A girl charges the Nissan LEAF. Picture courtesy of Geekmummy.com
For an honest-to-goodness test drive, one of the best people to ask is a mum – between the school run, the weekly shop, the around-town errands, the family outings and the kids’ taxi service, they’ll put any vehicle through its paces.
That’s exactly what 5 families did with a range of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs), including electric, plug-in hybrid and extended range models.
What’s an ultra low emission vehicle?
Here’s an intriguing number: Ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) could save school run motorists £440 million a year on petrol!
Plus, contrary to what some might think, ULEVs can travel long distances – up to 700 miles for one model**. There are more than 5,000 public chargepoints already across the UK and more set to appear soon, so charging up becomes less of an issue all the time.
What the mums thought about ULEVs
Our team of BritMums bloggers tested cars from BMW, Nissan, Toyota, Vauxhall and Renault
Mari from Mari’s World tried out the new BMW i3. She was initially sceptical. “One very exciting discovery for me has been the performance of this car,” she writes. “I had assumed that Electric cars wouldn’t have a lot of power in them and boy was I wrong.”
I have found this perfect for everyday use, jump in and off I go, school runs, after school activities, shopping at the supermarket, trips to Bluewater and meeting friends too. In 6 weeks I had clocked up 851.9 miles. I recharged three times (£2.67 x 3) and filled the tank 3 times too (3 x £10 ish). Total cost for 6 weeks = £38.01.
Nadine from Juggle Mum drove all round town in a chic red Vauxhall Ampera. “I adore the fact that I practically have not had to set foot in a petrol station for weeks!” – no wiping the smell of petrol off her hands, plus a savings of £150 in costs for one month.
Helen from Actually Mummy drove around London in the all-electric Renault Zoë, from Spitalfields City Farm to Hyde Park. “There are 1408 electric car charge points in London. That’s twice as many charge points as there are petrol stations. And electric cars are exempt from the congestion charge, so that’s a saving of £10 every time you drive into London.”
The friends and family of Ruth from Geekmummy were curious about the Nissan LEAF she was reviewing and went out for short runs with her.
Everybody has had the same reaction. First of all people are amazed by how quiet the car is. You don’t get the “Brrrmmm” that you usually expect when it starts up. You simply get a few beeps and then silence. But once people have got used to that, they generally turn to us and say “But it’s just like a normal car!”. They sound surprised. But they’ve hit the nail right on the head.
Friends of T at Mummy Barrow, driving the Toyota Prius, were similarly doubtful. “One of the myths with [plug-in] hybrids is that you can’t go very far…friends of ours drove past our house when we were away, saw both our cars on the drive and wondered if we had taken the Toyota Prius Plug-in to France. ‘Don’t be silly,’ he said. ‘It’s a hybrid, it won’t even get them to Portsmouth’. So not true!”
Are there drawbacks to ULEVs?
The mums had started their test drive periods sceptical about whether the cars would have enough vroom, whether they could go the distance, how difficult it would be to charge the battery and if they would fit into everyday life. Those myths were put to rest.
One issue that did stand out: Charging cords. The mums wanted longer charging cords, so they don’t have to manoeuvre the car for access to charging stations, and a more elegant way of storing them, to keep out of the way in the garage.
Is a plug-in hybrid or electric car for you?
Find out whether a ULEV car is for you by connecting with the Go Ultra Low campain on Twitter at www.twitter.com/goultralow and visiting www.goultralow.com. You can find more information about the vehicles as well as a list of family-friendly destinations you can visit for less than a quid (!).
After trying them, were these mums convinced? Would they buy a ULEV as their next vehicle? As Mummy Barrow says and the others agree: “The answer is a resounding ‘YES’.”
Read about the project in the ULEV site.
* based on the Nissan LEAF
** based on the Toyota Prius Plug In
About
BritMums is the UK’s original collective of lifestyle bloggers and digital influencers, fueling the country’s most influential social content. We lead the online conversation with members who are parent social influencers creating content on topics ranging from food, parenting, travel, politics, style and more.
older mum in a muddle
Friday 12th of September 2014
We have just recently bought a Nissan Leaf (on lease hire) and it rocks...... I adore it - it's an amazing car!
Jennifer Howze
Friday 12th of September 2014
I definitely want a ULEV for our next car.