Category: Electric Cars

Ranking the range of electric vans

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New statistics revealed by Nextgreencar.com show that our electric vehicle market is a progressively growing one. According to their data, the number of electric vehicles on the UK roads has grown considerably over the past few years.

In 2013, there was 3,500 new electric vehicle registered – by the end of 2016, this had risen to over 85,000 vehicles. It becomes clear the electric vehicle is strong, especially when adding to those numbers is the fact that there are 5,000 registered plug-in vans across the UK too.

As the market grows, it appears so does the choice. With more interest, manufacturers are offering more choice to buyers. Used van specialist Van Monster has evaluated some of the most popular electric vans and ranked them against features such as maximum load, battery charge and speed. Take a look before you invest in your next addition to your fleet – some key features could sway your decision:

Table 1

Electric cars

Table 2

Best Electric cars

The Pre-Production Phase of The Tesla Model 3 Is Exciting!

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Tesla is changing the way we think about cars, which is definitely sparking conversation. After all, over 115,000 people put deposits down on the Model 3, one of the latest cars in Tesla’s production lineup. We don’t know a whole bunch about this car yet, but the details that Tesla HQ has released give us enough to at least dream a little bit. We’ve been talking about electric cars, and why adoption is a beautiful thing. For those out in rural areas, charging stations are still scarce. However, that won’t last forever. As demand increases for electric cars, there will be more charging stations. Right now it’s up to people that do have the disposable income buying the cars before the affordability factor comes into play.

Tesla Model 3

This is why Tesla’s announcements on the Model 3 are so interesting: the company is focused heavily on affordability. Itís been the biggest jab to electric cars for a long time. Despite the intentions of the innovators, the fully electric car has been seen as a staple of the well to do, rather than the working class. But the Model 3 is supposed to appeal to middle class tastes without breaking the bank. The MSRP is posted at 35,000, but that’s before any incentives come into play. Most states are pushing for more electric car rebates and incentives in the future, especially as they chase the dream of zero emissions vehicles.

We also have some great features coming up, despite production not fully starting until 2017. The first feature that we noticed being mentioned was the fact that the Model 3 can get 215 miles of range per charge, and there is a supercharger available to cut down on the charging time. For city driving, 215 miles gives you a lot of range. Drivers that like fast acceleration will love that this car can go from zero to 60 in six seconds. No, that’s not a misprint at all: six seconds! That’s a great acceleration time and you’ll get plenty out of life out of this electric car.

The coolest feature in our opinion is the foundational hardware for self-driving cars. This is one of the most innovative feature yet, because self driving cars are on the horizon. Would you let your car drive you around? It’s definitely something to think about.

We’re excited about the Model 3, and plan on giving you more information as it is released.

Have You tried an Electric Vehicle yet?

Posted in Electric Cars

Shopping for a new car is exciting, and we love the idea of seeing people get an awesome car. But have you considered the ins and outs of getting an electric vehicle? We know what you’re thinking: do you really want to drive something that is completely divorced from the traditional service station experience? Probably not, but it doesn’t hurt to at least figure some things out.

Cutting our dependence on foreign oil is a big deal, and it’s something that we can all pitch in and help with. After all, if there’s decreased demand, costs go down for everyone and the environment becomes a little cleaner too.

There are a few tips to keep in mind when you’re shopping for an electric vehicle. Even though there aren’t that many differences, the more information you get before you make the purchase, the less likely you’ll be disappointed years or even a few months down the road.

Electric Vehicle

1. Hunt For Those Incentives!

Skipping over the best part of the green revolution would just be insane! If Government is going to make a push to pour money into e-mobility and the plug in revolution, at least you can take advantage of any grants, subsidies or additional monies they’d like to throw your way. There are also manufacturer’s incentives, because they too need to increase the number of electric vehicles sold.

2. Get Familiar with Charging

Do you know where the nearest charging station is? How about how much a home charging array costs? If you don’t know the answers to those questions, you’re not quite ready to buy an electric vehicle. Make sure that you’re looking at this information before you buy. The last thing that you want to do is buy the vehicle and then get frustrated because charging is such a hassle. If you live in a city, charging is a lot easier than if you’re out in the country. Now, country living is awesome but you might be surprised at how few charging stations there are. Doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to enjoy an electric vehicle, but you’ll have to plan things out differently. Continue reading “Have You tried an Electric Vehicle yet?” →

Going With a Fully Electric Vehicle For the First Time – This Is Your Guide

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Imagine giving up gas for good. for most drivers, this would be almost unheard of years and years ago. The idea that we can go and take care of the things that we need to do and just plug our vehicle in after we’re finished used to be a complete fantasy. Now it’s a viable reality, with more and more charging stations available on the road. Gone are the days where you just had to stay close to home lest you ended up getting stuck without a charging station to “refuel”. But now you have charging stations on the road and the cost is very reasonable.

But that probably doesn’t help you answer the big question: just how do you shop for an electric car? What are the tips that you need to keep in mind as you go? Here’s what you need to know before you bring a car into your driveway.

Electric Vehicle

1. Get The Full Shopping Experience

If you just go for the first electric car that you see, you’re going to have a bad time. What type of car do you need? Getting a sedan when you really have your heart set on a crossover or a full SUV is silly. You can get the space you need and still get a plug-in vehicle. If you’ve got a lot of car dealerships around your area, they will actually let you test drive a n EV just like you would a traditional vehicle.

2. Understand Charging Etiquette

Do you imagine always using a charging station, even when you don’t need it? You might have some trouble as an EV driver. Once you get your charge up, you just need to move on. The opposite is true: if you don’t need a charge, don’t pull over into that spot. You just never know if you’re keeping someone else that desperately needs a charge from not getting what they need. Continue reading “Going With a Fully Electric Vehicle For the First Time – This Is Your Guide” →

Solar Electric Vehicles Could Be the Next Big Thing

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Have you joined the ranks of the EV obsessed? Hey, no judgment here. We’re pretty passionate about electric vehicles, green technology, and making the world a better place by reducing our overall footprint whenever possible. There comes a point where we see so many different technologies that complement electric vehicles that we have to talk about them separately in order to see their overall value. Take for example solar panels and their integration with electric vehicles. Is it a viable idea, or just a dream for now?

Solar Electric Vehicles

The truth is that solar panels do have a place in terms of charging electric vehicles, but it’s important to understand the realities and the fantasies on the subject.

First and foremost, you should understand that these panels don’t charge the car when you would expect. If you’ve got a home solar panel system that gives you power during the day, then anything that’s plugged in feeding off that system is going to benefit. This is the most straightforward way to explain it to new EV people. However, if you’re going to charge at night, your solar panel system isn’t going to be diverting energy to your EV at all. You’re going to be putting it back in the grid, where other people will help themselves to that energy. This is the goal of most solar homeowners, because they want to lower their electricity bill through the credits they’ll receive from the grid system.

Solar Electric Vehicles renault

The idea of putting your solar panels on top of your car just isn’t going to work. The car’s roof isn’t that big, and the net positive is only a few miles.

There are a lot of details that come into play with solar tech and electric vehicle technology. The first detail would have to be price. If you don’t have a solar panel array yet, you’re going to have to price it out for yourself. Do you get a lot of sun in your area? This would make solar technology much more appealing. If you don’t have an electric vehicle yet, then you’re going to have to look at the overall amenities in the car that you want and see if you would be best served by a full EV or if you need a hybrid. For example, if you live in a rural area you might be better off getting a hybrid, because it’ll switch over to gas for those long drives. The rural areas of the country are notorious for not really having charging stations readily available. This can be quite the problem when you’re trying to get the most of the electric side. But if you’re in a more urban area where there are several charging stations, you can definitely benefit. Make sure that you look up the type of charging station available — the new fast charging stations are best for getting the battery back up to optimal levels.

Overall, we think that solar technology does have a role to play in the world of electric vehicles, but it isn’t as simple as fixing up some panels on top of your car’s roof.