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.