Mary lives in Cork. She is retired with a grown up family. She is a long-time motorist and has been driving an electric car for the past few years. She was motivated to make the switch to electric by the environmental benefits. Her average journey is approx. 20 KM.
-
1.
What vehicle are you currently driving and what are your thoughts on it?
Nissan Leaf 24 kw. The car is very roomy but there are limitations with the 24kw battery – although it is sufficient for 90% of the driving that I do.
-
2.
What do you consider to be the benefit of driving an electric vehicle?
There are many environmental benefits. Regenerative braking. Very easy to drive.
-
3.
Is the existing infrastructure sufficient to support EV users?
Absolutely now. The current provision generates range anxiety. It is difficult to know if chargers are working – I constantly read posts on Facebook about broken public chargers. If there are only a few chargers in the town they might be slow and in use for hours. Also the need for more than one fob/card/app can be difficult to manage.
-
4.
What advice would you give to someone considering their first EV?
Consider your needs in terms of the distances you drive, particularly if you are living in a rural area.
-
5.
Are there any other comments you would like to add?
I really want to visit family that live outside my range but feel I can’t take the risk/ I worry that I could be stranded in a country town where the charger isn’t working or in use by others. Not everyone can afford an Electric Vehicle with a larger battery capacity – I bought the best I could afford and I don’t envisage being able to change that.
