Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

20 pledges for 2020: I will drive electric more often

This is the year when I will embrace the electric engine

Wednesday 01 January 2020 01:05 GMT
Comments
Electric engines have their appeal
Electric engines have their appeal

I have to admit that for some years now I have been dreading the arrival of the electric car. This is for entirely selfish reasons. I like cars. I like driving them, studying them, assessing them, comparing them, remembering them, talking about them and writing about them, photographing them, worshipping some, detesting others, indifferent to more. I thank god each day that Carl and Bertha Benz invented the modern automobile in 1885.

Since the very first journey (made by Bertha, as it happens), the essence of the car has been the internal combustion engine – the most revolutionary piece of technology since the arrival of the car’s other essential component, the wheel. Of course in the early days steam and, indeed, electric were widespread competitors, but petrol/diesel propulsion won out in the end. “Man and machine in perfect harmony” was an old Ford slogan, and with apologies for the casual sexism, that was what driving a car was all about – you, the driver, extorting the best from car - the performance, the gears, the revs, the turbo, the symphony of a V8…

An electric car seemed to me to be a washing machine on wheels – a white good, soulless, lifeless, depressing – and impractical, with their tiny range and lack of charging points. Yet, having been exposed to some now I have come to appreciate their intrinsic virtues that is quite apart from their positive contribution to curbing climate change.

And so I will be driving electric much more in 2020, learning more, I hope, and sharing my experiences, good and bad. Just as the internal combustion engine was never fully “perfected” in its 135 year career, so too will the electric car never be everything everybody wants. However, it will be able, if not already, to do enough of what many people want to make a difference. The biggest obstacle on this particular road is anxiety – the fear of getting stranded and the unfamiliarity of the technology.

In particular, I’ll be discovering how affordable to buy and run an electric car can be, compared to say a petrol, diesel or hybrid equivalent (the answer will depend on your pattern of driving). Practicality, though, is key even if choosing electric vehicle car makes sense financially – is it possible for flat-dwellers or folk in terraced houses to use one when they cannot easily install a dedicated external charging point at home? I’ll also be testing out Britain’s patchy network of charging points – many of which leave much to be desired.

Living with an electric car will be a challenge…

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in