5,000 kilometres on the road in electric mode - the interview
Every day, more and more electric vehicles can be found on our roads. Because there are many questions on the subject, we asked Michael Hölzel about his experiences after 5,000 km.
Marlene Hauptmann: Michael, you were the first person in our company to decide to use a purely electric car as a company vehicle. What were the considerations that led to this decision?
Michael Hölzel: Exactly. At the beginning of the year, I had the opportunity to switch to a purely electric vehicle for the first time. And in addition to a certain amount of scepticism, there was also a great deal of curiosity that drove me to look at this possibility in detail. After a detailed analysis of my driving profile, I decided to make the switch.
Marlene Hauptmann: What thoughts came to you when you were driving your new e-car for the first time?
Michael Hölzel: I can still remember when I took over the vehicle and pressed the start button for the first time and my gaze then wandered quite uncertainly to the saleswoman as to whether the vehicle was already running or not, and she simply nodded benevolently and said I could already drive. And I remember that the first few metres are particularly memorable because you feel the acceleration immediately. You don't have a delay like with an internal combustion vehicle, but you experience it immediately and it was a great experience and still is.
Marlene Hauptmann: What was the summary after your first drive? And more importantly: would you choose an e-car again?
Michael Hölzel: I can remember that the first drive was actually marked by a constant look at the range, but it all worked out well. And, to answer the second part of the question, I would choose an electric vehicle again in a heartbeat because it simply fits my driving profile very well.
Marlene Hauptmann: Would you say that something has changed in your driving style?
Michael Hölzel: My driving profile consists mainly of city driving, i.e. morning and evening traffic at a reasonable speed. What I have noticed is that I find myself driving very defensively on longer journeys, which is of course also due to a certain range anxiety, because you still want to get to the next destination with enough range.
Marlene Hauptmann: Keyword range, a good point. What is the situation with that? That's a topic that concerns a lot of people.
Michael Hölzel: With my vehicle, the manufacturer's specification is 420 km. I get by very well with that. With my driving profile, it needs to be charged once or twice a week at the most. For longer journeys, overland and on the motorway, it's a good idea to plan where you're going to stop for charging before you start your journey.
Marlene Hauptmann: Important point: charging infrastructure. Where do you usually charge your vehicle?
Michael Hölzel: I have the option of charging the vehicle here at the office and am also equipped with two charging cards that allow me to charge in public. So far, I have managed the first 5,000 km very well. This means that I don't have a charging infrastructure at home, i.e. no wallbox is installed, and I've never missed it. When I'm on the road, I use the public charging option with the charging cards, and I've gotten along great with it.
Marlene Hauptmann: And what about longer journeys? Do you plan extra charging stops?
Michael Hölzel: On longer journeys, yes, charging stops are a must, simply to ensure that you reach your destinations. You have to make sure that the charging infrastructure charges the vehicle really quickly to ensure that the charging stop is not too long.
Marlene Hauptmann: Finally: Do you have any tips or practical experiences you can share?
Michael Hölzel: I can recommend everyone to analyse their driving profile in detail at the beginning to see if it fits to drive a purely electric vehicle and to plan the charging stops in advance - this works really well with the help of an app. And finally, maybe a funny story that just occurred to me: I was pulling out of a supermarket car park the other day and someone, with his back turned, walked in front of me and obviously didn't notice me or hear the vehicle. When he saw me in the corner of his eye, he jumped to the side because he only noticed me at that moment.
Marlene Hauptmann: Thank you very much for this first experience report and, of course, have a good trip with your electric vehicle!
Michael Hölzel: Thank you.