ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Zero Emissions Motoring

The best reason to buy an Electric Car? Zero emissions! EVs don’t produce any emissions which, in turn helps to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gasses. What more could you ask for?!

Cheap Running Costs

It’s a great idea to be switched on about all thing’s electricity. But not to worry. You’re notIn for a physics lesson. Well, not a long one anyway. When we talk about ev’s we tend to Use kw as a unit for electricity and kwh– for the battery. A kw (kilo watt) is a unit of Power. 1-kw is 1,000 watts. That’s about the power of an electric vacuum cleaner or a Power drill. A kwh (kilo watt hour) is the same unit of energy but at a constant rate over One hour. A 100-watt device, for example, a television that’s on for 10 hours, will use 1-kwh. So, the power of the battery, like the 64-kwh lithium-ion battery in the e-niro can theoretically Produce 64,000watts for one hour or 6,400 watts for 10 hours and it’s that which provides the Power to run the electric motor…getting back to the main advantage.

The average cost of charging up an electric car is around 30p per kw at a rapid charging point. In aberdeenshire at time of writing) charge place scotland points are free! It could be as low as 5p (and some tariffs now offer free energy!!) with off-peak cheaper electricity at home. You can easily get a dedicated home charging point installed when you buy a new electric car.

Tax Benefits & Government Grants

Buying and owning an EV offers tax incentives and advantages. Many major Scottish cities are in consultation to designate zero emission zones, as seen in London, where a daily fee will apply to all internal combustion engine vehicles.   This is currently £12.50 per day in London, or £300 per month for daily users.

Company car tax. Drivers of company vehicles are required to pay tax based on the emissions of the vehicle. The EV rate is currently only 2%.  An equivalently priced VW Tiguan could see drivers taxed on 37% of the value per month or a staggering £962 per month with personal fuel benefit.

A 0% loan can also be provided by the Energy Saving Trust. In addition to all the other offers available, this Scottish Government backed scheme offers up to £30,000 interest free for up to 6 years for Used Electric cars. If you borrow the total amount for the maximum period your monthly payment will be £416.67.  The interest saving (based on 9.9% APR) is over £9,400! Taxi drivers can access larger interest free loans of up to £120,000.  These loans are subject to availability, status, terms and conditions.  Please see https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/ for more details.  Please note, the EST loan is generally not available during local and national election periods and is a limited value fund.

Driving Experience

The comfortable driving position with excellent visibility makes driving a breeze. In and around town it’s a
serene and calm experience. There is even a virtual motor sound designed to warn pedestrians of your presence.
When you hit the open road there’s more than enough power for fast and smooth acceleration. You can virtually
drive the e-Niro with one pedal. Instead of using the brakes, you can select different levels of regenerative braking
which recovers energy when coasting or slowing down, thanks to the paddle behind the steering wheel. It’s an
intuitive way of eco-driving. The use of regenerative braking significantly increases range and further reduces
environmental impact by delivering the maximum possible range from a charge.

Electric Vehicles do not have a traditional gearbox. For example, in the Kia e-Niro you simply twist the central
dial left for Reverse and dial right for Drive, you then press the accelerator and you’re off. The electronic parking
brake releases automatically.

EV Great Range Of Cars

As Electric cars are the future, you will always find practical, fun and great looking vehicles. That’s good news for prospective buyers and there are some fantastic Electric cars available right now. Gillanders now stock the following electric vehicles;

The Kia EV6 GT is a powerful and fun electric SUV that rivals some of the best sports cars on the market. It has a sleek design, a spacious interior, and a host of advanced features. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 162 mph. It also has an all-wheel drive system with dual motors that produce 576 horsepower. It is an exciting and eco-friendly ride that can turn heads everywhere it goes.

Easy Fast Charging

Did you know there are over 20,000 EV charging points all across the UK? That’s more than double the number of petrol stations with the network growing every single day. Scotland has more chargers per head of capita than the rest of the UK and you are typically closer to a charger in Scotland than England. Today’s Electric Cars are very easy to charge. Even a domestic three-pin plug can charge your car. With a 3 to 6-kW rating, it will take a day at work or overnight to charge up to 50%. With a home charging installation, rated at 7-kW or 22-kW, you can benefit from Fast Charging. Typically, a 40-kWh battery can be charged between 6-7 hours from empty. Additionally, with Rapid Charging and rated points of 50-kW, you can get an 80% charge in less than 45 minutes.

Download “Zap Map” to find route planning, charger updates and live
charger statuses.