This week I've been test driving a Peugeot electric car for the JEC. It's the first electric car I've driven and it's been an unalloyed pleasure being behind the wheel. It's perfect for town traffic as when stuck in a queue you are neither wasting petrol nor creating air pollution; the silence is golden (there's a good radio too). I particularly like the gauge which shows you how the battery is getting charged as you decelerate, which encourages better driving, as you tend to allow the car to slow down that way rather than using the brakes. It's got plenty of power for accelerating out of difficulty, and its range seems ideal for island life. 'Filling up' at home is convenient, easy and, I guess, cheap. The silent running of the car does mean you have to watch out for pedestrians and cyclists, but I do that anyway, so it's not a problem. The only obstacle in the way of my putting in an order for one is the price, rumoured to be in the tens of thousands. But if this one is going begging at a knock down price after the trial, I would certainly be interested.
4 comments:
"'Filling up' at home is convenient"
Yeah, great if you've got a parking space of your own.
What about the rest of us?
Not as shocking as a Taser and much more desirable - so pleased to see you experimenting with this vehicle.
Your interview prior to your silently whizzing away in this car appears on my current tomgruchy.blogspot.
However, I hope that you will whizz back asap to record another interview on the outcome of the Constables' Committee meeting because I gather that my reform suggestions were rejected without serious discussion!
If the Constables seriously want to survive - in the States or Parishes - they will have to undertake some major reform of their own roles and responsibilities.
Opening up the Constables' Committee meetings to the public is just a start.
The silent running of the car worries me a bit. A few weeks ago I spotted a car similar to this and noticed how quiet it is. When you are backing out or driving in to small parish lanes i find rolling down the window and listening out for traffic to be the number one test to make sure nothing is coming. These quiet cars are dangerous in the respect and i think they should be made to make some sort of noise. I know it is different in town but for an all island thing the lack of noise needs to be looked at for safety reasons
Agreed. What the rest of those who want to own a car ought to have access to is either a residents parking scheme or adequate space in a nearby off street car park. That's why I've been objecting to the loss of spaces at Green Street when the new police HQ is built. On the plus side, whatever replaces the old police HQ ought to include a good size public car park with electric charging points.
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