Category Archives: Electric Cars

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

The best used electric cars to buy right now

August 17, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, Uncategorized, ZOERepost

Suddenly feeling the urge to go green? It needn’t be as boring as you think…

Up to £15,000 – Renault Zoe

Hard to think that Renault’s electric runabout has been around for well over 15 years, if you count the original Zoe City Car concept. It’s undergone a fair number of changes over the years and yet it still manages to keep up with the ever changing – and ever expanding – EV market.

The Zoe proved that you didn’t need to spend Tesla money, or buy a Reeva G-Wiz, to live the affordable EV life. It launched with a 22kWh lithium-ion battery pack that, admittedly, offered a relatively underwhelming 130 miles of range under the, er, optimistic NEDC standards. This was later updated in 2016 to a 41kWh pack with a far more respectable range of 250 miles. These are now available for under £15,000 and are arguably the sweet spot if you’re hunting for a cheap-yet-dependable EV.

For £14,200, you can grab this 41kWh Zoe Dynamic Nav, which comes loaded with kit such as a 7.0-inch touchscreen, sat nav and climate control (just be careful how you use it). Bear in mind it’s a battery lease vehicle, meaning you’ll have to pay a monthly fee (starting from £49pm) to use the thing, but in the grand scheme of things it’ll work out cheaper for most over those where the battery was bought outright. It’s a similar story with the Nissan Leaf, which can be had for comparable money to the Zoe, but you’ll be looking at one of the older models with a smaller range. For cheap EV ownership, nothing beats a Zoe.

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‘Brilliant’: Electric car owners could charge for free using hack as charging costs rise

August 16, 2022Charging, Economy, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

ELECTRIC car owners without off-street parking are paying up to £1,320 a year to charge, but a clever hack could allow them to charge for free.

With inflation at its highest in 30 years and public charging costs rising fast, many drivers across the UK may be concerned about their finances in the future. New data has found that an electric car could cost an average driver without access to off-street parking up to £1,320 per year to “fuel”.

This is more than £1,155 more than those with a driveway, based on average charging costs.

This is still cheaper than the cost of refuelling a petrol car, but owners can top up for free, according to Electrifying.com.

Supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Aldi all offer free charging at many stores across the country, which could help to offset the rising cost of food bills.

The National Trust also has free charging at 36 of its English and Welsh properties.

Many hotels across the UK also offer their customers free charging.

In some instances, car dealerships will have charge points which customers will be able to access.

According to Zap Map, as of June this year, nearly 5,500 of the 35,000 public charge points across the UK were free to use.

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New Research Found That People Who Commute by Car Can Be Subject To Harmful Gases Than Those Who Walk to Work

August 15, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, UncategorizedRepost

Active Commuters Experience Better Air Quality than Car Drivers

The study was carried out by University of Leicester academics in collaboration with Leicester City Council, and it was released in the Journal of Transport & Health, as cited by Phys.org

Researchers discovered that weekday morning commuters commuting by automobile had greater in-cabin levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) than their counterparts going by bike or foot.

NO2 is a major indication of air quality and is detrimental to people when breathed in.

However, it was discovered that drivers had a somewhat lower concentration of small particulate matter (PM2.5).

To evaluate the amounts of NO2 and PM2.5, researchers used backpack-mounted air quality sensors to collect data on four typical routes taken by commuters in Leicester between the suburbs and the city center.

The Nissan Leaf electric car’s cabin also had the same gadgets installed.

To measure driver exposure to contaminants without the car’s exhaust interfering, an electric vehicle was employed.

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What does an electric car buyer look like?

August 12, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

The average EV driver has been profiled by a group of economists, who found those ‘who love anything new’ are most likely to invest, while membership of environmental groups significantly increased likelihood of making the switch.

With more and more electric cars and vehicles being sold across the world as the race to reduce emissions continues, experts have set about trying to identify who is most likely to ditch combustion engines in favour of rechargeable models, with findings published in the Journal of Business Research.

Group sales of BMW i, BMW iPerformance, and Mini electric have seen dramatic growth

In order to conduct the work, researchers ran bibliomatic and thematic analysis of 254 studies published between 1983 – at which point there were no EVs on the market but research was being conducted to ascertain their potential – and 2021. Among other things, those running the study noted that even as far back as the early-mid-1980s, consumer attitudes towards electric models were governed by battery run and charge times, overall performance and cost.

‘When we talk about electric car customers, we’re talking about the so-called harbingers of change, people who love anything new, including technology,’ said Alberto Gerraris, Senior Research Fellow at the Ural Federal University Graduate School of Economics and Management, who co-authored the new report.

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EV demand on the up | Fleets look to models with shortest lead times

August 11, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, Leasing a new car, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

The demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) increased by 72% in the second quarter of this year, reports Leasing.com.

New data released by the car leasing comparison website, shows that consumer and business demand for all BEVs, hybrids and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) increased by 48% compared to Q2 last year, while BEV demand alone increased by 72% between April and June 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.

Meanwhile, demand for internal combustion vehicles (petrol and diesel) fell by 25% in Q2, with petrol demand falling 14% in the same period.

Leasing.com’s latest figures show that electric vehicles are closing the gap on petrol’s dominance in the new car leasing market.

Electric vehicles saw a 36.5% share of total sales enquiries via the website in Q2 compared to petrol’s 54.5% market share.

The gap between the fuel types continues to narrow each month. However, supply issues continue to dictate the sales winners in the new car market.

Consumers and businesses are gravitating towards the models that they can get hold of quickest and demand has softened for those brands with longer lead times. This has created opportunities for some manufacturers to rapidly grow their market share, says Leasing.com.

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Should I buy an electric car? The pros and cons of making the switch

August 10, 2022Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

The UK is on the road to becoming carbon-neutral and, from 2030, sales of all new petrol and diesel cars will be banned.

Sooner or later, motorists will have to consider switching to an electric car. The big question is whether it makes more sense now or later?

The transition from ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) cars to electric vehicles (EVs) is being driven by the impact that petrol and diesel cars have on the environment.

Fossil fuelled vehicles are responsible for around a fifth of all carbon emissions in the UK, according to Greenpeace. There’s also a clear link between pollution and life-changing illnesses such as coronary heart disease, respiratory disease and lung cancer, and asthma.

The argument for electric cars is compelling, but as with most things, EVs have their advantages and disadvantages.

We’ve weighed up the pros and cons of zero emissions vehicles to help you decide if an electric vehicle is the best option for you right now.

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Osprey becomes first CPO to subscribe to ChargeSafe

August 9, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

Osprey Charging has become the first chargepoint operator (CPO) to subscribe to public charging endorsement body ChargeSafe.

The body is working to inspect and rate all of the UK’s charging locations on the basis of 63 safety and accessibility criteria by the end of the year. Ratings out of five will then be made public.

Connected Kerb on-street charging (Image: Connected Kerb)

Thanks to subscribing, Osprey will be able to review the data behind the scores, allowing it to identify specific areas to further improve the charging service it offers.

“We have long been supporters of what ChargeSafe stand for and we’re proud to become the first CPO to subscribe to its thorough, EV charging location rating system,” Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging said.

“We are committed to providing safe, reliable and accessible EV charging for all. That means well-lit sites, the best chargers and the ability for wheelchairs and anyone with mobility requirements to have the space and access to charge, pay and enjoy our facilities.”

ChargeSafe’s accessibility criteria are in line with the draft PAS1899 BSI standards for accessible chargepoints, which have been co-sponsored by Motability and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

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5 Reasons Electric Vehicle Sales Are Soaring

August 8, 2022Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

They look great, have fantastic acceleration, and cut down on your gas costs. What’s not to love?

Electric vehicle sales are soaring, and the only problem at the moment is that automakers are struggling to keep up with growing consumer demand. The surge in electric vehicle sales is the direct result of consumers learning about EVs and their benefits and an increase in manufacturers offering EVs, allowing consumers many more choices.

But there are other reasons for the ongoing uptick in electric vehicle sales and why so many people are finally making the switch.

Independence from gasoline is one of the greatest reasons to buy an electric vehicle. Not only because of the expense but simply eliminating the need to stop at a gas station from time to time. Many people have realized that electric vehicles allow the convenience of simply charging your vehicle while you sleep, in the comfort of your own home, and then getting on with your day the next morning.

Not having to stop at a gas station is a true luxury. Furthermore, gas station prices are higher than ever before worldwide, and not only this, but it’s extremely difficult to predict when these spikes in gas prices will occur—as well as when they will go down again.

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Porsche Says Its EVs Will Soon Be More Profitable Than Its Gas-Powered Cars

August 5, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Porsche, Taycan / Mission E, UncategorizedRepost

Porsche expects that, within two years, its electric cars will be as profitable as its conventional cars, and that within five years, its electric cars will prove even more profitable.

Speaking at the company’s capital markets day, chief financial officer Lutz Meschke said that Porsche expects the margins on electric cars will equal and then surpass the margins on gas-powered cars as consumers grow more willing to pay for battery-powered vehicles, Bloomberg reports.

Until recently, automakers had lamented the thin profit margins on electric vehicles, which are more costly to manufacture and have historically held less appeal for consumers. Now, with EV manufacturing facilities scaling up and consumer interest on the rise, things are starting to change. “There are even signs that the EV business could be at least as good as the business with the conventional cars,” Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen Group, said in March.

Porsche expects that EVs will account for roughly half of the luxury car market by the end of this decade. The German automaker is aiming for 80 percent of its sales to be fully electric by 2031.

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Want an electric car but fear the cost? Here’s how to flick the switch

August 4, 2022Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

Make the change without forking out huge sums

Consumers are more and more eager to go electric. The number of electric vehicles (EVs) on British roads is soon set to exceed France after a huge surge in sales. But while a growing number of motorists want to switch, many are also wondering if they can afford it.

Although they are cheaper to run, EVs are more expensive to buy than other vehicles, leading many to believe they are out of their price range. And while the number of EVs sold in the UK has now exceeded half a million, research from the Green Finance Institute says that most purchases are by corporate fleet companies, and not individuals.

A report from the thinktank says: “Consumer adoption of EVs is still in its infancy, and a number of barriers deter larger numbers from switching in the short term.

“Higher upfront cost of the vehicles, the pace of improvement in battery range, concerns about access to reliable charging infrastructure and perceived complexity of transitioning means many are hesitant about making an EV their next car,”

Last year the average pre-tax retail price of a medium-sized EV was €33,300 (£28,914) compared with €18,600 for a petrol car, according to BloombergNEF.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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