What It’s Like Switching to an Electric Car (EV)

Last summer, I upgraded my car to an EV, namely my gorgeous little Nissan Leaf. I affectionately named her Leif, after the equally adorable Animal Crossing NPC, and life hasn’t been quite the same since. But only in good ways!

I’ve wanted an electric car for years now, but I didn’t think it was within my reach. If only I’d done the research then… I’d probably have taken the plunge several years before. It’s odd to think that the first car I owned (over 11 years ago now!) was a diesel car…! How things change, eh?

Of course there are many benefits to switching to an electric car. According to AXA UK, drivers can reduce their carbon footprint and help protect the environment by an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2 per electric car. My main priority in switching to an electric car was to reduce my carbon footprint, especially because my current lifestyle requires plentiful car and train travel.

You become a little more organised (for charging purposes)

Depending on the range of your car, you’ll become obsessed with locating EV charging stations in a way that petrol stations never enticed you. My car has a range of 80 miles, which is teeny tiny but perfect for my current needs. I’m planning to upgrade to a 300-mile range EV in a few years but, right now, my Nissan Leaf is great. Downloading ZapMap has been essential to my EV life. You can easily check for local charging points and even see their availability. I also regularly check my PodPoint app, which is a super common provider and allow you to top up your account for easy from-app charging.

The engine is SO quiet

I remember the first time I picked my boyfriend up in my Leaf. He was a little further along the road, facing the opposite way, and had no idea I’d arrived because the car engine is so quiet! It makes for a comfortable and smooth (for my Nissan Leaf, at least) drive, and I enjoy longer drives far more now. I can hear Taylor Swift better, for starters 😉

You befriend EV drivers while queuing to charge

Right now, the UK infrastructure needs work. Although the government have committed to see at least half of new cars to be ultra-low emission by 2030 as part of their Road to Zero Strategy, the reality is that the cars are being sold yet the public charging stations are surely not as readily available as they could or should be.

As such, you’ll end up befriending EV drivers everywhere you go because we’re all queuing up for our turn on one of two or four chargers in most car parks. There’s a lot of work to be done if the ambition is to head towards more EVs.

Are you an EV driver? What are your main concerns about switching to an EV?