera angle and reflection on the bright sunlight from around the car that is making looking dull. I am very happy with the finish and all the quality of the car.

@@JamesRattray 👍🏼 cool I thought it may be sunshine as it looks matt finish in the video.

When you say "plug share app" are you referring to to the charge at the Supermarket? There are a number of ways of charging the cars, but apps is one way we can only get in to some chargers. Hope that answers your question.

@@JamesRattray there "PlugShare" app is a crowd sourced ev charging probably similar to zapmap. Helps you know which chargers are near you are working and how fast people with various cars have seen on them.

I think it was battery technology and the limited range. We also have to remind ourselves that It took time for the National Grid to roll out electricity to most of the country, getting homes wired up took time, it increased from 6% in 1919 to two thirds by the end of the 1930s. But i think it was all about lack of range and charging facilities that meant the early electric cars did not work for long distance travel.

I agree. 18 months later, I have forgotten that, but the hook is in the tyre space ready if I need to be toed. The other important thing is the tyre repair kit they include. My brother has a Tesla and had a flat tyre when he visited us the other day, it appears he didn't have anything to inflate his tyre and get to a garage or back home 7 miles away. I had to lend him our Kia repair kit. I found that very interesting as cars no longer carry spare tyres.

@@JamesRattray I put a spare in the boot for long journeys.

@@SteveN-pw4dj spare costs £300. The conclusion I reached after discussing with others was cheaper to replace the tyre every puncture. Not that we get many punctures. Where do you get your spare from for long journeys?

They explain the Service plan is a way to protect the 7 year warranty. It was confusing having Maintenance Plan and then a Service Plan, both different to each other. Strange!

@@JamesRattray Nothing strange about dealers and their desire to hoodwink customers in order to increase the profit in a sale.

@@gerhardk98 I know, I am very weary of it and they are adamant it is needed, to protect the warranty. Mmmmmm..... I think fighting it might be more hassle than its worth for the cost saving.

If I understand the 3 year Kia service plan correctly, then at the first and third years (or 10, 000 and 30,000m miles) they do a safety inspection and rotate the tyres and it is at the second year (or 20,000 miles) they do what I think of as a full service. Great video James - may thanks. I ordered my Niro in October and expect delivery in March!

@@timf7268 I believe you are right Tim, the first and third year it is about rotating tyres ad checks. Thank you for commenting.

I would relabel it and called it a 'speed control peddle' as you can accelerate and slow down with it, once the one peddle drive is engaged and the slowing down power/energy goes back in to the battery. It will be interesting to see if any of these terms change once more people use electric cars.

It is an interesting point you make about charging loss or transmission loss and the granny charger. What I have been doing is collecting the data on all my charges and I will analyse the losses for the different charger speeds. I have also included environment temperature and hours after I last drove the vehicle. I wanted to try to understand these losses. I plan to look at this data at the end of January when I work on what I have learnt after 4 months in winter. Thank you for sharing your experience and comments, that is greatly appreciated..

@@JamesRattray Next time i fast charge I'll do a calculation and see what the loss is on one of those. I wont be able to compare outside (or battery) temps but i could at least make the temp roughly same by DC and AC charging on the same day.

@@Joe-lb8qn I have being using the outside temperature as displayed on the vehicle's screen. I am not sure how scientific that is, but it at least gives an indication. The Kia Niro has a winter setting which I am monitoring to see how that affects performance. The handbook doesn't talk much about this, but the in car screen says suing this setting helps look after the battery or words to that affect, but does reduce performance or mileage. I will be interested to know your figures, Thank you.

@@JamesRattray What i meant regards temperatures is the the times ive taken readings i have no idea what the temp was at that time so i cant go back and see if it makes any difference. FWIW i didn't know there was a "winter" setting Ive only had the car for nearly 3 years LOL (I presume it will be in the Soul also) will check into that.

@@Joe-lb8qn Thanks I understanding regards temps. I need to find the Winter settings again to undo the setting. I will run with it for a few weeks and then back to it being off to see if I can detect the difference.

The Niro EV 2 does ! Though not the 3 or 4.

2 is the only one that does higher specs don't. it's very odd.

Very happy to accept a different view. Batteries are continually evolving and I believe newer batteries will not be so harmful to the earth's resources. Keep enjoying your EV as I do too. Thank you for sharing your thoughts

Interesting point you make David. I am a total novice on all of this, I am trying to understand it by what Kia tells us in the owner's manual. Can you point me ere I can read up or learn more about this process? Thank you for helping me get a better understanding.