EM - December 2013/January 2014 - (Page 5)

December 2013/January 2014 * www.esb.ie/em NEWS 5 REVIEW OF THE RENAULT ZOE AND NISSAN'S EURO LEAF By Dave Walshe, EM Motoring Correspondent A legend of the motoring industry, none other than Henry Ford himself, observed that if he had asked the market what they wanted he'd have bred a faster horse. So motorists are very bad at coming up with innovations it seems. So why should it be any different with the market's perspective of cars that are powered by electricity. (I refuse to call them electric cars because they are cars first and foremost and when did we ever say "I drive a petrol vehicle or a diesel vehicle"). I have had the pleasure of driving two new cars recently. Firstly, the pre-Irish Market launch Renault Zoe and secondly the brand new Nissan Leaf. The Zoe first. Just look at it. If any self-respecting mini/beetle/fiat 500 driver isn't salivating by this exceedingly good looking car then I don't know what will please them. It has the latest styling cues and be it powered by petrol/diesel/electricity it stands on its own merit as a fine looking car. I have said for ages now that the surprising thing about these cars is that they are so car like, we need to get over this electricity bit. Fully charged, the maximum range on this Zoe is 210km. I drove it to and from home without a charge and drove it with the intention of matching my normal driving style. I used the heater too and the radio and drove at motorway speeds. Nothing to report other than how normal it is. Of immediate appeal is the way the power is delivered. Instantly is the best description. It is well equipped and knowing Renault, it will have a very attractive sticker price. It will be a real alternative to a fossil fuelled car if your commute is analytically examined and you use your head and not your heart. The Leaf has been updated hoping to add more buyers to the 60,000 worldwide who have already bought one. It may look familiar but guess what, Nissan are claiming it is even more revolutionary than the last Leaf. That's normal motoring blurb for what, remember, is a normal motor vehicle - it's just powered by electricity. My time with the Leaf reinforced the perception of this car as a quality product. It is multimedia friendly and truly interactive from your PC or smartphone. There's an app to preheat the car for example on cold mornings, so it's toasty when you get into it and you are using mains power and not battery power. I won't report that the ride is car - like because I must have emphasised it enough by now. In a city environment this is serenely quiet upmarket motoring. All 199km of it on a full charge - driving appropriately that is. It has the same instant response as the Zoe. It has more family appeal as it is that bit bigger than the Zoe which seems geared towards a more youthful market or a smaller sized family. Both cars have excellent boots as the batteries are under the car and don't rob interior space. The Leaf pricing starts from €20,990 rising to €26,390 for the top of the range SVE model. Zoe pricing is still to be announced but will more than likely follow the Fluence model whereby the battery is rented. This has future proofing and peace of mind warranty benefits. The Leaf has no battery rental charges. The Nissan LEAF is included under the Nissan finance package from €229 per month. Details are available from local LEAF dealers. Cars always evolve and the way we fuel them. We have had petrol, dabbled in gas, migrated en masse to diesel and now the fuel we will inevitably migrate to is Electricity. A good indicator of this is who is making cars that run on electricity. Nearly all the main manufacturers are making them or plan to. BMW will be here soon and, mark my words; the electric models will become as desirable as the Band A 520D was when it was launched. ESB is playing its part by rolling out a nationwide charging infrastructure and to date, the total number of charge points installed is 1,400. This includes home, public and fast charge points. 95% of major towns and cities are covered, as are most motorway and inter urban routes. EV customers can seamlessly charge their car anywhere on the island of Ireland using the seam charge point access car. If your car will get you in and out of work on a full charge then you may never need to visit a 'filling' station again - apart from when you are going on a long trip and you need to call into a service station with a fast charger to allow you continue on your journey. When choosing your next car consider this. The cost of propelling your chosen vehicle is up to eight times less if your fuel of choice is electricity. It's a compelling argument. The demand for Tax Band A cars of the past will be replaced with the demand for low cost fuelling bills and in this competition cars powered by electricity will be the ones we all want. Here's to electricity. Pictured with his new 100% Electric Nissan Leaf are Sinead Treanor, Plant Manager, ESB Erne Stations and Emlyn Lang, Erne Stations Plant Operator and Safety Office, ESB Erne Station. MAKING THE SWITCH "I'm saving €100 a week driving my new EV." - ESB staff member, Emlyn Lang 8 Emlyn Lang, who works at ESB's Cathleen's Fall Station, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, recently bought a new 100% electric Nissan EURO LEAF. EM interviews Emlyn to ask him about his new car and why he made the switch. Emlyn, what made you switch to an electric vehicle? The main motivation for the switch was financial. I was spending over €100 per week on diesel and I thought its crazy having to pay that much money to commute to work. Of course I like the fact that it is good for the environment too. Can you describe your typical weekly commute? I leave the house in the morning and drive 80km to work. The car sits for eight hours in the car park at the power station until I leave work and drive the 80km back to my house. I sometimes make the odd detour into Sligo town on my way home (no extra distance, just time) or 20-30km local mileage at home in the evening. The free home charger that is provided with the car by ESB enables me charge the vehicle overnight for a fraction of the cost of diesel. How do you find the driving experience? I find the EV a lot calmer. I don't know if it is because I am still getting used to the car and am careful with the battery or if it's the near silent ride which keeps me soothed. How much will you save on fuel per week by driving an EV? €100 approximately per week, which should equate to over €5,000 in a year. What is your favourite feature of your new EV? It has very smooth acceleration with maximum torque immediately. Where and how do you charge the EV? I use the Home Charge point which came free with the car at home and the Power Station has a Charge Point on site. There is also a widespread public charging infrastructure which I can avail of. I am hoping to make a trip to Enniskillen for Christmas so I will use the charging infrastructure in Northern Ireland then. Would you recommend an EV to other ESB staff? From my experiences to date, I would recommend an EV to other staff. So far so good, but I still have to trial the car in year round conditions and hopefully I can make a full report back then! n DRIVE YOUR SAVINGS IN 2014 Even more good reasons to switch to an ecar * 5.5% interest rate ecar loan available from ESB Credit Union * 30% discount for ecar insurance from ESB Staff Insurance Scheme * €5,000 Government grant towards the purchase of an ecar * 1-2 cents per kilometre to fuel an ecar * 1,400 charge points available nationwide * €120 motor tax band for ecars * Free home charge point installed by ESB * Lower servicing and maintenance costs * Special ESB staff ecar incentives available from Nissan and Renault http://www.esb.ie/em

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of EM - December 2013/January 2014

EM - December 2013/January 2014
Contents
News
Innovation
Generation & Wholesale Markets
BSC & Electric Ireland
ESB Networks Ltd
Health & Habitat

EM - December 2013/January 2014

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