Can you live and work with an electric car?

The first wave of the electric Mini trial is over. GreenFleet® finds out from those involved if an electric vehicle is really a viable transport option in the real word

In order to gain first-hand perspectives from real people as to what it is like living and working with an electric car, MINI have been trialing an all-electric version of the car, called the Mini E. The first wave of the trial, which saw both organisations and individuals using the car for six months, is now over and the results are resoundingly positive: once you get used to the car and overcome ‘range anxiety’, you won’t want to hand the keys back.

Partly supported by government funding, the trial involved putting together a research consortium comprising Southern Electric (part of Scottish and Southern Electric) to supply both the electricity and charging infrastructure, and Oxford Brookes University to collect and analyse scientific data as well as gain user feedback. The consortium also included the East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire City Council to test the cars in a fleet environment.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
The MINI E made its world premiere at the Los 2008 Angeles Auto Show and has been involved in trials in the US by private and corporate customers. The positive feedback from these first trials led to similar large-scale tests being introduced in Germany in early 2009 and now the UK – the three largest markets for MINI.

The Mini E is not currently available for purchase as it was developed for the purpose of the trial. But BMW group is aiming to begin series production of all-electric vehicles before the middle of the next decade and will use the results from the trial to understand user behaviour and address user concerns.

HOW IT WORKED
Individual company drivers who were allocated a Mini E had a 32 Amp charge point installed in their garage or driveway to fully charge the car from empty in just four and a half hours. Charge points are set on automatic timer to start charging when the off peak electricity kicks in. A full charge at this rate costs around £1.50. Using higher-rate daytime electricity costs around £4.00. There is also a boost button that will start the charge immediately if you have to use the car that evening.

Charge points were installed with a secondary meter system to measure the amounts of electricity used against mileage for useful data on electricity consumption.

There were also charge points installed in organisation’s headquarters and elsewhere in the region.

The electricity used for the trial is kept as green as possible. David Densley, project manager at Southern Electric explains: “What we’re doing for the Mini E trial is to match all the electricity that is consumed to charge the car with green electricity from our hydroelectric stations.”

OVERCOMING BARRIERS
Oxford City Council had five cars in total; one which was allocated to an individual member of staff and four which were used as pool cars.

Brian Webzell, fleet manager at Oxford County Council explained the initial reaction to the Mini E: “Some staff initially said ‘oh that won’t be any good for me as I won’t be able to go where I need to’. So we pulled all the records for our pool cars from the last three months and showed them that in fact 85 to 87 per cent of all the journeys could have been done in an electric car. So we were able to knock a lot of these initial perceptions on the head.”

Chris Hale, a strategic account manager at SEEDA was allocated a Mini E which he used to visit clients. Chris explains that due to his engineering background, he was confident to push the car to its full performance, but others were more cautious: “Range anxiety affects people differently. Some will plan their journeys well within the range envelope of the car, while other people will be more confident in taking the car to its full range capabilities.”

So what exactly is range anxiety? Webzell, who refers to it as ‘gauge syndrome’, explains: “It’s like when the light comes on in your car to tell you that you have to fill up soon, it makes you nervous, and soon after you’ll fill up. To start with in the Mini E you constantly look at the battery symbol that tells you how many miles left. But once you get used to the car, you go further and further afield.”

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?
“The Mini E performs extremely well, it’s very fast and quick of the mark,” enthuses Webzell. “It can be an eye opener to someone who thinks electric cars are slow because they associate them with milk floats or golf buggies. I can assure you that if you drive an electric Mini you will come out with a nice wide smile on your face. I love driving it.”

Hale commented: “A curious thing about the car is that you push the start button, and the car goes from being perfectly quiet to perfectly quiet. You see the charge metre come up which is visual confirmation that engine is running, but the usual start up noise and vibration is gone. It moves away perfectly quietly and the acceleration is very smooth.”

The Mini E has regenerative braking which claws back the energy lost when the driver releases the accelerator – extending the range by up to 20 per cent.

Andy Badger, wayleave office at Scottish and Southern Electric, who has been allocated a Mini E, found this a very positive aspect of the car: “I found the regenerative braking brilliant. When you learn how to judge distances right, you rarely need to use the brakes at all, you just take your foot off the accelerator and the car slows down significantly by itself. It’s like having a one pedal car.”

Webzell adds: “Because you’re anticipating distances more, this encourages good safe driving. And you’re getting free energy and a very smooth drive experience.”

CHANGES TO DRIVER BEHAVIOUR
One of BMW’s aims of the trial was to understand the ‘behavioural’ aspects of living with an all-electric car. So did the users have to change their usual driving behaviour much? Badger comments: “In your usual car, if you need to refuel you just find a refuelling station. But with an electric vehicle you have to start your journey thinking how many miles you have to do, and if you’ll be able to find a charging point.”

Hale agrees: “Most people have found that they need to plan their journey in a far more deliberate manner than before.”

Webzell adds: “You have to take into consideration where charge points are. We have points throughout the county to increase range. Even if the journey is well within the range, it gives people reassurance that they can charge the car on route. Even 15 minutes will give quite a significant charge.”

Mini say that the car can do 100-120 miles on a single charge, depending on driving style and conditions. Due to the long cold spell at the start of the year, the range achieved at the start of the trial was hindered. Badger’s range in the colder weather was about 60 miles – but he has since been achieving closer to 100 miles. Webzell comfortably achieves around 90 miles on a full charge and Hale’s range is 85-90 miles, although the best he achieved was 104 miles.

THE VERDICT
So is there a place for electric vehicles in the real world? Hale thinks the take up will first come from fleet buyers: “I think electric vehicles will definitely lend themselves more to fleet usage where the vehicle is required to do the same relatively short journey in a highly repetitive manner. They will be appealing to fleets because of potential lower fuel costs and because they’re greener.”

Although range, infrastructure and cost were sited as the main things that need improving before the UK will fully embrace electric vehicles, the trial participants were positive. Webzell said: “We’ve proven that a lot of our journeys can be successfully completed in an electric vehicle. So pennies permitting, I can see us buying an electric vehicle in the future.”

Hale said: “I’m absolutely convinced of the technology. I think it’s the automotive future but not the immediate future for every type of journey. If you do lots of motorway driving rather than urban driving then maybe it’s not right for the moment. But all of this will change and improve when the public charging infrastructure is put in place.”

The second half of the trial will commence in September this year.