Electric vehicles: charging up for the future

The world of motoring is constantly changing, progressing and adapting to meet the demands of a more technologically advanced, but also environmentally conscious age.

By Ben Metcalfe, XLCR Vehicle Management

Every big car manufacturer under the sun, from Volkswagen to Aston Martin, has taken a major initiative to supercharge their efforts in developing more electrical vehicle (EV) models.

The main incentive behind developing EVs is to support a more environmentally friendly infrastructure regarding the world’s most influential form of travel.

Additionally, electrified cars offer many other advantages over their petrol and diesel rivals - not only do they help you save money on fuel, they’re extremely quiet and also attract greatly reduced road tax or are exempt entirely.

The charging ability in EVs has been a priority for development which has come on leaps and bounds in recent years.

Charging is far cheaper than filling a fuel tank with petrol or diesel. For example, if electricity costs 10p per kWh, you could home-charge a Nissan Leaf to 100 per cent for a mere £3. A motorway fast-charge will usually cost around £6 to bring the batteries up to 80 per cent.

And with most electric cars now able to travel at least 150 miles between charges, range anxiety is becoming less of an issue.

Believe it or not, the initial effort to begin producing EVs was in the mid-19th century, however, the high cost, low top speed, and short range of battery electric vehicles compared to later internal combustion engine vehicles, led to a worldwide decline in their use.

These days, the electric car revolution is racing ahead; in 2017, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), sales of EVs and hybrid vehicles increased by 34.8 per cent - an eye-opening indication of just how far EVs have come in recent years.

Some of the latest and most impressive EV models have massively progressed in not only their operational abilities, but also marrying together the newest and most innovative technology including the power of self-charging solar energy, mobile road charging and autonomous driving.

Models such as the BMW i3, Volkswagen E-Golf and Renault Zoe have been extremely popular in the UK, contributing to overall EV sales of over 166,000 EVs in the UK since 2012.

This year, some major hype has been focussed on some of the more premium brands developing EVs such as the highly anticipated Audi E-Tron and Jaguar I-Pace. These models boast exceptional mileage range, rapid charging and interior technology fit to the next age of motoring normality in EVs. If you’d like to know more, or you’re shopping around and want to consider the alternatives, we can help. Established in 2000, we’ve built the best-value contract hire and leasing company in the country with more than 20,000 vehicles on the road with a 98 per cent customer satisfaction rating across both business and personal customers - we’re happy to help you select your next vehicle.