Category Archives: Electric Cars

News and reviews of the latest electric cars (full electrics and plug-in hybrids).

How much does an electric car cost? Why switching to an EV can save you money, from cheap charging to road tax

September 16, 2022Buying a new car, Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanRepost

With fossil fuel cars on the way out, battery-powered alternatives are not only cleaner but can also be cheaper to run

With the cost of petrol soaring and the potential benefit to the environment becoming ever more apparent, electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming an increasingly attractive option for many drivers.

Registrations of new battery EVs grew at a record rate of 49.9 per cent in the past year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), even as the car market lagged due to supply issues. One in 10 new cars sold is now powered by electricity rather than fossil fuel, up from just one in 100 in 2015.

That uptake is only likely to increase as the Government’s 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles looms. A poll of drivers by Moneysupermarket found that of those considering a new vehicle this year, 28 per cent were thinking of buying an electric car and 27 per cent were considering a hybrid.

But EVs are generally more expensive than their equivalents: as of August 2022, the UK’s most popular car model (according to SMMT data), the Vauxhall Corsa, would set you back £17,330 for a petrol model, against £27,055 for the Corsa-e.

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The best electric cars on sale today

September 15, 2022e-Golf, Electric Cars, Hyundai, IONIQ Electric, News, Reviews and Comment, VolkswagenRepost

If you’re thinking of making the switch to an electric car, our award winners are the ideal choices to help you make the move…

The winners of the What Car? Electric Car Awards for 2022 were announced on Wednesday.

Held in association with OVO Energy, these are held every year to celebrate the finest cars in this emerging class of car which will from 2030 be the only type of car you’ll be legally allowed to buy new.

They now come in all shapes and sizes. So, to help you choose, we’re not only naming the best new models, but also our favourite used options. Let’s dive in:

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The surprising history of how electric vehicles have played the long game and won

September 14, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Electric vehicles, we are often told, are the future. A whole range of carmakers and nations have plans to go electric.

The largest US manufacturer, General Motors, says it will phase out fossil-fuel vehicles by 2035. Norway has set a goal to end sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2025, the UK by 2030, and France by 2040.

In Australia, only about 2% of new cars sold today are electric. Federal government modelling in 2021 predicted a jump to 90% of the vehicle fleet by 2050.

The new federal government has put electric vehicles firmly on the agenda. Industry Minister Chris Bowen did so in a speech at the EV Summit on August 19. As global consultancy McKinsey and Co has declared, “the automotive future is electric”.

A very long and troubled history

What is often overlooked is that electric vehicles have a history as well as a future. If we look back we can see they are not a futuristic dream but a longstanding transport option.

This history also illuminates the barriers that electric vehicles face – and are steadily overcoming. It is a troubled history with particular relevance to Australians, so long attached to internal combustion.

Electric vehicles have been around since car manufacturing began. Robert Davidson built the first practical electric vehicle – a 16-foot (4.9 metre) truck driven by electro-magnetic motors – in Scotland in 1837. This was decades before the internal combustion engine was invented.

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£1 million funding to support development of EV chargers across five Midlands areas

September 13, 2022Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Five local authorities in the Midlands are set to install electric vehicle (EV) chargers in areas with limited off-street parking, courtesy of almost £1 million in government funding.

The bid, launched in June 2022, aims to deliver “hundreds” of new EV charging sites across the Midlands in order to support the integration of clean vehicles to the UK’s roads. This comes with the impending internal combustion engine ban coming into force from 2030.

Lincolnshire County Council, Herefordshire Council, Leicestershire County Council, Rutland County Council, and Stoke-on-Trent City Council – alongside Sub-National Transport Body Midlands Connect, submitted the bid resulting in a share of £935,355 set to be distributed between the five councils.

“I’m delighted that this successful bid means that we will be able to offer more electric charging facilities across the county which will support our residents and business to make the shift to ultra-low emission vehicles as part our strong commitment to addressing the climate and ecological emergency,” said Councillor John Harrington, cabinet member for infrastructure and transport.

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Osprey to develop ultra-fast EV charging hubs for 12 British Garden Centres

September 12, 2022Away From Home, Charging, Charging, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Osprey Charging has partnered with British Garden Centres in order to add ultra-rapid charging hubs for electric vehicles (EVs) at 12 stores across the UK.

The ultra-rapid charging hubs are said to be capable of adding 100 miles of range in 20-30 minutes for EVs, with the first set to be established in a Carmarthen store in Wales. This will include eight ultra-rapid (159kW) chargers and is set to open later this year.

Further hubs will be developed across UK garden centres including Wimborne (Dorset), Carr Gate (Yorkshire), Braintree (Essex) and Harrow (London). A total of 12 sites have been confirmed with a mix of these larger hubs and some smaller installations depending on the size of the site and availability of power.

“The British Garden Centres name is synonymous with first-class customer experience, and we’re delighted to provide safe, reliable, and accessible charging at their UK stores,” said Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging.

“We look forward to a fruitful partnership as we work together to offer EV charging at more of its centres up and down the country.”

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MG 4 test drive If you want to go electric but have been put off by big prices, you need to take a look at the MG 4.

September 9, 2022Electric Cars, MG, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

If you believe the research, around half of potential new car buyers want to go electric, yet the UK battery-electric market sits at just 15%. The majority are put off not by range anxiety, that old fear of being stranded with a completely exhausted battery and no three-pin plug socket within reach, but by the fact that you need to pay too much money to buy a car which is typically a compromise falling short of what you really want.

MG believes it can change all that with the MG 4 (which the company styles as MG4), the brand’s first full-electric hatchback, pitched as affordable but also practical and, shock horror, an electric car that is really fun to drive. Does it live up to the “bold new direction” billing?

MG 4 review 2022 | The Car Expert

What is it?

The MG 4 is an all-new model from the brand, designed to attract those who might be considering a larger supermini or smaller SUV. In looks and construction the car is like nothing MG has so far produced. It is built on a new modular platform specially designed for electric powertrains, with a thin battery pack under the floor and able to be made in several different sizes and body styles – the MG 4 is the first of a complete range of new MGs coming over the next few years, a range that will include a sports car.

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Five reasons to buy an electric car

September 7, 2022Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanRepost

Taking the jump to buy an electric car can be daunting, so we’ve listed five good reasons why you will enjoy owning an EV.

The benefits of electric cars go much further than just a lack of harmful exhaust emissions – although that is of course a huge boon, and the main reason governments around the world are pushing for the full transition from internal-combustion to battery power to happen as soon as possible.

Knowing they’re not contributing to local air pollution certainly makes people feel better about using their car to get around, but as most owners of electric vehicles have come to realise, there are myriad other advantages that zero-emissions cars have over their petrol and diesel counterparts.

Here, we’ve summarised the main plus points that come with owning and driving an electric car.

1. Electric cars are simpler and more reliable

Gone are the days of oil stains and petrol fumes from under the bonnet. Electric cars don’t need an engine that uses combustion to produce power, so it’s a completely different ballgame when it comes to motivation for the wheels.

This means an electric motor and battery used in an electric car is much simpler and has far fewer moving parts than a conventional petrol or diesel engine. This means there’s a lot less that could potentially go wrong and much less maintenance and replacement of parts needed due to wear-and-tear. Electric cars often don’t need to be serviced as frequently as combustion-engined cars, keeping running costs low for owners.

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Electric car charging points: Why 1,000 new chargers probably still aren’t enough for all the EVs in the UK

September 6, 2022Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Charge points will be built in nine local authorities across England but the rising use of EVs might outpace the installation of chargers

Drivers will have access to more than 1,000 new on-street charging points for their electric vehicles thanks to a £20m pilot scheme unveiled by the Government today.

BP Chargemaster Rapid Charger at Milton Keynes Charging Hub (Image: T. Larkum)

Charge points will be built in nine local authorities across England including Durham, Dorset, Kent, Lincolnshire, Barnet, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk, and Warrington.

The pilot comes as the number of electric vehicles on the road keeps soaring, and amid warnings of major gaps across the country after figures showed local governments were failing to make use of government funds to boost residential charging infrastructure.

Ministers said the new scheme was aimed particularly at those without off-street parking who cannot charge their electric car at home, as well as at drivers needing a quick charge while travelling.

Trudy Harrison, transport minister, said: “We want to expand and grow our world-leading network of EV charge points, working closely with industry and local government, making it even easier for those without driveways to charge their electric vehicles and support the switch to cleaner travel.”

AA president, Edmund King, said it was “essential” that more on-street chargers were delivered, adding: “This is one further positive step on the road to electrification.”

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£20 million pilot project set to develop 1,000 public chargepoints

September 5, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

A £20 million government-backed pilot scheme is aiming to support the growth of the electrical vehicle (EV) industry with the development of 1,000 new public chargepoints.

The pilot is part of the £450 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) scheme, and will pool the collective knowledge of industry experts and local authorities to develop commercial EV charging infrastructure for residents across nine counties in the UK.

This includes Barnet, Dorset, Durham, Kent, Midlands Connect (with Lincolnshire as a lead authority), North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk and Warrington.

As such, the counties will gain commercial EV charging infrastructure including faster on-street chargepoints to larger petrol station-style charging hubs.

“We want to expand and grow our world-leading network of EV chargepoints, working closely with industry and local government, making it even easier for those without driveways to charge their electric vehicles and support the switch to cleaner travel,” said Trudy Harrison, decarbonisation minister.

“This scheme will help to level up electric vehicle infrastructure across the country, so that everyone can benefit from healthier neighbourhoods and cleaner air.”

The scheme will support members of the public without driveways by having better access to EV charging. The project will also develop the infrastructure required for the rapid rollout of EVs in the nation in light of the internal combustion engine (ICE) ban from 2030.

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MG Motor 4 EV review

September 2, 2022Electric Cars, MG, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

An excellent all-round package for the money, civilised and good to drive, too

Even a short while ago, the idea that MG Motor could directly benchmark one of its cars against a Volkswagen, not merely as an ambition but as a serious attempt to match and even better the model in question, would have produced reactions ranging from acidic cynicism to full-on mirth.

But study the look, content, price, spec and price again of this MG 4, then take a drive, and your mind will be duly adjusted. This car is more than competitive, more sophisticated than anything MG Motor has offered to date, decently enjoyable to drive, very well equipped, civilised and priced to make you look twice.

Guy Pigounakis, MG Motor’s commercial director and industry veteran of more than 40 years, calls the MG 4 a ‘disruptor’, for offering vastly more for less. He’s particularly pleased with a residual value forecast that enables an especially competitive PCP, starting at £300 per month.

Market essentials such as these, along with a now-extensive dealer network and a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty, provide the bedrock from which to launch a model that Pigounakis expects to swiftly become MG Motor’s best seller. These days that will make it quite a big seller too, the company’s UK sales swelling near-unstoppably.

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