The first ESB Great Electric Drive has come to an end with an event in Dublin; since September 2012 a range of electric vehicles have been in use by 21 members of the public. Covering a total of roughly 105,000 kilometres it is estimated that the participants saved €13,500 in fuel costs and 10 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Participants, or 'ambassadors', were provided with electric vehicles from a pool of Nissan LEAF, Renault Kangoo ZE, Mitsubishi iMiEV and a Smith Eddison Transit van. Four ambassadors used the vehicles for a year, one for six months and the remainder had an 'ecar' for three months. The Dublin event provided a platform to report back on findings from the trial including driving trends, charging patterns and attitudes to electric motoring.
A typical Irish motorist covers 15,000km per annum; by switching to an electric vehicle it is claimed that it is possible to save €2,300 on motoring costs. The savings can be made on fuel, maintenance, tax and insurance. Beatrice Whelan from Kildare, one of the ambassadors, said: "I used the ecar for my daily commute to work, which is approximately 100km via Monastervein to my workplace, Sage at Citywest via the M7. I charged the ecar at home overnight using a specially installed home-charge point and I found that instead of spending €70 each week on petrol I was spending €7- €10 on electricity to re-charge the ecar."
ESB ecars Manager, Dermot McArdle said: "We are delighted with the success of our first Great Electric Drive and feel the savings achieved and the perception change of the ambassadors, speaks for itself. ESB is installing a nationwide network of charge points with 95% of major towns and cities having access to EV charging infrastructure, which makes electric vehicle driving a realistic alternative to traditional means of transport in Ireland".
"I am pleased to say that the ambassadors have shown the real benefits and cost savings of electric driving and proven that ecars are not only a viable option but a smart option for the future in Ireland".
Anything else?
ESB has announced that there will be a second Great Electric Drive, featuring a larger selection of vehicles. The application process will start in January 2014 and more information is available at www.facebook.com/ESBecars.