Category Archives: Leaf

2014: A bumper year for Nissan in the UK

January 26, 2015e-NV200, Electric Cars, Electric Vans, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, NissanTrevor Larkum

NISSAN Motor GB Limited recorded its best ever sales year in 2014 with 138,338 cars sold in the last 12 months. This represents a 17% increase over 2013’s figure of 117,967.

Nissan also bolstered its position as the fastest growing top 10 brand in the UK, commanding a market share of 5.6% in 2014 – smashing yet another record. This increased share in the car market puts Nissan in sixth position in the UK.

Boosting this sales success was Nissan’s UK-built stars – the new Juke and the 100% electric LEAF and the Note – all of which broke sales records for another year.

…

The all-electric LEAF clocked up 4,051 sales in the UK, more than doubling the volume sold in 2013 (1,812), confirming that the British-built Nissan LEAF remains the nation’s electric model of choice. The Nissan LEAF boasts 55% of the pure EV market and outsold its nearest competitor by more than 2:1.

Nissan’s extraordinary sales success comes as Nissan’s Sunderland Plant broke the half a million production barrier again for the third year running, building a staggering 500,237 vehicles.

James Wright, Managing Director, Nissan Motor GB, said:

“Key to Nissan’s success in 2014 is the onslaught of new and updated products launched in the last year and I am immensely proud of the hard work and dedication displayed by the Nissan team in the UK.

“Our British-built offering continues to capture the attention of UK motorists and I am particularly delighted to see that the all-electric LEAF is still dominating the pure EV market, doubling its sales volume last year.”

Nissan has launched no-less than nine new and updated products, starting with the multi-award winning British-built Qashqai in January. This was then followed by the MY14 GT-R, new Juke, all-new X-Trail, GT-R NISMO and the all-electric e-NV200.

…

Including Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs), Nissan sold 148,607 vehicles in the UK, up 16% from 128,586 in 2013.

Source: Nissan Insider

Test Drive Sunday

January 24, 2015Blog, Electric Cars, Leaf, NissanTrevor Larkum

A showroom tour of a Nissan Leaf (Image: T. Larkum)

We had very strong interest in electric cars from our first public event so that we arranged to have a dedicated test drive day. On a Sunday in December we invited four families/couples to the St. Alban’s Nissan dealership (Glyn Hopkin) en masse to have test drives; all attended.

The format was simple – it began with a tour around a Leaf in the showroom to have its various features explained. This was followed by a test drive around the local area, about half of which was on side roads and half on dual carriageways.

Looking in the business end of a Nissan Leaf (Image: T. Larkum)

The event went extremely well and we are very grateful to the staff at Glyn Hopkin Nissan, particularly Ben, for their time, patience and courtesy on the day.

Nissan LEAF is the Best-Selling Electric Car in Europe For Fourth Year in a Row

January 23, 2015Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanTrevor Larkum

Nissan LEAF is the Best-Selling Electric Car in Europe For Fourth Year in a Row

2014 European sales rise 33% over 2013 as UK-built car accelerates sales
Nissan LEAF leads with 26% of the rapidly growing electric car market
UK sales top 4,000 units, more than doubling 2013 volumes
Sales driven by strong customer advocacy with 95% recommendation rate

Rolle, Switzerland, 19 January 2015: The all-electric Nissan LEAF has smashed its own sales record with a 33 percent increase in European sales in 2014 over the previous year, taking more than a quarter of the burgeoning electric car market with 14,658 sales.

This year the Nissan LEAF has been joined by an unprecedented number of new entrants into the EV market and has emerged as the leader on a global, US and European basis. Last year was the fourth year in a row that the electric family car has topped the zero-emission sales charts in Europe.

Moreover, the all-electric LEAF clocked up 4,051 sales in the UK, more than doubling the volume sold in 2013 (1,812). The British-built Nissan LEAF remains the nation’s electric model of choice, boasting 55% of the pure EV market and outselling its nearest competitor by more than 2:1.

Nissan Europe senior vice president of sales and marketing, Guillaume Cartier explains the increase in sales, commenting:

“We can now see the impact that word of mouth is having on our sales, with 95 percent of our customers happy to recommend their car to a friend and 50 percent saying they would never go back to diesel or petrol. This kind of powerful advocacy, combined with an increasing awareness of the massive running cost savings electric car drivers experience, is why our Nissan LEAF sales continue to grow.”

“Data from our CarWings telematics system* shows us that Nissan LEAF drivers drive 40% more kilometres than the European average for petrol or diesel cars, covering over 16,500 km per year. This data demonstrates that this car is the primary car for many households and that is changing the consumer perception of electric cars.”

The Nissan LEAF was launched in early 2011 in the European market, followed by a revised version introduced in mid-2013 with over 100 improvements led by customer feedback.The Nissan LEAF is built in Sunderland, UK, with batteries constructed in a new purpose-built facility on the same site. In June 2014 the 100 percent electric Nissan e-NV200 light commercial vehicle was launched, built at Nissan’s Barcelona factory, with batteries from Sunderland.

Ranking January-December 2014		Volume	EV Passenger Car Segment share
–	Total Pure EV Passenger Car Volume	56,393	100%
1	Nissan LEAF	14,658	26%
2	Renault Zoe	11,227	20%
3	Tesla Model S	8,734	15%
4	BMW i3	5,804	10%
5	Volkswagen e- Up!	5,365	10%
6	Volkswagen e-Golf	3,328	6%

*Figure used is industry standard registrations sourced from official national sources. Nissan recorded retail sales for the Nissan LEAF in 2014 was 15,096 cars

** European owners of its 100 percent electric car, the Nissan LEAF, travel more than 40 percent further per year (10,307 miles) than the European average for a traditional internal combustion-powered vehicle (7,170 miles). Average is calculated from 2013 market specific annual average statistics using data from the UK, France, Spain Italy, Sweden and Norway. An even weighting was applied to each country to find a ‘European Average’. A German statistic was not used in the European average as the raw data is not available and all average figures quoted are estimates.

Country	Total Miles Recorded Per Week (LEAF)	Total Miles Recorded Per Annum (LEAF)
Spain	228	11,858
Sweden	211	10,954
UK	201	10,468
Norway	197	10,242
Italy	190	9,854
France	188	9,790
Germany	173	9,014

Diesel and Petrol Passenger Car Average (miles)

UK Average	7,900
France Average	7,890
Spain Average	6,168
Italy Average	5,940
Sweden Average	7,245
Norway Average	7,872
European Average	7,170

Source: Nissan Europe

More than half of Nissan Leaf owners insist they will never buy conventional cars again

January 4, 2015Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanTrevor Larkum

More than half of Nissan Leaf owners insist they will never u-turn and buy conventional cars again

Auto giant’s customer research finds feared barriers to electric vehicle adoption have not materialised

Nissan will today publish the results of customer research suggesting a majority of customers for its Leaf have become electric vehicle converts and have no intention of buying conventional fuelled cars in the future.

The auto giant undertook the research using a relatively small sample of 76 current Leaf owners from among the 6,500 customers to purchase the vehicle in the UK.

More than half of respondents said they would not go back to conventional cars, while 95 per cent said they were happy with the Leaf and would recommend it to a friend.

Source: Business Green

Open University Electric Vehicle Research Study

December 31, 2014Blog, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, Leaf, Milton Keynes, NissanTrevor Larkum

EV Study venue, the OU Berrill Building (Image: T. Larkum)

In November I was invited to attend an Open University Electric Vehicle Research Study. I came across it online, plus friends who know I am an EV driver had also told me about it.

The study is being conducted by researchers from the Open University’s Ubiquitous Computing and Sustainability Lab, part of the OU’s Centre for Research in Computing. Their aim is to design interactive in-home technologies to help people better understand and manage energy issues of electric vehicles. In particular this study will investigate how an electric vehicle can fit among household energy practices and activities.

The first stage of this study is an interview, and I was happy to visit the OU campus at Walton Hall in Milton Keynes. There in the Berrill Building we talked about my experiences with an electric car, and having solar panels on my home, and my general energy usage/behaviour.

Nissan Leaf in one of the OU electric vehicle scheme parking spaces (Image: T. Larkum) — Nissan Leaf in one of the OU electric vehicle parking spaces (Image: T. Larkum)

While there I noticed that there were electric vehicle charge points in the car park outside, and one was occupied by a Nissan Leaf. However, they are part of an EV Membership Scheme and are not directly associated with this study.

I wish the Lab good luck with this project, and will report on its results when they are published.

Nissan – ULEV manufacturer of the year

December 30, 2014e-NV200, Electric Cars, Electric Vans, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, NissanTrevor Larkum

Nissan has been named Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) Manufacturer of the Year at the Energy Saving Trust’s Fleet Hero Awards.

The brand picked up the honour for its ongoing leadership of the ULEV sector in the face of growing competition from other carmakers.

The awards judges were impressed that the pioneering 100 percent electric Nissan LEAF – the world’s bestselling electric car – is becoming ever more popular with fleet operators and business car drivers everywhere.

And they applauded Nissan’s continued commitment to electric vehicle technology with the launch earlier this year of the all-electric e-NV200 van, a vehicle with the potential to revolutionise the commercial vehicle sector.

Next Green Car were equally impressed with the e-NV200 which won the Next Green Car Awards LCV category earlier this year.

Philip Sellwood, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust, said:

“The Fleet Hero Awards is one of the key events on the sustainable transport calendar and they go from strength to strength each year.

“This year’s winners show just what is possible for running efficient fleets and supplying innovative products and services. They are the pioneers setting the standards for others to follow.”

Receiving the award at a ceremony at the Institute of Directors in London, Barry Beeston, Corporate Sales Director at Nissan Motor (GB), said:

“We are absolutely delighted to have been honoured in this way by the Energy Saving Trust.

“The LEAF and the e-NV200 have picked up dozens of industry awards between them but this award is particularly special as it recognises the contribution Nissan has made to the success of electric vehicles in the UK and our ongoing commitment to providing the fleet sector with desirable and practical vehicles which offer a simple and cost effective solution to lowering emissions.”

Source: Next Green Car

300 Miles in a Day

December 29, 2014Blog, Leaf, Nissan, Renault, ZOETrevor Larkum

ZOE rapid charging at Chieveley Services (Image: T. Larkum)

In October I managed, for the first time ever, to drive 300 miles one day in my Renault ZOE. I like to think that puts me in the ‘elite club’ of long distance electric car drivers!

Of course, I’m not the first ZOE owner to join – at least two other members of the MyRenaultZOE forum (Timbo and Surya) beat me to it. Nonetheless, I consider it an important personal achievement, more significant than my previous record of 360 miles in a weekend.

It’s not just that it was a good distance but that it was actually done on a business trip. With an electric car I travelled half the length of the country, arrived on time for a series of business meetings beginning at 1030, and drove back home afterward. All without drama – though undoubtedly with a debt of gratitude to the excellent rapid-charging infrastructure we have in England.

Itinerary on Google Maps (Image: T. Larkum)

I left home in Northampton at about 6.30am (marked ‘A’ on the map) and the first stop was at Stony Stratford (‘B’) near Milton Keynes to pick up a colleague. We headed south down the M40 then A34 towards our destinations in Southampton and Portsmouth.

I had originally planned to charge at Peartree, near Oxford, on the A34 but it was out of action so we went to Plan B and carried on to Chieveley Services (‘C’). Filling up took no longer than a typical coffee and loo stop and we were on our way again.

I had hoped to charge again before Southampton but time was tight so we went straight to our first meeting (‘D’), and then on to another meeting in Portsmouth (‘E’). Rather than risk a drama heading back up low on charge, I decided to top up at IKEA (‘F’) in Southampton.

Pluggin in at IKEA Southampton (Image: T. Larkum) — Plugging in at IKEA Southampton (Image: T. Larkum)

This turned out to be the only pain of the day – by this time it was evening rush hour and we wasted a lot of time stuck in traffic on the way there. Having charged, however, it was then just a simple case of retracing our steps back up north. We did another coffee and loo stop at Chieveley, then we drove to Stony Stratford, and then I drove the last leg back to Northampton.

Sharing Chieveley with a Nissan Leaf (Image: T. Larkum)

I got back home having driven about 280 miles. Following some local errands and other driving I finally put the car back in its garage, and on charge, having driven nearly 303 miles since leaving earlier that day.

It was great to have driven so far in one day on electricity, and producing no emissions, for a fraction of the cost of a fossil fuel car. The initial charge was on Economy 7, and all the public charges were free courtesy of the Ecotricity network. Even better, all the electricity used was renewable, again courtesy of Ecotricity.

Best of all, I was able to claim a mileage allowance for the business trip from my employer. I was paid at a standard rate of 40p per mile, so actually received £112! A good day all around.

How Much Range Do Electric Cars Need?

December 24, 2014Ampera, Electric Cars, Leaf, Model S, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Opinion, Tesla, VauxhallTrevor Larkum

Car buyers consider many factors before making a purchase – including comfort, style and efficiency. If they were honest and realistic about how much they drive, a majority of consumers inclined to purchase electric vehicles would choose battery-powered cars that can travel fewer than 100 miles on a full charge, new research finds. And according to the same study, that statistic isn’t likely to change unless battery costs drop dramatically, despite the drastic change that represents from gas-powered vehicles.

Tesla’s Model S has a range of up to about 300 miles on a fully charged battery, and a luxury car price to boot, but most electric-car models can travel no more than about 100 miles on a full charge. The new research finds that most customers will find the 100-miles or less category adequate to meet their daily driving needs, given battery costs now and in the likely near future. This is based on data that shows how far people actually drive each day.

Customers may prefer cars that are capable of driving hundreds of miles without stopping, but they may only rarely need that extra range. It may be more cost-effective to use one car for daily commutes and rent another vehicle for long trips.

However, a sticky question remains: Can car companies count on customers to purchase cars based only on economics-based considerations? Probably not, say other researchers. And, based on plans made available publicly, car manufacturers appear to agree with them.

Zhenhong Lin, a senior researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, was trained as an engineer and now analyzes the economics and public policies related to transportation energy. His study in the journal Transportation Science, released in August, explored the multiple factors behind customer choices, including how far people actually drive on a daily basis, the variation in their driving patterns and how battery costs would have to decrease to promote electrically powered vehicles with longer ranges.

Range Issues

With gas-powered cars, driving range isn’t really an issue. A car that gets 30 miles per gallon and has a 14-gallon gas tank can go over 400 miles without refueling. And if you are about to run dry, it’s easy to find a place to fill up.

Electric vehicles don’t use gas at all – unlike a traditional Toyota Prius or other hybrid, in which various energy-capturing technologies charge an electric battery that then applies that energy to help move the car. Nor do electrics have backup gas engines like plug-in-hybrids do – this category includes one version of the Toyota Prius, the Chevrolet Volt (= Vauxhall Ampera), and others. For plug-in hybrids, the gas engine usually kicks in after a battery powers the first several to couple of dozen miles, depending on the particular model.

The longest range for an electric car is the 400 miles reported for the $100,000-plus Tesla Roadster, after a recent battery update. Most mass-market electric vehicles usually start at about $30,000. Rebates from both the federal and state levels can reduce the cost by thousands. Most of these cars boast ranges of fewer than 100 miles, including the Nissan Leaf, among others. Electric vehicles cost more than their gas equivalents, and there are far more gas stations than electric-charging stations if a driver needs to stop to top up the car’s battery. Most hybrids and plug-in hybrids have ranges similar to cars powered entirely by gas.

Renault-Nissan Alliance sells its 200,000th electric vehicle

December 23, 2014e-NV200, Electric Cars, Electric Vans, Kangoo Z.E., Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Nissan, Renault, Renault, ZOETrevor Larkum

Renault-Nissan EVs have driven 4 billion kilometres and enjoy 58 per cent of zero-emission global market share
Nissan LEAF remains best-selling EV ever; Renault led in Europe last month
Alliance launches monthly video series introducing electric vehicle owners from around the world sharing their personal stories with their zero-emission car

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold its 200,000th electric vehicle and has a leading 58 per cent market share for zero-emission cars.

Together, Renault and Nissan EVs have driven approximately 4 billion zero-emission kilometres – enough to circle the earth 100,000 times. Renault-Nissan’s EVs represent 200 million litres of fuel saved – enough to fill about 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Alliance EVs also represent 450 million kg of CO2 that has not been emitted while driving.

The Alliance sold its 200,000th EV in early November, about four years after the launch of the Nissan LEAF, the world’s first mass-market electric vehicle. Nissan LEAF remains the best-selling electric vehicle in history.

From January through the first week of November of this year, the Alliance sold about 66,500 EV units—an increase of about 20 per cent from the same period last year. The Alliance sells about two out of three electric vehicles worldwide, including Twizy, Renault’s two-seater urban commuter vehicle and the Nissan e-NV200 van on sale in Europe and Japan.

“Renault and Nissan’s electric vehicles are the zero-emission volume leaders – and, most important, they enjoy high satisfaction rates from customers around the world,”

said Carlos Ghosn, Chairman & CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

“Based on positive owner feedback and the increasing demand for cars that run on renewable energy, it’s no surprise that EV sales are accelerating – particularly in regions where the charging infrastructure is well developed.”

To capture what the first 200,000 consumers love about their electric vehicles, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is launching a series of videos featuring EV owners on three continents. “I Made the Switch” tells why people bought their electric vehicles and how switching to a zero-emission vehicle has changed their lives. The first video features Chris Beers, a software engineer from Holliston, Massachusetts, USA, one of many Americans who powers his Nissan LEAF with clean solar energy. To see the video, click here: www.multivu.com/players/English/7381531-renault-nissan-electric-vehicle-sales/

USA and Japan lead the world in EV ownership

In the United States, the Alliance’s biggest electric vehicle market, there are more than 750 quick chargers in operation. Nissan is working with its dealers and charging partners to increase that number to 1,100 by mid-2015. The quick chargers are able to charge a LEAF from zero to 80 per cent capacity in about 30 minutes.

This year, Nissan also launched its “No Charge to Charge” program, which provides free access to selected charging stations for two years with the purchase or lease of a new Nissan LEAF. “No Charge to Charge” is currently active in 12 U.S. markets, and Nissan plans to expand to additional markets by mid-2015.

In Japan, the Alliance’s second-biggest EV market, there are more than 2,900 quick chargers in operation. Nissan and Japan’s three other top automakers have pledged to work together to raise that number to 6,000 by March 2015.

In Europe, the UK is the most advanced market in terms of electric vehicle infrastructure. Today, the quick charging network already covers 87 per cent of the UK’s motorways.

Nissan LEAF is the world’s best-selling electric vehicle; Renault led in Europe in October

With six electric vehicle models on the road, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is the only global car group with a full range of 100 per cent electric vehicles – and they can be fully charged with purely renewable energy.

Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan has sold a cumulative 148,700 units worldwide since December 2010, when Nissan LEAF went on sale. Nissan LEAF has collected industry honors including the 2011 World Car of the Year, European Car of the Year 2011 and Car of the Year Japan 2011-2012. The electric vehicle has the highest global customer satisfaction rate for any Nissan vehicle ever.

The top markets for Nissan LEAF are the United States with about 67,000 sales since its launch, Japan with about 46,500 units and Europe with about 31,000 units.

In the United States, LEAF is on track to be the top electric vehicle in 2014, outselling all other electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Sales so far this year are up 35 per cent, and Nissan LEAF has enjoyed 21 consecutive record sales months and has already shattered its own yearly U.S. sales record with two months to go. In addition to LEAF, Nissan also sells the e-NV200 van, which went on sale in Europe in June and in Japan in October.

Meanwhile, Boulogne-Billancourt, France-based Renault has sold a cumulative 51,500 electric vehicles worldwide since its first model the Kangoo Z.E. went on sale in October 2011. Kangoo Z.E. was voted International Van of the Year 2012. Renault recently delivered its 5,000th Kangoo Z.E. to La Poste, France’s national postal service and operator of the country’s largest corporate fleet. An additional 5,000 units will be delivered in the coming years.

In addition to Kangoo Z.E. and Twizy, Renault’s zero-emission range also includes the ZOE subcompact and the Fluence Z.E. sedan. In South Korea, the Fluence Z.E. is sold as the SM3 Z.E. under the Renault Samsung Motor badge. Like Nissan LEAF, ZOE enjoys the highest satisfaction rate of Renault’s Global product lineup.

Renault’s top markets in Europe – its main electric vehicle market – are France, Germany and the United Kingdom. In October, Renault regained the number one EV position in Europe with a market share of 31 per cent. ZOE was the most popular vehicle with a 23 per cent market share.

About the Renault-Nissan Alliance

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is a strategic partnership between Paris-based Renault and Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan, which together sell one in 10 cars worldwide. The companies, which have been strategic partners since 1999, sold 8.3 million cars in nearly 200 countries in 2013. The Alliance also operates strategic collaborations with automakers including Germany’s Daimler, China’s Dongfeng, and India’s Ashok Leyland and has a majority stake in the joint venture which owns Russia’s top automaker, AVTOVAZ.

Is now the time to buy an electric or hybrid car?

December 17, 2014A3 Sportback e-tron, Ampera, Audi, BMW, e-Golf, Electric Cars, Formula E, Golf GTE, i3, i8, Kia, Leaf, Mitsubishi, Model S, Nissan, Opinion, Outlander PHEV, Renault, Soul EV, Tesla, V60 PHEV, Vauxhall, Volvo, ZOETrevor Larkum

Best cars and options explored

The future of driving appears to be electric, with Formula E in full effect, supercars adopting hybrid drive systems and range getting further all the time. Fuel powered engines may have their days numbered. But is it time to make the change to electric?

Now that the big car manufacturers are creating hybrid and electric cars we can be assured that it’s the future. And thanks to infrastructure improving all the time for charging stations range isn’t becoming such a big issue. But last year’s Tesla owners won’t get updated with the latest self-driving tech of this year’s Tesla, not a very nice reward for early adopting.

So is it still too early to adopt? Are batteries in cars suddenly going to improve to make current models a joke? We’ve looked at what going on to help give you a clearer idea of what to do.

Pure electric cars right now

The selection of pure electric cars right now isn’t huge, but it’s more than ever before and range is now good enough for day-to-day use. Prices, in the UK at least, are kept reasonable thanks to government assistance taking £5,000 off the price and offering free tax. If you offset petrol costs too you’re saving even more.

At the top end there’s Tesla with its Model S boasting all wheel drive and self-driving smarts starting at around the £50,000 mark. But this is in a league of its own with sports car performance, plus the latest model is not actually going to be in the UK until July 2015, even if you can buy yours now.

Then there are established brands like BMW, Ford, VW, Nissan and Renault all making fully electric cars at affordable prices right now.
Range, charging times, price and power

When going electric most people will be juggling these few key numbers: range, charging time, price and power.

PRICE: Firstly there’s price, at which the Renault Zoe wins by a fair margin starting at £14,000. Nissan’s Leaf can be bought from £16,500, Kia’s Soul EV is £25,000, the VW e-Golf is from £26,000, and BMW with its i3 is from £31,000.

RANGE: The range winner, from the reasonably priced cars, is the Kia Soul EV with 135 miles. In close second is the Nissan Leaf with 124 miles. Coming in behind them is the BMW i3 with a 118 mile range along with the VW e-Golf also sporting a 118 mile range, followed by the Renault Zoe with 93 miles.

Of course if you include the Tesla Model S that wins with its base model eeking out an impressive 240 miles on a charge and its top end offering 312 miles a go. But you get what you pay for.

CHARGE: This is a fairly even playing field with the cars all offering a rapid charge to 80 per cent in half an hour. Across the board it’ll cost you to upgrade your home charger for faster charging but this can result in as fast as a 3-hour charge to full.

POWER: Electric cars deliver all their torque instantly and the engine directly powers the wheels, this means they feel really nippy pulling away. The Nissan Leaf utilises 107hp to do 0-60mph in just 7 seconds making it the quickest of the lot off the mark.

The BMW i3 has 170hp for a 0-60mph time of 7.2 seconds, the Renault Zoe has 83hp for a 0-60mph time of 8 seconds, and the VW e-Golf manages 0-62mph in 10.4 seconds thanks to its 114hp motor. In last place is the Kia Soul EV with its 108bhp delivering a 0-60mph time of 10.8 seconds.

So for price the Renault Zoe wins it, but for range and power the Kia Soul EV comes out on top.

Plug-in hybrid electric cars right now

Hybrids have been around for years with the Toyota Prius leading the way with its dual-drive system. These are now more common than ever with Uber drivers using Prius as the car of choice.

But the market has grown, especially recently, with plug-in hybrids that allow drivers to charge at home so they may never need to use the fuel engine, instead reserving that for long distance journeys only.

From the Volvo V60 Plug-in and Ford Mondeo Titanium Hybrid to the Golf GTE or the BMW i3 with range extender, hybrids are fast becoming viable alternatives to single engine cars. The extra you may spend on the new technology can soon be made back in the petrol and tax savings they offer.

Range, charging times, price and power

Plug-in hybrid cars mean less of a worry about range than pure electric while also offering power and a reasonable price.

As with the Tesla we’re not going to include the likes of the McLaren P1, BMW i8, Porsche 918 and Ferrari LaFerrari as they’re all reserved for the super rich. And we’re only using plug-in hybrids as straight hybrids are fast becoming outdated in favour of the electric only options and extended range of plug-in hybrids.

PRICE: The plug-in hybrid range have all arrived at a similar time with manufacturers savvy to the government’s £5,000 contribution. For this reason they’re all very similarly priced.

The winner, by a narrow margin is the Ford Mondeo Titanium Hybrid from £25,000, with Mitsubishi PHEV GX3h from £28,250 in second and closely followed by the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid from £28,395.

Then we have the Vauxhall’s Ampera from £29,000, Audi A3 Sportback e-tron from £35,000, BMW i3 Range Extender from £34,000 and Volvo V60 Plug-in hybrid from £45,000.

RANGE: Winning with an impressive 967 mile range is the Ford Mondeo Titanium Hybrid but it only manages around 20 miles on electric alone. Closely behind that is the BMW i3 with range extender that offers a 930-mile top end with pure electric for 105 miles, making it overall cheaper to run than the Ford. The Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid can manage up to 700 miles in one journey but loses on electric alone with just 15 miles on a charge.

Audi’s A3 Sportback e-tron can last for 585 miles with 31 of those miles on electric alone. Despite its size the Mitsubishi PHEV GX3h manages 500 miles with 32 on electric alone. Vauxhall’s Ampera eeks out 310 miles with between 20 and 50 of those miles on battery.

CHARGE: As in pure electric cars this is a fairly even playing field with the cars all offering a rapid charge to 80 per cent in half an hour. Across the board it’ll cost you to upgrade your home charger for faster charging but this can result in as fast as a 3-hour charge to full.

POWER: The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, as the name suggests, wins this with a 0-62mph time of 7.9 seconds thanks to 204hp. The BMW i3 Range Extender model is second offering 170hp for 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds.

The Vauxhall Ampera does 0-60mph in 8.7 seconds with 148hp, despite having 178hp the Ford takes 9.2 seconds to get from 0-62mph, the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid gets from 0-60mph in 11 seconds from 134hp, the Mitsubishi PHEV GX3h does 0-60mph in 11 seconds and has 186hp.

The winner for price is the Ford Mondeo Titanium Hybrid but the BMW i3 takes it for range with the Audi offering the most power.

Future electric and hybrid cars

The future of electric cars and hybrid machines is looking positive. Charging infrastructure is cropping up all over the country with Tesla’s Elon Musk promising to install his Supercharger network UK wide by the end of next year.

Crucially, right now, it’s possible to drive pure electric all the way from the top of Scotland to the bottom of England thanks to fast chargers along the way. It might take a little longer than petrol cars since you have to stop for half an hour to recharge, but it won’t cost as much by a long shot. So adopting right now, especially if you’re going for a hybrid, isn’t as risky as it once was.

Another issue is batteries. Developments are being made more and more regularly as car manufacturers pour money into research. But worrying about having an older battery shouldn’t be an issue as, hopefully, manufacturers will be able to swap out old for new future-proofing any car you buy now.

Next year Tesla hopes to offer a car which is nearly completely self-driving. But since that’s out of the price range of most people current electric car offerings are plenty futuristic.

If you’re already driving a car and the cost of petrol and tax are proving too much then electric or hybrid could be your way out.

Source: Pocket Lint