I been having such fun in the new car, I haven't got around to writing about it! Now, some may wonder how that is so and certainly I've had some comments from the last one saying if Electric cars are such hassle - there is no way they are ever going near one - but that was just the learning curve.

The next long journey was back to Manchester. This one went via Hinckley - I would normally take the M69, M1, A50, M6 - but the shortest route is A5, M6, it's just a bit slower - but of course in the Leaf the stop/start nature of that route allows more regeneration. It also allows a recharge at a handy charger just before Junction 15 of the M6 - 20kw for £1.80 was enough charge to get into Manchester - see City beat United and head home. We could have stopped at the same charger on the way home, but stopped at Keele Services instead 18kw for £5.55 expensive but the cost of the sandwiches we bought were the bigger rip off! All very easy, straightforward and so much cheaper than petrol!

A week later I was off to Bolton - another stop at Stoke for a charge and then in Bolton I connect up again, this time for free at Topp Way Car Park whilst meeting up with Mum & Dad at church. This was a slower charger so even though it was connected for an hour and a half it still wasn't a full charge. So heading home that evening I stopped at a rapid charger in Walkden. Enough to get home without another stop - but of course the Motorway running clear is always tempting and this electric motor can shift! By the time I was passing Wolverhampton I was the slow bloke doing 50 on the inside lane as I conserved energy. This electric driving lark is always a careful balance between hare and tortoise.

For the rest of the time I'm toddling around the city - for such driving it's ideal. A full charge at home once a week and another smaller charge to top up somewhere along the way is all that is required. In the City Centre we have a number of street side parking chargers provided by two suppliers. I signed up to one of the network's when I first got the car and they immediately took £10 on account! So I decided I'd better get some electricity for my money and plugged in whilst at a meeting at the Council House. 1 hour 45 min and 12kw later my account had been reduced by £3.44 - most expensive electricity I've found so far. Had I parked at a meter it would have cost £2 so I guess it really cost £1.44 - but still cheaper in Bolton. 

So, to those who read my last adventure and saw enough to never go near an Electric Vehicle - it's really not that bad. In fact it's great, certainly for those who travel regular short distances around urban areas - it is the cheapest, cleanest way to drive. The infrastructure is still limited, but as more of us choose EV that will change, but many will not need much more infrastructure than there own electricity supply and so long as we have somewhere to plug in, we have a cleaner form of transport. That has to be worth working at.