Tech Stuff

July 2, 2026

MFG to get cheaper for the summer

One of the annoying aspects of owning an electric vehicle is the high cost of rapid charging (more than 50kWh) at charging locations and motorway services.

When I first got the Funky Cat, there were MFG chargers at my local garage, however, it was still a few months until they went live. They were expensive at 79p per kWh, so they were usually my charger of last resort.

However I saw today, in an email, that for the next three months, they are reducing their prices to 59p per kWh.

From 1 July to 30 September 2026, you can charge for just 59p per kWh at every UK EV Power location – down from 79p per kWh. That’s a saving of 25%, or around £6 on a typical charge.

This makes them comparable to the peak cost of Tesla chargers. This is also a lot cheaper than the cost of the InstaVolt chargers, which I also use, which are now 92p. Hopefully we might see a little more competition in charging pricing.

This 59p price from MFG is available not just with the MFG app, but also with standard contactless payment, which is a bonus.

July 1, 2026

Still fixed

I did the fix for my malfunctioning Ora Funky Cat app the other day and today the app is working as expected, reporting on the current charge and predicted range of the Funky Cat. I will keep an eye on it even so.

June 30, 2026

Fix for the malfunctioning ORA Funky Cat app

I wrote earlier about an issue I was having with the Ora app.

When I put the Funky Cat on charge this week, the app was showing no change to the charge. Checking the actual car, I could see it was charging.

Since then I have been unable to see the real charge of the Funky Cat through the app.

I wasn’t alone and on various forums others were having the same problem.

However, there is a possible solution.

Use the app to unlock the car, then refresh the app interface and check whether the data is synchronised.

If this is the case and it is synchronised then the app now should be working correctly.

I tried this method and it worked for me (and has for others).

June 29, 2026

No more Ora

Slightly old news, in April GWM announced that the Funky Cat (now known as the Ora 03) is being phased out of UK dealerships after four years. This means that GWM have stopped selling the Ora Funky Cat in the UK Essentially the reason was that it did not sell. In the first three months of 2026 they sold just 26 cars.

I did like the quirky look of the Ora Funky Cat, but that quirkiness obviously did not appeal. I was always thinking about replacing the Funky Cat with the ORA 07. However, that model never made it to the UK market.

My lease for the Funky Cat is ending at the end of July. I was given the option to extend the lease or even purchase the car. I did think about it, however with the dealerships disappearing, and stories about issues with spare parts not being available, the decision was almost made for me.

June 26, 2026

ORA Funky Cat app malfunctioning

I initially thought this was just me.

When I put the Funky Cat on charge this week, the app was showing no change to the charge. Checking the actual car, I could see it was charging.

Since then I have been unable to see the real charge of the Funky Cat through the app.

Thought this was a fault with my app, but on a few Facebook ORA groups, it looks like I wasn’t alone. Consensus is that this is not a problem with the car or the app, but the servers which facilitate the connection between the app and the car.

Hopefully it will get fixed soon.

June 16, 2026

Yes, there are chargers

I had been planning to visit Packwood House, a National Trust property in Warwickshire. Before heading up I checked the National Trust app on my phone and there was no indication that there were EV chargers there, I was pretty sure there was. Had I messed up, confused it with another property. I was convinced that there were chargers there, so I checked the entry on the National Trust website and there on the property page was information about the EV chargers. The app was updated so did make me wonder. The search function on both the app and the website weren’t providing accurate results either.

So, as I drove up the M5 to Packwood House, I did wonder if they would have any chargers there. As I drove into the entrance there was a sign indicating the way to the EV charging. They were close to the reception. These were the same kinds of chargers I have used at other National Trust properties. A simple matter of plugging the cable into the Funky Cat and then using contactless payment to start the charging.

It’s quite slow to charge, but ideal if you are visiting somewhere, you can put your car on charge, enjoy visiting the house and gardens, have a cup of tea, and when you get back to the car there is charge on the car.

June 10, 2026June 8, 2026

Let’s brighten things up…

Since I got my iPhone 17 Pro Max I have thought about using it for some filming, video blog type things. I know I could do that selfie thing and hold the camera in my hand, but I also wanted to do some pieces to camera, where I am not holding the phone.

Though the iPhone 17 Pro Max is pretty good in low light conditions, I did have a look at what lighting options there were for the phone.

One kit I found on Amazon was this 128 LED Rechargeable Portable Selfie Light Video Conference Lighting with Clip and Camera Tripod Adapter which I got on special.

I liked the fact it was magnetic and would attach to the back of the phone. Another feature was that it could be used with a laptop, which will help with the many video calls I do and when presenting online as well.

It can be charged with an USB-C charger, so no need for extra cables.

When I used it recently to record a video I was pleased with the enhancement it gave my video recording.

June 9, 2026

No sleep issues with 26.5.1

I mentioned a few weeks back that I was having sleep issues with my M3 MacBook Air.

The problem is, shutting the laptop lid to sleep the Mac. Later when I open the MacBook, the screen is dark and there is a dark spinning beach ball. The only solution appears to be doing a hard power shut down and restart.

Well fingers crossed, I’ve not had this issue recently, and I am putting it down to the 26.5.1 update, though reading about that update, it probably wasn’t that. Maybe it was something else.

June 9, 2026June 8, 2026

Efficient Driving

Well that was quite surprising.

I was driving from Weston to London, a distance of 140 miles. I didn’t have a full charge, but the Funky Cat was reporting a predicted range of 165 miles. The trip consisted of in the main motorway driving, up the M5 and then down the M4. Experience with motorway driving told me that I would struggle to do the 140 miles with a 165 mile range, so was expecting to stop on the way to add some charge to the Funky Cat. I wouldn’t expect to have 25 miles on the car left.

However, the motorways were quite slow, with heavy traffic. I noticed that as I drove the AEC figure was dropping. By the time I arrived at London the AEC figure was down to 20.0 and I had a predicted range of 40 miles left.

With a 48kWh battery in the Funky Cat, a figure of 20kWh/100 mile could mean a theoretical range of 240 miles… The normal figure I see is in the 25-27 range which is around 185 miles. The WLTP for the Funky Cat is 193 miles. This experience was highly unusual.

When I got to London I added some charge with some on street charging.

Driving back home to Weston, there was less traffic on the roads, so it was quicker, but as a result I used more power for the same distance home, I only had a 56% charge when I left London, so had to stop and charge and had an issue with that.

June 8, 2026June 7, 2026

Speak slowly and clearly

I had a look around, and decided to try something cheap first and then potentially get something better (more expensive) at a later date. I got the Mini Wireless Lavalier Microphone.

I like the fact it came with some windproof heads for the mics as well.