Car Sharing- Easy and Electric

For a while, I had been considering buying an electric car, but had a few concerns. Would the mileage between recharges be sufficient? Would there be somewhere to recharge if necessary?

I wondered whether a hybrid would be better, so that the battery running out would be less of an issue. However, my research into fuel efficiency of hybrids did not encourage me.

Then I noticed a post on facebook, referring to a car sharing scheme which uses a fully electric car, a Nissan Leaf. I clicked the link and discovered that not only did the car seem to be exactly what I was considering, also it was located at van Heeckerenstraat, a short walk from my house. I thought that this could be the ideal manner in which to drive an electric car without the capital outlay that would be required to buy one.

I phoned Willemien, one of the participants,  and we met the following day. She gave me a short introduction to the car, including the electrical charging procedures, and I was struck by how much less complicated the car seemed to be in comparison to a petrol car. Basically, plug in, leave for a bit, then unplug and you are ready to go.

The test drive was a joy too. Being used to driving manual cars, the controls felt extraordinarily easy. A single control for gears (offering just drive, reverse and park), an accelerator and a brake. In ePedal mode you don’t even need to use the brake most of the time – just take your foot off the accelerator and the car brakes. The car was also exceptionally quiet.

Access to the car is very easy. An app on your phone is used for opening and locking the car at the start and end of the hire, and another app shows you the charging points which can be used in the event that you want to go further afield, although the 350 kilometre range of the car means this usually this won’t be required.

addendum: The text above is written by our former participant Richard in May 2020- he went back home tot he UK in 2021, where he bought exactly the same car we have- with the steering wheel on the other side. We are proud of the ripple effect!