The final Great Big Green Week event, in the car park at St. James the Less Church, was an opportunity to learn about electric cars (“EVs”) and e-bikes from experienced local owners.
Four EVs and five e-bikes were on show, and visitors were able to try out the bikes, and experience rides in the EVs. Owners are invariably enthusiastic! E-bikes are brilliant for short journeys in our hilly, windy parish; they take much of the effort out of going up hills or riding into a head-wind; you get there more quickly too. EVs are in the process of coming of age – driving ranges keep increasing, the charging network is growing rapidly, and the amount of time needed to fast-charge is being reduced as chargers get faster. That said, all four owners do nearly all their charging at home. This makes running costs very low as there’s no fuel duty, and only 5% VAT, on domestic electricity; add in Economy 7 and/or solar panels and motoring can get very cheap. If you think you’re not ready for an EV, try asking any owner whether they would go back to internal combustion! And best of all, driving an EV, and using an e-bike for short local trips, helps the planet.
We are very grateful to St. James the Less PCC for letting us use the car park, and for providing refreshments in the church.