Electric Cars

Jaguar are to introduce a totally electric (no petrol engine etc as back up) with a range of 300 miles. Obviously it would be considerably less when towing or for that matter driving at night, rainy weather and needing heating/aircon. Despite 300 miles being a move up the scale in electric cars performance ability it would seem to be very restrictive in real world towing conditions needing to plan journeys and recharging unless travelling relatively short trips. Not quite there yet in my view.

I read some bumph a year ago and on a small electric commuter vehicle, Renault Twizzy, which appears to have no heating but quotes a 20% reduction in range in cold weather.  

So with a quoted 124mile range of the Leaf I would want a 20% emergency charge left giving an effective range of 100 miles. I would not be surprised if this range reduced to 70 miles in severely cold weather with cab heating running

Perhaps there will be car renting and sharing from a charge point, rather like bikes are hired in towns now. It is a future view and can't be based on the way we run our cars now, the whole concept is revolutionary but interesting.

At present our nearest Ikea is an hour and a half away! 

Bikes are hired in towns but one has to find a means of travel to reach the town for most people.

We have just updated our 62 plate Mitsubishi Outlander GX4 2.2 di to the 66 plate Outlander 4, 2-2di (they have dropped the GX bit).  The salesman at Mitsubishi spent a good hour trying to persuade us to buy the Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid PHEV even though we kept telling him we tow a caravan and after research we found that the vehicle is just not powerful enough. 

Ironically just after that we saw a 65 plate PHEV towing a Lunar single axle...didn't catch the model but looked fixed bed type with front door...so maybe they do tow OK. I would certainly buy one if this is the case...charging points are on every street corner in Europe..

Have a look at ecotricity

I know a Nissan leaf driver who has travelled from Tunbridge Wells down to see a friend in the New Forest, not towing, and enjoys a cup of coffee en-route at a motorway service station which has a free ( for now) re charging point which only takes 30 mins to get sufficient charge to see the journey completed.

As an 'around town' vehicle it is without equal. running costs =1.2 p per mile!

I seem to remember seeing somewhere that the maximum braked towing for a PHEV is 1500kg - but please check this out if you ae thinking of going with it.

David 

,  This map does NOT show the facility at Eurotunnel . !! 

Nearest supermarket with parking= 18 miles 

Nearest Toby Carvery= 36 miles

Nearest Ikea= 162 miles.

Ah well, maybe that's the research that DK mentioned!