Heading down electric avenue
INTERESTING state of affairs this end.The last car that was delivered to me to test before the lockdown was a Renault Zoe, which as you probably know is a fully electric car. The first car to be delivered in this eased lockdown is a Vauxhall Corsa-e, also an electric car.
For the limited amount of driving that I’ve done over the last two months, which is mainly going back and forth caring for my 94-year-old mum, all of it has been in an EV.
I’m getting pretty used to this electric business. Wouldn’t say I was in the evangelist stage quite yet, but I’m warming to the concept.
But to the Corsa-e. It is essentially the same car as the Peugeot e-208 but not quite as good looking.
Whatever, Vauxhall is quick out of the blocks with this car because there is no fully electric Ford hatchback that you can buy and very few other rivals. Really only the aforementioned Zoe, the Mini E and Honda E; the latter with a shorter range and greater price.
Technically the Corsa-e is the same as the 208 which means a 100kW electric motor and a 50kWh battery. In ideal conditions the range is 209 miles which is about 25 miles shorter than the Renault’s.
Vauxhall will give you a wall-mounted fast charger and fit it for free.This is just as well because charging the car from a domestic socket will take up to 24 hours.
Use a public rapid charger and you will be able to bring your Corsa-e’s battery up to 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes. Slip inside the Corsa and you’ll see a rather more straightforward interior than the Peugeot’s.
No nice piano keys to operate oft used items like the radio and sat nav map, no wildly futuristic 3D virtual cockpit and no wacky