We spoke with Ryan Spillane from EO Charging to get his answers on some frequently asked questions.
Buy Electric?
- When does it make sense to buy an Electric Vehicle (EV)?
The first thing to consider is your usual day to day journeys, on average most people will only travel 30 miles a day meaning an EV is more than suitable, if you have off-street parking having a home charger means never visiting a petrol station again. Then, on longer journeys, say visiting family across the UK it will just need a bit more planning. Rapid charging facilities are expanding across the UK all the time, so although the journey may take a little longer, they are dramatically cheaper and better for the environment.
- Does an EV change the way you drive? Can you still have Air Con/heating on without affecting a drop in the charge and a drop in the range?
Yes, there is a learning process to driving an EV, most EV’s have the facility to pre heat or cool the cabin, meaning you can get the temperature right before unplugging and using the energy in the battery. Then you can use the Air Con or heating intermittently to maintain the temperature and not affect the battery to badly.
- Do you receive an electric charger when you purchase a new or old model?
Not always, some manufacturers include the charger. More often than not it is up to the customer to decide.
- Do EV’s depreciate the same as their fossil fueled counterparts?
We are now starting to see deprecation at the same level if not slightly better than counterparts, this is due to the uncertainty around clean air zones and tax in the future.
- Do you lose more range in colder conditions?
You can on older models, technology is advancing and this is quickly becoming less of a problem.
- Do you need to protect EV’s from the elements in any way to protect the cells?
No treat it as you would any other car, just making sure you close the charger flap on the vehicle as you would a fuel cap.
- Are EV’s more expensive to insure?
Marginally, but this gap is closing month on month.
- How far can electric cars travel on a charge?
Depends on the vehicle, but anywhere from 80-300+, the smaller city cars will more often than not have the smaller range, with bigger vehicles like the Tesla having the larger ranges.
- What is the lifespan of an electric car battery?
Most manufacturers offer an 5+ year warranty, but in all likeliness, with modern batteries, the seats will wear out before the batteries.
- Are electric cars more reliable?
On average yes, less moving parts mean less things to go wrong. A drive train in an internal combustion engine vehicle typically have 2,000+ moving parts, whereas an EV contains around 20.
- Do you still have to pay road tax if your car is electric?
Not at the moment, and will likely be like that for a good few years.
- Range anxiety has been a concern for some people since EVs were launched – how much of a problem is this?
Not so much anymore, as long as you spend 15 mins planning longer journeys and identifying chargers on route you will be fine. Day to day, you are unlikely to use 25% of most batteries.
Electric Chargers
- Are their different types of chargers depending on the vehicle?
- Are there grants available to purchase these chargers?
Yes at home and at work you can get £350.00 off the cost of a home charger from OLEV (Office for Low Emission Vehicles)
- Are there chargers that are transportable, that you can take in your car?
There are cables available that you can plug into a house plug and charger, or specific charger cables which you can take with you and plug into publicly accessible chargers.
- Is there anything specific you need to do to make sure it is maintained?
EO recommend a once yearly check up to make sure the charger is running fine.
- Do you have to get it installed or can you do this yourself?
It must be installed by a trained electrician, and if you wish to get the grant, it must be installed by an OLEV (Office for Low Emission Vehicles) approved
- How long do you need to charge your car each day?
You might only need to charge your car once a week depending on your mileage and the vehicle you drive. With a 7kW charger, you will get roughly 25 miles of range every hour of charge. So even if you only use 50% of the battery during your usual daily routine, topping up overnight is really easy.
- Can you overcharge an electric car?
No, once the vehicle is topped up, it will stop drawing power from the charger and the charger will turn off.
- Will there be a warranty on the charger?
Yes, with OLEV you get a 3 year parts and labour warranty.
We’d like to thank Ryan Spillane from EO Charging for some advice from someone within the industry.
If you are considering switching to electric and would be looking for someone to help fund your purchase, talk to one of our team today on 01603 381955.