Let’s start with some basics about me, I’m an average middle-aged bloke with two nearly grown up kids and a couple of dogs, so nothing particularly remarkable or interesting!
Where things perhaps get a little bit more interesting in terms of me venturing into the word of electric cars, is that I am a bit of a petrol head with a long (partially distinguished) car history, and an unpredictable job with multiple clients which typically requires me to travel in excess of 30k miles per year. Perhaps even more significant, is that I like to get from A to B as quickly as possible and I rarely find time to stop for anything other than a chocolate bar and a diet coke, with perhaps the best example of this approach being a 22 hour drive across Europe returning from a ski holiday where I stopped only for fuel and to fulfill one of nature’s most basic requirements.
I will likely at some point do a blog on my full car history (so as to put into context any review of my new electric steed) but for now I will simply say that my current ride is an Overfinch 4.4 litre Range Rover Vogue Autobiography which I have owned for nearly two years, the longest I have owned a car in the last 20 years. It’s a terrific car and one which I expect to miss based on my previous experience of moving away from a Range Rover, everything else tends to feel like a downgrade as there really is nothing to compete with the way a Range Rover drives.
This first blog entry is purely to provide a little bit of insight into me and my life, which will provide the all-important context to future blog posts, so I will keep it short. It is however worth me noting what I’m looking forward to and some of the concerns I have about my impending EV adventure, it will be interesting to see how these evolve over time.
I’m particularly looking forward to weight loss! Assuming I will successfully manage my charging overnight and during the working day, the inevitable sugar intake associated with fuel stops will be a thing of the past! I’m also looking forward to reducing my carbon footprint and the associated one-upmanship during car chat at the local on a Friday night. And of course, there is the obvious saving on fuel bills and servicing that I’m expecting, albeit that hasn’t really been a primary driver for me going electric.
So, what about my concerns? Well, my main concern of course is Range Anxiety, will there be sufficient range to enable me to use the car in a way that doesn’t negatively impact my daily life, particularly in winter. I’m also concerned about whether the infrastructure is currently in a position to support real-world EV usage; planning a stop as part of a journey is an unwelcome hassle in itself, but I’m expecting there to be occasions when the small number of chargers provided are either busy charging another EV or worse still, not working. Other than that, I am concerned about my general uselessness when it comes to remembering to do basic things such as charging battery powered devices, and maybe also a small worry about battery degradation and the associated impact on future residuals.
That’s enough about me, if you’ve got this far then you’ve done well and I must applaud your commitment! Welcome to ElectricV.
