Category Archives: Blog

Posts related to personal experiences, and the FuelIncluded.com website.

My MG ZS EV Test Drive

Blog, Electric Cars, MG, News, Reviews and Comment, ZS EV

On Saturday I had the chance to take my family for a test drive in the new electric version of MG’s ZS.

While the name MG (‘Morris Garages’) has a lot of history, particularly in connection with sports cars, the current MG Motors is a Chinese brand. They have had some success in the budget end of the UK market, but have made waves with the new EV version of their ZS crossover. It has a good enough range (about 160 miles) at a low enough price (in the £21k to £28k range) to make people sit up and take notice.

MG ZS EV (Image: T. Larkum)
MG ZS EV (Image: T. Larkum)

I’m not going to go into great detail on the car specs, how it handles, etc. (for some of that, see our MG ZS news and reviews page). Instead I’ll give a summary of our impressions:

  1. It looks good close-up, in a typical SUV way. That’s to say, if you take the badge off one SUV it could be almost any other SUV on the road. But in this context, with a low price example of the breed, that’s a great result. We’d be happy to have one on our drive.
  2. It drives well enough, absorbing most though not all of the roads’ bumps. It accelerates well, though it was very quick to wheelspin when I tried it a couple of times in Sport mode (though, to be fair, it was raining the whole time).
  3. It felt spacious, particularly in the back. There was a noticeable gap between the knees of the rear passengers and the backs of the front seats. Conversely, the middle rear seat was very narrow – it would only suffice for a child, and then only without a car seat.
  4. The multimedia console was pretty good – a touchscreen with satnav, handsfree phone, music, etc. The satnav had a noticeable lag the first time it loads but after that it seemed pretty responsive. It is compatible with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
  5. The boot was a decent size (something lacking in my current BMW i3!) even with the charging cables stored underneath. It had quite a big lip, but this could be reduced by raising the boot floor to a higher point when it was also nearly level with the back seats when folded forward and so giving a very large usable space overall. The seats don’t fold completely flat though.
  6. We test drove the top-of-the-range Exclusive version which had lots of nice extras that we appreciated such as a panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable seats, roof rails, leather seats and rear parking camera.
MG ZS EV (Image: T. Larkum)
MG ZS EV (Image: T. Larkum)

Overall we were impressed with the car, particularly at the suggested price (equivalent to about £360 per month for the Exclusive with a £1500 trade in). Definitely one to consider if you’re in the market for a medium range EV at at good price.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

The Transition Trinity: Electric Car, Solar and Home Battery

Blog, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, Energy Storage, Oil, Opinion, Pollution, Solar Power, Wind Power

Fuel Included was founded in 2014 in response to the threat of global warming. Our aim is to promote sustainable technologies at affordable prices, a mission that becomes ever more important as global climate changes accelerate.

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Initially we concentrated on electric cars but as they become increasingly mainstream we are able to focus on other green technologies. We now offer our own home battery system, the PowerBanx, to go along with solar panel installs.

While the Global Energy Transition often seems to be about big infrastructure projects, like offshore windfarms and grid battery storage, what’s happening at the home level is arguably more important, in terms of the impact on the individual and on the future requirements for national grids.

For years we have seen the rise of solar power as it becomes cheaper and undercuts other forms of power generation. More recently, we have seen the spread of electric vehicles (EV), as the replacement of fossil fuel vehicles accelerates.

Finally we are seeing the widespread introduction of battery systems (such as our PowerBanx) into homes; all already have solar and many already have an EV.

Read more: LinkedIn

 

Fuel Included in Top 10 Electric Vehicle Blogs

Blog, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment

It is with great pleasure and pride that I can announce that we have been given the award ‘Top 10 UK Electric Vehicle Blog‘ for our Fuel Included Electric Car Blog. This is in the ‘most comprehensive list of best UK Electric Vehicle blogs on the internet’.

The Best UK Electric Vehicle Blogs list is selected by FeedSpot.com from thousands of UK Electric Vehicle blogs on the web using search and social metrics. These blogs are ranked based on the following criteria:

  • Google reputation and Google search ranking
  • Influence and popularity on Facebook, twitter and other social media sites
  • Quality and consistency of posts.
  • Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review

We thank the judges for this honour – and while you’re here do take a look at the blog.

Do also see if you would find the other EV blogs of interest (just click on the image):

UK Electric Vehicle Blogs

Note that we are also involved in other blogs that you might like:

Why you should consider a used electric car

Blog, Electric Cars

Whether you are looking for your first electric car or your next electric car, there are many reasons why opting for a used one might be the best option for you.

See: Used ZOE 22kWh available now from £206 PCM with £250 deposit.

I’ve had my ZOE for almost 2 years, it’s a 2015 model with a reasonable range of 75-80 miles (real world). I was recently considering upgrading to the latest model that offers 250 miles (NEDC) range, however the price on the latest model was much higher than my current model (due to the larger battery and increased range). With budget in mind I started to weigh up the want for more range against the need for more range and soon realised that actually a used electric car with a range I am currently used to will continue to suit me just fine.

So when thinking about your first or next electric car, consider the following:

  • How many miles do you actually need your electric car to cover each day? And does a used electric car cover this?
  • If not, do you have the opportunity to charge it easily during your day? At work or during a commute?
  • What spec and features does a used electric car have compared to a newer one? Sometimes features in older model may cost extra in newer versions, for example the reversing camera in the ZOE is extra in the new model but comes as standard in most of the older models. And sometimes the features don’t differ much at all.
  • You still get a minimum of 1 year warranty with a used electric car.
  • Some used cars still come with a free charge point.
  • Availability of the car is almost always immediate so you can be driving electric in no time at all.
  • Low and zero deposit options are available, or you can increase the deposit to really drive down any monthly finance costs.

And let’s not forget opting for a pre-owned used electric car is a greener approach to electric car ownership, recycle and re-use.

Rapid Chargers next to Milton Keynes Central railway station parking (Image: T. Larkum)

Electric Car Charging Networks 2: Chargemaster’s Polar Network

Blog, BP Chargemaster, Charge Your Car, Charging, Electric Cars

This is the second part of an occasional series covering national charging networks (the first was Ecotricity’s Electric Highway).

Electric cars charging in Milton Keynes (Image: T. Larkum)
Electric cars charging on public POLAR charge points (Image: T. Larkum)

POLAR Network (including Charge Your Car and Source East)

Websites: POLAR Plus, POLAR Instant
Operated by: Chargemaster PLC
Online Maps: POLAR Plus, POLAR Instant
Smartphone App: POLAR Instant

Operator’s Description

“We run POLAR, the UK’s biggest public charging network. It links over 5,000 public charging points, not limited to just Chargemaster units, giving EV drivers a convenient and reliable nationwide charging system. The POLAR network is growing all the time, making the future of electric motoring possible for more and more drivers.

 

POLAR Plus is our unique subscription service that offers members better value and special benefits. With the first three months’ membership free, you pay just £7.85 per month thereafter. Members enjoy unlimited access to over 5,000 charging points, most of which are then free to use. For the others, they just pay for the electricity consumed (at only 9p per kWh, which is cheaper than the average cost at home). There’s no long term contract or nasty notice period to worry about. If you decide for any reason to cancel, you can do so. Immediately. It’s as simple and painless as that.

POLAR Plus members earn ‘POLAR Points’ when they charge in a different town each month. Points can be used to borrow one of our fleet of 20 EV Experience cars for free for a week, including our BMW i8 and i3, Tesla Model S and Nissan Leaf.

POLAR Plus Ts & Cs: To receive three months’ free POLAR Plus membership, you must first sign-up for the scheme and provide your Direct Debit details. From the start of month four you will automatically be charged £7.85 each month for membership on an ongoing basis, until you cancel. New customers only. You can see whether a charging post is free or chargeable using our live map. Please note that during the free membership period you will still be charged for any electricity used.

Charging my Renault ZOE in Milton Keynes (Image: J. Pegram-Mills)
Close-up of POLAR charge point (Image: J. Pegram-Mills)

POLAR Instant is a smart phone app that is available for both iPhone and Android smart phones that enables you to use hundreds of charging points across the country directly from your smart phone without the need for a RFID card or pre-registration to a “scheme”. iPhone App will be available from Mid April,2014 and Android from early May.

You can view where all the charging points are across the country, check if they are free to use in or what tariff they are charging, see what type of socket and output they have, see if they are available for use in real time, get directions to the charging point and then simply start and stop the charge from your phone with simple instructions.

POLAR Instant Ts & Cs: All charges are subject to a £1.20 admin fee which is deducted from your balance once the charge is complete. Some chargepoints will also incur a cost for the electricity used. To check the costs of individual chargepoints, please view our map. You may set up your account, make credits, view charging point check locations and tariffs as well as check your charging history and account balance on line at www.POLARinstant.com in the same way as on your smartphone app. If you need any assistance when charging call the POLAR Instant Help line on 0845 5280 289.”

 

Our View

POLAR is the biggest network of chargepoints around England. If you have seen chargepoints around your town, at supermarkets, town centres, car parks and public buildings, then chances are they are part of the POLAR network. Most of the points are low power and will charge an electric car in 3-8 hours (for these you will need to provide your own Type 2 cable – there is usually one supplied with each car). However, some are rapid chargers that can charge to 80% in about half an hour (these have their own tethered cables); the majority are manufactured in-house by Chargemaster.

Rapid Chargers next to Milton Keynes Central railway station parking (Image: T. Larkum)
POLAR rapid chargers  (Image: T. Larkum)

There are two ways to pay – by subscription on POLAR Plus or Pay As You Go (PAYG) on POLAR Instant. The POLAR Plus subscription costs £7.85 per month (including VAT) which gets you an RFID access card. Most charging is then free, though some is charged per unit of electricity (kWh). On POLAR Instant you use a Smartphone App and you prepay into your account. There is a £1.20 ‘administration fee’ per charge and most charging is then either free or charged per hour (for example, £1.50 per hour on the ones I use in Milton Keynes). Note, however, outside Milton Keynes the majority of Chargemaster rapid chargers are only available on POLAR Plus. If you charge regularly on POLAR, more than a few times a month, or you want access to all the rapids, it’s generally worth joining the POLAR Plus scheme; you will also get additional benefits such as ‘POLAR Points’ allowing you to borrow from Chargemaster’s pool of electric cars.

Reliability of the POLAR charge points is generally good, and as the maps are real-time you can check in advance if a particular one you want is working. Further, you can check to see if it’s actually in use.

The POLAR network continues to expand and develop. In January 2017 Chargemaster completed the acquisition of Elektromotive and its Charge Your Car network (though access is not available via Polar Instant). In March 2017 it took on some parts of the Source East network. In July 2017 it announced that it was switching to 100% renewable energy.

Growing Fuel Included

Blog, Electric Cars

We have started the process of growing Fuel Included Limited by looking for investment opportunities. Today we are in Birmingham having got through the preliminary rounds of the Challenge Cup organised by 1776.

Jason pitched our business plan to four investment judges and I’m pleased to announce we got through to the shortlist.

I’ll follow up with more news, and hopefully a video of our pitch, soon.

It’s The Business!

Blog, BMW, Charging, Electric Cars, i3, i3 94Ah, POD Point

We’re in Skegness for the aquarium, our youngest is diving with the sharks! While she waits to go in I’m off to get the car charged.

The i3 has plenty enough range to get back to the Peterborough services. In fact it’s suggesting we could get 160 miles out of this charge which theoretically could get us all the way back to Northampton.

However Zap-map.com says there’s a free POD Point charger in Skegness so I’m going to investigate.

It’s in the Aura Business Park and it turns out to be easy to find. I plug in and it’s charging immediately, nothing else required.

While in the Aquarium the car gets fully charged. The dive has just finished and we’ll be heading back to the car in a minute. There’s a Pizza Hut next to it so I suspect that’s what we’ll be having for dinner tonight!

Update: We did eat in Pizza Hut. We also got home all the way from Skegness to Northampton without needing to charge (in fact, with about 40 miles left on the clock) – and for free!

Getting Poisoned in my Electric Car

Blog, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, Pollution, Uncategorized

I’m on my way down the M1 from Northampton to Milton Keynes and the motorway has come to a halt. It’s not clear exactly what’s happened, but a bit of Googling on my phone indicates there’s an on going ‘police incident’. Apparently a suspicious object has been found under a bridge near Newport Pagnell. This started an explosive device incident. However, further investigation seems to have turned it into a chemical spillage incident. Anyway, the motorway is shut both ways between Junction 15 and J14. I joined the back of the queue about 8.30am and it’s now 11.30. People are milling around and chatting, and generally behaving well. However it’s shocking how many drivers keep their engines running. For the first couple of hours you couldn’t walk around without being assaulted by the noise, smell and fumes from three rows of diesel. Now, three hours in, most are off with just a few diehards keeping them on continuously.

Being in an electric car saves me from the noise, but unfortunately I can’t avoid breathing the fumes. I look forward to the day when we can all leave poisonous fumes in the past.

Our Vision for Fuel Included

We want our customers to understand what we are about and where we are heading.

Our immediate goal is to transform how you find the right electric car for you. We want to make your experience more enjoyable, and ensure that we leave the world cleaner and greener than we find it. Our larger goals extend into the world of green energy, and, to help explain what we mean, I have recorded a short video message outlining our vision for this industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIvVajU82cI&list=PLEkXV5fvxEy9Tk54V9EBCru7_eh_XLjOg
Video Link

The full transcript is here:

“At Fuel Included we want to have an impact on climate change by changing the way people engage with cars and energy.
We use the internet to talk to our customers, and offer innovative ways for them to own green technologies.
Our goal is to make owning an electric car easy, fun and value for money. To do this, we sell electric cars with a unique offer; the cost of the fuel is included in the cost of the car giving fixed price motoring.
We are preparing to sell Solar Panels and Battery Storage solutions to give you energy security and independence.
Ultimately, our vision is to provide your car, your energy systems and your energy for both home and travel as a single package that saves you money and reduces your carbon footprint.
So please join us at Fuel Included and become part of the green energy revolution.”