What it’s like to live with an electric car
As their ranges improve and prices become more realistic, electric vehicles (EVs) will become our mainstream form of transport one day.
By 2025, it’s predicted 11% of cars sold globally will be battery powered, while by 2040 they’re expected to surpass sales of internal-combustion engine cars.
But what’s it like to live with an electric vehicle right now? We asked Shaun Maidment, an EV early adopter who has driven more than 188,000km in his BMW i3 since buying it new in 2016, about his ownership experience.
Why did you buy an electric vehicle?
I was doing a lot of mileage and spending R3,000 to R4,000 on petrol every month.
I was sceptical about an EV at first, but I did the math and found that I’d save so much money on fuel, even though the i3 was quite expensive.
What’s the range?
It’s the older i3 so the range is about 120km [a new i3 with double the battery capacity will soon be launched in SA]. It’s the REX (range-extended) model with the optional small petrol engine which gives an extra 150km of range, and I drove the car from Joburg to Durban by just topping up at petrol stations along the way, no problem.
The petrol engine stopped working after the warranty had expired at 100,000km and BMW quoted R17,000 to repair it, but I haven’t bothered. I don’t usually need it. I’ve driven the car for over a year now on electric power only.
How long does it take to charge?
About eight hours at a normal wall plug. I either charge it overnight at home or take it to a BMW or Nissan dealership to quick-charge for free. I do a lot of mileage – 2,500 to 4,000km a month – but I don’t have a problem with range anxiety because if the battery’s running low I just pop into a dealer for a quick-charge, where I can work on my laptop and have a coffee while it’s charging. It would take about two-and-ahalf hours to quick-charge to full but I can be on my way in half an hour or so with a decent range.
What does it cost to run? About R34 in electricity for a full charge at home, but free at the abovementioned car dealers. I haven’t yet used Jaguar’s new GridCars network where a charge from zero to 80% will take about 72 minutes for a fee, but I’ve worked out that it will cost about R80. That’s still less than half the price it would cost for an average petrol car to drive a distance of 120km [based on a car that gets 10l/100km].
The only servicing it has needed was replacing the brake pads and brake fluid.
Have you ever run out of juice? Once very nearly, but I stopped at a hair salon and they kindly allowed me to plug the car in. It took 15 minutes to get the battery to around 8% which was enough to get me home.
Are you still getting the same range as when the car was new?
Very close. There’s been very little battery degradation and it’s still at around 90% of its original capacity.
Tell me more about your experience with the car.
I’m very happy with the performance, especially the pulloff and the overtakes. It’s quite exhilarating and very pleasant to drive. I also make a game of getting the best range I can out of a charge.
In terms of wear and tear the car has held up very well. In future I’d choose leather seats instead of the cloth ones I have though, as there’s a small tear in the side of my driver’s seat.
Any negatives?
Though it’s quite roomy the i3’s only a four seater and I’d prefer it to have a three-seater bench at the back to make it a better family car. Also, it’s the only car in the country with that particular size wheel and a replacement tyre takes about a day to order.
Q: Would you recommend the car to others?
Yes, definitely. Will your next car be an EV? Yes, but that won’t be soon as I intend to keep my i3 until it breaks. I don’t think it has much resale value.