Getting the car
I picked my car on Monday with 3 miles on the clock and 50% charge. Handed over my previous diesel car signed various pieces of paper and then was shown round the car and the controls. It is very different with digital screens that can be altered to how you want the rather than being left with the analogue instruments in my previous car.
Turning the car on was a strange experience as the overwhelming impression to me was the lack of engine noise. All you see is that the screens have come alive and you are ready to drive.
Driving
I have had automatic cars for around 20 years now so the driving experience in the electric car is no different from that in a standard ICE automatic car. You don’t have to worry about changing gears as the drivetrain respond to inputs from the brake and accelerator pedal.
In the previous cars I drove changing the selector between park, drive and reverse used a stick between the seats. The Mokka-e has a button in the same place but when manoeuvring slowly such as parking in a space my hand automatically ends about 4 inches above the button where the top of the previous manual stick was placed. I have to consciously place my hand towards the small button. So much for muscle memory.
Drive modes
The Mokka-e comes with 3 driving modes. At present while I am getting used to the car and not driving long trips I have mainly kept it in the normal mode. I will probably use the eco mode when on longer trips although those will be planned around charging points and is a matter for a later post
Charging
I charged the car overnight and it took less that 4 hours to get to 100% charged from around 50%. Having read round the subject simply charging to 100% is not in itself a problem but charging and then not using the car is where there appears to be a slight degradation of the battery life. However I am happy to be corrected if other think I have got that wrong.
Summary
I have used the first week simply to get used to the car in normal day to day driving. It is reasonably comfortable and good to drive even on busy urban roads and is easier to park with a lighter steering than my previous car.
Now to start exploring the other facets of using the car and green energy in the coming months
I have changed my energy supplier to Octopus Energy that has a referral scheme whereby if you change to it using this link you will get a credit of £50 ( I will also get a credit of £50) http://share.octopus.energy/peach-rill-315
