Electric
How does a battery electric vehicle work?
In simple terms, energy is stored in a large battery, which drives a powerful electric motor. Easy. To charge it, simply plug it into a home chargepoint, or a public charger when you’re out and about, and the car will take care of the rest. Plug it in at home, and you wake up every morning with a ‘full tank’. The car then drives on battery power alone, there is no need to add petrol or diesel. It can even add charge to the battery while you are driving by recovering energy that would normally be lost – when braking for example.
What are the benefits of going electric?
There are many substantial benefits to owning a battery-electric car. Here are just few reasons to Stop Wondering. Start Driving.
Cheap to run
Luckily, being kind to the environment is also good for your wallet – electricity is much cheaper than petrol or diesel, so your journey may cost less than a third of what it would in a combustion-engined car. And that’s before you take into account the fact that battery-electric vehicles can also travel in the UK’s new and upcoming Clean Air Zones – and London’s Congestion Zone – for free. There are tax incentives, too. There’s a £3,500 plug-in car grant available, plus, for company car drivers, battery-electric cars are subject to a lower company car BiK tax, which is currently 16%, but drops to just 2% in 2020/2021.
Zero Emissions
There are no exhaust emissions from the tailpipe of an electric vehicle – in fact, it doesn’t even have a tailpipe – this is particularly helpful for improving air quality in urban areas.
Charge at home
Another major perk is home charging. Imagine waking up every day with a ‘full tank’. You can get a £500 OLEV grant to help you pay for the home charger, too. Just plug in when you get home, and your car takes care of the rest
Relaxing drive
Of course, electric cars are incredibly quiet inside, making for a relaxing atmosphere. Driving is easy, too, because electric motors produce maximum torque at all revs, so acceleration is instant.
What is it like to drive an electric car?
Rather fun, actually. Electric cars are incredibly responsive. That’s because unlike combustion engines, electric motors produce maximum torque at any rpm. So you can enjoy brisk, instant acceleration at any speed without worrying about gear changes – all that torque means electric cars only need one forward gear!
Handling can be impressive, too. Because the batteries are in the floor, electric cars have a low centre of gravity, which helps minimise body roll while making the car feel planted, providing a fun, dynamic drive.
Most charging with an electric car is done at home. But If you want to top up on the go, there are more than 7,000 public charging locations in the UK, and most of them have multiple connectors.
