(A series of articles highlighting this new technology.)
It seems that something is being announced almost every day at the moment in the world of electric vehicles, with mainstream internal combustion engine (ICE) manufacturers giving details of new models and upgrades to existing units, so we want to keep you up to date with all this new-fangled electrickery techy thingy, as only your dedicated newsletter team can!
Kicking off this month is a new car that’s just joined the “Auto Express” fleet, not a full electric, but a hybrid (petrol/electric). Now you might be wondering why we are giving this a mention in a column dedicated to electric vehicle? Well it’s sort of electric, isn’t it? So, what is it that’s caught our eye, and why? Well, it’s not often that a full 5 stars are awarded to any car by the team at Auto Express. But it has happened for this model. What is it? It is the new MG3 Hybrid. You can see and read the full review here. https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mg/mg3 . As you can see it has lots to commend it, not least the price, it starts at £18,495 going up to £20,495 for the most expensive and equipped model. But, when you compare it with what else is available for that sort of your hard-earned cash, then it has to be worth a look. The AE team sum up the model by saying:
“The MG3 is among the most fun to drive, comfortable and best-equipped cars in its class. It’s also easily the fastest while returning strong fuel consumption figures. That it achieves all of this while vastly undercutting pretty much every other rival on price, makes it a proper supermini star”. Ack: Auto Express.
There’s lots and lots of talk going on at the moment, some saying that the sales of new EV’s are declining, as no one wants to buy them, some saying that the EV bubble has burst, and on the other hand, articles in the press saying that the sales of EV’s are increasing at the expense of sales of diesel and petrol vehicles. It really depends on what and where you think the future lies for you! The UK charging infrastructure is not yet fully complete, so there are issues in charging, especially is you cannot charge at home. The cost of equivalent mile for mile cost using the public charging network can be equal to or more than that of using petrol to power the vehicle. As well as the issues of range, cold weather heating, charging etc etc. Not to mention that EV’s will be subject to road fund tax from April 2025. As it currently stands, sales of new fossile fuel cars will be banned from 2035, and the current Government has stated they would bring back the 2030 deadline. That is only 5 years away. Not a lot in terms of development for changing over. The petrol companies have made huge profits over the last decades, maybe now is the time for them to embrace changing at their sites. Plus, do we need to alter the way we use personal transport to allow us to get from A to B? Lots to think about, and you can be sure the debate will go on for quite a while yet.
Back to what’s coming and available right now. We all know that the Motor industry of South Korea has grown from almost nothing 40 years ago, to a one of a world leader status in that short time. But, in terms of electric vehicles they have been either large with lots of range, or smaller with limited range. Hyundai, who have some innovative cars including the brilliant Ionic 5 and 6, have now launched a smaller electric car called the Inster. Starting at £23,500 and going up to £26,750, it sits right into the price bracket of equivalent petrol and diesel powered cars. With a claimed WLTP range of over 200 miles, it might just be something of a breakthrough the market has been looking for. If you would like to see one and read a detailed review, then have a look at: https://www.electrifying.com/reviews/hyundai-reviews/inster/review
It may not have escaped your notice, but there is a lot of new electric vehicles coming to our shores from China. Names like MG and maybe BYD might be familiar, but Omoda has launched in the UK and ORA (it has renamed it’s “Funky Cat” model to 03) these are names we have not heard much about but they are trying to get a foothold in the UK and European market. It sort of reminds us of the way Japanese motorbikes and subsequently cars took over the market in the 1970’s and 1980’s. After all Toyota is now one of the biggest car companies in the world. Might these new kids on the block be hoping to follow in their footsteps??
Finally, we are going off to test drive the brand-new Kia EV3, a model that we have been looking forward to seeing and driving for some time now. Is it destined to replace the Kia Soul and maybe the Niro EV?? The reviews are certainly very complimentary, if you would like a sneaky peek at what it looks like then click on this link to take a look. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh5lVFSc96M
Well folks, that’s about it for this January edition, we hope you like the world class, award winning, journalism we bring you, not just this month, but every month, so look forward to seeing you again next month. Until then, drive safe and remember to tell everyone about our fantastic, advanced driving course, next one starts in February 2025, with a introduction evening on Thursday 6th February 2025 at the usual venue, Lostock Parish Centre. If you know of anyone that you think might be interested, then invite them along for a hot drink and a biscuit or two - we don’t bite , honest!
Barry Sloan – Publicity Officer