It is now inescapably obvious, not just to those of us who work in and cover this industry but to anyone with eyes, that the EV revolution is gaining exponential momentum. It’s evident in the number of TV ads plugging new ‘leccy cars, in the number of new charge points popping up all over the place and, most obviously, in the sheer number of EVs that you see on the road now. Even my slightly stabby street in Hackney is currently home to a Polestar 2, a Model 3, an EQC and an E-Niro (the latter, by the way, is innovatively charged using an extension cable, sometimes connected to a second extension cable, and then fed through what appears to be the upstairs bathroom window).
But do you know what really slams home the reality of how popular EVs have become? Trying to write a script about your 30 favourite ones currently on sale. As little as two years ago, I’d have really struggled to assemble a list of 30 electric cars. Last month, when I wrote the script for my buying guide, I had a shortlist of at least 50 written on a whiteboard, all of which I liked, which I then had to cull ruthlessly.
And this breadth of choice is obviously excellent news for buyers, but more importantly (to me), it’s good for me. Because now that most shapes and sizes of car have a few electric options to choose from, I get to be brutally honest about the ones that impress me less.
You see, as a car journo I always want to provide honest and helpful insight. But as an inhabitant of Planet Earth, who would prefer that their house remain above sea level for as long as possible, I also have the ulterior motive of wanting to help accelerate the uptake of EVs and reduce the number of ICE cars on the road as quickly as possible. And in the early days of my career, when EVs were less abundant, this meant I had to pull my punches from time to time. I’d never say something I didn’t believe to be true, but I’d be more inclined to look on the bright side if, say, the handling was a bit rubbish or the range fell off a cliff every time you tickled the throttle (both the Mokka-e, by the way). After all, if you pan an electric car that has no existing alternatives, you’re basically saying to people: “stick to petrol”.
But this is no longer the case. With the exception of economy cars, of which there are still painfully few/none, just about every segment, from luxury SUV to family saloon, to tyre-inhaling hypercar – has at least a couple of electric offerings. Meaning that if I dislike an aspect of a car I’m reviewing, I can roast it to my heart’s content, safe in the knowledge that there are other options out there, and that I’m not implicitly dissuading viewers from going electric by trashing this particular vehicle.
During the ‘early adopter’ phase of EVs, we all understood that we might have to make a few compromises – as far as the quality of the cars we drove and the lifestyle changes that owning them required – in order to support the cause. This is no longer the case. You can now have your cake and eat it. You can own a car that perfectly suits your requirements and help save the planet. You can be picky. You can be fussy. Because, my friends, we are now officially spoilt for choice. I fear I may have a minor stroke whittling down my list of 30 next year.
See Jack’s EV Buying Guide 2022 on Youtube now.
About the author
Jack is a London-based presenter, writer, and expert in all things automotive. A lifelong car fanatic and recovering petrolhead, Jack is a fully converted EV evangelist these days and, prior to joining Fully Charged, spent two years launching and fronting a new EV media brand called Electroheads.
