“Motorists will have to drive electric cars for UK to meet climate change targets.” So runs the Telegraph headline today.
The reality of driving an electric vehicle here is getting harder as time goes on. There are more than 1000 vehicles on London’s roads now. Charging facilities are extremely limited, and most people do not have the luxury of a garage or off street parking. Since my local car park closed, I can never guarantee a charging space in the west end as the bays are permanently full. This makes life difficult in a limited range car such as the GWiz. The City of London has started to charge for EV’s to park in their garages and they haven’t added any further charging points. Camden Council who promised to bring in free parking for electric vehicles more than 2 years ago have still done nothing… and so the list goes on.
I’ve had to resort to charging at home. Not ideal as I have to run a cable across my pavement. If the Government is serious about getting Electric Vehicles on the roads here then lets start with a proper infrastructure now.
Click on the image to view my charging routine.
Links:electric car vlogging video podcast GWiz Lord Turner Charging EV
Driving the GWiz AC to see how it compares. If you want to take a look at all the posts in the test click on the group test link under categories on the right. Click on the image to view video.
Links:electric car vlogging video podcast buddy kewet gwiz nice megacity
Good News. Tesla are coming to The UK Motor Show this year. It’ll be on show in the ‘EV Village’ where there will be around twenty battery electric vehicles. Joining it will be the new Super Light from Nice (pictured) aswell as GWiz, Elektromotive (those great charging posts) and a new manufacturer known as Quiet Cars….
Here’s the second part of the Chetan Maini interview. We got to drive the new GWiz i and talk about the future for electric vehicles and Reva in general. Click on the image to view video (25 Meg QT)
Chetan Maini is the deputy chairman of Reva cars in Bangalore. He designed the GWiz, and is a true innovator when it comes to electric vehicles. I recently got the chance to meet Chetan and drive the GWiz i with him. Here’s the first film. Click on the image to view video. (11meg QT)
Here’s a look and a drive with the new Reva GWiz i with Steve, Goingreens new MD. 50mph top speed. 50 mile range. New safety features. Click on the image to view video. (28meg QT)
And here’s a look at the AC G Wiz. Click on the image to view video (7 meg QT)
Forget hillclimbs with huge amounts of torque and wheelspin. How about my DC with almost 3 year old batteries versus a new AC GWiz? The results speak for themselves. Of course, it has nothing to do with the fact that the goingreen driver in the AC was slimmer than me, nothing at all..(ahem). Click on the image to view video. (5 meg QT).
Spent yesterday filming a group test with a GWiz AC, a NICE Megacity and a Kewet Buddy. I was lent the Megacity for 24 hours which gave me a good chance to spend some time with the car. Will begin posting the edit as soon as time permits!
Happy New Year one and all. The bad news is that Westminster/Masterpark are closing my car park along with it’s two charging bays. There’s been plenty of talk about Westminster & Camden councils installing many additional charging bays. Whether it’s really going to happen remains to be seen. Click on the image to view video (6.6meg QT).
Links:electric car vlogging video podcast vlog Camden Council ev Westminster Council
The car got a Valentine card last night! Seems as though the secret admirer is the anti 4×4 alliance.. Nice idea. It unsettled me a bit…. Click on the image to view video (2.3meg QT)
Links:electric car vlogging video podcast vlog 4×4 ev
George Monbiot has written an article in the Guardian today entilted "Save the planet in 10 steps" - here’s point 7:
"Oblige all chains of filling stations to supply leasable electric car batteries. This provides electric cars with unlimited mileage: as the battery runs down, you pull into a forecourt. A crane lifts it out and drops in a fresh one. The batteries are charged overnight with surplus electricity from offshore wind farms. Timescale: fully operational by 2011." Garage forecourts are completely alien right now. I drive in and try and get hold of some water for the batteries every now and again and usually fail. People are buying electric cars as quickly as they can get hold of them and the infrastructure isnt there by any means. Click on the image to view video. 3.7 Meg QT.
Links:electric car vlogging video podcast vlog George Monbiot ev
There’s been alot in the press recently about women driving these cars. In an attempt to give myself a bit more presence at the lights, I got a CD made up of some sound effects. Click on the image to view video ..(1.8 meg QT).
Links:electric car vlogging sfx video podcast vlog
Mike Boxwell, a soon to be G-Wiz owner has started an excellent new forum for the Reva in the UK. With plenty of subject headings there’ll be a chance to really discover what the car is about rather than listening to my incessant drivel! Now that there are 500 cars on the road here, it seems like a good time for an online resource. Check it out at http://www.g-wiz.org.uk/
Links:electric car
We’ve had the car for almost a year now so it’s time for a review. The files come out pretty big (6.9meg) so I’ll sum up here for those of you without a broadband connection.
Pros.
Apart from the obvious environmental considerations it compares well as a general small purpose vehicle that is very suitable for urban living.
It is more robust than I thought it would be.
It’s nippier than I thought it would be.
Parking it is a gift because it’s both small and free.
It can fit my whole family in it, though I’m not sure for how much longer…
It really is cheap to run compared to a normal car.
Cons.
Range in winter is lessened. (25 miles)
Charging for 16 hours every month can be problematic to equalise the batteries if you don’t have a garage.
Safety, compared to a normal petrol engined car is questionable. Though I think it’s a better bet than a motorbike or a bicycle in London. I cycled for 17 years here and stopped after one accident too many.
All in all, I’m a big fan (as you probably guessed) who would recommend it to anyone who lives in a city such as this. Once range increases to get us outside the M25 the world will be our oyster! Click on the image to view video.
Links:electric car vlogging
We are delighted to bring you this exclusive footage of Her Majesty the Queen driving an electric vehicle around London earlier today…Click on the image to view video. (3 meg QT)
Links:electric car vlogging
People sometimes ask if I’m associated with Goin Green in any way. I’m not. I just thought it might be fun to start vlogging and sharing my experience of electric vehicle ownership with anyone who might be interested. Having said that, I’ll happily take a Tango from Prodrive for a while….
Links:electric car
Those of us who drive a quadracycle - are we subject to the same rules as a normal car driver? Click on the image to view video. (2.7 meg QT).
Links:electric car vlogging
Taking the car on a fast road can be a pretty hairy experience. It is classed as a quadracycle - perfect for urban streets, but how does it fair on a three lane carriageway? I’ve had emails from people asking about use on a motorway. Don’t think I’ll be vlogging that one…Click on the image to view video (3.8meg QT)
Links:electric car vlogging safety
Happy New Year to one and all. Now that winter is truly with us, (reduced range and all) my thoughts have turned to summer. Back in June we went on a green rally. This was a chance for all the electric cars in London to show some muscle (a load of Revas and an electric scooter). Camden council hosted it in Regents Park and there was music, entertainment and general fun to be had. Thumbs up to Camden for hosting this but I reckon they could take a leaf out of Westminsters book if they really wanted to encourage use of the EV in London. Keep an eye out for the boy laughing. I think he’s amazed at our embracing of a green future (he is, isn’t he..?). Click on the image to view video. (3.3 meg QT.)
Links:electric car vlogging
Had my six month service this week. They turn up in a mobile van crammed with gadgets, plug a pda into the battery unit and run some diagnostic checks, and that’s just about it! No oil change, nothing. Sometimes brake fluid levels will need topping up, but right now I dont think it could have much less environmental impact when it’s compared to a service on a regular car. Click on the image to view video. (2.4 meg QT).
Links:electric car vlogging
I took the electric car to the recycling centre. Man, this green thing must be getting to me. I didnt intend this to be a film about how wonderfully worthy I am, it was more about how much you can fit in the boot… Click on the image to view video. (3meg QT).
Links:electric car vlogging
How do you get over this charging conundrum? You make sure a huge generator follows you wherever you go. OK, it’s got environmental implications, but at least it does away with those charging and range worries… Click on the image to view video. (3.3meg QT)
Links:electric car vlogging
Predicting how far you can travel on a charge can be a tricky business. Click on the image to view video..(3.8meg QT).
Links:electric car vlogging
I’ve done a 0-62 mph time trial to give you an idea of the Reva’s acceleration. Trouble is, it’ll only do a maximum of 40. Click on the image to view video…
Links:electric car vlogging
We can fit two kids in for the school run. It’s tight, depending on the amount of homework they’ve been given, but we manage. The school is at the top of a steep hill. So with four up, the cars being put through it’s paces. Click on the image to view video. (2.4 meg QT).
Links:electric car vlogging
Thing about these Reva’s is that they feel as though they are going alot faster than they actually are. No humans were hurt during the making of this film - but there is some mild profanity…. Click on the image to view video (4.4 meg QT)
I was dreaming. Surely, that’s a ticket. Click on the image to view video (2.7 meg)
You drive. You find a parking meter. You park. You walk away. No scurrying about for 10 £1 coins. No rushing back at breakneck speed because you only had change for 3 mins….I must be dreaming. Click on the image to view video. (1.3 meg)
I’m in the congestion zone now, and the traffic is moving quite freely (no surprise at £8 per day). The car is fairly nippy so long as it’s in F (fast) mode. Need to keep an eye on that charge level though. Mind you, it’s been handy this week, what with an impending fuel crisis here in the UK. Click on the image to view video (2.3 meg)
And we’re off! I can tell you - this thing is great. This morning I got a huge thumbs up from a man at the bus stop, so apart from the occasional ‘point and laugh’ it seems to be pretty popular. Mind the speed limit and those terrible road humps though….Click on the image to view video (2.8 meg)
I know, I know. It’s high time I drove this thing. I’m on my own now and I’m ready for the first journey. Well almost… Click on the image to view video.
So my heads beginning to swim with all this info. Where there would normally be an engine there’s a can of water. I have to remember to water the car once a week to keep the batteries in order! Click on the image to view video.
Click on the image to view video
How do you make a silent engine louder? Click on the image to view video.
I’m struggling to come to terms with the idea that you can park for free in central London with this car. You’ll understand what I mean if you’ve ever had an altercation with a traffic warden here. Due to the terrorist attacks, there were 50,000 extra cyclists on the roads last Thursday, some of whom looked decidedly wobbly. I ‘ve also heard that the second hand value on these cars is appreciating…perhaps there is an ev future after all. Click on the image to view video.
Before I can drive the car I need to give it some juice. I’ve forgotten to put the parking permit into the car and I’ll have a parking ticket before you know it. There is a strict order of events for charging the car. I just need to unlock it, unplug it, put the parking permit in, lock it, plug it in… and don’t set the blowers off. Click on the image to view video
5 months waiting and the car is finally here. They come off the ship, are taken to a base where the car is registered and the road tax is applied for (no charge for road tax on electric vehicles). Then it’s delivered. Apologies for the wobbly cam - think I was a bit overexcited! Click on the image to view video.
So, I got there in the end. Seems as though it can happen over the phone…Alternative fuel technologies and call centres don’t always mix. By the way they put the charge up to £8 per day yesterday. Click on the image to view video.
So I’m having trouble already… Congestion charging is a scheme where we all pay £5 per day to enter central London unless we drive an alternative fuel vehicle. They didnt seem keen to accept that I can arrange this over the phone. Click on the image to view video
Continue reading ‘Congested charges’
A brief look at the car from Bangalore. Click on the image to view video
Comments