The Diary of an EV Virgin - Game Changer

The drive in the electric Polestar is beautiful! Now being fully aware I drive an older petrol vehicle, it’s obvious that this new car will feel distinctly better however, there is a subtle but striking difference between the two types of automotive (other than an electric motor for an engine ☺ ). The electric car operates with one pedal for acceleration and deceleration, there is a brake pedal, but this is only required when stopping swiftly. As I push down on the pedal, it accelerates as a normal fuelled car would however, as I take my foot off the pedal, it decelerates. It is hard to explain how quickly you pick this up and how efficient you become when driving; it's very intuitive.

Now for me, the morning commute to work is often very stressful, with bumper to bumper crawling on the M60. It’s hard enough that I have to concentrate this early, but made all the worse by doing a foot work out on and off the pedals, I feel like Michael Flatley! In this car, your foot stays on one pedal and with little effort, you can accelerate or decelerate. This is brilliant for traffic or when approaching roundabouts or turnings - less hesitation, less effort and less time wasted! What’s crazy is that when you come off the acceleration and the car decelerates, it converts this energy back into the battery. Surely all I need to do is figure out a way of continually putting the brakes on during my journey and I have cracked it! One pedal operation is a game changer!

When driving, I was expecting to constantly watch the battery, worrying about what would happen if it ran out of charge. Where will I buy a pack of AA batteries and how many will I need?

Now you hear many people talk about range anxiety in which you worry about sufficient charge and what happens if during a journey, your battery goes flat. Interestingly, people who share this worry don’t have an electric car. For me, the car has a very clear, reassuring way of highlighting battery capacity and it clearly states the miles that can be obtained from the remaining charge. What was particularly useful, when I put the destination in the Sat Nav, it would tell me the battery percentage on upon arrival and what would be remaining if I completed the return journey. Therefore, you can ensure sufficient charge before making journeys.

To be continued