A MOTORIST who drives an EV for work has slammed them as a headache and claimed things will only get worse.
Craig Lewis explained why he wouldn’t buy an electric car himself, despite driving one professionally for nearly a decade.
Jon BondCraig Lewis said he wouldn’t buy an EV personally despite driving one for work[/caption]
Jon BondHe feels that the infrastructure is not yet good enough to support widespread electric car ownership[/caption]
Craig, 61, is a transport facility advisor at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Didcot, Oxfordshire.
He mainly used his Mercedes EQV to transport guests between Heathrow Airport and the major research lab.
However, he has some serious concerns about the private ownership of EVs.
Speaking to The Sun Online at a service station on the M4, he said: “There’s a lot of issues with these. You get good mileage…but it’s very much weather-dependent.
“When it’s warm and you don’t have to use heating, I have taken it 290 miles.
“On the other hand, I’m sure you could get it below 150 miles.”
Craig went on to explain how this vast variation in range has led to issues with charging, especially given the nature of the EV infrastructure in the UK.
He claimed to have encountered broken chargers and long queues regularly.
This apparently caused confusion as drivers struggled to tell who was next in line.
Indeed, just this month it came out that Moto, the operator of the service station, had to employ marshals to keep the peace between drivers suffering from “charge rage” at several of their locations.
Their frustration is perhaps unsurprising given the EV chaos in the country, with a majority of local council areas having no publicly available roadside chargers.
Asked which car he would personally opt for, Craig added: “I think at present I would go for a plug-in hybrid.
“I never thought I’d say that. But not an electric vehicle; they’re not quite there yet.
“I’m not convinced it’s the future. It’s like records to CDs to MP3…I’m not convinced it’s the way forward.”
It comes after a car expert explained how new government rules could make EVs cheaper for everyone.
Meanwhile, The Sun exclusively revealed the staggering sum London mayor Sadiq Khan has paid companies to chase motorists for unpaid ULEZ fines.
Four firms have been paid millions in taxpayer money to enforce penalties for dodging the hated levy after it was expanded in August.
Craig, 61, reported issues with broken charging points and long queuesJon Bond
He explained that he is ‘not convinced’ EVs are the way forwardJon Bond
Jon BondGiven the choice, he said that he would buy a hybrid instead[/caption]