I drive a little red Renault Twingo. It’s an 08 and I was hoping it would do me a few more years before I changed it. However my son has recently got a Tesla and I’m really impressed. I didn’t think that there were any small electric cars though apart from some weird ones. However I’ve been looking at the Renault Zoe. In fact I nearly bought one but OS said the battery health wasn’t good enough so I pulled out. I’m excited and nervous in equal measures. My car has no bells and whistles and I’ve never driven an automatic. I swear I’m going to take a cord with me and tie my left leg to the seat next time I do a test drive. Has anyone else made the switch and what do you think. Ive noticed that the subject is very polarising and people tend to have very strong opinions that they don’t seem to be frightened to share with me. Even my BFF told me that she’d never want one. I mean the batteries can run out. To me it doesn’t seem any different to filling up with petrol except I can do it at home and I don’t have to go to a garage.
I think that sounds fantastic Magggzz, I like you're progressive attitude, it's very exciting. OH is mad about Teslas (and a big Elon fan) and although he poo pooed electric cars when they first came out, he seems to be on board with it all now. He was hung up on them not having an engine and petrol as he's an engineer it went against the grain but since Elon started making them, he's followed them closely.
There is a lot to be said for being part of a group, and the support and friendship that is gained from this.
I’ve been in OS’s Tesla quite a few times and it’s an amazing piece of engineering. What it can do is just incredible. He can talk into his phone and then make the car say it and it comes out sounding like Darth Vader. I think it has to do with Elons sense of humour that he can also make the car fart (am I allowed to say that). It’s very realistic and loud. The Zoe is not quite as advanced. My favourite thing that it can do though is that you can get it to defrost itself from inside the house so if you start that 10 minutes before you go anywhere then your car will be defrosted and toasty warm when you get in. No more scraping windscreens in the freezing cold. Im not in a hurry to get one but I’m looking. In fact I’m test driving one in Bury this evening. I must admit though that I wouldn’t be doing this at all if I didn’t have OS to guide me through it. I just don’t think I’d know what to do if I was on my own. It’s a really big change.
I don't believe EV's are the future. Our underground cables are not large enough to carry enough current for all of us. But, I have nothing against them. My last but one car was an automatic, and I got used to it fairly quickly.
OH was talking of hydrogen? cars too 6herry - do you think that's more likely the future?
Elon is a very funny guy, it must be a joy to drive a Tesla, they've thought of everything.
The Zoe sounds good, who wouldn't want to pre-defrost their windscreens - driving has come on so much in a short space of time, since I do all the driving now, it would be nice to have an upgrade
So how did the test drive go Magggzzz?
There is a lot to be said for being part of a group, and the support and friendship that is gained from this.
I think it is definitely a good idea Maggzz, if electric cars are able to reach parity with petrol and diesel cars cost wise, it would be a huge victory with regards to reducing harmful emissions. There is massive funding being invested in battery technology and charging infrastructure.
Fleet managers are beginning to make the transition to electric, fleet managers in the UK are expecting to be replacing 50% of fossil fuel cars by 2025, which would have a big knock on effect of reducing the price of electric cars. I may wait until then to buy mine
OH was talking of hydrogen? cars too 6herry - do you think that's more likely the future?
Elon is a very funny guy, it must be a joy to drive a Tesla, they've thought of everything.
The Zoe sounds good, who wouldn't want to pre-defrost their windscreens - driving has come on so much in a short space of time, since I do all the driving now, it would be nice to have an upgrade
So how did the test drive go Magggzzz?
I tend to think that any method of cutting back on fossil fuels should be successful, but only if the government will invest in it, and they are not going to pay to enlarge all of the cables to carry an increased current, or make sockets available on every street when people cannot park their cars in their own drives to charge up. Hence, they will really have to be self supporting, like hydrogen, or an alternative that can be added to the car tank.
I think it is definitely a good idea Maggzz, if electric cars are able to reach parity with petrol and diesel cars cost wise, it would be a huge victory with regards to reducing harmful emissions. There is massive funding being invested in battery technology and charging infrastructure.
Fleet managers are beginning to make the transition to electric, fleet managers in the UK are expecting to be replacing 50% of fossil fuel cars by 2025, which would have a big knock on effect of reducing the price of electric cars. I may wait until then to buy mine
Now fleet managers are going to be able to do this, as they should have their own premises where they can park their cars to get charged up. Ideally, the set up costs would be tax deductible, or even tax friendly.
I went on another test drive and I’m going to have this one. Unfortunately it doesn’t have that defrost from inside the house but even OS said that they heat up very quickly. You’re not waiting for the engine to heat up. Everything is instant. Im getting it on Saturday but I’m going to have to drive back from Bury in it on my own. I’m going to tie my left leg to the seat. I’m not kidding. It’s really hard having to remember there’s no clutch as I’ve never driven an automatic. Also when you come to a stop you’ve got to remember that the car is still on. It’s completely silent because there’s no engine sound. Im nervous and excited all at once.
Really pleased and excited for you Magggzz , it'll be interesting to see your verdict on it after you've had it a while. Whats the range on it like after a full charge or what are you expecting it to be?
You've obviously done your homework, I hope you are very happy with your new vehicle .... I'm sure it'll feel weird to start with but you'll soon get used to it. Happy motoring!
Magggzzz driving an automatic is so much easier than a manual. You’ll soon get used to it. I hate manuals now and switching back is much harder. We had to have one for our kids to learn to drive. I used to come off the motorway and forget when I got to to the top of the slip road to change gear so we stall!!! Just think - no more hill starts to worry about! Or changing gear in slow traffic!
When I first drove an automatic, I removed my left shoe so that my brain remembered not to put it on the pedals. Now, I'd never go back to a manual - automatic all the way for me, love it.