All pages on this website are written by myself, (C) Peter Thomson. I am a real person, not AI.
Battery Electric Cars are fantastic to drive and low cost to run.
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Battery Electric Cars are fantastic to drive and low cost to run.
We bought our first electric car in 2020. A Kia Soul EV with a 64 kWh battery.
We next bought an Ioniq 5 in 2022 and my wife now uses the Kia Soul EV.
Both cars have run without any problems, and the batteries show no sign of any degradation.
Most of the time both cars are charged at home, but on longer journeys we have never had any problems with charging, never had to queue for a charger - although we don't travel on bank holidays. [ we have seen many occasions where cars were queuing to fill with petrol!]
Both cars are normally charged to 80% over night, and occasionally up to 100% on the night before a long journey.
My priorities are space inside for two people plus cargo, efficient operation, raised driver position, and a well designed vehicle that is really fun to drive. And essential for me, a range from home of 250 miles.
We used the SoulEV for camping holidays until we got the Ioniq5, and now use that for camping.
However the new Kia PV5 passenger looks as though it will be a much better match for our requirements.
What are my essential requirements?
I want a fully electric vehicle.
I want enough space inside to carry bee keeping equipment, 8 foot * 4ft sheets, 8 foot lengths of timber, and the occasional large item of furniture.
I want enough space inside to make it comfortable to use for camping.
I want to be able to carry 4 passengers, each with a large rucsac, walking boots and poles.
I want excellent visibility of the road all round to safely drive on our narrow and twisty rural lanes, as well as for narrow and congested roads in towns and villages.
I want enough range in winter to cover most of our trips, starting with 80% and ending back home with more than 20% of charge. About once per month starting with 100% charge and ending back home with more than 10% of charge.
Just checking on Google maps I can get almost anywhere I might go on a day trip within 160 miles return.
On longer trips I would start from home with 100% state of charge, and stop for a break and charge after about 100 to 150 miles, so from South Devon, I can get to anywhere in Wales, to Birmingham, to Milton Keynes, to London with a single stop.
On longer trips I know we will stop every 90 minutes for a break and top up the charge while we stretch, have a drink or meal and visit the toilet. We have never had any problems finding a charge point.
It would be nice to have all wheel drive, and we have this on the Ioniq 5, but this isn't an option with the PV5.
It would be nice to have a head up display, both the Kia Soul and the Ioniq 5 have this, but I have found that using a couple of mobile phones works just as well and gives me a much better choice of what to display.
I don't need ultra fast acceleration, luxury surface coverings and all the bells and whistles.
I have test driven several large electric SUVs, but I really don't need the large bonnet (hood) blocking my view, and I don't need the much higher price tag or insurance costs.
Which long range EV should I buy? Tesla? Kia?
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