This week I have mostly been looking at YouTube videos.
Now, for those that know me this isn’t all that different from most weeks. I do spend a fair amount of time on that particular platform, in between doing a spot of writing, getting a few query letters sent out (a more recent activity) and the rest of the varied activities that make up my oh so scintillating life (wake up at the back!).
What might surprise some, is the subject matter of those videos.
Toodle PIP
To set the scene I am a user of the Motability scheme. This means that, instead of claiming the mobility component of my PIP (Personal Independence Payment) in cold hard cash, I instead put that money towards the lease of a new car on a three yearly cycle.
So, in short, I drive a brand new car off the lot, keep it for three years, and then hand it back in exchange for another one. There is often a non-refundable down payment to be paid as well as the benefit sacrifice. An amount that can be greater or lesser depending on the model one plumps for and what conversions are needed to make it driveable.
For the last two of these cycles I’ve had a Hyundai Inoniq hybrid, A car I love (in an appropriate way) but sadly these have been redesigned and the new model is no longer suitable due to a reduction in boot size (I did consider tying my wheelchair to the back of the car, but, outside a Mr Bean or Only Fools And Horses sketch that seems…improbable).
So, as I mentioned in a previous post, I’m getting something different. A Kona. My very first pure electric vehicle.
Night Shift
It’s been on order for some weeks now, and it will be some weeks before I pick it up. Yesterday, however, the electrician came round to the house to fit my brand new home charging station and it was this that prompted me to hit the vids.
You see, there’s a difference between picking out the vehicle from an online brochure or even seeing the stationary model in the showroom. The arrival of the charger brought home just how different life is going to be.
There’ll be no more trips to the petrol station. No more MPG to monitor. No aiming for the supermarket to take advantage of better pump prices. There’ll be no more shouts from my Wúnderwifey, Tina of ‘what colour’ (she once put petrol in a diesel engine and had erred on the side of caution ever since) or curt swearing as she goes over the proscribed £20 I asked her to put in.
For the last two of these cycles I’ve had a Hyundai Inoniq hybrid, A car I love (in an appropriate way) but sadly these have been redesigned and the new model is no longer suitable due to a reduction in boot size (I did consider tying my wheelchair to the back of the car, but, outside a Mr Bean or Only Fools And Horses sketch that seems…improbable).
So, as I mentioned in a previous post, I’m getting something different. A Kona. My very first pure electric vehicle.
Night Shift
It’s been on order for some weeks now, and it will be some weeks before I pick it up. Yesterday, however, the electrician came round to the house to fit my brand new home charging station and it was this that prompted me to hit the vids.
You see, there’s a difference between picking out the vehicle from an online brochure or even seeing the stationary model in the showroom. The arrival of the charger brought home just how different life is going to be.
There’ll be no more trips to the petrol station. No more MPG to monitor. No aiming for the supermarket to take advantage of better pump prices. There’ll be no more shouts from my Wúnderwifey, Tina of ‘what colour’ (she once put petrol in a diesel engine and had erred on the side of caution ever since) or curt swearing as she goes over the proscribed £20 I asked her to put in.
No, it will be a whole new world. A world of KWPH (kilowatts per hour). A world of ideal battery state, and exactly when and how much to charge. It will be a different tariff with the electricity company and worrying about leaving the thing plugged in over night (there is an automatic cut off, but I’ll still worry) and even a potential change in when we run the washing machine (we’ll get cheaper electricity between 11:30pm and 5:30am and it’s not a small difference, either).
Who…Knew
And so, immediately overwhelmed and uncertain if I’d even be able to drive the thing, I retreated to the wisdom of the internet and fell down a rabbit hole.
Because who’s even heard of regenerative braking? Who knew the car came with a heat pump (there’s no engine to steal the heat from to make the interior toasty in winter)? Who knew that charging the battery to 80% and running it down to 20% is the most economical way to fuel?
The more I read the more engrossed I became, I started to look at all the bells and whistles that came with Elsie (yes, I’m sticking with the name). The way she’ll bong if I take my eyes off the road, the way you can boil a kettle using the car as a source of energy. And more than anything I started to look at just how much money I can save, and how that can be boosted with a reasonably modest change in the way I drive.
As Charged
I’m not finished yet, either. I spotted a video about whether it was better to make several short recharging stops or less longer ones before I started writing this. It makes very little difference to me, seeing as the maximum journey I do is about 20miles, but it’s interesting.
Because who’s even heard of regenerative braking? Who knew the car came with a heat pump (there’s no engine to steal the heat from to make the interior toasty in winter)? Who knew that charging the battery to 80% and running it down to 20% is the most economical way to fuel?
The more I read the more engrossed I became, I started to look at all the bells and whistles that came with Elsie (yes, I’m sticking with the name). The way she’ll bong if I take my eyes off the road, the way you can boil a kettle using the car as a source of energy. And more than anything I started to look at just how much money I can save, and how that can be boosted with a reasonably modest change in the way I drive.
As Charged
I’m not finished yet, either. I spotted a video about whether it was better to make several short recharging stops or less longer ones before I started writing this. It makes very little difference to me, seeing as the maximum journey I do is about 20miles, but it’s interesting.
I know, I think I’ve got a problem, too.
Still, in a world where I was recently bemoaning the potential end of my motoring days (not now, but relatively soon), this new electric world, with its stress on economy and comfort has lit a new fire under my wheels.
I feel…electric.
Until next time.
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Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.
New Tales Of Old
Death Ship
Pestilence: Drabbles 1
Reaperman: Drabbles 3
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
Eldritch Investigations
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