Interesting, informative, and entertaining article by Chris Stokes, who has over half a decade of using EVs on the Irish roads now. We asked him all the usual questions, what worked, what didn’t, would you did it all over again, his answers are considered and thoughtful. If you would like to share your experiences of using an EV them drop us a line, and we would be happy to feature further perspectives on Ireland’s journey to a greener driving experience.
EVs the pros and cons
I bought my 1st ev in 2019, which maybe just about qualifies me for the status of ‘early adopter’. Being a middle aged man that kind of kudos is important to me, more so than any other possible advantage that might accrue from owning a reasonably nice car.
And reasonably nice covers it quite well. It was a 2nd hand e-golf, less than a year old and I brought it in from the UK. I was never a car guy and this was the most i had ever spent on one.
There were a few reasons why I decided to go for an EV and at this time. Mostly my old diesel ford focus had started to throw random bills at me as it entered into its twilight years. I could see the writing on the wall, it was going to break down some where inconvenient at some point. I’m of the opinion that if you need a car then this is the only good reason to change it – financially, environmentally, the best option is no car followed by drive your car until it dies.
Not knowing much about cars, being cautious when spending money and being the kind of person that researches to the point of internet rabbit holes, I did fair amount of reading. Eventually I was convinced, or had convinced myself, that electric was the way forward. Electric motors are relatively simple and efficient things, far less likely to break then their petrol or engine equivalents. Less things to break, less things to service. Electric cars are cheaper to run (if you can charge at home). They are quieter, more comfortable. They tend to come with far more technology and addons compared to their ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) equivalents. And they do have less of an impact on the environment, every serious study I have read backs this up. They are not ‘good’ for the environment. They are ‘less bad’.
After about 12months of reading various forums and being told that my steering links would soon fail on my ford focus, I found a car. At this time (2019) there wasn’t a lot of choice at my price point. The second hand market basically came down to a Nissan Leaf, a Hyundai Ioniq or a VW e-golf. The Leaf had Chademo charging architecture, a dying standard that would (is) becomingly harder to find so making public charging even more difficult (similar to buying a beta max video player back in the day). The Ioniq didn’t look like it would take my bike rack very well (an all glass lid on the boot). So by default it was e-golf or nothing.
I was fortunate in that VRT on cars purchased in the UK was not a thing – this changed in 2021 with the implementation of Brexit. So I got a good deal in the UK, and drove home, my first all electric trip being from Milton Keynes to Holyhead, around 400km on a 200km range car.
And it was great. I had lots of time, I had extensively researched charging in the UK and had a number of possible stops lined up to allow for any unforeseens. I glided home, enjoying all the things that weren’t in a 15 year old diesel (navigation, spotify, cruise control, lane assist, instant heat….) And when I got to the ferry they waved me to the front of the queue so I could drive in and charge my car on board (for free!). It was like I had joined some kind of exclusive club where i was just a little bit better than everyone else. Smug.
I kept the e-golf for 18months and it might still be the best car I ever had. Solid like a VW golf is (was?) renowned for, everything worked.
But the range. 200km. We’re a one car family. We have relatives either end of the country. With a small child. It was manageable but more range is nice…
I traded in for a brand new ID3 in 2021. Second hand values were still good, inflated by Covid, and I reasoned this might be the only time I ever get to buy a new car as the cost of changing and getting that extra range was not terrible.
I have no regrets despite the ID 3 giving me a few software issues. And I imagine I will drive it until it dies. Changing cars is expensive and silly. Another 100km would be nice but perhaps you’re always going to think that whereas the reality is that you don’t really need it and certainly not enough to justify the expense of changing cars.
Relatives in Sligo was a problem until recently but more high speed chargers have recently gone in. In over 5 years I have never had an issue of not getting to a charger of having to wait for one to become free. However, I do mostly only consider charging at places with multiple charging units. I consider companies installing single unit chargers in places a mistake – i have no interest in arriving somewhere to find that a unit is broke or in use already.
In a country the size of Ireland charging only becomes an issue if you’re travelling large distances – most destinations have electricity even if they don’t have a dedicated charger. If you’re going to a place and returning the same day it might be a problem or require some thought as to where you might stop and charge.
Therefore range anxiety is not that much of a thing. 95% of my driving is in and around home and work. I plug it in at home once or twice week and forget about it.
And of course the big caveat to owning an EV is being able to charge at home. I know of people who rely entirely on public charging but it just wouldn’t be for me. I don’t have time to drive to a charger and wait around for the battery to fill up; and the price of public charging is on par with filling up with fossil fuel so where is the benefit to owning an EV in that scenario?
Currently my EV electricity rate runs 2-5am and it costs approximately €1.30 to drive 100km*. The equivalent would be approximately €10 on a public charger** or using petrol***. I also run the washing machine and dishwasher on the same rate.
For home owners with driveways I think that switching to an EV is genuinely a no brainer for most. As the 2nd hand market matures and more cars become available this will increasingly become the case. Additionally, people will soon come to see that the fears about battery degradation are over blown and not worth much consideration (the exception to this is Nissan Leafs, they don’t age well, avoid). My prediction is that the slump in second hand values will reverse.
I have been somewhat evangelical about EVs for a while. Cheap, easy, comfortable driving. I have always considered the negatives over blown, either by people’s fear of change or by a conspiracy of those invested in oil, whichever suits your worldview. I would even look down my nose at those with hybrids as people who just aren’t able to make a decision and are now towing a petrol engine around with them ‘just in case’.
I would still consider the future bright for electric cars. Efficiency and financial savings will drive it and the obvious evidence is the amount of boomer taxi drivers who have made the switch. The charging infrastructure continues to improve and if you can charge at home you don’t need to use it very often anyway.
The next issue that will need to be addressed is how to supply convenient charging for those without their own homes and driveways. It will require a mix of technological and regulatory answers.
I can’t ever imagine going back to a petrol or diesel car. And hydrogen is not happening any time soon if at all.
* Bord Gais Smart EV Dual Fuel rate of 7.45cent per kwh. Car’s consumption based on long term average of 16kwh per 100km (as taken from my car, the real life consumption based on the last 4 years). I have allowed for some charging losses because i can afford to.
** ecars 0.59cent per kwh and based on 16kwh per 100km again. This is based on using a ‘fast’ charger with no monthly subscription.
***SEAI July 2025 gives €10.40 per 100km
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