Grr...

[dan_b]

So I have an acquaintance who I sing in a choir with - they're, let's just say, loaded. She's perfectly normal whilst her husband, well let's just say, he's a banker. Anyway...

They moved out of London a few years ago and bought a huge place on the South Downs.

Yesterday they showed me with quite some pride their clean energy retrofit.

Triple glazing refit - check
External wall insulation - check
Ground source heat pump - check
Solar PV install - check
Battery install - check.

But wait.

The Solar PV is a 30kW ground mount array down the end of their garden! And the battery install is a 30kWh system.
So I assume they also upgraded to a 3-phase supply?
Huge array envy - the house battery covers all their demand then some, and they merrily export to the grid via Octopus Outgoing.

But the killer here is, they don't have an EV, or an EV charger! They bought a Range Rover Hybrid! WHAT? After all that? I mean come on. I had to try so hard to not swear.

[Mart]

Totally agree Dan. I'm hoping that folk who want a Range Rover will be persuaded by something similar like the Kia EV9 (or its sister, the Hyundai Ioniq 9). At £65k and ~300 miles, I'd think that compares very well, like for like.

The Kia EV9 fully-electric 7-seater SUV.

[Moxi]

Totally agree Dan. I'm hoping that folk who want a Range Rover will be persuaded by something similar like the Kia EV9 (or its sister, the Hyundai Ioniq 9). At £65k and ~300 miles, I'd think that compares very well, like for like.

The Kia EV9 fully-electric 7-seater SUV.

Sorry Mart I can't agree with your comparison at all, I mean, both the Ioniq and the Kia will be significantly more reliable than a Range Rover which has a track record for poor mechanical and electrical reliability as well as an awful build quality. Add to this all the trips to the petrol station to fill up the gas guzzling engine and the regular and costly trips to the dealership for the services, noisy invasive engine noise in the cabin, etc and you can see that owning a Range Rover is far from an enjoyable experience.

On the plus side if they are exporting lots of green electric for other to use its not al bad but they would only get a D "must try harder " if it was the end of year school report.

Moxi

[AGT]

I don’t see any problem in what they have done.
Ticked all the fabric issues, invested in PV, batteries etc , but prefer a internal combustion engine, let’s not hang them, they have done more than most people!

[Fintray]

Question is, can Nowty add them to the secret (acquaintances) list?

[Moxi]

I don’t see any problem in what they have done.
Ticked all the fabric issues, invested in PV, batteries etc , but prefer a internal combustion engine, let’s not hang them, they have done more than most people!

I don't think anyone is out to hang them AGT, but you do have to wonder what the rational is for all that "green" investment followed by buying/ leasing a Range Rover, I mean, if they were worried about range and the whole BEV concept there are better ICE vehicles than a Range Rover, like I said its not a vehicle that's covered in glory for finish, comfort or reliability is it!

Moxi

[AGT]

No idea, never driven one, or probably been in one.

I’ve got a diesel golf and a petrol VW T2 no triple glazing, EWI, no battery either

I like what I like maybe that’s them too

[Moxi]

No idea, never driven one, or probably been in one.

I’ve got a diesel golf and a petrol VW T2 no triple glazing, EWI, no battery either

I like what I like maybe that’s them too

Theres no doubt about that AGT, but, as with the rest of life, it wont stop everyone else having an opinion and me, Mart and Dan appear to have an opinion eschewed towards "why a Land rover?" and you have a the view "why not". As I stated before, in my view, the "why not" that you are opining is answered based on land rovers being very low down the value and reliability index of many popular UK reliability polls for many decades.

So I stick to my opinion and surprise at their choice of vehicle.

Moxi

[nowty]

Question is, can Nowty add them to the secret (acquaintances) list?

If the install idea was influenced by dan in some way, like his employer's place then yes, but just knowing someone who installed kit without an influence then no.

[richbee]

Totally agree Dan. I'm hoping that folk who want a Range Rover will be persuaded by something similar like the Kia EV9 (or its sister, the Hyundai Ioniq 9). At £65k and ~300 miles, I'd think that compares very well, like for like.

The Kia EV9 fully-electric 7-seater SUV.

Sorry Mart I can't agree with your comparison at all, I mean, both the Ioniq and the Kia will be significantly more reliable than a Range Rover which has a track record for poor mechanical and electrical reliability as well as an awful build quality. Add to this all the trips to the petrol station to fill up the gas guzzling engine and the regular and costly trips to the dealership for the services, noisy invasive engine noise in the cabin, etc and you can see that owning a Range Rover is far from an enjoyable experience.

Moxi

I think that's a bit unfair - I agree about the reliability, but the Rangerover is one of the best luxury vehicles in terms of a quiet cabin etc.

I don't understand the need to artificially bash SUVs.

I was watching the fully charged show yesterday, and Robert Lewellyn was banging on about SUVs - Yes the extra large ones have a much larger climate impact - but then he was saying how they break down much more and you "see them broken down all along the road side every time you drive" - What??!!
We need to be objective with our reasons for people to choose something other than petrol/diesel SUVs, otherwise our genuine climate related arguments could be ignored