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)
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!
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!
