A year ago it would have been a rare occurrence to come across an electric vehicle charging point, and to some extend they are still a head turner if only to try and fathom out how they might work! However, most of us would probably know where to direct someone if they were looking for an electric vehicle charging point in the local area.
Charging points coming to a place near you
In the last year or so well known brand names offer charging points to customers. Supermarkets like Asda and Sainsburys are beginning to roll out electric vehicle charging points to customers for convenience and Moto service stations offer them at most of their motorway service areas.
Naturally, car dealerships are commonly offering electric vehicle charge points so if you're really stuck, you can pop along to a local dealership for help!
Waste of money or future proof?
There still remains a divide on the practicalities of an electric vehicle. Fans of electric vehicles of course sing their praises and seem to glide effortlessly from A to B leaving us to wonder what we are missing out on. There are some defining reasons to consider when purchasing an electric vehicle:
Price – based on a like for like model, a conventional petrol or diesel model will still be significantly cheaper than its electric counterpart.
Range – or if you like mileage. A standard electric vehicle will get you on average 90 miles before it needs charging. The charge times can be lengthy – running into the hours, so if you are used to making long journeys, you'll need to think about this.
Availability of charge points. As mentioned this is getting better, however some areas of the UK are better served than others. If your electric vehicle is also served by a combustible engine then this may get you out of trouble if there’s no charge point nearby.
There are however very attractive savings to be made by having an electric vehicle. In particular, running costs are pennies rather than pounds and of course road tax is zero as electric cars produce zero emissions! There is also no oil or other conventional parts to think about either!
The choice is now far better too for electric cars. Well known family cars like the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf feature an electric car that replicates the award winning fuel driven versions. Executive cars such as BMW and Tesla both produce very exciting models.
There is no need to think of the infamous quadricycle when it comes to electric vehicles – you know, those city style cars that can zip almost anywhere but would lack serious performance on anything other than city driving.
Best electric cars for 2015
Electrical training provider Trade Skills 4 U wrote an article about electric cars at the end of 2014. It defies and breaks down any negative images that you may have about electric vehicles – and yes it features a sports car that offers performance that cannot be beaten by any combustion engine – 104 miles per gallon! To take a look at this and more 'sensible' options then you can check out their blog post.
2015 promises to be a year of big change in the electric vehicle market with pretty much every mainstream car manufacturer promising the introduction of an electric vehicle to the market at some point this year.