Switch EV Project Blog

Another Chapter!

Thank you to all of the trial candidates from the second phase of the trial. We had some good feedback, with clear indications of where improvements can be made as well as the elements that drivers love, and many people requesting a second trial period with their cars!

 

We are now working our way through handing over the next 32 cars for the penultimate 6 month trial, and there are some very happy new drivers on the road, with more to come in the next fortnight. 

 

The forth and FINAL stage of the trial will start in November this year, so if you want to take part, please let the team at Switch EV know now!

 

Enjoy the bank holiday! 

iOn enjoying the sun!

Here is the iOn basking in the sun in South Shields:

The Metrocentre Marketing department are putting it through it's paces this month.

Personally i've really enjoyed driving it and it is quite a talking point with people asking me what it's like to drive, how long it lasts etc etc.  Having had the car at home this weekend i've been able to utilise two charge points in South Tyneside.  It would be good to see some supermarkets getting involved as I was running low and was looking for somewhere to while away a couple of hours to give the car an extra boost.

Helen

Morpeth to York using sustainable transport

The LEAF is on trial with the Charge Your Car team at Gateshead College, and is being put to good use. 

The photos taken by Steve McDonald from the Charge Your Car team, who has been using different sustainable transport options to good effect!

Steve took advantage of the Charge Your Car network, including the new quick charger at Wynyard Park, to visit a friend in York from his home in Morpeth.

 

Free work based charging posts for Switch EV trial candidates!

Thanks to the team at Charge Your Car, organisations wanting to join the Switch EV trial can get a charging post installed at your work premisis for free - which is yours to keep. 

 

The "host of the post" would be responsible for 50% of the cost of the connection of the post (approx £300), and would have to provide a dedicated EV parking bay until the end of the project (2013) but the post, the ground work, and the installation would all be free.

 

Through the trial we can also install a domestic charging unit - a Pod Point - in people's homes for the duration of the trial, again free of charge, to ensure convenient recharging solutions.

 

To find out more, or join the trial, just get in touch!  

AVID CUE-V proving popular

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue have had an AVID CUE-V for several weeks now, and are enjoying the experience....

 

"The trial is going great! It has been working out of Newcastle and is due to come into HQ and be used by our training department in the next week or so."

 

 

 

 

LEAF Driver Update

Swaisland Harris have now had the Leaf for just over a month and we are continuing to find it to be an excellent town car.  It is performing well and to some extent we forget that it is an electric vehicle.  We are experiencing some difficulties with the mileage range indicator which seems to generate numbers on a random basis as you can be driving along one minute with 80 miles on, have a bit of a spurt and put the air conditioning on and end up with 50 miles.  We only once got down to single figure range and thankfully we were close to a charging point.  We had a trip into the country to the Battlesteads Restaurant at Wark and with four adults on board the car performed well despite being driven along the A69 at 70 miles an hour.  The charge we got at the Battlesteads did reassure some of the passengers that we would get home.

 

We have done over 700 miles in the first month and it is proving to be good, the only problem has been getting to grips with the heating system, the frost that we had caused some de-icing problems and it was a cold drive to work.

 

 

Nissan LEAF drivers

Swaisland Harris have now  had the car for just over a week and it is proving to be an excellent city car for our business. The range does not cause us any problems as most of our work is local.  We find the performance and handling both excellent. The acceleration  is surprisingly good and is more than adequate. It has changed my driving style as my wife says l drive more smoothly but she is worried by the attention I pay the dash board, trying to build Trees!

Changing is not proving a problem yet as there are always a vacant space near the office and we have now got the hang of the lights on the posts. Home changing is also now easier as I have reread the instructions. I would be pleased to join a focus group as you mentioned that they were to be held.

 

More LEAF Drivers

The 2nd cohort of Switch EV trial candidates collected their Nissan LEAF last week. The cars have been allocated to 5 families and 7 organisations from across the region. 

The drizzle couldn't keep the smile off the driver's faces as they took the cars out onto the public roads for the first time. We look forward to hearing how they get on over the next 6 months. 

"I have really enjoyed driving the LEAF for the last 2 days, and today have reluctantly handed the keys over to John for the weekend." Lois, Gateshead College.

"We got back OK - nervous on the first open road drive, but we had a few little runs around the Port in it as we try to learn all the functions but so far we are very impressed." James, Port of Tyne.

The companies included in this phase of the trial are: Integrated Office Systems, Cottam Brush, Middlesborough Council, GVA Grimley, Swaisland Harris, Gateshead College and the Port of Tyne. 

Phase 1 complete

All 44 Switch EV vehciles have now finished the first phase of the trial. A massive thank you to all of the pioneering trial candidates for taking the brave step of being the first in an EV and for all your feedback over the last 6 months. 

 

We have had excellent feedback from all of our drivers. As with all new things, there are some areas that we hope to improve on for subsequent phases, and some areas that we would like to investigate further. However, we know that the trial has resulted several EVs being purchased, and several people are facing a decision about their next car! 

 

We are now busy preparing and distributing the cars for the second phase, so the NE should see all 44 back on the roads very shortly! 

South Tyneside Council and the iOn

We have just received this comment from South Tyneside Council, towards the end of their trial with the iOn. 

 

"The iOn has been a fantastic asset to the department and has enabled massive carbon savings for the Council."

 

We are glad to hear it is popular and being used frequently!