Day 110 - What a Difference a Month Makes!

Well, I have to apologise as it has been over a month since my last post. And I have quite a bit of car related news to relay! I guess the biggest news was my abortive attempt to reach Belfast. As there is currently no FCP in Newry, the only way for me to make it to Belfast at present is via the FCP in Monaghan, and then onward towards Belfast via the A3. Of course this is a significantly longer route and required me to add about two extra hours to the journey (one hour for the extra distance and one hour for charging)! That's quite an extension to what is usually a two-hour car journey. But I decided to give it a go.

In preparation for my journey I planned my route, confirming that travelling from my home to the FCP in Monaghan was no more that 128km and that the distance between Monaghan and my destination in Belfast was no more than 100km. I also contacted the Topaz garage in Monaghan to confirm that the FCP was operational (this is because the FCP in Glasnevin had failed on me while I was using it only one week beforehand). All was good, I sent the map to my car (via Carwings) and got up at 0530h the next morning to start my epic journey.

As the distance was only 128km to Monaghan, and I had traversed 152km to Wexford without too much difficulty I felt that I could let myself go wild and travel at an average speed of 90kph! So I started my journey on the N2 bearing this in mind. However, as I continued along the N2 past Slane I started to get very concerned about the Distance-To-Empty meter. And then it happened - for the first time since I had the car I got an audio warning that my destination may not be within reach of the current range of the car!

To cut a long story short, I did manage to make it to Monaghan with just 8 Km left on the clock. But it was a harrowing journey, requiring me ultimately to reduce my speed to 60kph and as a courtesy to the drivers behind me I had to regularly pull in to allow them to pass me put safely! I was NOT impressed. However, I had made it this far and Belfast was only 100km away. So I pulled up to the FCP and plugged my car in. To my relief the car started to charge - and then it STOPPED! The FCP displayed the same error message that the one in Glasnevin did when it had failed on me only one week earlier! I was devastated. I knew that if someone was to come out and fix it it would still delay me enough to ensure that I did not make my 1030h meeting in Belfast! My day had been ruined!

Three hours later, after two very nice engineers from Carra arrived to fix the FCP and kindly waits with me for an hour to fully charge the ca I was back on the road home. I did not wish to risk continuing to Belfast in case this charge point failed again on my return journey. Thus I decided to give up. Determined to make sure I had a better journey home than I did on the way to Monaghan I deliberately paced myself on the roads back! But then - stupidity struck! Yes, on the almost completely straight road home I took a wrong turn! Absolute disaster - I ended up double backing on myself and returning to Navan! It was now clear that I no longer had enough charge to get home! What was I going to do.

With no FCPs around it looked like I wast ing to have to call Nissan's car service and have poor Pepé towed home! I was not looking forward to that. But then - a light bulb appeared over my head (in the cartoon version of our Universe). I only need about 10 Km more. And I had my two charging cables. If I could plug in some where and wait for about an hour, that should do it. I remembered a friend of mine who lived in Navan. I called him, asked him if he was home and if he wouldn't mind if I stole some of his electricity. He very kindly said yes and after an hour and some toast and tea I was back on the M3 motorway heading home!

I learned a lot from this experience. The three most important facts that I have taken from my adventure are:

1. The Nissan Leaf has a real world operational range of 100km - this is going at motorway speeds and using air conditioning
2. There should be at least two FCPs at every FCP location
3. There needs to be FCP locations at least every 60km on every major inter-urban route in Ireland (North and South!)

If points two and three are implemented Byrne ESB and point one is observed, then the Nissan Leaf will finally become a real-world replacement for ANY family car in Ireland. However, without it remains a city car with limited capability.

Day 73 - Going Nowhere!

After yesterday's frivolities with the kids, I decided to take it easy. Pepé did the same!

Day 72 - Go Mr. Tayto!

Today was just lots of fun! I got to take my boyfriend's nephew and niece to Tayto Park, an outdoors amusement park for young children, based on the now epic and oh-so-utterly-Irish Tayto crisps! The park isn't that far from my house, so I knew it wouldn't be a problem for Pepé at all. However, I wanted to collect the kids. Unfortunately the distance two and from Bray, Clondalkin and Tayto Park in Ashbourne was just that little bit too far to do at motorway speeds, within one charge. Of course, there was no issue with fast charging - except that we were on a bit of a tight time schedule and the extra time to charge, plus the travel time to the nearest FCP would have added just a little too much time to the journey to have more of an impact than we would have otherwise liked.

And this is not to say that we could have done all the to-ing and fro-ing - we could have. It simply wasn't convenient. And this is an important and fair point to make. EVs are good for about 70 - 80% of the journeys I need to make. For about 15% of the time they are usable but less convenient than a petrol engine car. And then for about 5% they are unable to complete the journey, due to the lack of infrastructure. It was disappointing that I felt I couldn't complete all my journeys in Pepé. But perhaps I just have to plan ahead more for these kinds of events.

Day 60 - You're a Star!

Well, celebrities move over - a new star is born! Last week I got an email from Nissan Ireland. Apparently the Sunday Times wanted to do an article on owning EVs in Ireland and they were looking for an end-user! So Nissan Ireland emailed me and asked me if I'd like to do it. I jumped at the chance! So, a few hours later I got a call from a journalist. He was asking me about the cost (both purchase and running) and about my reasoning for purchasing an EV. I explained to him my reasons and indeed my analysis of the cost involved. He seemed quite interested. Then I got a call the next day to organise a photo shoot! The photographer brought me down to the O2 and took lots of photos! Ideally hope he got my good side.

Day 59 - Is the Future Here Already?

I was sitting in my car driving towards Clonshaughlin. My boyfriend's brother was up in our house and I was dropping him back home. We were chatting away about a myriad of things, including Pepé. I was telling him about my trip to Wexford and about the return trip home with the crazy drivers, and the death and the mu-hey mu-hey! Anyway, I also happened to mention about the new battery technologies that are being developed (blogged about earlier this week) and I was telling him that it was only a matter of time until they reduce the charging time, increase the range, and then the BEV would prove to be THE viable alternative to the petrol engine car. "These cars are the future!" boldly declared!
"The future?" He questioned, "These cars are viable now! You have proven that Ciarán. You are proving it everyday you use your car!" I think he might be right!

Day 58 - I vont to Sock Yur Blawd! But first I have to charge my car!

I didn't bother charging Pepé on Friday night. I hadn't anything planned for Saturday except the usual excursions to the shops and my parents. But on my way back home from our traditional family lunch I suddenly remembered - My friend Barry was playing Jonathon Harker in a production of Dracula, adapted for the stage. (By the way, a special congrats to Barry and his colleagues from the Parnassus Arts Group for an excellent performance on Saturday night. I really enjoyed it!) Any who, I realised coming home that I did not have enough charge to get to and back from town. Not to fear, I decided to pop down to my local FCP in Glasnevin, top up Pepé and then back home, in time to prepare dinner and get ready for a night of blood-curdling entertainment. And there you have it, just like any regular petrol car, Pepé was able to adapt to a changing and unplanned scenario!

Day 57 - Are Liquid Batteries the Future of Petrol Stations?

I had a look at the following article concerning something called "Cambridge Crude." Apparently it is a type of liquid battery that could be "pumped" into electric vehicles allow them to "re-fill" in minutes. It is a very interesting idea and could provide a whole new future to petrol stations...

Day 56 - Wexford, Here I Come! (Part Three)

ROAD CLOSED! - No! I slowed Pepé down and read the big red sign in utter desperation! As I slowed down, the vehicle behind me did so to. There was a little orange sign indicating that there may or may not be a well sign-posted route. But I already knew that if I took the diversion, I would not make it to the fast charging point. I stopped the car. The driver behind me was unsure as to what I was doing. I put on the hazard lights and he promptly went around me, and passed the Road Closed sign! Maybe he knew something I didn't. I decided to follow him. A few hundred metres down the road a roadside digger was laying down piping. One side of the road was closed off. But my side remained open. The car in front waited at the blockage for a signal from one of the work men. He waved us both on. I drove carefully by the road works and emerged the other side! Yes, I was going to make it after all!

I continued along the road looking at my sat-nav for the next and final turn. I knew that shortly after the turn I would see the Wexford Car Centre. As I approached the turn the nav-system kept shouting "extremely low battery charge. search for charging stations". Obviously it could not locate the one at the Wexford Car Centre. I reached the T-junction and turned left. I saw what looked like a Car Sales Garage, but no Nissan. I pulled in, called the Wexford Card Centre and asked them if I was near. They said they were just up the road. I drove another few hundred metres, expecting Pepé to give up and go into emergency Tortoise mode (I'll explain later!) I saw a series of car sales garages. I took the turn left but again so no Nissan sign. I called once more and the very nice receptionist informed me that they were just a few more hundred metres down the road. I had no choice but to trust her. I drove back out onto the main road and continued towards Wexford. And sure enough, there on the left hand side of the road, a few hundred metres away was the most calming site of the morning - the Wexford Car Centre. I breathed a sigh of relief as I pulled Pepé up to the FCP, at which point I took this picture:




Pepé had just travelled 152.8km on a single charge! I was so impressed! Now the only question is, would I make it back?

A strange question you may ask, but as the terrain is slightly different, there's was some question as to whether or not the journey could be completed. But there were a number of helpful factors in play, most notably the FCP in Nissan Deansgrange would be now open and thus I could pop in there if I had to.

I'm going to cut to the chase and tell you that I did make it home. But there are some things that I have to mention about the return trip. Firstly, it took almost exactly one hour to recharge the car to 100%. After 30mins there was certainly about 80% charge in the battery pack. Secondly, the terrain was different as I had quite a bit of distance left in the car by the time I had returned. In fact I had increased my speed to 85kph when I reached the Tallaght exit on the M50 and was still left with 22km on the clock. But perhaps the most worrying aspect of my trip home was the reaction of other drivers to my slow speed on the motorway. Despite being on Dual-carriage ways (and in some places triple and quadruple-carriage ways) a number of drivers felt it appropriate to flash me, honk me and even dangerously approach my vehicle at great speed only to overtake in the overtaking lane at the very last minute. I should point out that those involved in this disgraceful behaviour included a Bus Éireann bus driver carrying passengers, a trades man in a small van, a young woman driving a small car and Merc driver (whose licence I unfortunately did not have a chance to get as he was attempting to break the land speed world record, I presume!)

The conclusion I have drawn from this is, that despite the now confirmed fact that a Nissan Leaf can drive from Dublin to Wexford and back again, charging only once (which was free by the way!), the journey requires an uncomfortably (at least for me) slow speed that I felt placed my safety in jeopardy on the way home. Thus,I have decided that despite my success in reaching my destination, I will not be driving down to Blackwater for my cello lesson until the FCP planned for Arklow is installed and operational. I intend to lobby the ESB very aggressively on this matter.

Day 55 - Wexford, Here I Come! (Part Two)

So this was it. The only way to go now was forward. Turning back was no longer possible. I simply wouldn't make it home. I continued to drive along the N11, which at this stage had become single-lane traffic. I knew that travelling at 70kph might be an issue here. No matter how many people might be aggravated by my slow speed on the motorway, they could always overtake. But here, it would be challenging. However, I did my very best to facilitate easier and safer overtaking. And it seemed to pay off. Not a single driver honked their horn, flashed their lights or looked at me with eyes that tried to blow up my mind telepathically! I continued along until the road dropped speed to 80kph. Now my constant speed of 70kph seemed more reasonable. Again, there were no issues with motorists behind me.

The range-o-meter continued to fluctuate, although not as aggressively as it did on the motorway. Before I knew it I was heading back into dual-carriage way driving again. Motorists were free to over take. While observing my available range I was conscious of the gap between the distance-to-empty reading and the distance-to-destination value from the sat-nav. For the most part there was a 10-20km differential between these two values. A couple of times the values kissed - briefly. But they always separated, with the range value always being the higher one. This helped me remain calm.

Shortly before reaching exit 23 on the M11 the range had dropped and consistently remained below 90km. My distance to destination was about 58km, so I was ok with this. However, the range would drop quite a bit more by the time I exited. However, once I did exit and returned to regional roads, something wonderful happened - the range-o-meter calmed down. And so did I! The lack of the constancy of speed and straight road seemed to be the preferred option for the car. From this point on I started to relax and actually enjoy what was turning out to be a scenic drive in the country.

Shortly after this I reached Courtown, the first Waypoint (as my sat-nav kept shouting at me) on my journey. I had to add a couple of waypoints to the route to ensure that the sat-nav system kept me on the shortest, rather than the quickest route. With the continued availability of range I felt that the journey was now more than possible. But trouble lay only a few kilometres ahead. Just before reached Kilmuckridge, the second Waypoint on the journey I started to see road-works signs. A quick glance of one them said something about road closures. I hadn't planned for this. At this point the range value and destination value were pretty close together, but they we decreasing at almost exactly the same rate, so I wasn't too concerned. However, the values indicated that very little change to the route would be tolerated! I knew that the route I was on was the shortest distance. That meant any alternative would add distance and Pepé wouldn't make it. I started to feel that panic feeling kick in again.

Day 54 - Wexford, Here I Come! (Part One)

Following last week's aborted attempt to drive the 152km distance from my house to the FCP in Ardcavan, Wexford, I discussed my failed journey with a number of my new EV friends, a couple of whom had completed the journey successfully. They assured me that the car was capable of reaching the distance, but I would certainly have to limit my speed. I decided that I would give it another try. So I charged up my car and headed off to Wexford at 6:30 in the morning.

The first thing I did was put the car into ECO mode. This gave me 10% more range and ensured that I did not over-accelerate. Next, after safely joining the motorway near my house I turned on Cruise Control and limited my speed to 70kph. Now, if I had to over take (which I did not have to do at anytime during the journey!) I would immediately put the car back into standard Drive mode, to allow me to manoeuvre more quickly. But for the most part I knew I would be driving this slowly and in ECO mode. Luxuries such as air conditioning were not allowed, but I did have the stereo playing for the entire journey down.

Driving on a motorway at a constant speed of 70kph is a unique experience. Firstly, you notice that most people don't care. They simply overtake you and ignore you after that. Secondly, you find that on average most people are driving closer to 80 - 85 kph anyway and a few times I managed to catch up with some people due to spots of heavier traffic. But certainly, when the motorway speeds change to 120kph, you realise you are travelling very slowly - perhaps too slowly!

Anyway, as I watched the range-o-meter like the proverbial unboiled pot my heart-rate raised and sank with the ever-changing distance-to-empty number. Constantly comparing it with the distance left in the journey (via the on-board sat-nav system) I was reminded of Homer's shouts of joy and frustration as he weighed himself on the ever changing weighing scale! "I'm going to make it! I'm not going to make it. I'M GOING TO MAKE IT!" I kept shouting in my head.

75.2km and I'm at the Beehive on the N11. This is the half-way point. After this the closest charging point will be Wexford and the option to turn around will be gone! I pass the Beehive and keep on driving.

Day 53 - Fast Charge In Five Minutes

This is interesting:



Apparently a Japanese developer is after patenting a new method of fast charging EVs in just FIVE minutes! Have a read of the article here

Location:Lower Mayor St,Dublin,Ireland

Day 52 - 110km for €0.53!

Have a look at this:



This is how much it should have cost me to Fast Charge my car yesterday! Of course, it ended up costing me nothing as Topaz have decided not to charge EV customers until September. But even if we were being charged, this is a pretty impressive price. Sure, I had to wait 28 mins, have a coffee, relax in their little cafe area and surf their Internet for free. But I certainly think it's work it. The real question is, is this the price they will charge come September?

Day 51 - Taxi! Can you take me 160km from here?

Yeah, well, it's not a question I have ever asked a Taxi driver before. And I don't suppose a lot of people generally do. So, I guess that's why National Radio Cabs have agreed to trial out to new BEVs and get some real-world data on the feasibility of using EVs for commercial taxi services. Have a look at the Irish Times article here.

Day 50 - Cost Benefit Analysis

Below is a little spreadsheet I did out for myself in advance on making my decision to purchase a Nissan Leaf:




These figures are based on Petrol prices and Car Tax prices from November 2010. As you can see from the highlighted totals my ownership of Pepé isn't exactly saving me a huge amount of money. But you must understand the purpose of this spreadsheet. I didn't want to see if I was saving money. I wanted to see if I could afford the purchase of this vehicle. Obviously I would prefer if I were saving money. But, as you can see, I'm not really. So the question remains: why would you want to buy a range-limited vehicle?

Well, the answer to this question is multi-part. Firstly, the range of a BEV is only a major issue if you are commuting more than 120km a day, which I don't. Longer trips are possible with the help of a growing charging infrastructure. So range wasn't a big issue for me. Secondly, I prefer the fact that my car not add to Ireland's already exceptionally high carbon footprint. I have to admit, this was not my biggest concern, but has become more and more important (and noticeable) to me since purchasing Pepé.

Thirdly, cheaper running costs! Yes, the loan for this car is higher than my previous car. But the running costs are so much less. The cost of energy, the cost of insurance, the cost of tax, and most significantly the cost of maintenance are all reduced. In fact, if the first startling fact from the spreadsheet above is that I am not saving much money, the second should be the dramatic decrease in running costs for this car! I've had Pepé for fifty days now and I doubt I have spent more than €40 in energy! I have received over €300 back from my insurance company and I easily paid off my annual car tax bill upfront using two months worth of Car Tax that I had started to save for my previous car. Fourthly, it's a much easier and far less stressful drive! I cannot convey to you on these pages how easy it is to drive an electric car. It has all of the benefits of an automatic with none of the costs. It has a luxury feel in a family-sized hatch-back. and it is certainly the safest car I have ever owned!

So, I am playing a long term game here. Yes, Pepé's initial cost is swallowing up many of the immediate reduction in running costs. But this assumes that petrol prices will remain static. Once petrol starts to increase again (and it will!) my cost benefit analysis starts to improve. Pepé is a five year investment. And I sincerely believe that this investment is worth every cent!

Day 49 - 32k Left and I Feel Fine!

Yesterday I noticed I had only 32 kilometres left on my car and I could feel that range anxiety beginning to build up in my brain! But then suddenly it went away! I calmed down because I realised that my car had just entered the realm of a relatively normal, what with the arrival of the new FCP at Glasnevin. You see, a friend of mine had asked me a few weeks before I got the car, "What if you don't charge up the car, only have a few kilometres left and suddenly changed plans and need to go further?" Well my answer was simple, either I don't go any further or I steal my boyfriend's car. Of course, there was a third option that I failed to see at the time. I go to my local FCP. I had only ever considered FCPs as a means to doing long journeys, and therefore didn't really care if there were any in Dublin. All the FCPs that I would be using would be outside of Dublin. But of course, there will be times when I need my car for unexpected journeys. And if you had a petrol engine car, with very little petrol and you needed to do an unexpected journey, you'd drive to your nearest petrol station and fill up. That's exactly what I will do! So now, unexpected journeys are no more an issue for me than for anyone else.

And the really great benefits of this are twofold. Firstly, peace of mind! My range anxiety now just floats away! And secondly, I can now let the battery run down with worrying that I better have at at 100% all the time, just in case I need to do that unexpected journey. I think this should save me a good a bit of money over time!

Day 48 - Rescue Me!

Have a look at this:



This is a new road side assistance truck developed by Nissan for the Japanese Automobile Federation. And it is especially designed to assist EVs in distress, in particular if they run out of juice! Have a read of the article here.

Location:Ballyboggan Rd,Dublin,Ireland

Day 47 - Fast Charging Rocks! But stay out of my Space! Bitch!

To cheer myself up after my failure to reach Wexford I decided to treat myself and Pepé to a Fast Charge! (Yeah, I know, it's pretty sad!) Anywho, I knew that there were two close-by Fast Charge Points, one in a Nissan dealership (which is only available during business hours) and the other in a Topaz station in Glasnevin. I plotted my journey (just for fun) and then headed out to the wild! Of course, when I arrived I noticed that sitting in the all green, highlighted, sign-posted, CCTV-monitored EV-only parking spot was - A PETROL ENGINE CAR! Sticking out of the car was some lady hoovering her back seat! Well, I was having none of it! "Em, I may have to move you out of this spot!" I said begrudgingly as I stepped out of my car. "What?" was the surprised, innocent response. "This is an EV only spot, as you can see from the sign" I replied smugly, pointing to the various signage that clearly indicated it was not to be used to hoover the back seat of your earth killing vehicle! The lady looked at me and then at Pepé. She didn't understand! I stepped over to the FCP, unlatched the nozzle and started to walk to my car saying "I'm not sure this will reach the car!" Hoover lady responded, "well I'll move if it doesn't!" As it happened the cable did stretch and there was no problem at all. I looked over at Hoover Lady and smiled. She continued to hoover! I suspect this is a conversation I will be having again and again!

Day 46 - To Wexford and Back Again? Nah!

Well, this morning o got up with the enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning. I was hoping that my wonderful Pepé would be able to bring me to Wexford and back again. No, not on one single charge, but with the assistance of the FCP located in the Wexford Car Centre. Everything was ready to go. I had my granny cord, my free phone number for road side assistance from my insurance company and a fully charged Nissan Leaf. The on-board navigation system did not complain or grumble about the 148 Km journey from my house to the charging point, and so, I headed on my 'epic' journey.

I put the car into Eco mode, giving me 10% more range, kept the air conditioning system off and kept my speed to an average of 70kph. The first thing I noticed is that it is very possible to travel along a motorway at 70-75 kph. In fact, I was kind of surprised but no one seemed to care that I was travelling this slowly. Actually, what I noticed is that most people seem to travel at this speed (on average) around junctions or sharper bends. Of course people do tend to floor it on the straighter strips. Anywho, after getting used to a slower than normal speed, even for me, the thing I really started to noticed was terrain! Terrain, I think I heard you repeat? Yes, terrain. You see the auld distance-to-empty meter fluctuated widely depending on the terrain of the motorway. At point I went from 130km left to 112km to 154km! This is quite a difference. And it was this difference that started to panic me the closer and closer I got to the mid way point. When I starting getting into distance readings where, if they were accurate I would certainly not reach my destination, I decided to tuck tail and run back home to safety. After travelling 72km I found somewhere to turn around and started my way back home.

What I have learned from this is simple. While it may be possible for Pepé to reach this distance (and I am pretty sure he could do so if I reduced my speed to 60kph!) I am not comfortable with such a low margin for error. This is consistent with my policy with most things in life. Of course, at no point before I purchased this car did I ever intend to attempt such a journey without a FCP at the mid way point of Arklow Town. And hopefully that FCP will be put down soon. But for now, I will have to continue to borrow my boyfriend's car for my weekly Blackwater cello lesson.

Day 45 - To Carlow and Back Again? Yay!

Well, in the end I decided not to drive down up to Belfast in Pepé for two simple reasons - time and charge! Yesterday was a busy day for me. I had to go to Belfast, pick up the granny cord, come back home and then head on down to Carlow to stay with Paul's folks for the weekend. I knew Paul's mother wanted to see Pepé. I also knew that if I went up to Belfast, fast charged three times and came back home that I would be in no mood at all to drive down to Carlow, to say nothing or arriving in Carlow at a very late hour. So, instead Paul drove us up and back to Belfast in his car. This, as it turns out was a great idea. Not only did we make good time in our excursion to and from Belfast, but with the purchase of the granny cord, and Pepé all charged up, I was ready to leave the comfort zone of 70km from my house and take Pepé further than he had ever been before.

I was very cautious driving him down to Carlow, using Eco mode most of the way and keeping my speed down (although not particularly less than most other vehicles on the road). By the time I had reached Carlow I still had 57km left. That means I could easily have pushed Pepé a little harder on the motorway if I needed to. Then it was crunch time! I had the granny cord, Paul's parents had the outdoor socket and there was a spare bed for us for the night. I plugged in Pepé and he started to charge up immediately. Now I should mentoned that the granny cord is a 10amp cord versus my standard charging cable which is 16amps. In practical terms this means that charging on the granny cord is going to take longer. So, even though Pepé still had a third of his charge left, it did take 7 and a half hours to charge him up fully. But, long before the end of the night he was completely charged up. If we wished, we could have decided to go home there and then! But Paul's mother makes the BEST Sunday breakfast ever, so I insisted that we stay the night! The next day we headed home after dinner with not a car in the world. And just like that Pepé was ow capable of bringing me closer to the in-laws. I just hope the don't might me stealing some of their electricity every now and again!

Day 44 - I got me a granny cord!

Woohoo!

Day 43 - To Belfast and Back Again?

I have to head up to Belfast to pick up my granny cord for my Nissan Leaf. I was thinking of doing the journey in the Leaf. It is possible, but unfortunately I would have to do it in a roundabout way. I'd have to head to Monaghan first, fast charge, then onwards to Belfast, fast charge, then back to Monaghan, fast charge and finally back home! Seems like a lot of work. Not sure if I'll do it or not. I'll see how I feel tomorrow!

Day 42 - And how often do you charge it?

This is a question I have been asked a lot recently when showing off my little Pepé to the curious and the nerdy. And unfortunately I don't have a proper answer to this question. What I have been waiting for is a typical week. But I haven't had too many of those since I got the car. I guess a typical week for me would be driving to train station on Monday and Tuesday, heading to Wexford on Wednesday, driving to train station on Thursday and Friday and then miscellaneous journeys on the weekend. The problem is that life hasn't exactly been following that pattern recently. Between bank holidays, annual leave, sick days and atypical weekend travel I have been following a most irregular
Astern (which is very unlike me let me tell you!) So when it comes to charging Pepé, well, it's been a matter of necessity. And like with my mobile phone, if I want to make sure that I have enough power for whatever may happen the next day, I have tended to charge him most nights, even if it was only for an hour or so.

But something has happened recently that has started to change my current charging pattern. No, not a normalisation of my week (I wish) but the availability to not one but FCPs near my home. If I needed to do a long journey at short notice and didn't have a full tank of petrol that wouldn't have been a problem. I'd just go to my nearest petrol station and fill up. But, up to this week I had no such option with Pepé. But with the new FCP in the Topaz in Glasnevin, and another in the Nissan dealership in Ballycoolin, I can now be assured that even with only small amount of charge available to me I could quickly charge up my car to it's full capacity in a short space of time, should the need arise.

So I hope, very soon, the answer to the above question will be, whenever I have to.

Day 41 - £540 Plus VAT?!

Well, I decided I would find out if it was possible to purchase a granny cord (see Day 38). The prompt for this is my cello lesson. See, the only regular extended journey I make is my fortnightly visit to my cello teacher in Blackwater, Wexford. However, recently I decided to up the ante and change from a fortnightly lesson to a weekly one (my cello practises have already started to improve). Anyway, each time I head down to Wexford I have to swap cars with my boyfriend. This is because the Arklow FCP has not been installed yet. And without it I was under the impression I could not make it down to my lesson.

I should clarify this. I certainly could make the journey down to Blackwater. It's the return journey that is the problem. Unfortunately, unlike petrol stations, FCPs are not yet ubiquitous in Ireland. Once they are, journeys such as this will be no more of an issue than journeys to the local supermarket. But, as early adopters we must endure a certain amount of pain in order to help promote the use of EVs. Anyway, I digress. I spoke with a fellow EV owner who lives in Wexford. He explained to me that he had done the journey from the Wexford town FCP to Blanchardstown on a single charge, and he went through Blackwater to do it! Perfect. The route that enables me to do a return trip goes through the very village my cello lesson is in! The catch is that I have to travel a little further than I need to, I have to go to Wexford town. Now, this is not ideal. But it isn't a huge way out. It would require me leaving my house a little earlier each Wednesday, but I could certainly do that. But my friend warned me that this would run the battery down to the very last bar on the battery gauge. This made me a little nervous.

This is where the granny cord comes into it. Now, I know I can't just walk up to anyone's house and ask to plug in my car. But, if I really had to charge up in an emergency, the granny cord would certainly give me that option. So I decided that it was time to purchase this safety net. So I called up a Nissan Parts shop in Belfast (as Irish Parts shops would not be allowed to seek this) and asked them if they could order me in the granny cord. I had heard from some friends that it could easily take four weeks for them to order one in. But sure enough they had one there. So I told them to hold for it for me and that I would come up this Saturday to pick it up? They only remain question was how much. Answer: £540 + VAT! I thought about it for five seconds and said "I'll take it!"

Now I am sure there are a few of you out there that think I have more money than sense. Well, you're right! But in this case I think the spend is justified. This is a minimum five year investment and this cable has just extended the range and thus use of my car. Even though I don't believe the material cost of this ca el is anywhere near €700, it is invaluable to me and thus I am willing to pay for it. I can only hope that in time these peripheral extras will come down in price!

Day 40 - Definitely a Typical Tuesday

Not much driving today. Just to and from the train station. Altogether a typical Tuesday!

Day 39 - Not a typical Monday!

Well, I had to take a day off work today - for my car! Yeah I know, seems a little mad. The problem is that I have been driving around for six weeks without any car tax. Now, I was in no rush to give the government any more money. But unfortunately, the law is the law and it was becoming increasingly likely that I was going to get stopped by a Garda. So I decided I should finally get this sorted out.

The problem is, I should have been able to do this online, even though this was the first taxing of a brand new car. However, I couldn't because those wonderful folks at Revenue messed up t.he registration of the first few Leafs. You see, being a zero-emission vehicle meant that the current system of car taxation, which is supposedly based on carbon emissions couldn't handle 0 being put in that Carbon Grammes field. So the site did what all government applications do - it charged the highest amount possible! €2,500! Yes, far from being a Bunny-hugger car,my little Pepé was being treated like an earth-killing Hummer! Not impressed! This necessitated a trip down to the Motor Tax office to resolve this issue. Thankfully, the wonderful guys in the Motor Tax office resolved it very quickly and I proudly paid my (relatively) menial €104 for one year's of road tax.

Next up - car insurance. This one is all me. Stoopid me forgot to get my documents from my previous insurer, and my new insurer was getting anxty! In fact they threatened to cancel my policy unless I delivered all the documents to their door stop by close-of-business today. So, given that this was turning out to be a Pepé and Ciarán day, I decided to go and pay them a visit too. At one point it was suggested that I pay them a visit in Drogheda in order to collect the print out of my insurance disk. However, my poor Pepé would not be capable of doing such a return trip with out the presence of a FCP (fast charging point) in Drogheda, which is due by the end of the year. We all agreed that it was best for them to post out the documents.

Day 38 - Where's MY Granny Cord?

Have a look at this:




What is it I hear you ask? It is a Nissan Leaf EVSE cable aka the 'granny cord'. This is essentially a smart extension lead that allows you to plug your Nissan Leaf into any standard household socket so that you can charge up your Leaf, well, just about anywhere. Unfortunately, I don't own one!


Why? Well, the ESB are not entirely convinced that these cables are safe to use in Ireland. Now, don't get me wrong, this cable has been tried and tested by Nissan and it passed all QC tests they performed. It is also certified with the British Standards Kite mark. However, the ESB feel that while the cable may be ok, people's wiring in their house may not be. Basically, they feel that if someone has faulty wiring in their house and they plug their Leaf in with this cable, then they could, potentially start a fire.

Now the chances of this happening are remote, but the ESB feel that even a remote chance is an accident waiting to happen. And as inconvenient as it is for me, I agree with them. The ESB have an excellent safety record and it is because they don't take chances. I am happy to support them in their search for a safer alternative.

Having said that, I may be getting my very own granny cord soon. More on that later....

Location:Custom House Quay,Dublin,Ireland

Day 37 - A Typical Saturday

Well, today was a very typical Saturday. I did all those household errands you expect to do on a Saturday. Cleaning, cleaning, and yes even more cleaning. I ended up toing and froing all day, and I can tell you, Pepé was more than up to the challenge. Firstly I had to head up to the local glass recycling centre, just 2 Km up the road and then back home again. No problems there. Then I had to head back to up the local shopping centre to hand some clothes into the dry cleaners and of course, back home again. After that it was down to my parents house (5 kms away) for the weekly Ó Floinn Family Lunch Gathering! Always fun! And of course I had to back home again. After that it was a trip to the cinema with a friend to see Captain Jack Sparrow take on the evils of the pirate world (10kms) and of course back again.

While all of these trips were well within Pepé's range (as I had just charged him to full capacity the night before) it did get ne thinking how much I travel. I never before noticed the distance I travelled in particular with regards to these cumulative small trips. But they really do add up. And of course, choosing to go by motorway/dual-carriage way does use up more energy than via standard or back roads. But I guess this is one of the positive side effects of driving a range-limited vehicle - you start to think about the journeys you are making. You start to ask yourself questions like "Do I really need to make this journey?", "Can I do more while I am out?", "Is this the best route to take and how do I determine what makes it the 'best' route?". I think it is a good thing that I have finally started to ask these questions.

Day 36 - Bless me Esso for I have sinned! It's been six weeks since I last bought petrol!

Well, it has been six weeks since I last went to a petrol station to buy petrol for my car. And I can't say that I miss it. Although, I have been to many a petrol station during that time, to pick up some nibbles or a newspaper or something else. This brings me to an interesting question - what will happen to all the petrol stations? Well, right now nothing, as there are more than enough petrol powered cars out there to keep them in plenty of profit. But eventually we will reach at least a 50/50 divide on petrol and electricity, and then things will start to get dicey, in particular for some of the smaller stations. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the smaller stations. The staff are usually friendlier, the service is usually better and they are more often than not run by local members of the community.

But if the future is electric, then the needs to power hungry motorists are going to change - from get me in get me out to I need somewhere to have a coffee while my car charges! This is where the motorway service stations have an advantage. The whole point of the motorway stations is to give motorists something to do for a little while - to take a break from the extended excursion. And if they are waiting for their car to charge up, then why not grab a bite to eat, or a coffee and read a newspaper, catchup with email, or just sit a relax for thirty minutes. This is exactly what EV motorists will need. And the rollout of spanky new service stations along Ireland's motorways could not be happening at a more advantageous time for the burgeoning EV revolution.

I recently visited the Applengreen service station on the M6 while heading to Athlone. I had a bite to eat (with plenty of options to choose from) and found myself thinking, this would be an ideal spot to charge up my car (had I driven it!) So I asked to speak with the on duty manager. I mentioned to him that I was a recent EV customer and that I would love to take my car to Athlone and use his facilities again, and would there be any chance that they would consider putting down a FCP (fast charge point) on their grounds. The manager pointed to a spot near where we had parked and said, "that's where the charger is going to be. They are preparing the foundations for it now!" FANTASTIC! Here is a company that is thinking ahead. With more and more of these service stations coming on stream and with managers thinking in this manner, it is only a matter of time before a viable national charging infrastructure will allow me to go the length and breath of this crazy little country of ours!

Day 35 - What happened to day 34?

Well, I seem to have missed a few days since my last blog entry. Sorry about that. I guess too much has been going on in my life! I'll do my best not to miss any more! And it's a pity, because a lot has been happening in my life with regards to personal private transport - unfortunately not as much of it has been happening in my car!

Basically, I have increased the number of extra-Pale trips that I have been doing i.e. I have been getting out of Dublin a lot more in the last few weeks. But, alas, poor Pepé is not yet equipped to deal with these trips. The trips included:

1. Three journey's to Blackwater, Wexford
2. A trip to Athlone town
3. A journey to Galway Citiy

Now, please don't misunderstand me. Pepé is more than capable of reaching Blackwater or Athlone (not so much Galway City). But the problem with the shorter journeys is the return trip. Yep, Pepé is unable to get me there and back again on a single charge. But I knew this! I had looked at all these distances and figured out a long time ago what I could and could not do on a single charge. So what's the solution? Charge Points!

Just as with any combustion engine vehicle Pepé needs juice! And for that there needs to be an energy infrastructure. The great thing about electricity is that it is ubiquitous in our society. However, the bad thing about being an early adopter is that you get to experience all the hiccups before anyone else. Yes, electricity may be everywhere, but the EV Charging Network is not.

A group of us early adopters have opted to work together to make sure that the "hiccups" that we are currently facing are cured rather quickly. Irish EV Owners (www.IrishEVOwners.com) are all too aware that the use and growth in use of EVs in Ireland is a virtuous circle. If we can make sure that the initial infrastructure is put down in a timely fashion then interest in and consideration of EVs in Ireland will increase. But, if no infrastructure is put in place then less and less people will consider purchasing an EV and then chances of electric driving in Ireland will suffer a serious blow. I guess we'll just have to keep at it.

For now, we have been informed that the first seven fast chargers will be down by the end of June at the following locations:

Location:Ireland

As you can see, I should be able to do those pesky Athlone and Galway round trips soon! However, Blackwater is still out of reach. (I am currently working on that one with the ESB!) It is my intention to do a number of these longer trips as the Charging Network grows. I intend to put in all the details of the trips - start time, end time, number of chargers, waiting time to use a charger, waiting time while charging etc. But if there is anything else you want me to look out for, drop me a note. Remember, I am doing this for you. I want to male sure you have all the information you need, so get posting and let me know what I should be taking note of!

Day 3 - Let's take a ride in an Electric Car...

Well, I had a lovely little drive on Sunday afternoon with a couple of friends. We took a brief stroll up the motorway towards Trim and then back along the old Trim road. We even saw an Easter Bunny hopping alongside the road. While we were driving we had a listen to this fantastic little tune pointed out to me by my good friend Mags. Have a look at the cool video on YouTube:

Day 2 - Ooops!

Well, not even one day together and we're already having problems! No, not with the car, thank goodness. I haven't had much time driving Pepé. But for the short while we drove around, it was great! However, when I came home last night, parked Pepé into the driveway and plugged him into my home Charge Point - NOTHING! Yep, my home Charge Point doesn't work! Frak! Here I am on Good Friday, the ESB ecar division (responsible for the roll-out of the charging infrastructure) isn't re-opening til Tuesday and I have no way to charge my car!

Well, fear not, the embryonic Irish EV community is here to the rescue. One of my very new friends, with whom I made contact during our attempt to put pressure on the government to move forward with the grant scheme, called over to my house this morning to help me figure out what was going on. After realising that the problem was indeed the charge point and not the cable nor the car, he very kindly offered me the use of his charge point for the day! His neighbours must have thought he had won the lotto with not one, but two Nissan Leafs (Leaves???) in his driveway.

Add this wonderful act of kindness to the phone call I received from the ESB late Friday evening to apologise and send out the contractor to replace the faulty unit! On Holy Saturday! In Ireland! A Semi-State! Amazing. Thanks Oisín, Philip and Nigel for your help this weekend! I really appreciate it.

Day 1 - Earth Day!

I LOVE this picture! It's a shot of NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell staring down at Earth from the International Space Station. This image not only captures just a glimpse of the extraordinary beauty of our planet, but also of the extraordinary ingenuity of our species. And while all too often we use that ingenuity to hurt each other, sometimes, just sometimes we can use it to capture something as truly inspiring as this picture!

I thought I should put this picture up today, of all days given that it is indeed Earth Day! And perhaps Mother Nature was saying something to me when I received that fateful call at 11:45hrs from Nissan Deansgrange. Yes, today is the day that I have finally picked up my first ever battery electric car! Pepé is now home!

Bye Bye Bradley! I will miss you...

This is Bradley, my first ever convertible! From the very first day I took down the top and drove on the motor way I fell in love with convertibles. There is just something so free about having the wind blow through your (hedgehog) hair while traveling at 120 KPH. It's even more amazing when you get to do that in Ireland without getting rained on! But actually, I managed to take the top off the car quite a fair amount during my five-year ownership of Bradley. And despite him being a 1.9L engine, he didn't cost me too much in petrol, due to my relatively conservative driving pattern!

However, more recently my monthly budget on Petrol has been increased, each month this year, to compensate for the rising cost of the 'black stuff'. But where Bradley really hurt me was in maintenance! I have had to get a new catalytic converter every year for the past three years just so he'd pass the NCT emissions test. Additionally, while the engine did run very well (and I'm sure will continue to do so for a few more years yet with his new owner) the parts (and labour) did cost a fair amount. By the way, I took this picture of Bradley beside what I hope will be the last ever petrol pump I will have to visit (at least with my own car!!)

While Pepé is most definitely range-limited (and this is just going to be a problem for many people), not having to visit the petrol station and having little to no maintenance (Pepé has five moving parts in his motor!) is just so worth it for me! Of course, we'll see if I am still saying that when I want to get to Cork in a hurry and I have to stop twice to charge up! Thankfully, my desires to rush to the rebel county have been few and far between in my ten years of driving! Let's see how I get on in the next ten!

No Seriously, WHAT THE FRAK!!

I have finally discovered what the issue is with the arrival of my new car - Pat Rabbitte! Our new Minister for Communications, Energy and Transport has apparently dropped the ball - and he's making me see Red!




As part of the rollout of EVs, and in particular BEVs, the Irish Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding stating that they would commit to a large scale project, including the incentivisation of the purchase of such vehicles for qualifying Irish citizens. They chose the mechanism of an SEAI grant for €5,000 for every BEV that was over €20,000. It was on this understanding that Nissan chose Ireland as one of six pilot countries for the launch of the Leaf.

All the other pilot countries have similar incentives and all other pilot countries has lived up to their obligations. But now, our new Minister is delaying in implementing the memorandum. As a result, Nissan are unable to deliver their cars to their waiting (and waiting and waiting) customers. They have had to take the very unusual measure of asking their customers for help. This was an email sent to one of the Nissan dealers about the current situation:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We need to give you an update on the Grant situation for LEAF.



As we informed you last week, in order for SEAI to start distributing the Grant for LEAF, the new Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, needs to sign the relevant documents to give effect to the grant regulations. His predecessor failed to do so before he left office.



So far the minister has not done so. In spite of repeated assurances to the contrary, the Department and the Minister have still not managed to action this issue. We were informed last night that while this issue is on the Ministers agenda, the department are not prepared to give us a specific date by which the papers will get signed. The expressions being used are shortly and imminent.



Given that we cannot register any cars without this grant we have no alternative at this stage but to advise you that we must delay the delivery of cars to customers for the immediate future. We are taking this decision with the greatest of reluctance but as we learned that the Minister will be leading the Government side in the Moriarty Debate today it is not likely that a signature will be available.



We are assured by SEAI that they will turn this process around very quickly once they get the go ahead from the Ministers office but again, we cannot convert this into a specific delivery date.



We recommend that you contact your customers immediately and advise them of the situation.



Please ensure that our customers are aware of where the delay lies.



This is immensely frustrating given that we collectively as the Nissan Network have delivered all that was asked of us and the two government parties are massively behind schedule

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I have to agree strongly with that last paragraph. This IS immensely frustrating. Our new government is only in a few weeks and it is already jeopardising jobs, our environment and our energy independence. This scheme and the resulting investment in green technologies, to say nothing of the positive effect on our international reputation on environmental matters, is one of the few good things implemented by the last government. It is quite disturbing that this is one of the policies that our new government is delaying, or perhaps, considering reversing.

Location:N Wall Quay,Dublin,Ireland

The 'Filling Station' of the Future!

Do you like it?




"What the hell is it?" I hear you ask. This my dear friends is the 'filling station' of the future. This is my home charging station, located at the side of my house. The ESB sent round an electrical contractor to install it today. With this (and hopefully my car very soon!) I shouldn't have to go near a petrol station ever again, except for bottled water, dodgy breakfast rolls and, of course, next week's winning Lotto ticket!

This is a bit of a mind bender, not having to fill up at a petrol station. This has been part of my life long before I was old enough to drive. I remember being brought to a petrol station as a kid to see how to fill up my Dad's car. I remember my Mam bringing me after my first driving lesson with her. I have been to stations as early as 05:30hrs and as late as 04:30hrs. I have been in stations in France, the UK, Canada and America. It's going to be a bit weird not to have them in my life on a regular basis.


And while I will certainly miss the smell of petrol spilling onto my shoes (ok, not really so much), I won't miss paying €1.51/L at the petrol pump. But I guess I will have to get use to a whole new experience. From time to time (although not on a weekly basis) I will have to charge up at a fast charging station. As I cannot do this within a five minute window (26 mins), I guess I will have plenty of time to reminisce about the expensive but fast-paced filling up days!

What the Frak?!

Well, things just keep getting more and more bizarre! I am supposed to be driving my Nissan Leaf by now. In fact I should been driving it for more than a week, and yet, not only do I not have my car, but I don't even have a confirmed date for delivery of my car!




I have been informed by Nissan Ireland that the issue is administrative, and that the vehicles for the first eight customers are in the country, tantalisingly close to their new owners. But until this "administrative issue" has been resolved, we ain't getting it!

These kind of delays are to be expected, especially with new technologies. But they are also the kinds of things that should be avoided, especially with new technologies. If your goal is to encourage people to adopt a new product, one that, in the general public's mind, has not been fully tried and tested, then you should not be giving them reasons why they shouldn't try it. Unreasonable delays and unclear communication does not help to promote paradigm-shifting transportation ideas. So Nissan Ireland, get into "Drive" gear pretty damn quickly and sort this out, in particular for your committed early adopters. Like you, they are taking on a very high risk. Don't be leaving them stranded (like some sort of old style electric car!) when they need you most.

Location:Bramblefield Crescent,Clonsilla,Ireland

If Kryten says it's ok...

Have a look at the following YouTube clip of Channel Five's Fifth Gear TV programme. Hosted by Red Dwarf's Robert Llewellyn (Kryten), it goes on to explain the pros and cons of the Nissan Leaf

Location:Delwood Close,Clonsilla,Ireland

I am not a shrimp! I am a KING PRAWN!

For those of you who don't know, this is Pepé. He is one of the few characters from the ill-fated Muppets Tonight television show from the 90s, who managed to survive into the Muppet continuum. He has appeared in a number of the more recent Muppet films and has become one of my favourite Muppet characters (along with New Jersey's own Rizzo the Rat, and of course the ever clumsy science nerd Beeker!). A few of Pepé's more memorable quotes include:

"You tell him, and I will smack you. I will smack you like a bad, bad donkey, okay!"

"I got good news! I got the fire permit, the health permit, the permit to open a topless nightclub, all the contracts..."

(On beating some other Muppets in a game of cards)
"De prawn cracker wins"

Basically, he is a funny, peppy crustation with fiery red hair and a suave latino manner! So why the hell am I blogging about him in these pages? Well, I know this is going to sound ridculous, but given that my new car is red, suave (technologically speaking) and extremely peppy, I feel that it is appropriate that I name it after one of my favourite Muppets!

Now, yes, I know that I am opening myself up to being called a muppet, or other such muppet-influenced taunts given that I am making the great leap forward into the electric unknown. But I think the name of your car is very important. We can spend quite a large amount of time in our cars (or about 160km in an electric one!) and they become a part of our family for a little while.

I think the anthropomorphisation that we tend to apply to machines is a way of humanising what is on the one hand, a completely inanimate object, but on the other hand is also something that adds a sense of familiarity, or indeed belonging given that it is so much a part of our daily lives. So, here's to my new car - Pepé! May he always get me home safely.

It's a long way to go...for a cello lesson?!

Yesterday I drove from Dublin to Blackwater, Wexford for my sort-of-fortnightly cello lesson with my amazing cello teacher, Dee. Dee is one of those people who is not only an exciting, bubbly character, but is also an unbelievable cellist and incredibly patient teacher. I was introduced to her a few years ago through a mutual friend. As it happens she used to live only a few houses away from me. But alas, as with all good things, our short-lived teacher-pupil relationship was to end with her move to the sleepy, yet beautiful Wexford town of Blackwater. But, there was no way I was going to let 138km get in the way of a good cello lesson. So late last year I decided I was going to commute, every two weeks, to Wexford.




James Bond plus leading female using 'cello power' to get away from the bad guys!

With the exception of cases of excessive snow, driving down to Wexford on a fortnightly basis, is, actually a bit of a guilty pleasure. I get to meet up with a great friend, it's something different during the week, and of course, I get a fantastic cello lesson out of it. So, why am I blogging about this experience?

Well, you see, one of the questions I had to ask myself when considering the purchase of a range-limited vehicle was - can I do everything I currently can if I were to purchase this new car? So then I had to ask myself - well, what is it I do with my current vehicle? The following were the answers:

1. Drive to and from the train station
2. Go to the shops for weekly groceries
3. On occasion, drive into town to go to work
4. Drive to the gym on Saturday mornings
5. Drive down to my parents at the weekends
6. Drive to Wexford every second week for my cello lesson!

A ha! A problem! Blackwater is only 138km away and in theory the Leaf can do 160km, so there really should be no problem getting down there. But getting back would be an issue! That's when I started to look into charging stations and charging times in a big way. I had to find a station that allowed me to get to Blackwater and back while not deviating too much from my original course or extending my journey too much. Luckily, the town of Arklow has come to my rescue.

Tucked away in the very centre of this medieval town is the site of one of Ireland's 30 fast charging stations. A fast charger allows you to charge your BEV from flat to 80% capacity in 26 minutes. Ok, so this is not as quick as filling up a tank with petrol, but it's better than using the standard home charger and waiting eight hours.

Thus, at a maximum this charging requirement would add 30 minutes per direction, and that is assuming that I would empty the entire battery pack by the time I reached the station. Now, of course, this is not convenient. What would be convenient would be to not have to stop and charge and wait and then go again. But, this is do-able. I can make this relatively minor modification to my plans in order to take full advantage of this technology. I'm sure many of you are asking, but why would you bother putting up with the inconvenience at all? Simple answer - very soon we'll all have no choice.

The other day I was basically paying €30 (149.9c/L) for every 20 litres of petrol. This is becoming more and more expensive and I don't believe the trend is going to reverse. My car will cost between €2 and €4 to charge for 160km. This just cannot compare. So an extra hour onto my journey is worth the save for me. I just hope I can't fit my cello into the passenger seat!

Location:Bramblefield Crescent,Clonsilla,Ireland

Smug Alert!

My younger brother has been urging me to watch a relatively recent episode of South Park in which a cloud of Smug threatens the sleepy mountain town. Of course the Smug cloud emanates from the Smuggiest city in America - San Francisco!




Image courtesy of South Park (c)

Of course, what my brother is trying to say, in his own non-subtle way is "Just because you will own an electric car doesn't mean you can call everyone else an Earth-killer!"

He is correct, of course. Currently I own a 1997 BMW Z3 1.9L petrol engine convertible - a true Earth-killer if ever there was one. And I also use my rather energy inefficient condenser dryer, even when the sun is out (although in my opinion drying weather in Ireland is a bit of a myth - like leprechauns, elves and a bank with a clean balance sheet!) So just because I am willing to take the leap of faith and "Go Electric" doesn't mean that I get to rub it everyone's face and charge them with crimes against the Earth.

However, being somewhat like Bertie (the politician, not my brother) when it comes to my selective memory I will, no doubt, sometimes forget that I have agreed to curb my own personal level of Smugness. Writing about it in a blog I guess is one new way I have chosen to remind myself of my promise not to go Eco on everyone's ass. But I will need help, from my brother and indeed from all of you. So, if you detect higher than normal levels of Smug emanating from this blog, please feel free to refer me to this blog entry and you shall quickly put me in my place.

Location:Ireland

A Stroll Down Electric Avenue

I took a stroll down Electric Avenue yesterday morning. No, this is not some sordid street in Templebar nicknamed for its over-reliance on neon signs. Electric Avenue was a section of the Irish Times 2011 Motor Show which took place in the RDS, Dublin during the weekend. This particular section was to show case upcoming electric cars and indeed EV infrastructure that is currently being rolled out all across Ireland. There were a number of already-on-sale EVs present including Mitsubishi's i-Miev. Oddly enough, I could not find the Leaf. I was told by a very helpful individual from ESB's e-car division (who were headlining the Electric Avenue ensemble) that it could be found at the Nissan stand. A little odd, considering that it just went on sale, is The European Car of the Year 2011 and soon to be most recognisable EV on the road.





Indeed, Renault's Fluence EV, the next major manufacturer to release a family sized EV onto the roads of Europe this year also was noticeably missing from this Avenue of the Near Future. They too were tucked away in their own Renault stand. But perhaps this choice to embed these "new" types of vehicles in with "traditional" ones is a sign of the times. Choosing electric over piston-power may be no different than choosing petrol over diesel, each with their pros and cons, each suiting one type of customer over another.

Location:RDS, Dublin

What's Coming?

This is the new Nissan LEAF:






It is my brand new car. In fact it will be the first "new" car I will have ever bought and owned in my life. Until now it's been second hand all the way. But this car is also unique for another reason - it is a 100% Electric, Zero Emissions vehicle! It is called a BEV or Battery Electric Vehicle and is being described as the world's first mass produced modern electric family car.

I have been interested (at least in passing) in alternative fuelled vehicles for that last number of years. In particular, hydrogen fuel celled vehicles really started getting me excited about the possibility of zero carbon vehicles. But I had always thought that BEVs just weren't workable. The problem, as I understood it, was simple - in order for the car to go fast and far the battery needs to be bigger. And the bigger the battery, the slower and less further the car could travel. It seemed like BEVs were just not destined to be.

However, battery technology has been slowly but surely improving over the last number of years, no doubt in part to the mobile technological revolution that has been occurring during that time. And with this improvement in a key component of BEVs came the possibility of their resurrection. So, last year when I heard that Nissan, a large and respectable car manufacturer, was not only producing, but mass producing a hatchback, capable of functioning as a normal family car, I was intrigued.

I did a lot research into EVs (electric vehicles), charging systems, costs (running and purchase) and of course into the Leaf itself and convinced myself that to purchase this vehicle was a leap of faith, but one I was willing and able (both financially and practically) to take. And so, in less than one month's time I will take delivery of my first ever new and electric car.

I have done more research into this car purchase than for any other I have made in the past. But there is still much I don't know. It is these unknowns that I believe will keep most people from considering the purchase of a BEV. I hope to be able to alleviate those concerns over the next year by blogging about my own experience, in Ireland, with my first ever electric car.

No doubt, there will be people who, after reading about my experience will decide that a BEV is not for them. That's fine. At least they will be making that choice consciously. But I hope that reporting on my experiences, both good and bad, will give people (in particular, people living in Ireland) the information they need to be able to decide for themselves.

It's Coming....

Hi. You are most welcome to my first ever blog. The purpose of this blog is very simple - to describe to you, the reader, my experience with my first ever electric car for exactly 365 days. Well actually, it will probably be 366 days given that next year is a leap year! (Go Feb 29!) I want to do this for two reasons. Firstly, I want people to know exactly what they are getting into if they consider going electric for their personal mode of transport. I, unfortunately am not entirely sure what is going to happen. But I am willing to take a leap of faith. Most people, however, are not. So this blog is for you.

The second reason I want to do this is to hopefully, promote and encourage the adoption of electric vehicles in Ireland, with a view to BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) becoming the dominant mode of personal private transport within my lifetime. This happens best when people are armed with the facts. There's no point in throwing out half truths or even ideal world scenarios. People want to know the facts. After that, they can make up their own minds. So that is what I promise to you here - No Half Truths, just the facts.

Of course, the problem with facts is they tend to be interpreted differently by different people. So no doubt my understanding of the facts will not agree with others. But I will try to be as impartial as I can, or at least as clear as I can about my own personal bias, so that you can be aware from where I am coming.