First time considering an EV
Discussion
First time on this section of the forum - be gentle!
I'm approaching two-thirds of the way through my current lease deal, and have started looking at options to replace it in due course. As another option simply taking on another lease, this time I've been considering buying a car and keeping it for 10 years or so. The cars I'm looking at are mainly in the £25-30k price bracket.
It occurred to me that I've never considered an EV, mainly due to what I now know is referred to as 'range anxiety', and the lack of charging point at home. However, in reality most days I'm in the office which is a 25 mile round trip; when I'm out and about I very rarely do over 100 miles which makes the newer EVs a more realistic prospect and I doubt I'd need to use a charge station very often. I've also in the last few days realised my workplace has a couple of charging stations that I never knew existed and seem to be mainly free during the day.
I see the Nissan Leaf (top spec Tekna) is £29-30k, so at the upper end of the price bracket as the petrol engined cars I would consider and has all the options that I'd want in any new car and some in addition.
However, knowing noting about EVs, I do have a couple of initial questions:
1. I live in an apartment in a converted coach house. I have a dedicated parking space (freehold). The run from the electricity meter to my parking space is approximately 30 metres and the cable would need to be installed underground by lifting brick and relaying. Not too significant a job, but I am unsure where I could test the feasibility of this install (and cost)? Any pointers?
2. The Leaf is advertised as having a reliable 150 mile range. As I rarely do over 100 miles a day, this would in theory work well for me. Is the advertised range realistic, especially with using the heater, seat heaters, steering wheel heater, radio, etc.? Do the batteries degrade over time? I know nothing about EVs, but would be worried that I be only able to cover 50 miles on a full charge in a few years which would render the car pretty useless for my needs.
3. Any pointers to specific forums where I can read up on EVs in general?
I guess I am just in the process of deciding whether an EV is a feasible option for me. If it is, I think I'll end up asking my local dealer for an extended test drive to see how I get on in a real world situation and then go from there.
I'm approaching two-thirds of the way through my current lease deal, and have started looking at options to replace it in due course. As another option simply taking on another lease, this time I've been considering buying a car and keeping it for 10 years or so. The cars I'm looking at are mainly in the £25-30k price bracket.
It occurred to me that I've never considered an EV, mainly due to what I now know is referred to as 'range anxiety', and the lack of charging point at home. However, in reality most days I'm in the office which is a 25 mile round trip; when I'm out and about I very rarely do over 100 miles which makes the newer EVs a more realistic prospect and I doubt I'd need to use a charge station very often. I've also in the last few days realised my workplace has a couple of charging stations that I never knew existed and seem to be mainly free during the day.
I see the Nissan Leaf (top spec Tekna) is £29-30k, so at the upper end of the price bracket as the petrol engined cars I would consider and has all the options that I'd want in any new car and some in addition.
However, knowing noting about EVs, I do have a couple of initial questions:
1. I live in an apartment in a converted coach house. I have a dedicated parking space (freehold). The run from the electricity meter to my parking space is approximately 30 metres and the cable would need to be installed underground by lifting brick and relaying. Not too significant a job, but I am unsure where I could test the feasibility of this install (and cost)? Any pointers?
2. The Leaf is advertised as having a reliable 150 mile range. As I rarely do over 100 miles a day, this would in theory work well for me. Is the advertised range realistic, especially with using the heater, seat heaters, steering wheel heater, radio, etc.? Do the batteries degrade over time? I know nothing about EVs, but would be worried that I be only able to cover 50 miles on a full charge in a few years which would render the car pretty useless for my needs.
3. Any pointers to specific forums where I can read up on EVs in general?
I guess I am just in the process of deciding whether an EV is a feasible option for me. If it is, I think I'll end up asking my local dealer for an extended test drive to see how I get on in a real world situation and then go from there.
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff