Electric Vehicles - Are They Right for You ?
Maybe it should probably be ‘are you right for them’ ?.
Getting into an Electric Vehicle (EV) needs to be a good fit for your needs, no point in having one if it doesn’t hit the sweet spot for your weekday and weekend needs. You wouldn’t buy a Mini to drive from Glasgow to London every week so why buy an 80 mile range car when your daily commute is 200 miles ?.
In 2014 I leased a Nissan Leaf Tekna, their top of the range model, leather seats, Bose stereo but just 80 miles of range !.
It did all we needed it to do, travel from home-office to site, I usually fix phone systems / carry out sales and networking visits in the Yorkshire area, knowing where the (then) free chargers were was essential.
Sales call in York?, visit IKEA Birstall on the way there (and back) for a free charge.
Phone system installation in Wakefield?, charge at Woolley Edge Services M62, both ways, I got quite adept at fitting my work-day around charging !.
I had the Leaf for three years plus we had two Renault Zoe 80 mile cars in the family, it worked for us.
Currently we have a Zoe with a 140 to 200 mile range (winter / summer ranges) plus a Range Rover Sport PHEV, (petrol-electric ). The Zoe does everything we need it to, nice long range taking us just about everywhere and then some, the RRS has a 30 mile range all electric which is great for my wife’s daily driving then the petrol part for towing our caravan weekends.
We have already lined up a replacement Zoe, (DSG Morecambe, the Zoe experts) it’s a 240 mile range so less charging more motoring !. I imagine in the next few years Landrover will increase the battery range until eventually it will be a 300+ mile battery-only vehicle, let’s face it they will need to have it all boxed off by 2035.
Things to consider
Do you have off-street parking : if not where can you charge for free or for a reasonable amount, don’t get stressed about this, lets face it you don’t have a petrol station at home but you manage to fuel your existing car !.
Range : I like a car that gets there and back home without the need to charge on the way, but that’s just me.
Rent or Buy : If you contract your cars (its the cheapest way) maybe a petrol-electric car to start off your EV Experience will be the right thing for you, lets you ease into electric car ownership without stress, you have a few years yet before ‘dino-fuel’ cars are no long produced so take your time. If you can stand the ugly BMW i3 with a range extender (petrol) they are about for a decent price second-hand. We needed a tow car hence the RRS (p400e). Range is critical The Tesla people have this cracked, Model 3 long range is as good as most performance petrol cars, Model X if you want to tow (and have a few bob to spend!). Tesla also have a fantastic charging network covering just about all of Great Britain making their cars a bit of a no-brainer especially for reps.
2020 will be the year of the EV, there’s a whole host of petrol - electric and electric only cars all about to arrive in the very near future. Don’t get sucked in by the ‘self-charging’ adverts, there’s no such thing, these cars run on petrol not fairy dust, perpetual motion has yet to be cracked !!
Remember: There’s masses of change happening right now so a maximum 2 or 3 year lease is about as far as you want to go, by 2023 ranges will have extended and prices will have dropped…plus I believe at least one ‘legacy’ car manufacturer will have gone to the wall…but that’s a discussion for another day !!