If you’re thinking of switching to an electric car, but are nervous that it will fit into your lifestyle, that’s great. Why? Because it means that you’re seriously considering the practical implications of going electric.
There are many financial and environmental reasons why it makes good sense to change to an electric vehicle (EV), and for the vast majority of drivers we believe it is the right choice. However if it doesn’t fit your needs, you’ll end up regretting the decision, not making the most of it, and then potentially reverting to a petrol or diesel model which will cost more money.
Our aim is to always work on getting the right vehicle for the customer, with a tailored service that doesn’t push something unsuitable just for the sake of it. So we’ve highlighted the key questions you will need answered to see whether an EV will suit you.
Do you regularly drive more than 200 miles a day?
If the answer is yes, then an EV purchase might need some closer consideration, or you may need to focus your search on one of the many models now available with 350+ range. However, it’s worth remembering that the average mileage for UK drivers is less than 20 miles a day. There are plenty of drivers that will cover more, but equally there are a large number of drivers that will do fewer miles each day. Even the 20 miles average is well within the capabilities of the oldest EVs, which would cover a realistic 80 miles when launched more than 10 years ago.
There is plenty of choice in the market now that will top 350 miles on a charge, and almost all premium models extend to 250-300 miles. Even at the entry point in the market the absolute minimum range you’ll find on a new electric car is more than 100 miles of real-world driving, and most entry-level EVs will get close to 180-200 miles.
Even if you cover 200 miles a day, every day, the right electric car will easily deal with your needs, it’s only once you start getting beyond this mileage that things may become trickier. In reality, many drivers will only need to charge once a week or so. But it’s true that there are plenty of drivers that will go further regularly.
Factoring in charging
Drivers will often have one or two regular long trips in mind when considering an electric car, and these might be more than 300 miles each time – going to see family, or heading to a favourite holiday destination for example. But why would you base your choice of car on a handful of days a year?
If an electric car works brilliantly 99% of the year for your needs – offering reliable, efficient, and convenient driving for your daily and weekly needs – there makes littles ense to discount it for the few occasional routes when you go further afield. And even then, with a car that can cover 300 miles or more, the limit is not the car’s range, it’s the people inside.
Three little words make the difference
“On a charge”. It’s already been mentioned above, and you’ll hear it whenever EVs are talked about, but the driving range given is on one charge of the battery, just as a petrol or diesel car’s range is discussed on one tank of fuel. You can always top-up en route.
Yes, recharging an electric car takes longer than the few minutes it takes to put fuel in at a petrol station. But there are a few arguments to consider.
Firstly, nobody has a petrol station at their house, but many can charge their car at home. Is it more convenient to make a stop on your trip to refill the tank, or to leave your home with a fully charged “tank” that will cover your needs for the trip?
Travel at 70mph for four hours solidly and you will have covered 280 miles. Many EVs will cover 250-300 miles on a charge comfortably, so that four-hour trip could be possible on a single charge. Even if not, it’s not recommended to drive more than three hours without a break for safety reasons.
There are high power chargers across the UK that can quickly recharge an EV’s battery. The fastest charging cars and charge points can add more than 200 miles to your range in less than 20 minutes. Some EVs will take around half an hour to add more than half a charge to a battery, but will add more than 100 miles to the range in that time.
When charging, what needs to be considered is time wasted, not time stopped. If you stop at a motorway services and plug in straight away, once you’ve walked to the building, perhaps used the facilities, and grabbed a bite to eat or a coffee, by the time you’ve returned to the car, you’ve likely spent at least 10-15 minutes doing what you would have done in a petrol or diesel car. But in the case of an EV, it’s refuelling while you’re stopped.
Charging where it’s convenient
Most EV drivers will charge at home overnight, often using an installed home wallbox which will charge around four times faster than plugging in to a three-pin socket. It’s like charging a mobile phone – plug it in overnight, and wake up to a full battery in the morning.
Of course, some drivers won’t have off-street parking, but these tend to be in urban areas where there is great public charging provision. There needs to be thought put in to where the charge points are, and when they will be available, plus the time taken to walk to and from them once plugged in. It’s usually less convenient than charging at home, but it does make EV ownership manageable.
Alternatively, charging at work is an increasingly popular option. In an inverse method to charging at home, drivers have their cars parked up most of the day, doing nothing with them, so why not “refuel” at the same time?
Is an electric car for you?
The simple answer is… probably. EVs will still present issues for certain drivers that cause too great an inconvenience during use. However, these circumstances are few and far between, and most of the time an electric car would comfortably deal with fitting in to your existing lifestyle.
The only change might be for those occasional longer trips when you need to factor in charging stop(s) to get where you’re going. With a little planning, it’s easily overcome, and EVs can comfortably be used the length and breadth of Britain with little issue.
Have a good think about your use cases, where and how you can charge, and feed these requirements in to Pike + Bambridge when speaking to us about what sort of electric car you might need.
