Milton Keynes already has a great reputation for its support of Electric Vehicles, from its vast infrastructure of electric charge points to the UK’s first Electric Vehicle Experience Centre due to open later this month.
Now TESLA the American automaker, energy storage and solar manufacturer has set up shop in Milton Keynes Intu shopping centre, displaying their high end electric cars in an impressively slick showroom.
Strolling past this afternoon it was certainly eye catching and there seemed to be a genuine buzz from many passers-by when they noticed the giant letters spelling ‘TESLA’.
The two story car showroom isn’t the first to appear in the Milton Keynes Shopping Centre, a Mercedes store appeared a few weeks previous. This new trend seems to coincide with a greater change and understanding of how consumers are now purchasing. The idea of viewing a car in a showroom and then ‘shopping online’ for the best price is becoming ever so much more the norm, much like shopping for the latest smart TV.
Rapid Charging on the Motorway – Completing the Charge
Ecotricity rapid charger with LCD status display (Image: T. Larkum)
I previously described the process for initialising a charge at an Ecotricity rapid charger, as found at most motorway services. Here I’ll cover the process for monitoring and ending the charge session.
Step-by-Step Guide
12. While the car is charging you will want to monitor it regularly to confirm it is continuing successfully and to see when it has completed. The charge status, the time taken, the amount of electricity used and usually (depending on the car) also the charge level will be shown on the charge point screen.
Rapid charger status screen during charging (Image: T. Larkum)
13. There will also be visual indications on the car, for example the Nissan Leaf has blue lights on the dashboard, the Renault ZOE shows an icon on the driver’s screen, the BMW i3 has an indicator light around the charge socket, etc. However the most convenient monitoring method is via smarthphone, using an app provided by the car manufacturer. You can use this remotely, for example while eating in a services restaurant. Each app functions differently, but they all provide a display of the current charge level. The BMW one can generally be updated on demand (though sometimes requires the app to be killed to achieve this). The Renault one, rather inconveniently, will only update every 30 minutes.
BMW ‘i Remote’ app display during charging (Image: T. Larkum)
14. When you wish to end the charge session you do so first in the Ecotricity app, then follow its instructions.
Ecotricity app display after ending session (Image: T. Larkum)
15. You remove the charge cable from the car and hang it back up on the charge point. Then you notify the Ecotricity app. The app will display the cost of the session (zero if you’re an Ecotricity customer) and the session identification number. You will also usually receive this information soon after by email to your registered address.
Ecotricity app display at end of session (Image: T. Larkum)
16. The session is ended and the rapid charger display will return to its welcome screen.
Ecotricity rapid charger welcome screen (Image: T. Larkum)
Being faced with any issue on a standard petrol car is bad enough, we have been used to these mechanics for years, but what happens when your car is electric and something goes wrong?
Arranging a time for repair is the same as any car, and I found Renault Customer Services to be very helpful, they acted straight away getting me a courtesy hire car with no delay. However I was disappointed that it wasn’t an electric car, I was given a Petrol Renault Twingo.
I must say, it felt like I was driving something much older than 2 years, it felt archaic and awkward. While there was nothing actually wrong with this little car, I soon realised that the Renault ZOE is much more than a regular car.
Renault Twingo & Renault ZOE
The benefits alone are undeniable, with this petrol car I was now paying parking at almost £5 per day, using a petrol station felt grubby and the cost of fuel (£32.55 for one tank) was twice as much as a month’s worth of ‘electric fuel’ in my ZOE. Luckily Renault Customer Services were understanding and agreed to pick up all of these expenses that I’d otherwise have not incurred. Aside from the running costs I must say, I really missed the serenity and ease of driving the ZOE, with its automatic driving (there are no gears), reversing camera and quick acceleration to name but a few features I really like in the ZOE.
After what felt like an age, I was finally reunited with my ZOE. I won’t miss the Renault Twingo but if nothing else the time spent with this little petrol car made me realise that I had made the right decision going electric and I won’t be looking back.
I wrote last week of what is required to fill out the on-line application for the POD Point charge point. Once I had applied things moved pretty quickly.
Attaching the POD
The following day I got an email outlining the name and time of an installation appointment a week later. They also sent me a link to click should I need to reschedule. Two days before the install, I got a further email confirming I was still available and confirming that the engineer would arrive between 1pm and 3pm.
Come the day, a minor glitch. 3pm came and went and no engineer. I followed up with an email at 3.40pm, and 10 minutes later got a call from the engineer saying when he would arrive. So at 4.15, the installation began.
My installer turned out to be Mohamed Aly and was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. He had the whole job done and dusted in an hour and a quarter.
First he laid the cable and drilled through to the desired mounting point for the POD, and then attached the POD.
Lay the cable and drill through
At the other end, he now connected to the mains. You can see my Photo-Voltaic Solar Array converter to the right. Mohammed commented that he used to install Photo-Voltaic systems, and that the SMA inverter I have was the most reliable he ever came across.
Connect to the mains
The final step was commissioning the system and connecting it to my WiFi router. A neat process in which he connected his tablet wifi to the POD, then selected the router from the list and ‘handed’ it over to the POD.
Connect to WiFi
The finished POD. We did test it, and it all worked as expected. Many thanks to POD Point and to Mohamed.
People who have never owned an electric car don’t understand how different charging one is compared to fuelling a petrol or diesel car. Therefore I’m going to explain what charging an electric car is like so that potential owners can understand it better.
Home charging a Nissan Leaf (Image: Nissan)
The point I want to get across is that charging an electric car is much easier and more convenient than filling a fossil-fuelled car. That’s an idea that can be difficult to grasp. Now that I’ve upgraded to electric (I’m on my second all-electric car) I could never go back, any more than I’d give up my smartphone and make do with a landline.
Here I’ll concentrate on the ins and outs of home refuelling, and cover charging away from home another time.
Charging System
Most electric cars come with a charging cable (fitted with a 13 Amp plug) that can be used to charge the car; such cables can be bought separately where they are not supplied with the car. One name given to these items is ‘granny cable’ as they can also be used to charge up while visiting relatives.
BMW i3 ‘occasional use’ charging cable (Image: BMW)
Another name they are given is ‘occasional use cable’ as they are not intended to be used frequently. They will also be slow to charge the car (12 hours or more) as a standard home socket is not capable of providing as much power as the car can potentially take.
Instead most car owners will have a special charge point installed at home to charge their car. This often comes free with a new car. It is typically wired straight into the main house consumer unit. It will be capable of passing higher power than a standard socket – usually either 16 or 32 Amps – and will be designed for frequent use.
Using a third-party ZOE granny cable while visiting my brother (Image: T. Larkum)
These charge points can be installed either inside a garage, or on a garage or other outside wall. Sometimes they’re just put on a post beside the driveway. They are all waterproofed and can be used in all weathers (including heavy rain). They usually come fitted with a tethered cable to match the car but sometimes just have a socket to which the owner can connect different cables, for example if the unit has to charge electric cars with different types of connector. The pros and cons of having a tethered versus untethered charge point are covered elsewhere.
Charging an Electric Car: Frequency
How often does an electric car need to be charged? This is an important question, and is key to why charging is more convenient than conventional refuelling.
The obvious answer, at least to someone used to a conventional car, would be “when it’s empty”. That’s because most people let their cars run low on fuel before refilling. There is no good reason for this; it simply reflects the fact that conventional refuelling is so inconvenient that it is to be avoided whenever possible. It takes time, and usually also involves a diversion from where you actually want to go.
With an electric car you could choose to do the same thing, relying on public charge points, and that can work if you can’t do home charging. However for the majority of electric car owners with a home charge point the easiest thing is simply to charge at home overnight every night.
Charging a Renault ZOE on the drive (Image: Fraunhofer ISE)
Electric cars use Lithium-Ion batteries, similar to those found in mobile phones (though they have significantly more sophisticated charge management systems than phones and so last longer). Lithium-Ion likes to be kept charged unlike previous technologies (e.g. Nickel-Cadmium batteries) that you were supposed to run down before recharging. Therefore it does no harm to plug in every night and so have the car battery fully charged every morning ready to go.
Using a dedicated high power charge point allows a typical electric car to be charged in about 4 hours. It’s also fine to only partly refill it. Therefore it can be perfectly practical to drive, say 100 miles during the day for work, then go home and – those evenings when it’s useful – top it up for an hour or two and go out again for, say, another 50 miles.
Charging an Electric Car: Process
It’s very easy to charge an electric car once you have a dedicated charge point. If you are lazy, like me, then you have a tethered one with its cable permanently attached so you don’t have to unpack a cable each time. Similarly, I choose to leave mine switched on permanently for convenience.
In this case, charging is as simple as the following:
Open the charge point door on the car
Uncurl just enough of the charge cable to insert its connector into the car’s charge socket
The car will automatically start to charge when it sees the electrical connection made. It will control the charge and finish it automatically.
On my original Renault ZOE the charge point door was unlocked using a button on the key fob or a switch inside the car. The charge socket was in the nose and so required walking around to it to insert the connector. The total time taken was about 15 seconds; this would also be typical for the Nissan Leaf.
Charging a Nissan Leaf in the garage (Image: Chargemasterplc.com)
On my current BMW i3 the charge point door is always unlocked if the car is unlocked, and the charge socket is on the driver’s side. Therefore I can insert the connector after I have parked the car and as I walk out of the garage; there is literally no additional time taken to set the car for charging. The Hyundai IONIQ Electric also has the socket on the rear quarter, though on the passenger side.
Charging a BMW i3 on the drive (Image: BMW)
People sometimes ask me how long it takes to charge my car. They probably expect to hear me say ‘4 hours’ or whatever, but actually it takes me personally no time at all, not a single minute. That’s because I don’t care how long it takes for the battery to fill up while I’m in the house (and probably asleep).
Charging a Hyundai IONIQ Electric on the drive (Image: T. Heale)
With my i3 having a range of about 120 miles, and my commute being 45 miles, it’s not even a problem if I forget to charge for a day or two. However, like with your smartphone, making charging it a daily routine is generally the best option.
Summary
One of the great things I love about a car that’s electric is no longer having to spend time fuelling it. It’s just 100% full every morning when I get in, as if by magic. I certainly don’t miss having to travel to petrol stations, often standing in the dark and rain, to hand over large amounts of money.
Now instead I fuel the car myself using renewable energy. During the week I charge it from wind (courtesy of our renewable electricity supplier) and a fill-up costs about £2.50. At the weekend I can charge it from our solar panels for free.
I Have my New Car Ordered – Now I Need a Charge Point
Untethered and Tethered Charge Points (Image: POD Point)
With my new Leaf, I get a new, FREE, POD Point charge point.
Thanks to a Nissan discount of £264 and the government OLEV scheme discount of £500, there is no charge for me at all for the entry level unit, although there are a couple of upgrade options you can choose.
Here is a quick guide to what to expect when you are ready to get your system installed. This blog covers the on-line application, with a separate blog that covers the installation.
Ordering my New Charge Point
The process starts with an email from POD Point to start the application. It was pretty straightforward and the pictures below step through the choices offered. The three choices I made of most significance to me were the following:
1) Upgrade to a 7kW charger. This cost £95. This seemed good value and future proofs me for longer range cars in the future.
2) Upgrade to a key so that I can lock the charger if necessary. This cost £30. I am not sure if electric thieving is likely.
3) I chose to have an un-tethered system with a type 2 socket so that it could work with any car. This was no charge. POD-Point tell me there is no difference in charge between a tethered and un-tethered system.
1 – The initial email from POD Point
2 – website starting point
3 – charge power choice
4 – tethered/untethered choice
5 – extras: key, cable, freestand
6 – Order summary showing total price less the nissan discount
7 – A statement that I have bought/leased a new car and have suitable off-street parking for a chargepoint to qualify for the OLEV grant
8 – 2nd Order summary including the OLEV grant
9 – payment for my extras
10 – payment summary
11 – address for installation
12 – installation specific questions
13 – statement of whether I do or don’t want the OLEV grant
14 – formal grant application. This needed a form downloaded, filled in and uploaded. Not particularly difficult and definitely worth it to save £500.
Here are five ways that autonomous cars will change our lives for ever – and much sooner than we think. Is this progress or decadence (or just sheer nonsense)? You decide:
image: comingtozero
Mobile homes. With real estate becoming ever more expensive, there is a case for owning a permanently-mobile home. With the low per-mile cost of electric driving, balanced against the sky-high price of real-estate, a fully autonomous electric home can take its owner to a quiet location at night, or even just drive at low speeds throughout the night, and still be a fraction of the cost of a land based home. Pre-set destinations and recharge automation will mean the vehicle can recharge as required, and arrive at the residents needed location at just the right time the following morning.
image: solar alley
Cash generating asset. If the budget runs low, then simply connect your vehicle to the grid at a fixed location for a few days and let the battery earn you some revenue as part of a grid-balancing aggregation program.
image: vetse news
Party heaven. For those of us that enjoy a drink, there is no longer a need for a designated driver. The car will always be sober and safe. However, what does this mean for public health? Is alcohol going to become a greater problem for more people without the ‘excuse’ of driving to have a night off?
The weekend starts here. After a Friday night-out with work friends, you can sleep it off as your car heads off overnight to your weekend destination.
The car is THE venue. Whether for business meetings or small social gatherings, the interior of an autonomous car no longer needs to be designed for the purpose of driving and so can become a location in its own right with more comfort and leg room and inward facing seats. With the expected safety improvements of autonomy, seat belts will no longer be a necessity. Imagine a lunch meeting with friends where the food is pre-ordered and picked up by the car before it collects your group. The car gives a tour of London’s most picturesque sites while you eat and relax.
A lot of people are searching for ‘cheapest electric car UK’ at the moment. We can help with that, though it can be difficult to say what’s the cheapest electric car in the UK because it depends on what you mean by ‘cheapest’. Let’s dig a bit deeper.
Those are great prices considering they include fuel (charging) plus with an electric car road tax is free, congestion charging is free, parking is often free, and servicing is cheap.
Clearly, though, this provides an answer to the original question. The Cheapest Electric Car UK (on monthly cost) is the Nissan Leaf.
Cheapest Electric Car UK: Cost Per Mile of Range
However, that’s not the end of the story. Electric cars are better than conventional cars in virtually every respect (performance, noise, smoothness, pollution, etc.). They do, however, typically have shorter ranges. Therefore it is usual to pay a premium for longer range electric cars (the Tesla being a well-known example, though it’s out of the reach of most people).
Let’s consider the question of range then. We’ll use the official NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) ranges, though we’d be the first to say these should be taken with a pinch of salt. In the real world you’ll only get about 75% of the NEDC range. However, they do give us a consistent metric for comparison purposes.
The NEDC ranges are as follows:
Nissan Leaf (30kWh battery): 155 miles
Renault ZOE (44kWh battery): 250 miles
If we take these into account we can work out the monthly cost per mile of range:
Nissan Leaf (30kWh battery): 155 miles for £255 = £1.65 per month per mile of range
Renault ZOE (44kWh battery): 250 miles for £309 = £1.24 per month mile of range
And so we have a new answer to the original question. The Cheapest Electric Car UK (cost per mile of range) is the Renault ZOE. And it’s that unprecedented range in a small, affordable and stylish electric car that explains why it’s so popular. See our Renault ZOE prices here.
Milton Keynes entrepreneurial start-up, Fuel Included Ltd, provides Electric Cars with free miles included on a single monthly payment. Fuel Included has recently expanded to meet the growing demand for electric cars.
Company founder and CTO Trevor Larkum said,
“The electric car market is seeing exponential growth. This is a fantastic time to be offering the consumer a simpler way to go electric. We can saving them money while having a really positive impact on pollution and the climate”.
Trevor has brought two new members on to his team since January 2017. Having worked with both previously, the new team was able to hit the ground running.
Jason Tisdall has taken on the role of CEO.
“For many consumers, the electric car is still an unknown. We are focusing on making it simple for them to assess the basics. Will they save money, what is the impact on climate change and what happens if they run out of charge? By demystifying these areas, many customers feel much more secure in making the switch to electric. Our experience is that, once they do, they never look back”.
Jo Pegram-Mills has joined as Sales and Business Administrator.
“I am focused on improving the back-end office systems so that customers can enjoy a smooth and straightforward journey of learning about, buying and running an electric car. All of us in the office own electric cars ourselves. We have a wealth of experience, and a real passion about our business and giving our customers a fantastic experience”.
We can help you if you are looking for the cheapest electric car lease UK. We specialise in providing electric cars in the UK on lease and PCP contracts.
Electric Car Lease UK
So how does electric car leasing differ from a PCP?
With a UK electric car lease you pay a fixed price per month for a fixed term (typically 3 years). There is also an upfront payment (usually worth 3 or 6 times the monthly payment). At the end of the term you give the car back. A private lease is technically known as Personal Contract Purchase (PCH).
A PCP (personal contract purchase) is similar to a lease in that you can give the car back and walk away at the end of the term. However it differs in that you can choose to keep the car instead by paying a final or ‘balloon’ payment. Also, the upfront payment is usually a fixed amount (e.g. £499) rather than a multiple of the monthly amount. It is effectively a deposit if you decide to keep the car.
We recommend that you take an electric car on the assumption that you’ll give it back at the end of the term. That’s because the technology is advancing so fast that there will be new ones coming available with greater range and performance. Therefore we don’t think it makes sense to buy outright at the moment.
For most people it doesn’t make any real difference if you get your new electric car on lease or PCP – you really just want the cheapest overall cost (considering the upfront payment plus monthly payments).
Benefits of Electric Cars
Electric cars are the most technologically advanced cars available. Therefore they tend to be more expensive to buy outright than fossil-fuelled cars. However:
electric cars are cheap to run. Fuel (electricity) costs are very low: a ‘fill-up’ costs as little as £1.50.
they often get free parking (e.g. in Westminster, Milton Keynes, Leeds, some railway stations, etc.).
they get exemption from congestion charging.
electric cars are nicer to drive as they are quiet, smooth and don’t pollute.
they typically have greater performance (acceleration) than equivalent fossil cars.
all-electric cars pay no road tax.
they are usually cheaper to service and maintain.
The result of all this is that an electric car can provide very cheap motoring. It’s important, though, to consider all the costs of a car (fuel, tax, parking, etc.) and don’t just look at the monthly payment. With many of our cars we even include free charging.
Electric Car Lease UK: How We Can Help
If you’re not sure whether an electric car lease would work for you and save you money, try out our Total Cost of Ownership service.
Top electric cars available on electric car lease UK (Image: Fuel Included)
If you already know what you want then take a look at our most popular deals:
