We all know we should be driving electric-powered cars, but what are the practicalities of owning one? Charles Rangeley-Wilson considers the best models for a trip down electric avenue in the countryside
It’s not that I’m antediluvian—except when it comes to fitting touchscreens to cars. I do believe that technology, rather than asceticism, will pull us out of the climatic hole we’ve dug ourselves into. It’s more that there’s a tipping point with new technology and my few brushes with EVs had done little to convince me we’d reached it.
There was very lovely SUV hybrid made by a certain Scandiwegian firm, for example, that was powered by a small turbocharged engine and a big battery. All the figures looked great on paper: loads of power, a gazillion miles to the gallon. In the real world, however, although the car was utterly lovely, it had an electric range of precisely 17 miles and, beyond that, fell back on an overstretched two-litre that had to pedal hard and drink hard, too. I struggled to break 30 to the gallon.
And yet, and yet. It’s not just Tesla anymore. BMW, Hyundai, Nissan, Audi, VW and Jaguar have all recently launched genuinely useable EVs. The supercar makers have latched on to the stratospheric levels of performance battery technology offers, suggesting that the end of the internal combustion engine (ICE) won’t also be the end of fun: 1,900bhp anyone? That could make up for the lack of a V8 growl.
Denne historien er fra June 26, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 26, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
