I have had so much fun in October. It is a big birthday year for me and I decided to treat myself to a spot of fun by test driving 4 EVs that I have had my eye on for some time.

I chose to test drive;

• Tesla Model 3 Long Range
• Volvo Polestar 2
• Kia EV6
• Ford Mustang- mache

How do you book an EV test drive?

Well, the good news is that sales agents don’t seem to be that pushy when it comes to test driving an electric vehicle.  I don’t know if it’s because they don’t know much about the vehicles or if the waiting times for an electric vehicle make them bottom of their priority list when it comes to car sales BUT the sales staff tend to keep their distance.

Tesla

The Tesla was the easiest to get my hands on. I completed an online form and picked my test drive time, date, and location and that was about all I had to do. I got an automated confirmation along with a reminder a few days before to upload my driving license details.

When I arrived at the Tesla garage I was given a very brief introduction to how the car worked and I was free to leave with the Model 3 for an hour. I would suggest downloading the Tesla app before you take a test drive. There are lots of videos on introductions to various aspects of the car and I think if I had been more informed before my drive I would have been able to fiddle a little more with the space ship like controls.

Polestar 2

The Polestar was also very easy to book online. I picked a time, date, and location and then validated again uploaded my driving licence prior to the test drive.

The Polestar test drive was different in that it felt more like an event than just a test drive. I turned up at the car park of a health spa/sports center as directed. There were 5 Polestars all lined up and 4 people waiting to test drive them. A previous group had just come back and the staff were sanitising and cleaning the inside of each car. (which I was quite impressed by)

We set off in a convoy of 5 Polestars all heading up the motorway towards a pre-selected destination programmed into the route planner. It felt quite exciting and extremely well organised.  I managed to fall behind the group but it was fine as I just followed the map in a giant loop back to the start point.

Kia EV6 and Ford Mustang-mache

Both the Ford Mustang and the Kia EV6 I booked by contacting my local dealer. I was given around half an hour with both vehicles and all I need was my driving licence as proof of identity.

Is there any difference between driving an electric car to a traditional car?

Yes, is the simplest answer. Some of the car companies have obviously tried to make the transition as simple as possible. They have made the cabin controls look and respond like a traditional combustion car but there’s no getting away from the fact that it is different.

The way an electric car accelerates is different as there are no gears. Some car manufacturers are calling their electric cars automatics but they aren’t automatic, they are better! They should really explain the difference to customers as this is a major selling point for me.

To use the Telsa as an example just sitting in the car with the keycard or your Tesla mobile app on your phone automatically switches the car on. There is no sound but it’s on! To pull away there is NO handbrake and you don’t need to hold the vehicle in place with the brake pedal, it just holds! So if you get in your car on a slope, you simply push up a lever (similar to the indicator ) select drive, and press the accelerator.  You won’t roll back even with the car in drive and no brake on!!

Continuing with the Tesla, as an example, as you approach traffic lights if you take your foot off the accelerator the car almost instantly responds. The speed just reduces so quickly that there is usually no need to apply the brake. When at the lights you DO NOTHING. There is no need to apply the handbrake or hold the car with the brake pedal. It automatically holds until you next accelerate!! This is called one-pedal driving.

One pedal driving.

All the new electric vehicles are capable of one-pedal driving but to make people feel like they are driving a traditional combustion car you can select a different driving mode. On the Ford Mustang there is a creep mode. So when you take your foot off the pedal the car moves forward. It responds like a traditional car. I would suggest asking to try the one-pedal driving on your test drive. It really is worth giving it a go. I laughed hysterically the first time I did it. It felt like driving a dodgem car at the funfair.

Just be aware these electric cars are so new I found some of the sales agents (Kia) had no idea what one pedal driving is. The car was obviously set in a traditional driving mode but there is a way of changing it. So do some research first so at least you will know how to use the car even if the dealership doesn’t!

If you are on the fence about buying an electric car you can do a comparison between the running costs of your current car and any new electric car HERE.

Ofgem report June 2021.

There was a very interesting report published by Ofgem this week. The findings suggest that the majority of new EV drivers don’t change their energy use when they buy an electric car. I think this quite staggering and have been wondering why.

Ofgem Report Findings

“For those participants that charged their electric vehicle at home, we explored if this had made them do anything differently with how they manage their electricity use at home.”

“Very few pain points were reported by participants. However, it is important to note that most participants hadn’t made any changes to how they use their electricity at home.”

• Most said they charge their car as soon as they get in. There is a reassurance need to be able to see that the car has started charging.
• Participants often hadn’t heard of and were unfamiliar with the concept of smart charging.
• Some participants had moved to a time-of-use tariff (costing less when electricity is used at a time when there is low demand).

Implications of not switching your energy tariff/use.

When you charge your car as soon as you get home after it is more likely to start when electricity demand is at its highest, so it is less likely to have been generated from a renewable source. You will also be paying a lot more!! Sometimes this could mount up to hundreds of pounds more each year if you aren’t careful!!

Take control of your energy use

You don’t need to overcomplicate things but you do need to look for a time of use tariff where you will get a substantial discount for charging your EV when there is less demand on the national grid. Just allocated half an hour to do some research and it will benefit both your pocket and the planet!

You can read the full Ofgem report HERE.

A redesign is underway to take on the challenge of the global chip shortage – Myenergi EV chargers leading the way.

Myenergi EV chargers – Jo Brompton is one of my favourite women in the EV charger sector. Why? because she always seems to be that step ahead reimaging how she can provide the best service to her customers.  Jo founded Myenergi in 2016 and by the end of 2017, she had 3 EV home chargers on the market.

Fast forward five years and Myenergi has a prominent space in the EV home charging market. The Myenergi Zappi, Eddie and Harvi chargers are some of the most popular chargers on the market. With demand being high and the global chip shortage causing delays across lots of sectors CEO and founder of Myenergi Jo Brompton has found a solution BUT I shouldn’t imagine it’s been easy!

As I understand it each of the new chargers on the Myenergi range has been redesigned to make use of a new more powerful but underutilised processing chip. This will enable Myenegi’s EV chargers to offer even more innovative solutions to home charging and also give them scope for upgrades in the future. It will also help Myenergi sidestep the global chip shortage! So it’s a great move and one that shows commitment to the market!

Who knows what the landscape will look like in a few years time. With EV’s set to outstrip ICE vehicles, I think we are in good hands if Myenergi can help lead the way in British design and technology. Well done Jo!!!

You can see the full range of Myenergi EV chargers HERE.

Posted by Sarah at www.evcharger.today

Please complete the EVA England public survey.

EVA England is calling on EV owners to complete its online survey by the 15th of March 2021.  The survey focuses on public charging and other EV-related issues. The association has made the move following the government’s proposals to improve confidence in the public charging network.  The results will be used as part of its response to the consultation.

Gill Nowell, director of EVA England, commented: “This is an important opportunity for EV drivers to have their voice heard on topics close to their heart, namely ‘can I find a charger, can I easily pay, and does it work’?”

Help shape the future of public charging in the UK.

The Office for Zero-Emission Vehicles (OZEV) wants to improve the EV customer experience at public charging points in the UK. They are looking at introducing regulations in the following 4 areas:

• making it easier to pay
• opening up Charge Point data
• using a single payment metric
• ensuring a reliable network. Allowing easy access to charging infrastructure is key to making the switch to EVs as easy and smooth as possible.

Confidence in EV charging infrastructure.

In this consultation, the government sets out proposals that will enable EV drivers to simply and easily locate available charge points. The charge should be easy to pay for and reliable to use  Regardless of where they are going in the UK driver need to know they can rely on the public charging network for any journey they take. It is hoped this will reduce range anxiety and position the UK as a world leader in EV charging infrastructure.

EVA England’s survey will run for three weeks until 15 March 2021.

Posted by Sarah @evcharger.today