'It was certainly a baptism of fire' – Star reporter shares highs and lows of driving an electric car
It was certainly a baptism of fire when I first drove my Renault Zoe electric car, writes Star reporter Sue Austin.
There were some very hairy moments at busy junctions and roundabouts when, after more than 40 years driving petrol and diesel vehicles of all shapes, ages and sizes, I grappled with the concept of having no gearbox! I will even admit to crying one night in commuter traffic as I kept 'stalling'.
Wind forward a year and I absolutely love driving 'her'!
Responsive and nippy, the car is a delight whether on the country roads of Shropshire and mountain roads of Snowdonia or on the motorway.
Electricity use can be a different story though.
Day-to-day driving, particularly on the county's roads and in the summer, is great. As long as I remember to plug into my home charger at night, I'm happy I will not only have enough electricity, the deceleration and braking needed on smaller roads means it's amazing how much the Zoe recharges. I just open the windows instead of using air conditioning.
