The World is changing

You know that Electric vehicles are better for the world than the current polluting Internal Combustion Engine vehicles (ICE) and you want to understand about buying an electric car in the UK and life with it, read on.

We’ve passed the Early Adopters stage, and are now entering the Early Majority stage of the Technology Adoption Curve.

When motor vehicles were presented as an alternative to horses it was obvious to all that they were totally different, whereas although Electric vehicles look very similar to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) ones they are very different. The number of models is increasing rapidly.

Batteries, Range and Number & Quality of Charging points all improving

The world of Electric Vehicles is improving and expanding rapidly. The UK Government requires that 0% of new cars sold from 2030 are Petrol or Diesel. Batteries are getting cheaper and more powerful. Range is increasing significantly and the number of Charging points is increasing every day. We’re here to enable you to make the choices for your own particular situation. See the FAQs below.

Price comparison

Deloitte estimated that the market will reach a tipping point in 2022, when the cost of ownership of an EV will be on a par with its Internal Combustion Engine vehicle counterparts. However more recent reports appear to push this date out to 2024.

Petrol thinking

Electric vehicles are very different to Petrol and diesel ones. Hence very different thinking is required, you’ll need to leave your ‘Petrol Thinking’ behind to successfully enter this new world.

For example, comparing the range of a battery with that of a petrol tank will lead you down the wrong road and unnecessarily cost you money.

Electric cars and Petrol cars compared – 10 examples of Thinking Electric

Charge while you sleep

With an electric vehicle there will be no more trips to a petrol station, comparing the time taken to fuel to 100% is misleading as most charging can be carried out whilst doing something else, notably sleeping but also shopping, having a coffee or working in an office. It’s also better to limit charging between 20 – 80% rather than 100%.

Cost of charging

The cost of charging will generally be a third or even a quarter of petrol costs. For most people most charging can be done at home.

Range concerns

Range is a major concern to those still using their ‘Petrol thinking’, pushing purchasers to look at more expensive vehicles than they actually need. Charging at home, or close by, means that the vehicle will always be ready for the majority of journeys without needing to recharge away from home.

“Range anxiety is something experienced only by people that don’t drive EVs as it goes within two weeks generally. I think green number plates will help as many people don’t understand how many EVs they see every day; this helps make it more “normal” to go EV”. Mike Potter of DriveElectric is quoted in the Admiral Insurance Newsletter article: Driving greener: motoring after lockdown.

Maintenance

The maintenance costs will be significantly less as the power will be provided by a simple electric motor instead of a highly complicated internal combustion engine, even the brakes will have much less wear as the motor is used to slow the vehicle. And it actually charges the battery while it’s doing that.

Charging

Charging near and away from home is improving dramatically, there are now more charging locations than petrol stations!

This is Money reports that: There are officially more than twice as many public charge points for electric cars in the UK than there are petrol stations, the Department for Transport has confirmed.

As of 1 April 2020, there were 17,947 public electric vehicle charging devices available in the UK – 3,107, or 17 per cent, of which are rapid devices, the government said.

The UK Petroleum Industry Association’s latest figures show there were only 8,046 filling stations across the nation.

Shortlisting

If you’re shortlisting for a potential purchase please read 5 Features to check now.

It’s a New world

Direct comparisons with petrol vehicles will just mislead you, especially in regards to the range you need. Electric vehicles live in a completely different world to that which we’ve lived in for so long.

You need Confidence

To get the best value for your money we’ll provide the answers to your questions, enabling you to enter the world of Electric vehicles with confidence.