Conor is a married father of three adult children and is a manager for Community based young people and families in North Dublin, particularly for those who have issues in school or at home. He is a long-time motorist and has been driving an electric vehicle for the past few years. His average daily journey is approx. 40 KM.
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1.
What vehicle are you currently driving and what are your thoughts on the vehicle?
2019 Nissan Leaf 40 kw. This is my second electric vehicle. I am really enjoying it.
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2.
What do you consider to be the benefits of driving an EV?
Cleaner, silent, stress free, cheap to run and cheap servicing. The initial cost of purchasing an electric car are expensive, but savings can be made after that.
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3.
What are the challenges of EV ownership - it any?
You have to plan out trips and be a good planner using some of the apps and maps that are available.
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4.
What advice would give to someone considering their first EV?
Just go for it. I have a Nissan Leaf 24kw for 4 years and travelled to every county in Ireland in it. You have to be good at planning and might have to go 20 – 30kms outside your journey to charge in public. I really enjoy the Nissan Leaf, I like the adoptive cruise control and I use one pedal driving which is stress free. In winter I generally use heated seats and heater steering wheel and cold air demister on the windscreen. Another great feature for me is that my back seats fold down and I can bring my electric bike with me whenever I want.
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5.
Is the existing infrastructure sufficient to support current EV drivers?
It is getting better all the time but we could have a lot more chargers – the 22kw chargers should be cheaper to use and we should also have 3kw and 5kw charging posts mounted on lampposts that are free to use.
