Next Generation Motoring
Yesterday saw the delivery of the family's first electric vehicle (EV), accelerating our journey to a more sustainable lifestyle. I am pleased to be the trailblazer encouraging friends and family to a more environmentally-friendly motoring experience.
My dad, an engineer by trade, pioneered using brushless motor technology controlled by inverters to provide fine-grain control back in the 80s, used within the TV studio and theatre industry. So I am well-versed and confident about the technology.
Yesterday's venture was no spending impulse. I have been carefully tracking EV development for the past fifteen years, notably the pinnacle of innovation, Tesla, since its launch of its original Roadster model.
The Tesla Roadster (code-named the?Mule 1) was based on the Lotus Elise chassis. The Elise was a dream car of mine and one which I came close to owning during my contracting days. It was produced close to where I live, in Hethel, Norfolk, where my wife gifted me a factory tour for my birthday. We subsequently gave our daughter the name Elise as her middle name.
Tracking Tesla as the market leader in innovative EVs, I have been holding out to obtain a Tesla 3 performance because it closely matches my requirements. The Porsche Taycan Turbo S and Audi e-tron GT are close alternatives.
Interestingly, my desire as an out-and-out petrolhead has quickly pivoted from hypercars like Lamborghini, Mclaren and Ferrari to the battery-powered vehicles above. Which, to me, now exceed their fossil-feeding predecessors in terms of both specification and provocation.
I could not justify the purchase of any of these favoured EVs. Still, I wanted to transition away from our current ice internal combustion engine (ICE) powered family car, the trusted Ford Fiesta. More so, now that we are?generating?more electricity than we can consume.
After much research, I honed in on the?MG MG4?EV as a contender for meeting many of my requirements without the Tesla price tag. This pleased my wife, who is passionate about the MG badge; her first car was an MG Metro Sport, which she recalls through rose-tinted glasses! The Chinese-owned MG is a different beast now, probably for the best! Nonetheless, the badge helped me with the transition to EV.
The current MG4 line-up has three options, the optimal configuration being the SE Long Range, which offers excellent specification and a best-in-class range of 281 miles at less than 30k GBP.
I opted for the Trophy Long Range, which provided the additional styling and comfort we desired. This compromised range by 11 miles and cost an additional 2k GBP.
Later I discovered the car had been awarded the following accolades over the past few years, which helped assure me I had chosen wisely:
I was surprised at the driver engagement when driving such a best-value EV. It is well-planted with its long wheelbase, 50/50 weight distribution and low centre of gravity. It mimics classic hot hatches like the Peogeot 205 GTI, Ford Fiesta ST and VW Golf GTI, with a silent cockpit, relentless torque, and positive kinetic energy recovery system (KERS). Although I have yet to test all the gadgets - of which there are many - it seems to tick all my boxes.
Best of all, it is an EV so that we can drive past any congested garage forecourt impacted by rising fuel prices, supply chain issues, geo-political catastrophes, or the inevitable deterioration of fossil fuel resources.
The range is acceptable since 99% of our journeys are far less than the range the MG4 long range can safely deliver. On the rare occasions where we need to venture further, we can either plan scheduled stops at public fast chargers -??Zap-Map?shows charge points from significant networks and smaller providers - or hire an ICE vehicle with the savings we have made!
Purchasing was another eye-opener for me, as although I had purchased cars of PCP-type schemes many years ago, we had always tended to buy our more recent vehicles using bank loans and own them outright. However, with the rate of innovation within the EV market, I knew owning wasn't right, so instead, I opted for a subscription-style (PCP) procurement model.
We were stunned by the service we received from the MG dealer too, who exceeded our expectations. Please message me if you are interested, and I will happily recommend them to you.
After the exhilarating drive home, I plugged the car in via the supplied "granny cable" (13A to Type 2 connector) to trickle-charge the battery back to full. All using my solar-provided free and green energy. Now my wife and I will gamify driving to try and beat each other's driving efficiency.
I took my dad for a demo drive; as an ex-milkman, experienced with driving electric milk floats back in the day. He was thrilled at the vehicle and described it to my mum as "if Porche made milk floats!" my dad is a legend!
With the MG4, I believe MG has brought a breakthrough EV to market that will disrupt car purchasing and bring EVs to the masses in a way Tesla started to, before it.
Stay tuned for further updates coming soon..!
Sales manager
1 年Rachael and Jason were an absolute pleasure to help on their EV journey, the MG4 is everything Jason says , such a good drivers car ??