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Busting EV myths – Breaking down the biggest misconceptions surrounding EVs

May 25, 2023Away From Home, Buying/Leasing, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, FAQ, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

Despite the expected shift towards electric and zero emission vehicles, there’s still a lot of controversy surrounding them. Are they really any cheaper to run? What’s their true environmental impact? In this article, Simone Bruckner, managing director of resistor manufacturer Cressall, breaks down the biggest myths surrounding electric vehicles (EVs).

With more than a quarter of a million new electric car registrations last year, uptake of EVs is definitely on the increase. More than one in five of us expect to be driving an EV within the next five-to-ten years. But there are still a lot of misconceptions surrounding EVs that keep potential buyers on the fence.

EV’s have insufficient range

Many potential buyers are concerned about EV range. Their concern is well-founded in part, with the Nissan Leaf’s lowest range sitting at just 73 miles back when it was launched in 2011.

Thankfully, EV technology has improved in leaps and bounds since then, and most EVs now sit comfortably within the 200-to-300-mile range mark. And these figures aren’t restricted to high-end models either, with models like Hyundai’s Kona and Kia’s e-Niro entering the market at around £35,000 and offering modest real-world ranges of around 250 miles according to Autocar.

99 per cent of car journeys in England are less than 100 miles, and the average length of a trip was less than ten miles pre-pandemic. Based on these numbers, EVs have a perfectly sufficient range for the vast majority of travel.

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2030 vehicle ban may be ‘as simple’ as swapping petrol and diesel cars for electric

May 24, 2023Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, Fleet, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

The switch to electric vehicles will not be a simple process, according to one expert who exclusively told Express.co.uk that a number of factors still need to be considered.

The UK is less than seven years away from the deadline to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, the biggest measure in the transition to electric vehicles. Certain new hybrid vehicles will be authorised for sale between 2030 and 2035 provided they can travel a significant distance without releasing emissions.

Some businesses and fleets are already starting to switch to electric vehicles and preparing the infrastructure needed to cope with the level of charging.

Scottish Fire & Rescue ZOE (Image: Renault)

Paul Holland, Managing Director for UK Fleet, Allstar, commented on the global transition from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric and what barriers the industry faces.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, he said: “Going electric isn’t as simple as swapping every ICE vehicle for an EV – although it can be.

“A company that has a small fleet of company cars for salespeople and executives can simply change their existing vehicles to EVs as needed, and provided their drivers have access to home charging there should not be any major changes needed.

“Fleet managers may want to switch from general fuel cards to those specific to EVs (EV charging cards) so that their drivers could use public charge points, but otherwise day-to-day operations will stay the same.

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A California bill could help make EVs a blackout solution

May 23, 2023At Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

The state might require every electric vehicle to be capable of powering your home — and the grid — through a process called bidirectional charging.

Chris Bowe was preparing for his daughter’s ninth birthday party in February when a drenching storm knocked out power to his neighborhood in Hayward, California. Minutes before the party began, Bowe connected his electric Ford F-150 Lightning to a panel in his garage, sending electricity from the pickup truck to his house.

“It was dark out, parents were dropping off their kids, and our house was lit up,” said Bowe, who works as a FedEx manager in the Bay Area. “They were like, ‘How do you have power?’”

Bowe kept the lights on using bidirectional charging, which allows electric vehicles to not only receive electricity but discharge it as well. It’s a feature that a proposed California bill would require that all EVs sold in the state offer by model year 2027.

Making an EV bidirectional capable is a matter of equipping it with the right software and hardware, and some, like the Nissan Leaf, Kia EV 6, and the Lightning, already provide the feature. Other manufacturers have been slower to roll out the technology. Tesla, for example, says its cars will be bidirectional by 2025.

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EV charging points increase by 8% in first quarter of 2023

May 22, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

The UK government has published new Electric Vehicle (EV) charging point statistics showing the number of installed devices increased by 8% in the first three months of 2023.

As of 1 April, there were 40,150 public electric vehicle charging devices installed in the UK, while the total installed devices increased by 3,095, an increase of 8%.

“Since 1 April 2022 the number of installed public devices has increased by 9,860, a 33% increase,” the government said. “The number of rapid charging or above devices increased by 39%, an additional 2,153 public devices installed.

Of the installed devices, “7,647 were rated “rapid” devices or above, this represents 19% of all charging devices”, while “22,338 were rated “fast” chargers, this represents 56% of all charging devices”.

In terms of location, 19,044 charging points were designated as “destination” chargers (47% of all devices), while 13,571 were “on-street” chargers (34%).

Since 1 January 2023, total installed charging points increased by 3,095 (8%), with rapid charging devices increasing by 760 (11%).

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10 Reliable Electric Cars That’ll Reach 250,000 Miles

May 19, 2023Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, Tesla, VolkswagenRepost

These cars of the future are robust and dependable enough to actually stay and thrive with you when the future comes.

As Bob Dylan once said, The Times They Are A-Changin’, and it rings true for the automobile industry more than one might think. Whether we like it or not, the future seems to hold predominantly electric cars for us. The depletion of non-renewable energy sources like petroleum and the rise of climate change will force us to let go of the gas guzzlers we hold near and dear to us.

Volkswagen ID.3 electric car (Image: Volkswagen.com)

But the advent of electric cars also brought problems with them, notably reliability and long-term ownership expenses. Take a look at Volkswagen for example; they once used to make supremely reliable cars, but their reliability standards have taken a hit lately, and shifting to EVs seems to keep it that way for a while.

Leading EV manufacturer Tesla is also notorious for making cars that tend to break down or even blow up. But it’s not all bad news, as there are some durable EVs that point to a bright future. Let’s check out some of the most reliable EVs we got so far.

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EVs and the grid—it’s all about give and take

May 18, 2023Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

There is no disputing that we need more flexibility within the grid in the UK, and across countries globally, if we’re to accommodate an influx of new energy resources. Large volumes of renewables are and will continue to feed in, while increased demand from the electrification of transport and heat continue to cause strain during peak times. In the UK, although there is flexibility within the grid, the nation’s energy regulator Ofgem (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets) has recently proposed to create an energy marketplace that aims to address the challenge of how we unlock value from assets that are connected to our distribution networks.

Using electric vehicles (EVs) as an example, there is a huge long-term potential for both give and take on the grid. Advancements in smart charging will transform the way that EV users charge their vehicles, opting to take from the grid at times that suit the grid’s capacity—offering the potential to avoid peak times and essentially manage the ‘surplus’ energy that exists within our systems at other times of the day—and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is offering drivers a way to feed power back into the grid in times of a supply deficit by discharging back into the grid to plug supply shortfalls.

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EV sales experience 60% YOY growth

May 17, 2023Buying a new car, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

New AutoMotive’s latest data revealed that electric vehicle (EV) sales in the UK rose by 60% year-on-year in April.

EVs were also the only market segment to experience a growth in sales and market share, which increased by 5% to make up 16% of the market.

The region with the highest number of new cars registered was Oxfordshire with 49% of newly registered cars being electric, which means that now one in every two cars in the county is electric.

Other reginal highlights include Wimbledon with 33% of new car registrations being electric and Birmingham at 23%.

Fuel Type	Registered vehicles April 2023 (provisional)	Market share April 2023 (%)	Registered vehicles April 2022	Market share April 2022 (%)
Petrol	61,462	50.42	59,722	58.8
Hybrid	31,326	25.7	28,224	25.43
Pure electric	19,234	15.78	12,014	10.82
Diesel	9,779	8.02	10,854	9.78
Other	99	0.08	188	0.17

Data: New Automotive.

Electric vans also experienced an increase in new registration, now holding 7% of the market – a year-on-year growth of 55%.

“It is fantastic to see such strong growth in sales of electric cars since a year ago. Electric cars accounted for almost 16% of all new registrations in April 2023, which represents a staggering 60% rise in the number of EV sold,” said Ben Nelmes, CEO at New AutoMotive.

“The shift towards electric vehicles is not just about reducing climate risk; it’s about benefiting motorists. British drivers increasingly understand making the switch to an electric vehicle is beneficial for them – they are cheaper to run, require less maintenance, and improve local air quality.”

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ChargeUK established to double the size of UK EV charging network in 2023

May 16, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

ChargeUK, a new trade association which launched today (28 April), is aiming to invest £6 billion by 2030 in EV charging and double the size of the UK EV charging network in 2023.

The association, which brings together 18 EV charging companies, will look to increase the availability of charging in addition to accelerating investment and delivery. This will be achieved via collaboration with government and other stakeholders to break down barriers and shape policies and regulation.

Founding members of the organisation include: Be.EV, Believe, bp pulse, char.gy, ChargePoint, Connected Kerb, ESB, evyve, Fastned, Genie Point, Gridserve, Ionity, Mer, Osprey, Pod Point, PoGo Charge, RAW Charging and Shell Recharge.

“The formation of ChargeUK is an exciting day and is a demonstration of the EV charging industry’s growing size and importance to the UK economy,” said Ian Johnston, chair of ChargeUK and CEO of Osprey Charging Network.

“Together we are investing billions of pounds to get more charge points in the ground right across the country. These numbers reinforce our commitment to the UK’s net zero future. We will continue to be a proactive partner to government as we deliver a world-class charging infrastructure, giving the nation’s drivers confidence to transition to EVs.”

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Carmakers are pushing electric SUVs, but smaller is better when it comes to EVs

May 15, 2023Buying a new car, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Electric SUVs are better than their gas counterparts for the climate, but they can be worse than compact gas burners

The electrification of the US’s vast fleet of cars and trucks is a cornerstone of Joe Biden’s plan to tackle the climate crisis. But the ballooning size of electric vehicles, crowding out smaller, more affordable models that strip fewer resources from the environment, threatens to undercut this goal.

Last week, General Motors announced that it will axe its Chevy Bolt electric vehicle by the end of the year. The compact Bolt, launched in 2016 as a way to challenge Tesla for mainstream EV buyers, is one of the cheapest electric cars on the market, costing less than $30,000 and eligible for the $7,500 tax credit offered to drivers for EVs in last year’s mammoth Inflation Reduction Act, unlike the similar Nissan Leaf, which doesn’t qualify due to its foreign manufacture.

Renault EZ-PRO: Urban delivery goes robo (Image: J. Oppenheim/Renault)

In a sign of how the US’s fixation upon large SUVs and pickup trucks is now infiltrating the nascent EV market, General Motors, which aims to sell 1m EVs in the US by 2025, said that the Michigan plant currently churning out Bolts will switch to new electric models of the Silverado and the GMC Sierra – hulking, and more expensive, alternatives that will probably provide the auto company a greater financial return than the modest Bolt.

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What is the best family electric car?

May 12, 2023Audi, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

In need of a suitable electric family car but unsure of where to start looking? We’ve got you covered with this list showing 10 of the best

Switching to an electric car can be a huge change for a family – not just because it’s a new way of driving, but because it introduces some big differences.

However, once you’ve got the hang of how and when to charge them, and what the range is, you’ll be on your way to a cleaner and more efficient future.

Here are 10 of the best electric family cars that we think you should consider for your next used car purchase.

Audi e-tron

For its first mass-produced electric car, Audi didn’t want to mess about, which is why it launched the e-tron – a fully electric family car with a range of up to 250 miles on a single charge.

With its spacious rear legroom and high-tech interior, what more could you want? It’s also got a 605-litre boot that’s one of the largest in its class, allowing you to stuff it full of bags for a long weekend road trip away with the kids.

In addition to its impressive infotainment system with an 11.6-inch touchscreen, the e-tron also comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to ensure you’re covered no matter what phone you use.

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