http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/transport/it-was-rattly-and-probably-quite-unsafebut-it-was-utterly-unique.114604112 "It was rattly and probably quite unsafe...but it was utterly unique" Helen McArdle 26 December 2014
[image http://www.heraldscotland.com/sites/default/files/2014/12/15131137.jpg (Loening using a dual coupler eVolt EVSE) ] ADRIAN Loening was one of the first motorists in Scotland to go electric when he started driving a G-Wiz in 2008. At the time there was nowhere public to even charge the vehicle, which he concedes was "the worst car in the world". "It was rattly and probably quite unsafe and it didn't go very far. And it leaked - so if it was raining outside it was raining inside," said the 53-year-old, from Ormiston in East Lothian. "But it was utterly unique, didn't cost anything to run and it made people laugh." Since then Mr Loening, who is chair of the Electric Vehicle Association Scotland, has upgraded to a Nissan Leaf and is currently on his second model, bought this summer. "It's an absolute delight," he said. "There's no engine, no gearbox, no noise. It's fast, it's powerful - it can leave most people standing at the lights if that's your driving style. Our newest one has all of the toys, leather seats, and cruise control. It's really nice to drive." Mr Loening, a consultant on hydro-electric technology, still uses a diesel car for long journeys but plans eventually to go completely electric. He parks his Nissan Leaf overnight in the garage where he has a timer set to start charging the vehicle from 2am every night, when the electricity supply is off-peak and cheaper. The car adds around [GBP]300 a year to his household electricity bills if he drives 15,000 miles. Travelling the same distance in a reasonably energy-efficient petrol or diesel car would cost [GBP]2,500-[GBP]3000 in fuel bills. Mr Loening also saves money with free road tax and says his servicing costs are "extremely low" compared to a normal car. However, he said making charging more convenient for all will be the key to persuading more drivers to make the switch. "There have been been massive improvements in the public charging infrastructure, but this is still the major limitation for people," he said. "The thing is, 95 per cent or more of your charging is done at home because the 80 or 90 miles that you get out of a charge usually does you for a day. Not many people drive more than that in a day. Something like half of all car journeys in Scotland are less than three miles. "But you do need to park your car somewhere where there is a power supply, so you really need a driveway or a garage. So there's issues if you live in a tenement, for example." [© heraldscotland.com] For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html#nabble+template%2FNamlServlet.jtp%3Fmacro%3Dsearch_page%26node%3D413529%26query%3DEVLN%2Bbrucedp2%26days%3D0%26sort%3Ddate http://www.worldcarfans.com/114122286238/gold-plated-electric-car-for-kids-costs-29995 Gold-plated electric car for kids costs [GBP]29,995 ... http://metro.co.[you kay]/2014/12/08/is-this-30000-gold-motor-every-car-obsessed-kids-dream-christmas-present-4979020/ Is this [GBP]30,000 gold motor every car-obsessed kid’s dream present? http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095924_imagine-electric-car-charging-stations-every-25-miles-france-will-have-them France Will Have Public EVSE Every 25 Miles + EVLN: Tesla Roadster Upgrade kit with 400+mi range {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-1st-adopter-converts-from-G-Wiz-nEV-to-UK-made-Leaf-EV-tp4673309.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
