“Should I buy an Electric car?” I saw this on the TV this week and thought “I must watch it”. Partly out of curiosity and partly because in the Crannis household there has been an ongoing discussion about Electric Car/ Vehicles.
An interesting statistic that opened the documentary is that only 2% of the 39 million cars on the roads today are electric.
The common theme that seems to be prevalent most drivers reluctant to make the switch to a fully electric vehicle, I’m glad to hear is due to problems with charging, and the cost of the vehicle itself.
I have been a proud EV driver for the last 2 years, I have a Peugeot E-208 and it has done me proud….. up until recently I have loved it. Before the start of this year, my miles were mostly to and from school and a few round town trips- This was perfect for the car. We could always charge at home, and I didn’t understand people moaning about owning an EV and that it couldn’t work for them…Well now, my role has changed and I am doing more miles. I have done a few long-distance journeys and for me personally, it made me realise I can’t rely on an EV at present.
I have medical conditions that are medicated, and I benefit from a more raised driving position, I also have struggled with the additional stress and anxiety that driving out of town caused me. I’d be in pains for days after purely due to the added stress and tension my body held onto. So yes, our other car is a diesel. We have a caravan and need a vehicle that can tow it so the options were limited for us that matched our price range. I couldn’t bear the thought of trying to negotiate getting to the chargers in the motorway service stations with a caravan- They are all located right at the front and not easily accessed with a caravan added to the back.
I have loved the concept of clean driving, and we will keep the EV. The noticeable difference has been the reduction of running costs to keep an EV. So far with a home Charger point- the most if has cost us to date has been £7.00 for a full tank of volts. For my car that’s about 187 miles. With the warmer weather coming now, I hope that will creep over 200 miles.
Many of our clients that approach us have the issue which was raised in the programme about on street charging being a challenge. If a pedestrian trips or falls over your trailing cable that crosses the pavement, you as the owner would be liable, as it is a hazard on the highway. There are some insurance policies which cover this issue should it be a potential problem- something to look into if this affects you.
The product I thought was amazing was the Gul-E – which was recessed into the pavement that allowed the Charging cable to be pushed inside the channel to ensure there was no trip hazard- They even supply a tool so you can push the cable into the channel without getting your fingers dirty! Awesome!! https://gul-e.co.uk
In my limited world of knowledge about Electric Vehicles, I have been asked and talked to about my impact on the grid. This also was raised in the programme and the point I found particularly interesting is the use of smart chargers can detect the ideal time to charge once the demand on the grid has dropped.
I sympathised with the presenter when he was faced with multiple chargers not working- I experienced that myself on my long work journeys as I mentioned earlier. When your range starts disappearing, you start to turn off your accessories and go back to complete basics when driving, the fear becomes real! Range anxiety is real! For someone that suffers with Severe Generalised Anxiety this isn’t a good combination.
The programme mentioned about the need to plan journeys, this may be the way forward for many, but I rely solely on my Satnav when travelling somewhere new. If it doesn’t tell me on the screen that the charger I am heading to is working or not- well, I’m not interested. I can’t be checking apps whilst driving to find the most up to date information on the charger and if it will work when I get there or not.
I was relieved to see that the RAC does have the ability to charge electric cars as part of their service- but for me personally, the idea of needing these guys when I’ve nipped out for a day of work is not ideal. https://www.rac.co.uk/innovation/ev-boost
So overall an interesting watch. We are a 2-car family and will always aim to have one EV from now on. I think if we could have got a plug-in hybrid to fit our budget I may have been able to be persuaded, but for now I’ll be more than happy to keep my clean driving to the local trips I have, and use the other vehicle for the longer journeys when I need that additional bit of reassurance- please remember reader that this is only due to my medical issues.
I would love to hear when you plan on making the switch, What Make, and model are you looking at? Have you considered how you will charge at home?
I was thrilled to hear that Jaguar Land Rover are going to start recommending Andersen as the brand to have installed. I couldn’t agree more with this move and supporting a brand that prides itself on quality and reliability- Andersen A2 has been my favourite and most reliable charger on our property for the last couple of years- some of the others trialled were so horrendous- they were whipped off the wall quick!
