Electric cars

I suppose the extra cost for the longer range Ze could be recouped because you can use the car for longer journeys. And when you don't foresee a long journey you don't need to charge as often.

In our previous house I could have easily had a hybrid to charge - a consideration when we next move (no plans). It has to be a hybrid for the longer journeys that are less frequent. I try to avoid most business travel :-)

I suppose it depends on how far you drive. I seem to recall you still have an ICE car and that might not be used so much with a Zoe with better range. That was my thoughts anyway.

But a bit jump in monthly payments. Can you not extend your current deal by 12 months? No harm in asking.

Don't know the exact mileages of course, A, but I guess you have factored in you may not need a full charge? You only need enough at the first to get to the second with a bit of spare, and enough at the second to get to your destination with a bit of spare. The amount of spare will reduce as you get more comfortable with capabilities.

So splash and dash might help you out with time and cost. Also, the motorway chargers are the most expensive way of doing things of course. Slower chargers (more time) just off route will be significantly cheaper or free. Horses for courses on any given journey.

If you are an Ecotricity customer (madly expensive) you don't pay the connection fee for 52 charges a year. Only you can do the sums on that one.


As to my own case, dunno. Now the new Leaf has been revealed today (and I'm distinctly underwhelmed) that is of little interest to me. As I thought, it doesn't even go as far as the current Zoe, never mind further. Costs 26 to 30k for one of those in six months, or 15 to 16k for a non battery lease Zoe right now that goes further. Hmm, I can't imagine what the market will do.

I know the sensible thing to do, honestly, is to let the Zoe go back, save £189 a month and put that towards the extra fuel cost of running the Volvo. Probably balances out, pretty much. Thing is, I don't want to. So it's "can I afford to stick with Ev or not" really.

Fair enough. You can always try a Leaf journey just to see once you've got used to it and are feeling confident.

I've pretty much always used the Volvo for the longer stuff and never public charged. For me, that means I've done about 10k a year EV and 2k diesel. Looked at that way, I've still done something significant both environmentally and financially without making life at all difficult.

Also, the ev miles are generally in towns and villages, so you feel better about the pollution aspect.

Inside is fine, but they are weatherproof. Mine is outside because it was already costing me £40 quid for the cable run (they would do I think about 10 metres from the meter for free, then a fiver a metre extra, something one that). Putting the charger inside the "garage" would have meant another ten metres or so, plus getting it through a trench. Too much hassle.

If you get the car before the charger, use zap map or even plug share to see if anyone up your street has made their own domestic charger available. Quite a few people do, either for free or with an honesty box. Or your local Nissan dealer should oblige with a free charge and possibly a cup of coffee, if they are even remotely decent and anywhere near you.

edit: I see there's one of those rare beasts, a 22kw Ecotricity charger near Reading at the Green Park business park.  Those require an rfid card, (hurrah, much easier than the app, just swipe and go). Three times the speed of a domestic charger, and delightfully, still free to use. Off you go.

Miserable lot. My work let me charge on just an ordinary 13amp socket in the car park for just the cost of the electricity. At 5p per unit, we did a quick calculation together, and basically after a year I gave them £50 and they gave it back, muttered something about tax I never understood and it actually cost me about £30 on my next pay packet.