CHARGING ACROSS COUNTRY

Can electric cars cope with rural conditions? Paul Markillie finds out ...

From INTELLIGENT LIFE Magazine, Winter 2009

Darkness is upon us, so the headlights are on. That will only make matters worse because we still have some way to go. Who do I know in the next village? Jake’s a green and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind letting me use an electric socket for an hour or two. That should be long enough to top up the battery for an assault on the hill towards home. Perhaps we can reach the pub? I make a mental note to put an extension lead in the boot–one long enough to reach the car park from the bar.

It will be touch and go. The dial on top of the dashboard is mesmerising. The needle is well into the red now and will soon drop below 10%. My fault, because I failed to charge up fully before we left. But we are still going. We pass Jake’s place and then the pub. We are now on a single-track lane, but at least there are no lights coming. So I go for it: floor the accelerator and take the hill. Amazingly we hit 50mph. Only a few hundred yards now and up the drive, stop and plug a power lead into the socket fitted in the hole where petrol would normally go. The secret of life with an electric car is perfect planning.

A number of new electric cars will be launched over the next few years. Many will be hybrids of various sorts, but among them are cars that will rely only on their battery. With incentives like zero road tax, freedom from tolls such as the London congestion charge and perhaps even subsidies, all-electric vehicles could make a lot of sense in cities, where average speeds are slow and most journeys short. But what about getting their tyres dirty in the countryside?

You would think that rural electric motoring has a lot going for it. Out in the sticks people are more likely to have a drive or a garage available for an overnight charge. And with scant public transport most households tend to have more than one car, so the electric one could serve as a short-range runabout. But there are drawbacks, which soon become apparent during the downpour that greets the arrival of an electric Smart Fortwo (on a trailer because it lacks the range to reach rural Hampshire from Milton Keynes). The lanes in these parts turn into rivers when it pours. The Land Rover just ploughs through, but the Smart is small, and water and electricity don’t mix. I am particularly concerned about the big battery under the floor. But to survive in the countryside any car must cope with chores like an eight-mile (13km) round trip to a convenience store, come rain, wind or shine.

It is strange turning the ignition key to be greeted by silence, but pressing the accelerator sends us zooming off. The Smart is surprisingly nippy. One of the great attributes of an electric motor is that it delivers torque almost instantly. Which is why there is no need for a gearbox. The Smart has all the safety features of a real car, including air bags and anti-lock brakes, plus a heater, a fan, lights and windscreen-wipers—all of which go on as the interior steams up and we pick our way through the shallows.

The journey is completed without a glitch, although it has relieved the battery of about 10% of its capacity. The next morning, after an overnight charge, it is back to full. All other trips proceed much like driving a small petrol car, except that fast main roads also sap the battery. This is why the electric Smart is electronically limited to 60mph.

I estimate it cost about £1 to recharge overnight. Daimler, which owns Smart, reckons it can go for 70 miles on a charge, but I would be more comfortable with about 50 miles and plenty of reserve. As most small cars will now do more than 50 miles on a gallon of petrol, the Smart could in theory go four or five times farther for the same money—just not in one go.

The total cost of ownership is less clear because the big manufacturers have yet to launch and price their all-electric cars. My Smart was a test vehicle. The final version, soon to go into production, will have a more efficient battery and will initially be leased to companies. Sales to individuals are due to begin in 2012.

As a rule of thumb, expect the initial outlay on an all-electric car to be twice that of its petrol equivalent, because the batteries are expensive. Subsidies could reduce prices, but drivers wanting longer range or better performance will have to pay more for extra-powerful batteries. Some carmakers will sell or lease batteries separately. Only when electric cars take to the road in increasing numbers will it be possible to compare costs and performance properly. Still, as the prototype Smart showed, the sums just might add up to use one in the countryside—provided you remember to plug your vehicle in.

ALL-ELECTRIC OPTIONS

Smart Fortwo ED Up to 115km and 0-60kph in 6.5 seconds. Due 2012