Electric bikes and cars: why switch?

At only £12 for a full charge, running an electric car has been “much cheaper” for Darren Grant.

He has been an electric vehicle driver since he was offered the opportunity to switch to an electric car through his employer’s company car scheme last May.

He explained: “It was going to be a significant saving through Benefit in Kind tax.”

Since then, Darren has been benefiting from driving a more environmentally-friendly vehicle in many ways.

He said: “The main benefit I have noticed is the reduction in cost of petrol; charging the car is much cheaper than running a petrol or diesel car.

“Fully charging my car on a public rapid charger, which is more expensive than charging at home, costs me about £12 which is a fraction of the price it cost me to fill my petrol tank on my previous car.

“I’m from Arbroath where the number of charging facilities are plenty for the number of electric vehicles needing them.

“Whenever I come to Dundee, which is probably at least once a week, I always manage to find a charger close to the city centre that I can use.

“I would like to see some more in the bigger shopping centres like the Overgate.”

Darren has some advice for those who are also thinking of making the switch.

He added: “The variety of electric cars that are available are ever growing and the driving range of them is ever extending. There are cars available for everyone and their different needs.

“Although you may have to plan your trip a little more than usual, you get to know where the best chargers are, and the benefits far outweigh the hassle of planning.”

Since I have owned an electric car, I have never looked back – Darren Grant