Yesterday, I reserved a Nissan Leaf Ev. Due for release here in the UK in March. Nissan were asking for a refundable deposit of £257 to secure a car. I went for black, with the optional solar cell spoiler that can draw 2 watts of energy to add to powering the myriad of controls the car has. And this morning, in the cold light of day I realise that there’s no way i’d spend £23,000 on a new EV (and thats if we get the £5,000 government grant for it).
Its a fantastic, unbelievable car and I love it. Its powerful, comfortable, roomy for an EV. Just check the video post below. And its pure electric. Real, unbridled joy took over yesterday and before I knew it I’d secured myself one. Then I told my wife, who reminded me of why we should keep our cars as is, and I knew that the warm glow of owning a new car wouldnt last. You see, we already have a roomy estate car with a big boot for those long journeys - 10 years old and still going strong. And we have a Gwiz - a small urban runabout EV that is on still on its first set of batteries and has a ton of life left in it yet. And the gwiz can still fit the kids in it, amazingly, and you get free parking, and it you can fit 2 in a bay. And thats before you mention how cheap the car is to power. And we live in London. The Leaf wouldnt provide us with a big boot for those long journeys and you cant fit more than one in a parking bay. And its range is only 100 miles so it cant really become your only vehicle. Not while the infrastructure for EV’s remain as it is. And then there’s the small issue of £23,000 to buy the car which really should go on more important stuff, were we to have it anyway.
So, within 24 hours I realise I’ll have to let that lovely Leaf go. I knew I’d never get it when I put that reservation in. But boy do I love that car, and all my EV mad mates were ordering them. I’ll have to sit and wait for a third hand Tesla in five years that sets me back £10,000. In the meantime, if you want one, and I highly recommend it, go to Nissans preorder site and bag yourself one. And then let me come and film you telling me how wonderful it is. Not that I’m jealous.
Published by Danny on December 3, 2008
in NICE.
I’ve heard that Nice Car Company are going out of business. I sincerely hope this isn’t the case. I’ve been following their fortunes along with those of goingreen who sell the GWiz since I started this vlog in spring 2005. If it’s true then it’s a huge blow to the electric car industry here in the UK. Whilst the major manufactures are asking for bailouts in the UK and US, smaller innovative businesses are left to go broke. We’ve had empty promises for years from the larger car makers and the Government. All in the same week that the climate change report states that electric cars are the only way for a sustainable transport solution…
Links:electric car vlogging video podcast gwiz nice megacity
“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)
Here’s a first look at the Nice Megacity. 40 mph top speed. 40 mile range on lead acid batteries. Click on the image to view video (4.6meg 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).
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
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
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
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