We interviewed Peter Clegg, a retired sales and marketing professional from Cheltenham about his decision to buy an electric vehicle, and his advice for others considering a switch away from petrol or diesel vehicles.
So, Peter why did you chose an EV as your next car?
I’d just had an operation on my foot and the consultant said that I wasn’t to drive for 6 weeks, so I decided to look for an automatic to replace my manual car.
I was already a customer of Cleevely Motors, who had looked after my cars for many years, so I asked Matt for his advice. He knew I had solar panels on my house, so since they are both automatic and green, he suggested I consider an electric vehicle. A few days later, he’d arranged a test drive in a Nissan Leaf and 7 days later I purchased my Nissan Leaf Acenta 24kWh.
That was 16 months ago, and I’m very happy with my decision to switch to an electric vehicle.
What are your favourite things about driving the Leaf?
What I love most about the Leaf is that it is very easy to drive and quiet. It makes me feel good about driving a car that isn’t creating pollution, and since I have solar PV panels it’s genuinely a green vehicle. Plus, as I am generating my own electricity at home it’s costing me almost nothing to drive.
In addition to owning the Leaf you have also rented a Tesla Model S 75D from Cleevely Electric Vehicles self-drive hire service. Can you tell us more about why you chose to do that, and your experience?
Yes, I have rented the Tesla a few times when it has been especially useful to have access to a larger vehicle. On separate occasions I have taken friends to a wedding and a funeral, so it was much more comfortable to have the Tesla for these journeys. The Tesla is always enjoyable to drive, plus it’s nice to have the space and extra range for the really-long journeys. I used to do a lot of travel with work, and looking back now, a Tesla would have made it a lot less stressful, especially for motorway driving.
But the jump between driving the Tesla and the Leaf isn’t that big a change. Whichever EV I’m driving, I always find people ask me about it, but especially the Tesla as it really stands out from other vehicles. Another thing I love about the Tesla is the clarity of the satnav. It’s so easy to see detail on the big screen and not irritating like on other vehicles I have used in the past.
Do you have any advice for people considering buying an EV but are still undecided?
People always ask me questions about my own EV – whether it was hard to get used to, or whether I worry about the range. But driving an EV is so easy, it just fits into my life without any trouble. I charge my car at home, and if I am travelling further than the expected range, I just use a pubic charge point, but to be honest, this has only been a few times. If someone asked for my view about whether they should buy an EV, I would tell them to do it, as it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.