I have been driving all-electric since making the switch in 2016 and never looked back. Starting with a 24kWh battery Nissan LEAF, and with only limited charging infrastructure at the time, it did mean careful journey planning for anything beyond its rather low range. Otherwise charging at home (or for free in local supermarkets) was perfect for local use and remains so.
Five years on, I’m driving a 62kWh battery 239 mile range LEAF e+ and so don’t really need to plan even our longer journeys anymore. It’s just like using my previous petrol cars except quicker, smoother, quieter and much cheaper to run and it’s also not helping to kill our planet. Moreover, for 95% of my use, I can quietly refuel it overnight at home on super-cheap electricity rather than having to go to a smelly filling station. It’s a no brainer!
What about occasional longer journeys? Well, among other places, I’ve driven from Nottinghamshire to Cornwall, East Anglia, Northumberland, The Cotswolds, Herefordshire and the Lake District. Even in our first, low range LEAF we went to the Isle of Man and even got priority parking on the car ferry to charge it up again whilst sailing across! I’ve never run out of charge to this day.
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I do get annoyed with motoring ‘journalists’ doing ludicrously long car trips, which otherwise only charity fundraisers would attempt, just to try to find fault with electric vehicles for comedic value. Of course, everything’s not all completely perfect yet. However, with today’s longer range pure electric cars (for those who need them) and today’s massively improved UK charging network, Clarkson-style jeering and poking fun at the way we will all be driving very soon is sounding very old hat.
I would encourage EV doubters to take a test drive as soon as possible then you will almost certainly be hooked.
One final thing – DON’T BUY A HYBRID! Whilst the Toyota Prius led the way twenty years’ ago, even hybrids with a plug are now an outdated waste of time in 2021. Instead, take a leap of faith into the world of pure electric motoring. It’s actually more or less like what you’re used to, only BETTER.
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