Environmentally Focused News Articles

Credo Eco Finance’s mission to drive businesses green by finding the right finance solution and product for your needs means the personal touch when it comes to lenders and products. So we want to make sure we are giving the best possible advice and current information on the market, and the only way to do that is by test driving and understanding electric cars.

Marketing manager Fran Brown was impressed by the new Fiat 500e.

“It is a mission of mine to learn more about electric cars so I can share knowledge with people now considering one for their next purchase.

Thanks to Andrew Sturman of Motorvogue in Norwich, who loaned me a Fiat 500 La Prima for 24 hours, I was able to live the reality of driving and living with an electric vehicle.

I set off with 161 miles of battery range, according to the well laid-out information system, and travelled home on country roads.

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The car was set on ‘Range’ mode so, when you take your foot off the accelerator, it naturally uses the regenerative braking system to manage energy efficiency. It felt strange at first, as you don’t need to use the brake until you want to fully stop, but I soon got used to it.

‘Normal’ mode gives the full responsive acceleration but you use more battery power.

City driving was easy. The Fiat 500e was nippy when needed, gliding effortlessly through the streets.

It’s a lovely electric hatchback, especially in range-topping La Prima spec with a panoramic sunroof. A convertible cabrio provides even more open-top motoring.

The 10in touchscreen works well and mirrors your iPhone or android device options once connected.

My journey home is 38 miles and I arrived with 128 miles of range remaining so driving on country roads had added a few extra miles of range thanks to regenerative braking trickling energy back into the battery.

The next morning I took the A11 to cruise at higher speeds and really test battery capacity. I left with 128 miles and arrived at work with 84 miles left. I had used 11 miles more range on the faster road. Had I given the car a short charge overnight, that small difference in range usage would have been largely immaterial.

The worry of range anxiety – running out of charge – resonated with me as it does with many people who opt not to buy electric. Driving back to the dealership, knowing I hadn’t charged up overnight, made me worry that if I ‘floored it’ I would quickly lose battery range and might not make it but I soon realised it was not an issue.

If you do cut it fine, a ‘Sherpa’ battery-saving mode limits you to 50mph, turns off air conditioning and gives even stronger regenerative braking to maximise battery efficiency.

I found the Fiat 500e fun to drive, holding the road well with quick, responsive steering.

So, after just 24 hours, I’m an EV convert!”

If you are considering ‘switching’ to electric for you or your business, then please get in touch and we can help you through the process.

Tel: 01603 381955 or e-mail [email protected]

We were delighted to have the chance to talk to Richard Seppings MD of Anglia Car Charging back in April and we now have the full video to share with you!

If you are considering the ‘switch’ to electric, and want to know the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions (plus a few more!) then please take some time to look through our video below.

Many of the questions are explained in full on a previous post here

Here at Credo we want to make sure we are giving our customers the best possible advice and current information on the market. If you are looking to make the ‘switch’ to electric, then give us a call. We can give you information on the car itself, charging and grants available for you and your business. It really is the time to drive businesses green!

Call 01603 381955 or e-mail [email protected]

We were delighted when Richard Seppings, MD of Anglia Car Charging agreed to answer some of our questions about electric cars and chargers.

We are often asked questions from customers looking to purchase and finance their first electric car and we want to make sure the information we give is current and informative.

So, we invited Richard for a Q&A session. Ahead of us sharing the full video interview, here are just some of the questions and answers we’ll be covering:

We know there are different types of electric vehicles, including hybrids, plug in hybrids, battery electric etc but are there different types of charging points?

Yes – there are different strength chargers.

• Slow (13amp plug),
• Fast (up to 7.2kW giving approximately 25 miles of distance for every hour of charge). These are the most common home and workplace charging units. Generally connected to existing power supply.
• Rapid – these are DC (Direct Current). These are generally seen beside the road, at service stations etc. A 100kW charger can put over 350 miles into the tank for every hour of charging.

Do all electric cars have the same style plug?

There are two plug types. Type 2 is the most common and becoming the industry standard for fast charging.

How long does it take to charge an electric vehicle?

It depends on both the charger and the car. At home I can charge my car overnight putting 25 miles of distance into the battery per hour.

How much does it cost to charge an electric car and can you charge it straight from the mains?

• I pay 16p/kWh for electricity. The battery size is 64kWh. =£10.24 to charge from empty.
• But there are some amazing deals on cheap night time electricity. Google “EV Tariffs” to find them.
• This can reduce charging cost by 60% or more.

Can you overcharge an electric car?

No. When full the charger switches off.

A big concern for many that live in rural areas is range anxiety, what is your view on this? Have batteries improved over the last few years?

Batteries have got bigger, better and cheaper. Its rare to find a new car which has a range of less than 150 miles. Driving an EV requires a change of habit. I charge my car up every night. So I start every morning with a full tank of fuel. Range anxiety is not an issue at all. There is also an ever expanding network of publicly accessible rapid chargers, so on those days when I travel long distances I can always top up. I use www.zap-map.com to find chargers.

Are electric car chargers eligible for government grants?

Yes, both for home chargers and in the workplace there are grants available. £350 per socket.

Credo are considering installing an electric car charging point, what’s your advice for any business looking to do this?

Do it! It will help your staff make the switch to a more environmentally friendly form of transport. In the next 10 years car chargers are going to become an essential part of every car park. Now is a great time to get involved. There’s grant funding available. (which will not be around forever).

But you need to ask the right questions – we have a nice document explaining the options, possibilities and challenges.

What are the advantages of installing an electric charger at your workplace?

• Help you staff switch to EVs
• Dramatically reduce your fuel costs
• No BIK on electricity taken by staff for car charging.
• Favourable tax benefits in installing the systems now.

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Thank you Richard for sharing your knowledge, we learned a great deal and can’t wait to be able to share the full video!

If you are considering purchasing an electric car personally or for your business, you can trust Credo to give you the correct information you need to make an informed choice, including electric chargers!

Call us today on 01603 381955 or e-mail [email protected]

When it comes to electric cars are you plugged in, switched on and raring to go? Or do you need to charge up your depleted database?

No matter how long you have been driving and how much of a petrolhead you are, pure battery electric vehicles are new technology and many motorists will have more questions than answers.

Moving to electric motoring is not a decision you are going to rush into. Research shows that many EV drivers spent years doing their homework and overcoming their fears about range anxiety – being stranded with a drained battery – and how to keep it charged.

And that is before you think about how much they cost.

One thing is for sure – EVs are not going away and will just become more popular.

An AA survey of drivers predicts one in five vehicles on the road will be purely electric by 2030 which is when the ban on the sale of conventional petrol and diesel cars comes into force. Hybrid sales can continue until 2035 if they can travel ‘substantial’ distances on battery power alone but that is yet to be revealed.

So you need to consider several factors when looking at EVs with the priority being recharging, range and the reality of living with one.

Recharging – The bulk of electric cars are charged at home, usually with a dedicated wall charger that will fully replenish the battery overnight ready to go again.

That usually means off-street parking – a driveway, garage or a dedicated space in a communal area near enough to your home for a power supply. If not, you might be able to charge at work or rely on the public charging network but it is not so convenient.

Range – What sort of driving do you do?

Many EVs now have official ranges of around 300 to 400 miles but remember, just like quoted petrol or diesel MPG, you are unlikely to achieve it in the real world. Factors like your driving style and cold weather eat into range.

That said, many family cars will deliver 150 to 200 miles and city cars more than 100 miles, driven sensibly.

We Brits drive just 20 miles a day on average so range anxiety is not an issue. Occasional longer journeys might need some planning for a recharging stop, along with a comfort break, or you could rent a car for longer journeys.

EVs are at home in urban traffic – quick off the mark with instant torque and power and driving at speeds that are not so demanding on the stored energy. You can also top up the battery a bit when braking and slowing down.

So, if you never drive more than 100 miles in a day, an EV with a smaller battery might fit the bill. And a lower list price makes it more affordable.

Many models offer different-sized battery options to widen their appeal. The bigger the battery in kWh the longer it will take to charge but the greater the range. Kia, is a UK market leader in electric vehicles and its e-Niro crossover is consistently the best-selling car.

It offers 39kWh and 64kWh batteries with power outputs of 100kW (134bhp) and 150kW (201bhp)

The smaller battery gives an official combined range of 180 miles and city range of 251 miles on a single charge. The bigger battery’s ranges are 282 and 382 miles.

A full charge from 0 to 100%, using a 7.2kW domestic wall charger, takes six hours 10 minutes for the 39kW model and nine hours 35 minutes for the 64kW e-Niro.

Ian Robertson, editor and publisher of Diesel Car and Eco Car, says many people go for the biggest battery available in a model, for maximum range to avoid the fear of running out of electricity.

But range anxiety is not an issue once people adapt to living with an EV and knowing how far they can go on a charge and where to top up if needed either at home, the workplace, supermarket or other public charging points.

Many manufacturers predict a move to smaller batteries, so reducing purchase cost, as people get into the EV mind-set and can better evaluate what range they need and get used to topping up the charge more regularly than they would fill the fuel tank on a petrol or diesel car.

Reality check – Some people never test drive the car they buy but it is advisable to get behind the wheel of a few EVs before taking the plunge. It will help you find out what the EV is capable of and dispel some myths. You will also have to get used to an automatic gearbox.

Pricing – More affordable EVs are coming to market all the time and economies of scale and shared technology and development will help to drive costs down.

EVs tend to cost more than equivalent petrol or diesel cars but lower running costs help offset that.

Electricity charging is considerably cheaper than fossil fuel, you pay no annual road tax and EVs are usually cheaper to service with fewer moving parts to maintain.

Many drivers’ next car with be powered purely by electricity so now is the time to start getting your head round making the switch.

Ian Robertson, editor and publisher of Diesel Car and Eco Car, said: “Most electric vehicle experts think switching to an EV is a five-year purchase plan – thinking about it, trying them with test drives and getting yourself attuned to buying one.

“It is all about changing your approach to make your EV work for you.

“Driving an electric car is no scarier than changing from your old Nokia 3210 mobile phone to an Apple iPhone. It is different technology and you have to work in a different way to keep it charged.

“The ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars comes into effect in 2030. Look at how smartphones have developed in nine years, and how the phone you had then was totally different.

“You are going to see that same move with electric cars, if not more.

“The technology is already there to provide decent range and service now so imagine what it is going to be like in nine years’ time.”

One of the biggest fears about EVs is running out of charge – range anxiety.

Rather than fill your petrol or diesel tank to the brim every time you start a journey you just make sure you have enough fuel. It is the same with an EV.

It makes sense to recharge your EV to 100% whenever possible but sometimes you just need to top up – we already do it with our smartphones.

A pure electric car with a 60kWh battery capacity can be charged, from empty to full, with a seven kilowatts per hour (7kWh) wall charger, the maximum for a home, in just under eight hours. Most owners take advantage of cheaper overnight electricity.

But, if you just need a top-up before going out again, a supermini-sized electric car could gain up to 30 miles of range in an hour at 7kW. Then it can be fully charged overnight.

Many owners charge their cars while doing regular tasks such as going shopping or to the gym.

Robertson said: “A lot of supermarkets now have free charging points. You put your car on charge while shopping and take advantage of the free electricity and have a coffee to get the most out of it.

“Rather than going to the supermarket once a week you might go shopping twice a week because you can charge your car for free.”

Although 80% of EVs are charged at home, more public chargers are coming on stream all the time. With phone apps and sat-nav systems to help find them, it is getting easier to top up on longer journeys.