Electric vehicles

What is a full electrical vehicle? An electric vehicle, also called an EV, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion. The energy used for driving an EV is stored in the battery and the battery is charged at a charge station (at home, at the office or in public). How many kilometres can I drive on a fully charged battery? The number of kilometres depends on the battery size and efficiency of the vehicle. You can drive 200 to 250 on a fully charged battery with a capacity of 40 kWh. But, if you drive sensibly, you can go even further.. Vehicles with a 64-kWh battery have a range of 350-400 kilometres.  Speed  drains the most power from your battery, so remember to keep to the speed limits. There are also other factors that may influence your driving range:  - high or low temperatures (resulting in continuous operation of the air conditioning/heating) - driving with a strong headwind - a fully loaded car - driving uphill for a long period of time How long will it take to charge my vehicle? That depends on many factors including: the type of vehicle, the power left in the battery, how fast your vehicle charges, and which kind of charging station you will be using. When charging your car with a standard power socket, approximately 5 to 10 hours is required. When using a fast charger (primarily located along highways), your battery will reach 80% charged in 30 minutes. Remember fast-chargers are more expensive than standard charging stations. Download an overview of the average charging times per EVDoes an electric vehicle require different maintenance than a petrol or diesel vehicle? An electric vehicle requires less maintenance than a combustion propelled car and an EV has fewer moving parts. As a result, the wear of an electric motor is lower. Oil changes, exhaust and gears are things of the past and the brakes are less sensitive to wear thanks to regenerative braking.How safe are electric vehicles? Electric vehicles are approved for all safety factors, just like conventional vehicles. In the event of a collision, there is a possibility that some parts may receive an active charge or that short-circuiting causes an electrical fire, though the safety precautions and construction have limited this risk to an absolute minimum.Are the electric vehicles easy to drive? Driving an EV is even more straightforward than a conventional car. The gear stick  is the same as an automatic transmission, so you only have to select Drive or Reverse to go. You will not use the brake pedal as often because the car uses a regenerative braking system that slows down the car when you take your foot off the accelerator.Are electric vehicles equipped as conventional vehicles? Regarding comfort, safety and technology the equipment is the same. Added features can also help you manage your journey, like a connected navigation system with charge points availability on the road, or smartphone application to control your charge from your phone, and much more.

Charging

What are the different types of charging sockets? In Europe, there are still different types of sockets available. One way to remember connector compatibilities is to look at the make. 1. Asian makes Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-Miev and others. These cars use the CHAdeMO connector standard, which brings high charging possibilities 2. American / European makes Opel Ampera-e, BMW i3, Mercedes, Volkswagen and more. These cars use the Combo CCS standard. It is the highest speed charge type today with up to 150KW and even faster tomorrow 3. Tesla: Model S and Model X. Tesla uses its own Tesla connector standard. How can I get a private home charger? Is a home charging system included in my lease contract? Does my electricity network at home have sufficient capacity for a home charger? Can I charge abroad? Yes, this is possible. Using our LeasePlan charging app you can see all charge points abroad with a current network of 70,000+ public chargers.I can’t charge at home. Are there any alternatives? If you are not able to recharge at home, you can use a public charging point. More and more charging points are being installed in Europe with 70,000 public charging points at the moment. Use our LeasePlan charging app or go to www.plugsurfing.com for a handy list of all the charging points in Europe.

Financial

How much does a home charger cost? The cost will depend on different installation factors such as distance from your fuse box or the necessity to place a cable in the ground. LeasePlan standard installations have a fixed price that can be financed through the leasing of your car at LeasePlan or paid upfront. The package also includes maintenance and IT connectivity costs.Are there financial benefits for driving an electric vehicle?