Until about 2 years ago, I’d never imagined that I’d ever be driving an electric vehicle. It wasn’t that I had anything against them, it was just that up to that point, I’d never considered the viability of EV travel for me personally, or the impact that traditional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) cars was having on the environment.
For the 8 years previous to that, I’d been happily driving around in my old diesel estate, clocking up the miles and, perhaps naively, pumping greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. For many people, EVs were (and still are) seen as a second vehicle – a run-around-town-to-do-the-shopping-mobile – rather than a primary household vehicle. Personally, EVs weren’t even on my radar.
So how did I get here, and what have been the triggers to (and concerns around) switching to EV?
My first wake-up call was during a workshop that I attended called the Carbon Literacy Project. If you are unfamiliar with the Project, do take a look; I would recommend any business that’s on a journey to becoming a better business, to attend the course and get certified.
As part of the preparation for the workshop, our team was asked to take a survey to measure our personal carbon footprints – something that I have to admit I had not done before. I’d always felt that I’d led a fairly clean and green lifestyle, and like most people, recycled and repurposed products where possible, so I was quite alarmed at the impact my car was having on the planet and my footprint.
From that point on, I have been on a semi-conscious path to switching to electric.
It wasn’t (and couldn’t have been) an overnight change. Afterall, buying or leasing any car is for most of us a fairly big decision, and one that we don’t make every day of the week. To this end, timing was naturally going to play a big part. I spent a lot of time researching the market to understand as much as I could about the technology, the charging infrastructure, the challenges, and the benefits.
I had countless conversations with friends and colleagues, the majority of which I have to say were quite negative. “Electric? Your brave…” was a common response from friends and family! And whilst I now better understand the arguments around the sustainability of EV production, the mining for resources and recycling of batteries, as well as the negativity in the media, I still believe that EV is here to stay, and the pros will eventually outweigh the cons.
Coming back to timing – the clock was now ticking on my existing car, a 14 year-old BMW, diesel estate. It had racked up 130,000 miles, and was costing me more and more each year to keep it serviced.
Insurance was going down, but road tax was going up (quite rightly so) based on its CO2 emissions. I had already made the call six months earlier to stop making long journeys (e.g. to Europe and back) and use public transport more often (and the bicycle!) when it was viable to do so.
So, here are 10 things that I found out petrol cars and EVs that got me over the line:
- A ‘third’ of Greenhouse gasses in the UK in 2023 was attributed to domestic transport, two thirds of which are further related to petrol and diesel vehicles. I found this quite unbelievable, when as country, the UK is continually blowing its trumpet about how green and sustainable we are.
- EV charging is easy. There are in fact, tons of charging opportunities, but it does take a change of mindset. We’ve got into the habit of filling our tanks full of petrol, running it into the red, then refilling when it’s empty. EV drivers simply top up, whenever they get the opportunity. You need to think of it like a mobile phone.
- Zero road tax (at the moment, at least) – who knew? Not me…
- Minimal servicing – no working parts, so apparently there’s less that can go wrong. Much less expense and the feeling of getting ripped off by car service garages.
- An abundance of different models to choose from. It seems there’s a new model (and even brand) popping up every month, and I also learned that for the first time, the second-and EV market is a real thing
- Most batteries are under warranty for 10 years – if you buy or lease a new(ish) car, this should allevaite concerns over battery replacement (which, by the way, isn’t quite as expensive as the objectors would have you believe).
- The range is longer than most people think. My model is pretty average for perfomance, and does about 250 miles. And by the way, most journeys are way under 100 miles.
- I didn’t know that EVs weigh a lot more than traditional cars – but contrary to what my friends told me, they don’t actually damage the road or create pot holes – you can thank the HGVs and delivery vans for this one.
- There’s more than enough electricity in the Grid. According to the National Grid, if everyon in the country switched to EV overnight, demand for electricity would go up by just 10%, which the NG say is well within our capacity.
- EVs are fun to drive! Take a test-drive – you’ll see what I mean!
Since making the switch, I have found out tons more information, and will endeavour over the coming months to share as much of it as possible with you. At the end of the day, EV is coming, and ICE’s are going to be phased out. The Government has put targets in place to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2035 (perhaps earlier, if Labour stick to their pledge to reverse the previous Government’s decision).
So, while I accept that it’s not going to be the right call for everyone, all I suggest is that if the timing is right, and you’re looking for a new car, don’t dismiss electric based on what your family, friends, colleagues and the media say. Look at the options. Take a test-drive or two. Like me, you might be surprised at what you find.
