Driving instructor 'wishes she knew' two drawbacks before buying electric car

Daily Mirror

3 days ago

A driving instructor has issued a warning to other motorists after admitting there were a number of aspects of electric vehicles she was unaware of prior to purchasing her first
A driving instructor has confessed there are a number of things she wished she'd known before splashing out on her first electric vehicle (EV). Chloe Miller-Aird, who hails from South West London, took to TikTok about various aspects of her car's features – totting up both pros and cons – which she claims were previously off her radar.
"I didn't get time to do much research before my last car change - and the only one available immediately that was the car I wanted in the spec I wanted was a full EV," she explained. "I was previously in the identical self charging hybrid. I thought how different can it be and the numbers just made sense. I have no regrets but I wish I knew this before."
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Chloe went on to list two different details she didn't take into consideration. The first concerned charging, while the second was all about the costs.
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From a car park charging spot, Chloe highlighted that while signs may claim "up to 300kW", the reality is often a stark contrast. "It does not mean you are going to get 300 kilowatts charging," she clarified, prior to hopping back into her vehicle.
"Although it says this, sometimes all you will get is 24 kilowatts. The reason being is because once your battery hits 80%, your charge significantly slows down to protect your battery. But even before then, you still don't get 300 because each individual manufacturer sets a cap on how fast it can accept a charge."
She was also oblivious to the fact that you should "only really utilise 80% of your battery" to safeguard its life span.
"It means if your car is advertised as a range of 280 miles, you can actually expect to realistically utilise 80% of that," she continued.
Chloe concluded her footage by mentioning that home chargers are "super expensive", generally amounting to around £1,000 for installation. Without one, you're left with the option of using public charging stations, which she described as "quite pricey".
Yet, it wasn't all negatives. She shared an optimistic note, stating: "However, if you drive nicely, you do actually get way more range than advertised."
The response to Chloe's video has been polarising, with drivers split in their views on the practicality and benefits of electric vehicles.
"Got a Tesla in January," commented one TikTok user. "Charger cost £1,000 fitted. I've charged 2,665kWh at home, 247kWh at superchargers. Total cost on EV tariff £293 for just over 9000 miles. Zero maintenance. I'll never buy anything other than electric."
Another suggested: "I've had electric cars for four years and I've never had to charge at a public station. My daily commute is 80 miles and I pay less than £100 per month charging at home. Also so nice to drive - the instant power is great. I used to be a petrol head but now I'll only ever drive electric."
In contrast, however, a third individual emphatically stated: "Never wanted an electric car, they don't have the same range as petrol or diesel the ones I've seen."
And a fourth agreed, sharing their own experience: "Last week I filled my little petrol car, drove hundreds of miles south, got on a ferry and still had 1/3 of a tank. Drove around IOW for 4 days and put £25 in to drive home again. Can't do that in an EV. I'll stick to petrol thanks."