Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.
Zaphod Beeblebrox. … Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Is it really six months since I bought my EV (Electric Vehicle)? Six Months! I have double checked my diary and yes, give or take a few days, it is. I think the first thing to point out I used to drive a 14 year old diesel engine car. This means many of the improvements in the driving experience is just the car maker improving their product. It has nothing to do with the energy used being electrical rather than chemical.
The second proviso is that have my own car charger and I am able to park my car off the road. This means that I am able to gain access cheaper electricity than using public charging points. Of course this also means that I can only charge at c 7 kWh compared to the 100+ kWh at the local chargers.
Cost of Living
The one thing that is VERY noticeable and absolutely down to the car being an EV is the cost of running the car. When I decided to take the plunge and replace my old car for the EV the cost of a litre of diesel was £1.42. I have just driven past my local supermarket fuel station and it is now £1.92. Given what is going on in the diesel market at the moment that is most likely going to increase. (1) The assumed range of my EV is 275 miles. This would cost around £46. Now to charge my EV at home overnight on the cheap rate electricity would cost me c £8.25. This represents a saving of around £37.
If we assume in a year I travel 8000 miles then the saving would be:
Cost for old Diesel car: £1342
Cost for EV: £240
Saving c £1100
Now this is the best case scenario and doesn’t take account of the times I have had to use public charging which is considerably more than charging at home. Nonetheless, the savings I will make in the first year will more than cover the cost of getting a charger fitted to my house.
BBC News Website 28/09/2026
Heat Pump
I’m not sure whether other modern cars have heat pumps fitted so I’m not sure this is really down to owning an EV. Anyway, my car has a heat pump so I can warm the cabin up or cool the car down dependent on the external temperature before I drive off from the app on my phone. I could also mention I have heated seats but I have driven many ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) cars so I can’t mention that!
BBC News Website 28/09/2026
Civilised Place to Be
This is difficult to put you finger on but the lack of any engine noise or vibration makes driving a much enjoyable place to be. Again, ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) cars can reach such levels of silence but they are usually much more expensive than what I can afford.
Range Anxiety
I still suffer from this but as the months go by it is lessening. However, if I have a long journey I spend time planning where the best charging options are before a wheel turns. Now I believe the on board computer can do this for me but I feel happier to have some idea before setting off.
My experience that there are usually plenty of charging station at motorway services or near to motorway junctions and the car’s sat nav is really good at identifying where the nearest charging station is. Of course these are much more expensive than charging at home but they are still much cheaper than the cost of diesel I would have needed for my old car.
Summer Months
As I have owned my EV in the summer months it means that this has been the best time for my battery range. As things get colder then the range will reduce thanks to good old physics. So any result I mention here are only provisional. If I get round to a 1 year update then it will be interesting to compare my battery range over 12 months than the best 6 months I am reporting on here .
Six Months on…would I do it again knowing what I know now?
Stupid question I know but yes I would do. This Trump induced fuel nonsense may well pass but there will be any number of other fuel shocks that will hit us in the future. Even if we go ahead and exploit the very last MJ of energy from the North Sea we are still going to have to rely on imports to make up the difference. Electricity is mostly home generated and as we increase the amount of renewable sources as well as nuclear capacity the percentage will increase. Running an EV is cheaper and is likely to continue to be in the foreseeable future.
The switch from ICE to EV isn’t straight forward. There is a certain amount of cultural shock to get over. I have been driving an ICE vehicle for over 50 years that is one big chunk of my life. There were bound to be teething problems. However, these problems were short term and very quickly you start to wonder why other people haven’t taken the plunge. So if you are looking to buy a new car in the next few months I would recommend you switch to an EV. It isn’t straight forward but the teething pains are worth it.
FN
(1). This was first written yesterday and since then the RAC has reported that the average price of a litre of diesel is now £1.99. Driving locally this morning I have seen the price of a litre of diesel listed as between £1.93 – £2.05. I suspect things are only going to get worse.
I am not gloating. Millions of people are suffering thanks to one man’s stupidity.
