#1 – plugging in overnight and on the go
This will be a familiar routine. Plug in your phone, go to bed, wake up in the morning with a full battery ready for the day ahead. Now replace the word ‘phone’ with ‘car’ and you’ll see how easy it is to build a new habit into your routine. Plus, charging overnight could mean you access the cheaper overnight tariffs on offer from some electricity providers.
Even if you don’t have a home charge point, you can take advantage of public charging locations. Some of these are even better than charging at home because they offer free electricity. That’s right – pull up to a funded charge point, plug in and come back to a topped-up car full of lovely free electricity.
#2 – finding places to fill up far and away
Despite the fact that petrol and diesel car drivers need to fill up with – and can easily run out of – fuel, there’s unwarranted panic about being able to charge. The rapid expansion of the UK’s charging network means there are now two charging points for every one petrol station in the UK. Making it twice as easy to charge your car than it is to fill up.
In the same way that you know where your local petrol station is, you’ll quickly find all your local charging points so you’re never caught short. And on longer journeys, it’s as easy as planning a charging stop into your journey in place of a petrol or service station break. You can use Google maps, your car’s satnav or a range of other apps to direct you to a rapid charger.
#3 – extending battery life
Mobile phone batteries that are treated well will last longer than those that are put through their paces. The same is true of car batteries. Drive your vehicle sensibly instead of aggressively and you’ll get much more range from your battery. In fact, the average battery electric vehicle will retain 90% of its initial capacity after 6 years and 6 months of service.
Research shows that exposure to heat and the regular use of rapid chargers degrade Li-ion batteries more than age and actual use. Of course, rapid charging will be necessary on occasion, like for motorway journeys. But by using slower chargers and filling the battery to around 80% instead of keeping it fully topped up, your battery will treat you well. Although, with a Tusker car, battery life will never be a problem because you’ll get a brand new car at the end of your three-to-four-year agreement.
Like your mobile phone battery, car batteries also need to be charged. With decades of mobile phone charging experience, you’re set to transfer your existing knowledge to car batteries. As the vast majority of EV drivers find, once you’ve made the change, you won’t be able to imagine life without your electric car.
Want to know more about driving an electric or plug-in hybrid car from people who’ve made the change? Take a look at these articles: