Sales of new internal combustion engines (ICE) vehicles will be banned in 2030 and, globally, governments are drawing up plans to drastically reduce carbon emissions. The Government of Jersey’s Carbon Neutral Roadmap has set out the Island’s ambitions to reach net zero by 2050.
We are here to support the switch to electric. Motoring emissions account for 44% of Jersey’s carbon emissions so, as more Islanders make the move to EVs, we will see this figure reduce.
Whatever your reasons for considering an EV, we are here to help you make the right decision. Asking key questions before and during the buying process will make sure you get the most out of your EV ownership.
We want to empower drivers to understand exactly what they need from an EV, make the right decision and get the most out of their EV experience.
Know it
Before you start looking at particular models of EVs or visit a dealership, there are three key questions to understand.
What is your vehicle need?
This comes down to understanding what you need from the vehicle and making sure it suits your lifestyle. Maybe you need a small car to drive to the shops every few days, or a seven-seater that will also fit in bikes, paddle boards and pets.
Do you prefer a higher car to making getting in and out easier?
Do you plan to travel to England or France in the car or stay on-Island? If so, a car with a larger battery would be best placed to help you cover greater distances before charging.
Knowing what you need from the car will help narrow down the search.
How much do you use your car?
Understanding how many miles you do in a typical week is crucial. This will determine the size of the battery you need and how often you will need to charge the car.
Perhaps you drive to and from work five days a week and use the car lightly over the weekend. Others might be ferrying children to school and activities whilst also driving to and from work each day.
The battery size will directly affect how often you need to charge the vehicle.
What are your charging needs?
Will you be able to charge your vehicle at home, or will you use the Island’s Evolve public charging network?
Some EV users rely on the Evolve network to charge their car. With over 100 charge points around the Island, we have a reliable and robust network available in Jersey. EV drivers will need to familarise themselves with where the charge points are that fit in with their typical routes. Charging whilst at work or while shopping, so it fits with your usual routes and routines, or leaving it overnight, will make charging your vehicle more convenient.
If you can install an EV charger at home, this is straightforward and cost-effective. JE offers an Easycharge subscription service from £30 per month which includes free installation of a smart Ohme charger with full warranty and inclusive overnight charging.
Other EV users will charge their vehicle overnight from a three pin plug in their home.
Cost is important. It has to affordable to switch to an electric car. Once you understand the above three questions, you can start to get an idea of costs. You can use our calculator to see how much you could potentially save each year by switching to an EV.
With your homework done, you are now ready to visit a dealership and look at specific vehicles.
Get it
Now you know what you need from your EV, you can start talking to dealers, looking online and asking questions to make sure the EV meets your needs.
You need to leave with a car that meets your requirements. To make sure this happens, be sure to ask questions and share your research, so you are shown EVs that match your requirements.
What is available?
A dealership will have different options available. To help them narrow down what they show you, you must tell them what you need from the vehicle, such as how many miles you roughly drive each week and what characteristics you need from the car. If you are looking online, ask for all details about the vehicle.
What are the specifics of the EV?
There are many different types of EVs and plenty of considerations to make during this phase of the buying process. It is important to know the range of the vehicle, its battery size and what charging leads come with the car.
A car can charge in 30 minutes or take more than 10 hours. This will be dependent on its battery size and the speed of the charging point.
Understanding the speed your EV will charge at is vital, and how this will differ when connecting to a fast or rapid charger – these are all questions your dealership should be able to answer.
For example if you buy a car with a 60kWh battery and connect to a 7kW charging point it can take many hours, whereas on a rapid or ultra-rapid charger, you could quickly add miles. A car will only charge at the rate its own battery size can handle.
JE’s Evolve has information for EV drivers to understand more about the range of public chargers, so you can learn how these will work with the EV you are considering.
Does the car meet your needs?
Will one charge cover the weekly school run, trips to swimming and dancing classes, as well as your own commute. Or would it need charging two to three times per week, and does this fit in with your week?
If you live in a property where an Easycharge system can be installed and you can top up your car’s battery overnight, then this question won’t need a huge amount of thought.
But if you live in a property without adjacent parking, or with on-street parking only, you will need to consider using JE’s Evolve public charging network and how this fits with your lifestyle and routine.
The research you do before looking into specific vehicles will be invaluable in making sure you are shown and test drive the EVs that best suit you. Keep asking questions to check that the car will fit well with your needs and that you are confident you understand its battery capacity and other features.
Go
This is the exciting part, but transitions of any kind rarely come without teething problems. Just as drivers had to familiarise themselves with fuel pumps all those years ago, now there is a new technology to conquer for EV drivers.
Charging
Once you own an EV, you will quickly fall into a pattern of charging that works for you.
It’s important to remember that an EV will only charge as fast as its on-board battery allows. For example a BMW i3 is fitted with an 11kW on-board charger for AC charging. This means that even when it is connected to a fast charger, such as the 22kW Evolve model, it would only be able to charge at 11kW.
Some EV users can be concerned about the range of an EV. In Jersey, where the average distance covered is around 4,000 miles a year, which works out at 77 miles per week, and there are over 100 public chagrining stations, this isn’t such an issue. However you charge your vehicle, you can prevent any range anxiety by planning when you will next charge your car around your lifestyle.
Accessing Evolve
Before you take ownership of the EV you will need to register with Evolve and download the app, through which you can order a charging tag. The charging tag enables you to access the public charging network with ease, though it is also straightforward to charge through the app.
We recommend having a charging tag even if you have charging facilities at home, you never know when you might suddenly need to add a few miles to make sure you can finish your jobs and get home.
Familarise yourself with the location of the chargers that you are most likely to use. Even if you are going to mainly charge your car at home, it is still worth knowing where the chargers are in case you decide to charge whilst you are in town or out and about.
The Evolve network is regularly updated, so stay up to date with news of upgrades to the system and the addition of new chargers at evolve.je.
Performance
You can preserve your battery charge by driving efficiently. By driving steadily your EV will use less battery and your mileage will last slightly longer. You will see your car range increase if you drive down a hill without accelerating as an EV as the battery regenerates. Most EVs have an ‘eco’ setting that automatically engages economical driving.
Equipment
New cars bought from dealerships should come with the correct leads and equipment for charging. If you buy a secondhand EV direct from a private seller and need to purchase charging equipment, this is not an area to cut corners. It’s important to buy a manufacturer compliant lead so you do not have issues when it comes to charging.
Travel
If you plan to take your EV off-Island, do your research before you travel. There are websites and apps, such as Zap Map, to help you plan your journey and draw up a route based on your vehicle’s range and the location of charging stations.
Zap Map, for example, features a handy route planner showing you the positions of more than 35,000 charging points across the UK. Just as you would if you were using your sat nav, you enter your start and end destinations into the planner, and the website will plot your route, including charge stations, for you.
Newer EVs come with in-built navigation and charging features to tell you how long you will need to connect to the charger before continuing with your journey.
Whether you are driving in the UK or in Europe, you will find that most charge points have charging cables attached to them so you can select the cable which suits your vehicle. While I would recommend doing your research before you go, it is unlikely, given the cable options, that you will need to take an adaptor with you, but it may be worthwhile as backup.
Evolve is compatible with tens of thousands of public charge points in the Virta network across the UK and Europe. This makes traveling off-Island with an EV straightforward, as you can see which charge points are available on the Evolve app map. It is important to note that charge points outside of Jersey are set to their own local tariffs via roaming, so the price you pay for your charge is set by the network in that local area.
Parking
In Jersey, EV drivers can apply for Eco Friendly parking permit which gives EV drivers one year of free parking for newly registered vehicles. After this, EV drivers pay half price for parking with the permit.
We hope your transition to driving an EV has been smooth and you are enjoying the cost and environmental benefit of low-carbon motoring.
