Latest Jeep is on an electric charge

...Ian Donaldson tries a 4x4 fit for street or wilderness

AS we move ever faster to an all-electric future on the road even firms famed for off-roading need to join the current trend.

Which brings us to the latest version of Jeep’s Renegade, smallest and most popular of the firm’s current offerings and now available with a battery and electric motor to add some green credentials to the mix.

Fully charged, this chunky plug-in hybrid off-roader will take you around 26 miles before the conventional petrol engine cuts in to turn your Renegade back to a more conventional macine.

Before that happens you’ll be driving a car that makes very little noise and has all the spirit away from the lights you’d ever need.

It also makes huge sense for anyone using this Renegade for business, thanks to its low CO2 rating.

Off-road you needn’t doubt this part-electric 4x4 machine’s ability to tackle slopes and surfaces you couldn’t stand upright upon.

Which, even if you never venture further away from Tarmac than a grassy car park, is an essential part of any Jeep’s authenticity.

With five traction settings to choose from, including mud/sand and snow and one for rock that lets the electric motor on the rear wheels strut its stuff to maximum effect.

Also boosting its wilderness credentials are skid plates to protect suspension, fuel tank and transmission.

Back in the more mundane world of school runs and outings to see granny, this top

Trailhawk version of the Renegade range has now to justify its very significant price hike over a non-electric version.

Well, average economy of 43.7mpg over a working week, with one battery top up included, showed promise. A shorter trip, starting with a full battery, was even more encouraging, at 72mpg.

And it starts off very well equipped. On top of its potent power mix, there’s automatic transmission, leather upholstery, adaptive cruise control, dual zone air conditioning and heated front seats and steering wheel. Also, the clearest reversing camera this driver has come across.

There’s also plenty of space up front, but rather less in the back. Boot space suffers a bit by donating some room for the hybrid battery, but should still comfortably suffice for the weekly grocery shop - and the back seats easily flop down if you need to pack in a bargain bundle or two.

Less impressive are a sat nav screen that decides to ignore your settings every time you start the car, leaving you to tap away restoring the map look you want.

You may not be impressed either by the dense blackness of a cockpit that makes locating heating controls a pain, or heated seats and steering wheel settings which demand several prods at the touchscreen to engage.

On the move the car copes well enough with most surfaces, only displaying a touch of unwanted firmness on bumpy side roads. The strident way the petrol engine sometimes kicks in to help the electric motor also does nothing for this Renegade’s sense of quiet authority.

And if you arrive home with a muddy Renegade, take care when leaving or you’ll quickly collect souvenir splashes on the back of your trouser legs.

Many people are opting to go back to nature by selecting a green burial for when they die.

The idea of a green funeral is about simplicity and rejecting much of what can be seen as urban and fussy in what we may class as a normal funeral.

“The definition of a green burial is a little non-specific but is generally a burial that takes place outside of a traditional cemetery or churchyard,” says Director of Isca Funeral Services Limited, Michael Hull.

“Green burials can be in a woodland or wild flower meadow setting. They promote the use of natural materials such as biodegradable coffins or shrouds often made locally and the sites are managed to encourage wild flowers and native trees as well as an abundance of wildlife.

“Be aware that the sites often have a very rustic look with long grass and maybe even stinging nettles.

“Typically headstones would not be permitted but some sites allow stone plaques set flat into the ground.

“A natural burial ground will often have a structure where a ceremony can be held at the time of the funeral and this structure may be of a natural construction.

“Usually embalming which is a chemical treatment of the deceased is prohibited.”

WHO HAS ONE

“Many people from all walks of life opt for a green burial. They are especially suitable for people who like all things natural and to whom a rustic setting far from the ordered structure of a cemetery would have a greater appeal,” says Michael.

“The services are often led by a celebrant or family members and are without the more traditional prayers and hymns of a traditional service.

Having said this many natural burial grounds also welcome a minister to lead a religious service.”

KEY BENEFITS

“There are many benefits to a natural burial,” says Michael. “Often the burial site will only hold one service each day and as such there is no time pressure.

“A green burial can be very personal to the person who has died, families may like to be actively involved in reading tributes, poems, singing songs or playing music, whatever would help that family to have a personal goodbye.Unlike cremation, a burial gives a physical place where loved ones can go to be with their loved ones, but remember if you’re opting for a green burial the place is likely to be rustic without smooth paved paths.”

WHY ARE THEY POPULAR?

“Funerals are changing and many people are now opting for non-religious services without the pomp of a black hearse followed by a limousine going to a service led by a minister who has never met the deceased,” says Michael.

“Green Burials, as well as cremation, now give people the option to tailor the service to reflect the person who has died.

“People are now aware that a funeral can be more individual and bespoke and because of this more people are now opting for green burials.”

PRICE AND COSTING

“The cost of a green burial can be very competitive when compared to cemetery burials and even cremations, which had been perceived as cheaper than burials,” says Michael.

“The cost will of course vary depending on your requirements but this can be very thrifty if needed with families leading a service followed by a picnic for the people gathered, or you can push the boat out with live music bands and outside caterers, the control of costs should be in your hands.

“You may even consider a DIY funeral. Some funeral directors, such as www. goodgrieffunerals.co.uk, will now assist families who choose to do much of the work themselves but need help with some of the paperwork or care of the deceased.”

FINDING OUT MORE:

You can find out more about natural burial grounds from The Natural Death Centre (www.naturaldeath.org.uk) Or you can also visit the Good Funeral Guide (www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk) for further information.