It’s electric week and this means everyone around the country is helping promote electric cars and their viability as everyday transport. Of course, the initiated few know the answer already but for those who don’t, which let’s face it, is the vast majority of motorists on our roads today it’s worth reminding them that there is an alternative to petrol and diesel.
Sadly, the majority believe electric cars to only be suitable as a second car due to their relative lack of range compared to a single fill up of fossil fuel. However, as many surveys have proved this is more of a perceived problem than a real one and for the vast majority of journeys a car that offers 80 miles range is in fact plenty.
AutoVolt has teamed up with Specialist Cars Group and will be drawing some attention to ourselves as we travel around the M25 in a BMW i3 electric car and a BMW i8 plug-in hybrid. Our purpose is simply to demonstrate that electric range is indeed ample and what better way to do this than by travelling the circumference of the M25 around one of the world’s largest cities. That should be proof enough for the enormous number of petrol and diesel car drivers who will be on the roads with us.
Our journey will start from the A1/M25 Services at South Mimms, an appropriate location to begin since it is the site of Ecotricity’s first rapid charge point along their UK-wide Electric Highway. The M25 is 117 miles around and the BMW i3 costs about £2 to fully charge at home – although this energy is currently available for free using the many rapid charge points. There are four charge points around the M25 that support all types of electric vehicle on the market today, meaning this journey can be completed for free, although there is a time implication for recharging, of (generally) just half an hour. That’s a small price to pay and, honestly, a welcome break from the monotony of driving around the M25!
To follow our progress and get people talking about electric cars, tweet #LapLondon tomorrow, Wednesday 24th February 2016.
