Back to the Future… gave stardom to the DeLorean DMC-12. And let’s be honest that was the last we heard of it.
Until now….
Because, DeLorean are back, with an electric car!
DeLorean just revealed its new all-electric Alpha5 concept car featuring the iconic gull-wing doors
The DeLorean Motor Company revealed an all-new concept EV that harkens back to the iconic DMC-12.
Dubbed the Alpha5, the new model seats four and features gull-wing doors.
DeLorean says the Alpha5 will make its debut at Pebble Beach during Monterey Car Week in August.
Like the original, the Alpha5 features a sleek silhouette and gull-wing doors. In place of the 2.8-liter V6 engine, a 100 kilowatt-hour battery is expected to deliver a top speed of 155 mph and a range of 300 miles.
To paraphrase the time-traveling Doc Brown, “Gas? Where we’re going, we don’t need gas.”
The new model also makes room for two rear seats, doubling the capacity.
While the cars share some branding and design elements, the new DeLorean Motor Company is not the same as the one founded by John DeLorean back in the 1970’s. After just a few years of production, the original DeLorean went bankrupt, and the branding was eventually sold to a service and parts company now known as Classic DMC.
Classic DMC has an ownership stake in the new DeLorean, but is otherwise uninvolved in the operation of the company. Also, the Alpha5 was designed by the team at Italdesign, which was co-founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who shaped the DMC-12.
So there you go… want an electric car? want something that’s got a bit of heritage?… then this could be for you. I do believe though.. the flux capacitor is not part of the accessories offered. Currently.
Yes, I know I’ve spoken about Electric Cars before.
Yes, I understand not everyone is in a position to buy an electric car.
Or are they?
We need to reduce emissions. That’s clear. Are electric cars the answer? – well, they’ll help. What will help more is if we walk, bus, rail, etc… now, these options are not always viable. And we need to jump into the car to go somewhere. So what can we do to be more greener?
Well.. to those saying, Bal… these electric cars are expensive! – Yes, I agree. They are, but many are coming down in price. Many have done over the past few years as they’ve got more popular – supply and demand. So with prices coming down, they are beginning to become more affordable.
If you are petrol/diesel right now – I’d suggest a hybrid. (See previous blog post about this topic).
If you’re moving to electric, there’s some great options…
One of the cheapest new electric cars you can get are Skoda CITIGOe-iV. Around the £15,000 mark – it’s perfect for around town driving!
Now, 135 miles you might be thinking… yes. Ok, it’s not alot – but again, it’s perfect for around town. If you want more miles, you’ll need a little bit more money. Now… for a bit more money, you could get an Hyundai Kona or there’s a Chinese alternative;
The Aiways U5 does 210 miles and is from £28,000. Looks half decent too.
Then you can spend a little more… and when you’re in the £30k+ bracket, there’s alot more to choose from.
Prices will come down. There’s second hand electric cars you can also look at. Take the Renault Zoe for example… which you can pick up used for around the £10k mark.
It’s a roomy car that can easily seat four people, although rear passengers do sit higher than normal because the batteries are tucked away under the back seat.
Older models have a 22kWh battery with a real-world range of around 100 miles. More recent ones have a bigger 41kWh battery for 180 miles of driving between charges.
Something important for you to note – initially, the Zoe was available with a separate battery leasing option, which meant you would pay for the battery each month in addition to the cost of the car. This initiative was dropped in 2019, but keep an eye out for used models that come with an additional battery lease cost.
Versions badged ‘i’ include the battery but are generally more expensive to purchase as a result. There is a benefit to leasing the battery, however; if the condition of the battery reduces below a certain point – in turn reducing how far you can travel per charge – Renault will replace the battery for you.
The key thing to remember is the additional cost savings.
Combustion Engine vehicles need servicing and there’s more parts that could fail compared to an electric car. You don’t necessarily need the yearly or every 10k service. Yes, you need to check tyres and other things – but nothing engine related!
And then finally… if you are looking for a used electric car… but you’re budget is under £5k… I’ve found something for you…
Here’s the full description..
Fully working techx model , No road tax , No congestion charge , Air con and touch screen android radio 6 inch screen , Heated seats , Can charge at home from normal plug socket type 2 takes 6 to 7 hours, DC fast charger also CHAdeMO at station, Takes 40 mins, 75 mile range on full charge , Lowest insurance category, £4,300
To be fair, for £4,300… 75 mile range…. you can’t really go wrong for around town driving!
So I thought I’d share with you. I’ve gone Electric. That’s right. If you read my blog posts – you’ll know I have a Tesla Model 3. (Oh… if you are thinking about getting a Tesla, reach out to me first! – I can share my referral link – and using that, you can get 1,000 supercharge miles free!)
So, back to the car. Why did I go for a Tesla?
Well, firstly – the key thing was charging. Tesla are miles ahead with their Supercharger network. Having used them a few times, they are so easy to enable (just input your credit card on your Tesla acct), easy to use… when you pull up to one, you just plug it in! And easy to navigate to! (You’ll find out more what I mean about this down below)
At a supercharger in West London – from 17% to 70% took 17mins! (That’s like adding about 220 miles approx!)
The biggest fear – when moving to an electric car, is something called ‘range anxiety’. Yes, this is a real thing. People fear – that they’ll run out of battery or won’t have enough – what are they going to do!!!??!!
Well, another great thing about the Tesla is – you put in where you are going into the Sat Nav – and it’ll determine;
a) Your route, the battery percentage that will be used and other handy information
b) If you don’t have enough battery, it’ll suggest you’ll need to charge!
c) It will tell you where to charge!
An example of this – I was travelling from London, up north – and it told us, I’ll need to stop at the Supercharger at Northampton (just a minute of the M1) and charge up for 15mins! That would be sufficient enough for me to get to my destination!
Then there’s home charging – when you get an Electric Vehicle – I’d recommend you get a home charger. It usually works out cheaper and better if you can charge at home. Appreciate if you don’t have a driveway and it’s on-street parking only, you’ll have to look at options!
If you’re moving from an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle, suggest you look at hybrids first. My previous car was a hybrid. And that helped me understand more about driving on electric/battery only. Obviously, it was nice to have the engine to kick in and support when required.
If you’re going to jump straight to an electric car – always do the maths. By that, size of battery (miles it can do), miles you do… and the rest of the analysis you would normally do when looking for a new car.
Interior is very important. Let’s be honest, it’s what you’ll be seeing most of the time! And Tesla, as you may know… just have one giant iPad type of screen!
Inside of my Tesla Model 3 – with the big iPad type of screen to control everything.
Now, the photo above – is mine (minus all the information!). I thought it would be difficult to get used to this. Let’s be honest – always had something in front of me telling me speed, revs, time, fluid levels, etc… and now… I have an iPad!
In all fairness, it’s not that hard to use. And for the past six months of driving. I’ve got used to it! And it isn’t that bad. Everything is conveniently located to make it easy as possible. For example, the speedometer is top right of the screen – so closest to you.
A lot of new cars – like the Polestar and others, have big screens. Everything is moving that way. Though I did hear this morning that Audi will be sticking with sticks and knobs.
So, in summary… If you are thinking about going Electric, here’s some steps you should think about…
Have a think about going hybrid first before fully electric (may help reducing that range anxiety!!) and you’ll increase your knowledge about vehicles that are powered by a battery.
What type of electric car will suit your needs. There’s more and more coming to the market – with a variety of battery ranges, etc… so check what works best for your lifestyle.
How technologically savvy you are. Tesla 3 have one big iPad (the model S and X come with a display in front of you), Audi are sticking to knobs and cars such as Polestar have a mix.
All manufacturers now have an electric car in their model line up. VW have the ID models, Ford have the Mustang E, BMW have some great hybrids (such as the 330e) and electric such as i3, i4, etc… and Mercedes have the EQ models. So go to their show rooms and have a look at the cars.
I hope the above helps. In my next blog posts, titled EV:…. I’ll share more about servicing, driving, everyday use and more!
During the month of February, I’ll be talking about the subject of Cars… to be a little more specific – technology and cars. Because let’s be honest, technology has rapidly advanced in cars over the recent years.
That’s right – the shift from the traditional diesel and petrol cars (which is on the decline) to hybrid and fully electric vehicles (which are on the increase!). So the question is… should I buy an electric car?
Well… it was my brother who asked me questions about my hybrid a few weeks ago. He needed to replace his car… and naturally, I did suggest a hybrid.
Now… it does depend on a number of factors – such as what kind of driving do you do, distance, motorway/town driving, where you live (charging points), etc…
Someone who is up and down the motorway, may still be better off with a diesel (dare I say it!). You have to take into account the mpg (miles per gallon). Diesel still provide good value in the miles you can get from the gallon on long distance journeys. This was backed by Gottfried… a colleague who informed me that he’s getting a new 320d (BMW)… because, from where he lives (in Berlin), he drives a very long distance to his second/holiday home and if he had electric or hybrid, he’d need to charge it on the way – and not sure of charging points. A diesel gives you not only good economy but also a very good range (I remember my old diesel giving 600+miles on a tank!)
So back to the question – should you buy an electric car? – In my opinion, it’s a great time to be alive!
We are at a pivot. There’s more and more charging points being installed. There’s more and more cars that need charging being sold. There’s more and more garages and technicians being trained to service electric/hybrid cars.
Personally – I’d thoroughly recommend a hybrid. Part electric. Part combustion engine.
Why?
It’s a ‘safe’ transition to the world of electric driving! – you’ll have a battery but also an engine. It’s like riding a bike with the stabilizers. If you think you’re going to fall (or run out of battery power) it’s ok… the side wheels stop you and keep your balance (similar, the engine will kick in – and save you…. assuming you’d put some petrol in!)
New laws coming in soon (2035) which put a ban on only petrol or diesel engines being produced. Yes, i know it’s only a few years away… but time flies… and isn’t it a great time to start thinking about going electric.
You’ll be surprised – it’s cheaper to charge an electric car, they’re much kinder to the environment and most importantly, it’s your first step… maybe… to a fully electric car.
Most people won’t go for a full electric car because of the mile range (most do around 250 miles – yes, some can do a little more…). This will change over the coming years, as manufacturers are working on longer range batteries.
Again – does depend on your driving needs. If you just drive around town/local driving… then I’d say yes… buy an electric car!
And to charge your car… there’s apps available on your phone to let you know where charging points are!
Electric vehicle changing on street parking with graphical user interface, Future EV car concept
And if plugging in your car may seem a chore… wait for wireless charging pods… where you drive your car into a space with a wireless charger built into the ground!
So… I’ve decided. My next car will be all electric.
That’s right – I’ll most probably move away from my hybrid BMW – which I’d like to add, I absolutely love. But I feel, there’s alot of all-electric vehicles available – and their ‘miles range’ is getting better.
You’ve got your trendsetters such as Tesla – yes, very much on the cards.
Then there’s the i8 and i3 from BMW. Neither do it for me, I need more space.
Mercedes have plenty of hybrids and an electric one coming out in 2019 called EQC.
But… I’ve always had a soft spot for Audi. And noticed, they have the mighty named e-tron coming out in 2019.
Lovely looking motor. With an impressive 248 miles… you can’t really go wrong. Or can you….?
Yes you can. When you price it quite high!
£70k starting?! seriously?!!
Sorry – but that’s expensive! – I don’t want to be paying that much… I’ll be honest – rather have the Tesla!
But Bal… you said there’s a few electric cars out there, what else is there?
Well… good question. In addition to the above, you’ve got the Nissan Leaf – phenomenal EV! (electric vehicle)
There’s the Porsche Taycan which is coming out – or should be out now.
Mini are releasing an all electric Mini this year – but the other one that caught my eye which i’m interested in, is the Volvo XC40.
Last I heard – it’s around the £50k mark and will do around 150-170 miles. Coming early 2020.
So there’s a few cars to chose from… and it looks like the choice is only getting better…. AND i’m noticing more charging points. Only the other day I was at the local tennis centre, and noticed they had recently installed 2 new charging points!
We’re heading in the right direction for EV’s – and sales are increasing also.
Diesel sales have drastically dropped!
So there you go… EV is the future, and it’s happening quicker than what we thought! – and the above graph only shows it to 2016…. 2017… 2018… had even bigger sales!!
So, you’re probably wondering – which is the most popular car?
More blue’s will appear on the chart in due course….
