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7 Considerations for buying an Electric Vehicle

What the government and manufactures won't tell you

By John Woz Jr,Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 7 min read
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7 Considerations for buying an Electric Vehicle
Photo by myenergi on Unsplash

In this article I will give an honest view of my own experiences driving electric vehicles (EV), provide you with some top tips and considerations for purchasing your first EV. Perhaps I am an expert through experience, having driven over a 15,000 miles behind the wheel of two brands of EV. I’ll also explain why I failed miserably in sourcing training for mechanical engineers in the art of EV maintenance, more on that later.

Motoring has changed as we know it. Traditional car enthusiasts may shake their heads at the thought of driving down the road in near silence, but electric vehicles are here to stay. The die hard petrol heads might be the last adopters of electric vehicles, but eventually sales of new petrol and diesel cars will cease. Let’s start with an insight to proceedings at COP26.

COP 26 pledge to EVs, and noncommittal countries

COP26 is the economic and environmental buzzword. According to the Zero Emission Vehicle Transition Council , road transport accounts for over 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the total emissions are rising faster than any other sector.

COP26 included a transition to 100% zero-emission sales of new cars and vans by 2040 globally and by 2035 in developed markets. Sadly, fewer than 20 countries agreed a separate pledge to work toward 100% zero-emission sales of new heavy goods vehicles and buses by 2040.

According to NPR, the U.S., China, Germany, South Korea and Japan, were absent from recent COP26 pledges, and the top two global automakers (Toyota and Volkswagen) also didn't sign. Considering VW's recent emissions scandal, the VW's decision not to sign the pledge is a surprise.

COP26 marks the end of the road for the internal combustion engine. Today we're seeing significant commitments from manufacturers, investors, fleet operators, countries, cities, states and regions," Helen Clarkson, CEO of the nonprofit Climate Group.

With the high level policies out of the way, let's get down to what we are here for, the pros and cons of buying an EV.

Cost opportunity: Should you buy an EV?

There are many choices meeting a range of budgets for the internal combustion engine. That's not the case for the EV*. Buying a used electric model is an option, but small budgets restrict the variety of models on offer. Prices of new EV models range from the Skoda CITIGOe iV at £15000. The super EVs of Tesla, and Audi cost upwards of £100,000.

Research on a national car finder returned a Mahindra e2o, priced at £4,600 for a 2106 model.

The Mahindra e2o is not a household name, and splashing out almost £5k on a car with no warranty, 75KM range and enough space for a hot water bottle, and thermos flask hardly seems value for money.

£8,000 will buy you a used Renault Zoe, or Nissan Leaf. Of the eight on offer, all were at least seven years old. Increasing your budget to £13,000 will buy you a newer model, in two flavours, the Leaf, or the Zoe. I hear your thoughts. This is getting expensive.

Consideration for buying an Electric Vehicle

Budgets: It's an obvious place to start. Some manufacturers offer an 8-year warranty on batteries. You may take advantage of government grants. Do your research, because manufacturers will release attractive offers for new customers.

Range: Get used to the term Range Anxiety. Pre-purchase research, route planning, and driving sensibly should reduce range anxiety. Of the hundreds of journeys I have driven in an EV, I had two unplanned stops to recharge.

The longer the range, the higher the vehicles capacity. That’s great. Or is it? Let’s take my first EV, the BMW Mini. Because BMW wanted to replicate the handling of the John Cooper Works or Cooper S, and maintain the integrity of the limited boot space, the mini has a maximum range of approximately 100 miles (I drove this car for 4,000 miles, never getting over 118 miles out of a full charge).

The Mini's 32.6 kWh battery means a charging time of approximately 4 hours using a 7KW home charger. Now consider the Mercedes EQC's home charging time of 13.5 hours. The EQC can run for up to 250 miles, but those needing a quick turnaround between charging will need to reconsider their priorities.

Charging: Buying some models will likely entitle you to an Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) grant. Buyers of new EVs can claim up to £360 off the cost of a fully installed charge point at home. Certain criteria need to be met. In most cases, off-street parking needs to be available. Pod Point installed my home charger. The process was simple, and the engineer completed the installation in under two hours.

Public charging is a minefield, but Zap Map is your friend. The mobile app gives you locations for chargers across Britain. Users can report whether a charger is offline. Zap Map will show the provider. You could end up with multiple EV charging accounts, depending on your journey. There’s seldom point in heading to the nearest 150KW rapid charger, only to discover your EV is not compatible.

Beware of the supermarket EV Charging point: Many supermarkets across Britain offer free EV charging. Don't be fooled. I visited one supermarket chain to discover 3KW chargers, an absolutely pointless gesture, unless you take 12 hours to do your weekly shop. Another chain offered a 7KW charger. The charging offerings are a token effort by supermarket chains to make you believe they are looking after your needs.

Policing EV charging points: For three years, I worked for a Local Government Authority (LGA). I spoke to the Parking Enforcement team to understand the strategy for policing EV parking spaces. They didn't have one. Imagine driving into your local public car park to find a dirty diesel taking up the last of 4 available EV charging bays.

Running Costs: How many miles do you get on your tyres, 30,00o on a set of Michelin HP Primacy? I drive a company VW iD3. I recently discovered manufacturers fit EVs with 6.5mm tread (8.5 on diesel/petrol cars). After 11,500 miles, I am ready for a new set of boots on the rear.

Octopus Energy offers an EV tariff. EV users can charge at home for 4KW/h (1p per mile) from the hours of 00:30-04:30. The tariff was the catalyst for my decision to opt for the Mini. My running costs went from £280 a month in a Mini JCW (petrol), to approximately £16 a month in the e-Mini.

Vehicle licensing tax is £0 for now, not the case for Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. In the future, I expect the government to levy EV taxes based on battery capacity.

Servicing costs depend on the make and model of the vehicle. Software updates are needed, and breaks need replacing. Check the available service package, and don't forget to ask about battery warranty.

The driving experience: Driving experience: I spent an hour test driving the BMW e-Mini. Having instant torque and low centre of gravity made me smile from the first mile. The ID3 is not as fun to drive, but I wouldn’t swap it for a traditional internal combustion engine. EVs are quick. Leaving high powered petrol cars for dust at the traffic lights is fun.

Select drive, and hit the accelerator. It’s as easy as that. Many EVs have an energy recovery system. Because of the Mini’s short range, the energy recovery system is harsh, meaning less wear on the brakes. EVs are heavier than petrol or diesels. For that reason, I would definitely recommend using energy recovery modes to assist with breaking.

Pre-start functions mean a warm cockpit in the winter months. ECO modes reduce battery consumption, a must if you’re running close to empty.

Etc.

Here’s a top tip for fleet managers. Before considering rolling out EVs, check to see what servicing courses are available for your technicians. I adopted several EVs because of a government directive to go ‘green’ and reduce emissions. Our organisation was excited about the prospect of transitioning from diesel to Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEV), but we discovered holes in the government’s strategy.

A colleague and I spent 15 months trying to source training for our vehicle technicians. We continuously ran into a brick wall, partly because of the pandemic, and partly because the training frameworks for EVs are embryonic.

In summary, I love driving EVs. Before you buy one, take into account the many considerations. Cost, range, and charging capability will leave you scratching your head with frustration. Do your research and start your EV journey by identifying your budget. Everything else will follow. There is also the option of converting your favourite classic to all electric.

*There are other variants of ULEVs (plugin hybrid, petrol hybrid etc.).

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About the Creator

John Woz Jr,

John is a sports nut. He's a freelance journalist and long suffering soccer fan. He is a freelance writer, author, and mental health advocate. twitter @jwozniak16

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