The Land Rover Freelander is a smaller SUV made by Land Rover. It was designed to be a practical family car with Land Rover-style capability. The podcast mentions it in connection with the model’s background and program.
Nissan is a car brand from Japan. Here, it’s mentioned because China is partnering with Nissan to build cars in the UK, which can change pricing and government rules.
Chery is a Chinese car brand. The discussion is about whether Chery will build cars in the UK and how that could affect the price and government incentives for plug-in cars.
The plug-in car grant is a UK program that can lower the cost of buying certain plug-in cars. The host is saying that where the car is made and where parts come from could determine whether it qualifies.
Rules of origin are criteria used to determine where a product is considered to be “from,” often based on where key parts are made and how much value is added. In the context of the plug-in car grant, these rules can affect eligibility and tax treatment when a car is assembled in one country but built using components from others.
Company
Carblare
Carblare is a company that provides data about cars and buying experiences. In this segment, it’s used to show that Chinese car brands are becoming more popular in the UK.
A customer experience index is a score that tries to measure how customers feel about buying and owning a car brand. The host is using it to suggest Chinese brands are doing better with customers in the UK.
Range Rover is a luxury SUV brand/model line from Land Rover. Here it’s being used as a comparison nickname, meaning the Chinese SUV looks similar in style.
A “waterfall grille” is a grille design where the front looks like it’s flowing downward in layers. The host says it’s a big visual feature on the car they saw.
“Dealership experience” means how the buying process feels at the dealership—how helpful and friendly the staff are and how easy everything is. The host says that can matter as much as the car itself for many people.
Term
CCS stock
CCS is the plug/charging system many electric cars use for fast charging. The point here is that some people buy EVs but the dealer doesn’t explain how charging works, so they feel lost.
EVs are cars that run on electricity stored in a battery. The big issue discussed here is that some dealers don’t teach new owners how to charge, so people struggle at the start.
A plug-in hybrid is a car that uses electricity like an EV, but it also has a gas engine. You can charge it at home or at a charger, and if the battery runs low you can still drive on gas.
Kia is a regular car brand that’s now selling a lot of electric cars too. In this discussion, they’re saying Kia’s EVs make up a big share of its sales.
It’s a workplace setup where you give up a bit of your salary to get a benefit instead. In EV terms, it can make an electric car lease cost less each month.
A lease deal is when you pay to drive a car for a few years instead of owning it. The monthly price can be reduced by promotions, which is why EVs can look especially affordable on a lease.
Car
Abarth 600e
The Abarth 600e is an electric small hatchback made by Abarth, a brand known for sporty styling and attitude. The host is saying it can be surprisingly affordable on lease and feels more exciting than many EVs.
This means the lease is set up for about three years. That length affects the monthly cost and what happens when the lease ends.
Car
Abarth A290
The Abarth A290 is another small electric Abarth. The host is basically comparing them and saying the 600e is roomier, even though the A290 is mentioned as having better range.
The Alpine A390 GTS is a powerful electric performance crossover from Alpine. The host says it has three electric motors and makes 470 horsepower, and that the car has a special “track mode” for harder driving.
“Three motors” means the electric car has more than one electric drive unit working together. That can help the car put power to the wheels more effectively, especially when driving hard.
Term
470 horsepower
Horsepower is a number that describes how much power the car can make. Higher horsepower usually means stronger acceleration, but it doesn’t tell the whole story by itself.
Track mode is a driver-selectable setting that changes vehicle behavior for circuit use. It typically sharpens throttle/steering responses, adjusts stability control, and may enable more aggressive traction behavior so the car can be driven harder.
Four-wheel drifting is when all four tires are sliding at the same time while you steer to keep the car under control. It’s a more advanced, performance-focused way of driving.
The Alpina B10 is a fast, upgraded version of a BMW 5 Series. It’s made to feel more powerful and special than a standard model. The podcast mentions it in a comparison context with other similarly named performance cars.
A real world range test is how far an electric car goes in everyday-style driving. It accounts for things like hills and using the air conditioning, so it’s usually more realistic than official test numbers.
Regen is the electric-car feature that helps slow the car down while also recharging the battery. How much regen you use can change how far you can drive.
The BMW iX3 is an electric SUV. It uses a battery and electric motor instead of petrol. The podcast brings it up as one of BMW’s electric SUV options that took time to arrive.
This is the Toyota Hilux pickup, but powered by electricity instead of fuel. BEV means it’s a battery-electric vehicle that drives using an electric motor.
The Ssangyong Musso is a pickup truck. It’s the non-electric version that’s being talked about alongside an electric model. The podcast is basically saying it’ll be interesting to see how the EV version turns out.
The Musso EV is an electric pickup truck. Instead of a petrol or diesel engine, it runs on a battery. The podcast mentions it because it’s part of the shift toward electric trucks.
The Volvo EX30 is Volvo’s small electric car. They’re talking about the battery size (69 kWh) and the power output (315 kW), which together affect range and how punchy it feels.
The Mazda MX-30 is an electric Mazda with a distinctive look. They’re pointing out that it has special rear doors, but the back seats don’t have much space—so it’s better for shorter trips or smaller groups.
“Suicide doors” are doors that open from the back hinge instead of the front. They can make getting in and out easier, but they’re also a more unusual design choice.
They mention the RX-8 because it’s another Mazda known for distinctive rear-hinged doors. It’s just a comparison to help you picture the MX-30’s unusual door setup.
EVs have an official range number that’s measured under controlled test conditions. In everyday driving, you usually won’t match that number exactly, so the real range can be lower.
A four-wheel drive EV sends power to all four wheels. That usually helps the car grip the road better and can make it feel quicker, especially when accelerating.
The Mini Cooper is a small car known for its character. Here it’s being used as an example of someone switching to an electric Mini and loving the tech.
The Tesla Model Y is an electric SUV/crossover. Here it’s mentioned because the speaker compared it with other EVs during test drives and talked about how it felt and how efficiently it ran.
This is an electric Renault Scenic. In the episode, it’s mentioned because someone tested it and compared how it feels and how efficiently it uses energy versus other EVs.
The BYD Seal is an electric car (a sedan). The episode mentions it because someone tested it and compared it to other EVs for how it drives and how efficiently it uses electricity.
This is a way to measure how efficiently an EV uses electricity. If the number is higher, the car can usually go farther on the same amount of battery energy.
A home charger is the device that lets you charge your electric car at your house. In this episode, the point is that installation can take time, so you may not be able to charge at home right away.
Octopus is the company the speaker mentions as the source for why home-charger installs are delayed. It’s basically the provider connected to the charging setup.
The Jaguar I-PACE is an electric SUV. The listener who owns one is asking whether changing drivetrain (like going to four-wheel drive) will noticeably help in winter driving.
Tires are the part of the car that actually grips the road. The host is saying that in winter, good tires can matter more than whether the car drives the front, rear, or all wheels.
Rear wheel drive means the back wheels are the ones that get power. In winter, the tires you use are a big deal, and the host is saying that with good winter tires, rear-wheel-drive can be safer in snow than a four-wheel-drive car with the wrong tires.
The Tesla Model 3 is an EV the host brings up to make a point about weight. They’re saying not every EV is heavier than a similar gas car—some are actually lighter.
The Audi A4 is the gas car example used for comparison. The host is saying some EVs can be lighter than a similar Audi A4.
Car
Ferrari Lucio
The Ferrari Lucio is a Ferrari concept/idea car that people reacted to strongly when it was shown. The host says it’s polarizing, meaning some people think it’s amazing while others don’t like it.
Depreciation is how much the car loses value over time. The point here is whether the Lucio might lose less value than you’d normally expect for a super-expensive car.
A “collectible classic” is a car people start wanting more and more as time goes on. The question is whether the Lucio could become valuable in the future instead of just getting cheaper.
They’re using the Ferrari Portofino as an example of a more approachable Ferrari you might buy first. The discussion is basically about how Ferrari can make you step up gradually to the more extreme models.
The BMW M3 is a sporty BMW made for fast driving. It’s a performance-focused version of the regular 3 Series. People bring it up because it’s a well-known “enthusiast” car.
They compare the situation to the Porsche Cayenne’s early days. The idea is that people may criticize a new direction at first, but it can end up being more popular than expected.
The Lamborghini Urus is Lamborghini’s SUV. It’s basically a Lamborghini with the space and practicality of an SUV, and the host is saying even if people disliked it at first, lots of them were still bought.
It’s an EV that looks like a sporty coupe, but it still has four doors for easier access. The host is using the term to describe the Mercedes-AMG car’s overall shape and vibe.
The Ferrari Luce is a Ferrari model mentioned in the podcast. It’s brought up because people are considering it as a next purchase. The discussion also compares the attention it’s getting to another performance car mentioned in the same segment.
The Pontiac Firebird is an older American sports car. It’s known for its distinctive look and strong, performance-oriented design. In the podcast, it’s mentioned because another car’s back end looks similar.
In an EV, the motor turns electricity into motion. The host is talking about a specific kind of motor design (“flux motors”) and highlighting where it’s made—built in Britain.
“Electric gearing” refers to the gearing/drive components in an EV that transmit motor power to the wheels. The host is describing how some automakers use the sound from that drive system as part of the car’s character, rather than trying to hide it.
The Alpine A290 is a small French electric car. In this episode, they’re pointing out a practical detail: it doesn’t include a cup holder in the middle console, which surprises people used to that feature.
A cup holder is a dedicated storage feature designed to secure drinks while driving. The episode treats it as a cultural/market expectation—arguing that different regions (and design priorities) lead to some cars including it and others omitting it.
The Renault 5 is another small French car mentioned for comparison. They’re using it to show that some cars include a center-console cup holder while others don’t.
The Renault 5 E-Tech Electric is a small electric car. It’s designed for everyday driving and has a simple, practical interior. In the podcast, it’s mentioned because of how convenient the cabin is, like whether it has cup holders.
Cornwall is a region in the southwest of the UK, and it’s used here as the travel setting for an EV road trip. The host mentions that charging stations were busy there, which is a common real-world issue for EV travel in popular holiday areas.
These are fast charging stations you can use in public to recharge an electric car. The point here is that they can be busy, so you may need to plan around where and when you charge.
LIVE
Hello and welcome to the Kilowatt Half Hour, a podcast about the world of EVs brought to
you by the team at electrifying.com.
On the show this week we will be talking about Chinese cars that could potentially be made
in the UK, the latest new car sales figures and why Chinese cars are making people feel
very happy. So quite a bit of Chinese car stuff going on there, lots to talk about.
So hello guys, how are we? We've got Batch and Lucas this week, how are we doing?
Well thank you, it's been a lovely week. Can't complain at all to be honest, the weather was
lovely, it's now gone back to being a bit pants really, hasn't it? It's gone a bit grey,
it's gone a bit grey. But I am really enjoying the fact that we've opened this with the weather
because it's the most British thing in the world. So we've covered that, that's the topics.
Never mind your Chinese cars and you know EVs having quarter of the new car market,
oh my god it's cloudy. That's more than a quarter, 27.3% don't you know?
At least I know, I know, well yeah exactly. Right so we should probably kick off with news
stories of the week. Batch what have you got? Well it has been a very very busy week for news,
hasn't it? But this particular story kind of caught me by surprise a little bit. So it's
Nissan Sunderland and they have signed an agreement with Cherry to start discussions about
using up spare production lines at Nissan's plant, potentially to build cherries.
Now we've known for a while that the Chinese are kind of looking at the UK to build their cars.
Ironically MG used to build cars in Birmingham but that kind of closed about 10 years ago.
But why this news was surprising to me was the fact that Cherry obviously have got a very strong
relationship with Jaguar Land Rover, haven't they? Particularly with the whole Freelander
programme. Cherry have been building JLR cars in China for quite some time. But they've signed
this deal with Nissan and I think it's quite pertinent actually because you know let's not
forget Nissan was the first Japanese car maker to arrive in the UK back in the late 80s. And there
was a lot of consternation at the time. Not that I can remember, I do hasten to add, I'm not that
old. But there was a lot of consternation at the time. The fact that Japanese arrived in the UK
they're going to be building cars here. And sort of like 40 years later China wants to build cars in
the UK and they're sort of partnering with Nissan to do that. So yeah a very bit of interesting news
this week. Yeah it is an interesting one isn't it? I mean I think it's fairly inevitable isn't it
that we're going to have Chinese car makers probably making cars over here? I think possibly
to have thought that that wasn't ever going to happen was you know very short-sighted.
But anyway I'm sort of open-minded to this but you're right I think it does pose a lot of questions
as well. Not just about as you say slightly, slightly odd the sort of the cherry obviously has
very well-known ties with JLR but it's potentially building cars in a Nissan factory. And also I
think it's going to pose questions for the plug-in car grant for the rules of origin in terms of the
taxes on on that kind of thing as well. So it's going to get a bit thawning I think but it is
interesting. Also in terms of pricing as well I mean that's one of the reasons why you know
China's been able to come into the market with such low prices because they're building cars in
their domestic markets whereas you know building cars in the UK is one of the more expensive places
in Europe to build cars. So what does that mean in terms of the prices that cherry are going to be
able to charge their cars in the UK? I would imagine it's probably not going to make a huge
amount of difference but it does pose a lot of questions you're right. Yeah I think you're right
it is quite poetic that the first Japanese manufacturer to start building cars in the UK
is now helping China get a foothold here too and you are right but I don't know maybe British
manufacturing is just that good you never know. Well I don't know. It is a bit of a tricky one
isn't it? We've got more Chinese news haven't we there Lucas I think? Yes yes sticking with the
Chinese theme as it were. Car makers are being let down by dealerships as Chinese brands win
friends and influence people. So data platform Carblare has revealed that its first customer
experience index which demonstrates that there's a dramatic shift towards Chinese brands in the UK
and in the new car market which to be honest isn't massive news to us. China's made a bit of a splash
over here for quite a while now but it appears that people really are just enjoying the products
whether that's the low prices or just the feature sets that you're getting for that money.
It's no massive surprise that people are quite happy with the products. I mean we saw well we
have seen massive success but specifically from Jku as well as some people dubbing them the Timu
Range Rover because yes they do to be fair they look quite good. Whether they drive as well has been
better for some than for others but the Jku 8 that I had to go in a few weeks ago now I was
quite impressed by as well despite one of the back seats quite clearly having a very good jiggle
as I was driving along but everything else from the driver's seat seemed you know pretty good.
So I can quite easily understand that you know people on this side are starting to warm up to
Chinese cars especially on the consumer side of things. I think it might take you and I a little
bit longer. Well I mean it's such a difficult thing isn't it because I can understand why a
lot of people are very anti-Chinese cars full stop but again as Batch sort of you know mentioned
just now we had all this when Japan started selling cars in the UK as well and I just think
yeah I mean I'm kind of okay with it. I think some of the cars are actually really quite good
and you know I've driven most of the Jku's now I think. I saw an E5 the other day I haven't seen
many of the E5s I've seen a lot of the plug-in hybrids. I'm not sure that the pure electric E
Jku E5 has gone down so well but I thought it was following me up the motorway and the grille
it's like this massive kind of like chrome grille. Waterfall grille we call it. Yeah so it's quite
the thing to look at. I can see why people are going for it you know and the funny thing is that
the people who are buying them will be the people who aren't bothering to comment on the internet
and generally making a lot of noise about it aren't they? Yeah and of course this story focuses more
so on the dealership experience which to be fair is a bigger part of the experience than a lot of
people give you credit for right. I mean providing that good service that good personable you know
interaction at a dealership is a big part of why a lot of people will consider a certain car over
another so you know backing up a good product with good service does help. That's the thing I mean
this data comes from Carblare who's co-founded by our friend Steve Fowler and you know and I look
through the data and in the top I think it's in the top 10 the top five were locked out by the
Chinese car makers. You know Lexus were in there as you'd expect but it was locked out by the Chinese
car makers and Carblare was saying that the the reason why Carblare is sort of warming to these
Chinese car brands is because apparently these Chinese car brands make things and I and I quote
here clear, fair and easy and that does kind of back up what I'm hearing from people who are going
into you know for example JQA dealerships or BYD dealerships and the staff are overwhelmingly
friendly you know complete contrast to some of the more traditional brands where you know we've
all had these experiences haven't we we've gone into dealerships and it's like it's like walking
you know it's like the Mary Celeste isn't it there's no attention no kind of interest whatsoever
this kind of arrogant mentality of look if you want to buy a car then you know you're you know
you're not going to get you know not going to get much service from us whereas the Chinese car
brands they've got a point to prove they want to get market shares quickly as possible they want
to make happy customers so yeah it was it was an interesting story this week for me I thought
but not particularly surprising so yeah I think they're just trying harder aren't they that's it
they're trying harder to prove to people that they're there just to make it a good experience
and we have talked about this before with sort of dealer experiences I've had quite a few people
say to me that they've bought new EVs and they've got no I think understandably you know they don't
know what a CCS stock it is they don't know what how to use a charger and stuff and the dealers
don't explain any of that they don't go back to the basics and explain it all so maybe this is
something that the Chinese brands are doing better with their with their plug-in hybrids and EVs and
stuff and fair play to them and talking about that of course we have also had sales figures in
so we are now looking in May over 27 percent of the new car market in the UK were EVs year to date
nearly a quarter so I think it's 220,000 EVs sold so far this year isn't it which is
really good news I think we can all agree it is we're going it's going up it's doing quite well
and it's I think we're you know yeah I'm not surprised I don't know about you guys I mean
I know the plug-in car grant is still having an influence I think it's you know and we're seeing
Tesla's doing really well as well that seems to have gone that seems to have
suddenly done well there's a great story on the site that Sam's written about you know
behind the figure so you can see that there's been Tesla's one of the winners Renault's doing
really really well Kia as well I think is doing really really well so they're kind of like you
know nearly I think nearly a third of their cars are EVs so I think you know both Renault and Kia
I think are on the mandate or above so yeah yeah look at my eyes they are slowly getting there
obviously there are there are some caveats with there being a lot of fleet buyers and a lot of
non-traditional buyers so your salary sacrifice and that sort of thing and of course there's
incentives aren't there as you said the electric car grant and quite a few are offering really
really good lease deals as well was it the the Abarth 600e that you saw this week yeah we're
going to be that I've been putting together a story about the best EVs you can buy for under
250 pounds which will be up on the site very soon and yeah the Abarth 600e and you can get it and
you're talking about it's it's like 220 pounds a month for an Abarth 600e even if you want the like
the fluorescent you know option yellow green whatever I'd say yellow they say green whatever
even if you want the optional paint it's still 250 pounds a month and that's with
8,000 miles a year as well on a three-year contract and I know that the range isn't great and I know
that it's not really as good as an A290 but you know what it's got a lot more room in it than an A290
and it is really good fun to drive I feel like it's been really underrated because it's just
really it's really kind of dramatic and fun and it makes noises and it looks cool and I just think
it's one of those cars that people have forgotten about and that money yeah I can absolutely see
why you would it's not just that though it's not it's it's also just the discounts that are available
on new cars are I mean new EVs at the moment are I I walked I mean just gopping actually the
the level of of incentives that dealers are throwing at customers to get a get a new car
registration out the door and you know this is we're only going to see more of this until you
know by the by the time of the end of the year because of course we've got to hit that 33
percent mandate haven't we and yes there are there are ways of getting around it but you know
it seems the only way to sort of get there at the moment is by slashing prices so
there's going to be a lot more discounts towards the back end of this year that's for sure
I know but then what I would say to that is that there's always good lease deals on EVs if you
really if you look around you know our friends at Carparison they've got some amazing deals on and
yeah it always amazes me what you can actually get to sort of a really decent sort of monthly
monthly figure but the R-Barth 600E did really catch my eyes it could be really cool um anyway
shall we move on batch have you been driving anything interesting well yeah I have I have to
be a bit careful about this because of course um it's the the driving impressions are embargoed
but I think it's I'm perfectly within my rights to say I was driving the new Alpine A390 GTS so
that's their most powerful SUV 470 horsepower three motors not an SUV don't call it an SUV
batch they'll get very angry with you if you call it an SUV sorry sports crossover what is it what
it what what whatever whatever the the French have convinced themselves luxury
looking um low low SUV yes but I don't think I'm breaking any um driving embargoes by saying
that um I drove the car on track um and it made me sick um so I don't think in a bad way in the way
that you know I was regurgitating my lunch kind of way um and I think I think we were a passenger
or a driver I was driving my first time this has ever happened to me and I think
I mean I think there are two reasons why one at the track it was 40 degrees so we're talking
about last week it was in Italy 40 degree heat I don't cope very well with the heat at the best
of times so I was feeling a little bit fragile okay and then throwing the fact that they told us to
put the car into track mode which you know they're trying to encourage us to do four-wheel drifts in
this car and I it just made me very well supposed to have 10 laps I only managed five so um just a
bit of a word of warning to many body who's thinking about ordering an l-pine a390 gts um
if you drive in hot weather on the track you may feel a bit nauseous like I did
as I have not heard of many people becoming carsick from the driver's seat
no no I was just thinking
Mario and Christy of carwows had that happen to him in an atto three before but yeah it's
quite a rare phenomenon though you can point and laugh but just I'm sure you will you will the same
thing will happen to you one day and then I'll sit here and laugh at you all right so oh by all
means I live for the day
um fine Lucas what have you been up to hopefully not being sick
we'll move on from that I don't know because I I mean maybe you've some maybe in the NDA maybe
the sick was included in the uh maybe the six in barcode as well I don't know but um actually
we'll make a passing mention so I drove the a390 back at the end of last year out in Denmark for
European Coty drives and um but it was pretty spectacular really to be honest I felt like
I had to drive it much faster than I wanted to to make it feel alpiney and fizzy and fantastic
I kind of wanted it to be a bit more tactile and fun at normal road speed but it's a cool car
it is a cool car anyway moving on yeah moving on I've not had any regurgitative tendencies
over the last week or so so that's nice um to be fair I've not driven a massive amount since
we last spoke on here but I was at SMMT with a batch and indeed Sam had to go in a few
interesting little things had to go my first geely the EX5 that was and it's just to be honest
as a car it's absolutely lovely again you don't really want to push it to any extent like it wasn't
much fun around the alpine routes it's um yeah it wasn't much fun around the alpine route but
as a car it's well comfy it's so nice yes thank you uh it's it's just a lovely place to be and
these things are so packed full of features that it's it's pretty tough to say no if you're just
using it as a daily driver um similar things to be said about leap motor b10 um and a couple other
bits and bobs but yeah I've not driven a massive amount of exciting stuff but I know that um this
coming week not necessarily to drive per se but I'm I'm going to look at a few things that I'm not
sure if I'm allowed to talk about one of which I can is Calvin the robot out in France uh with with
Renault um to look at the and they've got a little robot that goes and does the night shift building
cars for you and then the second thing is in Rome but I'm not sure I'm allowed to talk about that a
great length just yet oh very cool well I have spent a lot of time driving a Kia EV2 this week
I went out and did a real world range test out in Norway with the the guys at the Norwegian
automobile federation which more commonly known as NAF but we'll gloss over that
and uh the so the um you know what I had an absolute ball I loved it it was it was a lot
of time driving because um obviously they've got to be quite safe about it but they do um so you do
this this fantastic route which gradually climbs up and into the mountains
and you have to have your air con on they set all the parameters you've got your air con on
set a certain thing they don't even use eco mode they use the default mode that the car goes to
when you turn it on um and uh you can use your regen however you want to and all of this so
they really do try and make it as real world as possible and I have to say the results were
really impressive but I'm not going to tell you what the results are because the video is out next
week um and some of this stuff is a bit embargoed but I will say that I was very impressed with
these guys because they've got a lot of the latest cars they've got the IX3 and I think you can guess
took them a long time to finish the range test on that one can you imagine this so these guys
started this um you know years ago and originally when it was like 200 miles was kind of your average
real world range for an EV and now they're looking at they're doing five hunts
they're just looping around this thing endlessly so they're you know you're driving for 12 13 hours
still there they haven't finished yet they're still there they're still going
they're running out of Norway yeah Norway is not big enough for this range test
yeah credit to credit to those guys and to Kia for getting us out there and letting us do it
because it was a great experience so um check out the video that's coming out on that in the next
week or so but that is what I've been doing was driving driving a Kia in some unbelievably beautiful
uh sort of scenery and stuff so I've had a lovely week while you guys have been dealing with all the
news so I feel very dammy this week to have got a chance to do that because I really enjoyed it
it's those sort of things you do in your house just such a it's it's quite a good way to to
make a living isn't it it's quite a good day in the afternoon you just get to drive through Norway
very lovely so I enjoyed that speaking of videos what else so what's gone live this week we have
got uh we had Polestar five didn't we so yeah that was a Nicola job he wasn't it she was very
pleased with that the road trip in the Polestar five and I thought that was a really good video
actually I think they really enjoyed themselves with the Nick and Nick and Manos were out there
doing that uh what else do we got coming up batch um what's my list well we've got we've got the
Toyota um Hilux BEV video coming out it's it's that's that's going to be a really interesting
one actually because the electric pickup market really is growing there's a couple of Maxis
pickups available already there's an Azuzu and of course the KGM Musso EV so it's going to be
interesting to see what um Nikki thinks of the Toyota Hilux um can I just say the Hilux I'm very
excited about that because I'm I think that electric pickups are going to do quite well
and I think they might pick up um quite quickly because I think there's a lot going for them
and I'm pick up forgive the pun and uh yeah I'm quite keen to see how um Nikki got on in in the
Hilux and can I just say um this is obviously down to our dark overlord Ginny as to whether we
actually do this video but I really think we should do a video on the Hilux versus a couple of the
other pickups or one of the other pickups because yeah uh what could we possibly put in the uh in
the load bed what kind of what what can we do is kind of an electrifying video how can we test
these pickups what props do we need to go to find out I think you should let us know in the comments
how can we test these pickups in electrifying style what can we get Nick and Ginny to
do well perhaps perhaps perhaps we carry on the theme that uh that Nicola first did with the number
of hamburgers you could get in a e-trans a load bed full of burgers I don't know yeah that's an
expensive video my friend yeah it's going to be a really expensive video I don't I don't think
I don't think Ben in finance is going to sign that one off to be honest but what I will say
I think that um I think they should wear Hive as best for the whole video um I think it would
be great and I think I think they need to do it on a building site or something it'd be fantastic
yeah we should get an extra greasy spoon or something like that be lovely yeah exactly I want to I
want to see Nick and Ginny trying to get euro pallets into the back of a high level pick up
that's what I'm anyway with that with that thought do let us know in the comments how you
think we should we should do a video on the pickups if we do um like I said it's up to the boss so
Lucas we've got some bargains of the week and neither of them are in our bath sadly but uh well
what are you going to do one still should be pretty fun though we've got a Volvo EX30 here it's the
the 69 kilowatt hour battery pack 315 kilowatts of power which is quite a lot actually in a small
car like that um but the rate is 326 pounds and 78 pence per month and that is a 48 month term
uh with 8 000 miles a year so that's that's pretty good for especially for a Volvo right
that's um that's pretty cheap um we've also got a used Mazda MX 30 now I don't actually know very
much about these cars um I've not actually seen that many of them I don't know if they sold much
but that's probably why this one is uh quite affordable well that clearly is that one I suppose
that's uh oh dear me right and that is a cash price of 9 000 and 70 pounds which for a car that
was registered in 2021 is a sweet nothing actually that's remarkably cheap yeah that is pretty um that
is amazing isn't it I mean it's a it's it's I mean the MX 30s it's a tricky one because there are
much better reviews out there but you know what I've always quite liked it I like it's got a great
interior it's got all these um suicide doors things like an RX-8 so it's a really peculiar one
I've always felt like it's got a really niche appeal but I actually quite like it in its own way
because it's got this fantastic kind of cork um trim in the interior which looks like really cool
and it's got um quite limited rear passenger space but a big boot so I've always thought that if you
like you know it's just a really strange one and yeah but if you need it for the full one then
it's quite good but if you want longer journeys then it's not going to really suit you so you know
for a little a little commuting car to I say little it's not that little but a reasonably sized
commuting car to the station and back and it drives brilliantly the MX 30 as well so that one
9 000 pounds is 46 000 miles on the clock I mean it seems an absolute bargain to me but don't go
on any long journeys in it though just be warned no it's a 124 mile claimed range isn't it in real
world you're going to be you know more like more likes or 80 to 100 so I mean 2021 was like early
days of Mazda EVs anyway wasn't it really and um they didn't have the strongest start as far as the
fundamentals like range and so on and so forth go but since like the late 2010s Mazda interiors have
been some of the best in the game just because they're lovely place to be really lovely materials
really well designed I mean cork for god's sake to make that work is is impressive unto itself so
fair play I say and again 9 grand can you really complain it's a cool car and in its own way it's
very quirky I think is a good word for the MX 30 and can I just say back to that Volvo that being
the performance by the way just for some reference that's 3.6 seconds to 62 in that car in in your
compact EX 30 hatchback that's a 435 under 330 pounds a month so you know just for a bit of context
there that's that's a lot of performance in a four-wheel drive EV which I've said this already
and I've had some heat for it as well I really like the EX 30 um I would buy one were it not for
the locking system which drives me absolutely crackers apart from that I really like it I even
forgive the infotainment stuff anyway back moving on have we got an electric virgin this week we do
indeed it's Nigel Doyle he's our electric virgin this week um Nigel wrote into us saying um well
Nigel wrote into us saying uh my wife and I have just gone electric I've taken out a lease on a
jacoop 5 and my wife traded in a rowdy a3 for a 21 plate mini Cooper which she absolutely adores
we got the cars one day apart uh apart from each which has been amazing because I can share the joy
with her so far I really like the jacoop uh perhaps he took part in uh a car blast survey you never
know um he continues I'm not having any problems with it and it seems to work really well the mini
is amazing the tech is fantastic in it honestly I don't know how I could ever go back to anything
that wasn't electric there is no going back exclamation mark I love it I love all aspects of
the EV world it's amazing and just as a side note from Nigel he says I love your YouTube channel
really enjoy the podcast of ambiguous length keep up the great work we should rename it that
yeah you know what podcast of ambiguous length I don't know yes thanks Nigel
excellent uh and then we've also shall I whip on to Les Whitehouse as well
because he's uh he's written what a name um he's written saying having watched what seems to be
billions of YouTube EV videos I finally booked some test drives reno scenic e-tech tesla model y
BYD seal and atto 3 evo and the Toyota chr plus the Toyota was quieter and smoother than the others
and on the test drive I got 5.4 miles per kilowatt hour order placed smiley emoji face it will be
available on the fifth of june but my home it will be available on the fifth of june but my
home charger won't be fitted until the 24th of june uh due to a big surge in orders according to
octopus so the dealer will hold it until then thanks for the reviews and info les whitehouse there
excellent and also Toyota nice choice so what's that um 10 year million mile warranty on the
back yes something like that one way or another you'll be absolutely fine mate yeah it's all good
no it's awesome I hope you enjoy it so that's really good news and what else we've got another
we've got to listen to questions so Matthew Ayrton he says I currently have an eyepace hse
black very nice by the way I love the eyepace on nhs fleet lease doing around 13 000 a year on
55 to 100 mile round trip depending on where I'm based for the day the leasing costs on my scheme
have gone up considerably and to get a four-wheel drive car of a similar spec and performance to
the eyepace is a couple of hundred pounds a month more I need to be able to get to work in winter
including the couple of times a year that it snows I enjoy driving and do like to win the traffic
like GP that way I know I know where you're coming from there um my question is will I really notice
the difference in day-to-day driving for example on a pole staff for long range sm prime does rear
wheel drive really hinder driving on british roads in the winter well I think this is quite a good
question because I am a big sort of fan of tires tires are very important to everybody
tires are much more important than whether you've got four-wheel drive or rear wheel drive or front
wheel drive and I will say this more than once probably but just put some winter tires on it
go for rear wheel drive put winter tires on it and you will be safer than in a four-wheel drive car
that's got standard or weather tires on it I know that it's a bit of a faff and I know that you have
to go and get the tires changed and store the others and that's where it becomes a bit of a
problem for a lot of people but in terms of safety if you do drive a lot and go go in the snow and
you want something with a lot of performance or even if you don't have a lot of performance this is
your safety notice from Vicky at electrifying winter tires on it because it makes such a big
difference not just to grip but to braking as well so it's it makes such a big difference I love
winter tires and even in the UK conditions they make they do make a difference so in short yes
by all means go for a rear wheel drive just put proper tires on it and you will be absolutely fine
or just in my mind you could go for that Volvo EX30 with the four-wheel drive but put winter tires
on that as well and then you'll be fine yeah I mean EVs at this point yes they are all heavy but
part of the benefit of them being heavy is that you'll always have pretty good traction whether
they're on rear wheel drive front wheel drive all the drive so yeah listen listen listen to the
boss lady she's absolutely right well I mean EVs what they're a bit heavier on average
but don't forget some of them are lighter than their equivalent ICE cars I will point out to you
there Lucas so don't forget that so you know Tesla Model 3 is lighter than an Audi A4 etc etc
so you know you know none of these sweeping generalizations please uh anyway speaking of
sweeping generalizations I think you've got some stuff to say about the Ferrari Lucio haven't you
there Lucas oh have I yeah it's uh it's a big week for Ferrari wasn't it yeah I mean we love we
love Harpin on the Lucio to be honest it's it's um yeah it's been quite polarizing so let's jump
straight into it straight from Richard Piper 4828 he says when Ferrari unveiled the Lucio I was
wondering whether it was the first of April but then saw the fairy lights straight on Ginny's
ceiling and realized it must be December so uh that's that's that's fair play mate to be honest
I'm not sure why why Ginny's still got the fairy lights up or you know I don't think their Christmas
decorations are such but uh yeah we were all sort of hoping it was a joke when the Lucio was dropped
I mean we all knew it wasn't going to look like your traditional Ferrari but you know I don't
know about you guys but when I saw the interior reveal I was quite pleased um yeah the interior
is is absolutely gorgeous it's just a shame that from the outside I don't necessarily think it's
ugly and we had this well you guys had this conversation last week um it looks good it just
doesn't really look like a Ferrari um which you know is is a bit of a shame but what are you
gonna do anyway next comment uh we've had a bit of a debate about Lucio prices uh this one from
Ivan Kujus 1780 I did that right the depreciation on the Lucio could break all records wait five
to ten years and revisit the idea of owning one it might be a compelling car only to be responded
to by digital 66 dom oh he says I bet five pounds that they actually go up in value and become a
collectible classic what do we think on that I don't necessarily buy the appreciation thing
I think what they might act as is a bit of a granted they are expensive but a bit of a
gateway car for for eyes I mean we know how Ferrari likes to make you buy a million portofinos
before you can buy an f80 or wherever it is you might actually want so maybe there's something
like that it's just it's half a million quid but do you guys think it's going to go up or down
I don't think it's going to appreciate as perhaps some of the more traditional Ferraris
have but I am on the fence I think I think it might be much more popular than the general
sort of internet noises suggesting everybody's out there going oh it's awful and all this kind
of thing like I said before I genuinely think it looks pretty cool actually and I quite I even
like the color I know some people don't I do question whether it looks like what you expect
a Ferrari to look like and I question whether Ferrari could maybe have gone with something
you know a two-seat performance car for its first EV I don't know whether that was perhaps
the best marketing plan but I suspect that I think there might be people probably in other
markets in the Middle East maybe out in China this kind of thing I think it might do quite well
so you know it might be you know 2026 is mark one Porsche Cayenne where everybody says they
absolutely hate it and then it sells really really well you never know and like the same
Lamborghini Urus right everybody said that was awful and then everybody went and bought it
to be fair neither of those cars were half a million quid I don't think yeah well
people who've got half a million quid to spend on a car probably aren't on forums talking about it
so that's my opinion on the whole thing actually talking about this so I was also thinking about
the AMG the electric four-door coupe the Mercedes AMG that Nikki reviewed a couple of weeks ago
because I was thinking about the luce and I think the AMG got a bit sort of swamped didn't it because
it came out and then a few days later the Ferrari came out and everybody forgot that Mercedes had
just launched its kind of brand new performance car we mentioned it on the podcast a couple of
weeks ago and I said that I wasn't actually that mad on the way it looks I thought it looked a bit
kind of melty and a bit weird and not entirely sure I thought I'd go back and in in the scheme of
performance cars that are a bit controversial talk about some of the comments we've had on that so
we had a comment on the this is the electric AMG four-door coupe from at jhm h mk r 104 saying
who signed this design off steve wander ouch that's a bit harsh so at phaser tube would someone
please check on the Mercedes designers they can't be okay at c carpenter 246 genuinely don't know
how these presenters can talk about how good the new mb's looks with a straight face front end looks
like a dust buster and the back looks like a Pontiac firebird that's not a bad thing is it I
quite like the firebirds but thank you for that because I've been trying to work out what it reminds
me of and that's it that's what it looks like it's less firebird more screaming
chicken but you know what are you gonna do and also a good point actually so at kyle hub says no
discussion about the most important tech the yasser motors I think it's worth pointing out
there is a limit to how much we can talk about in the video it is a really good tech point on the
Mercedes that it does have you know these these are actual flux motors and that is not from back
to the future by the way it is but it's oxford based motor especially so it's built in britain
which is great and I think it should be really good I'm really kidding both of these cars I
suspect both of these cars are going to be astonishing to drive I would have good money
on both of them being really really extraordinary to drive there's some of the tech on the Ferrari
as well some of the more detailed tech on that like how they've made the you know the sound is
actually the sound in the Ferrari they've taken the sound of the actual electric gearing in the car
and emphasised that which is really interesting so I'm fascinated by that and the vibrations they
put in the AMG these guys the manufacturers are really putting so much tech into it to try and
make it engaging and characterful and you know really a proper fun enthusiast car so I'm yeah
I'm open minded I think they both car both these cars have had quite a harsh response
on the internet haven't they but right oh go on no let's bring things back down to earth shall we
not talk about half a million pound EVs that are going to interest a minute amount of the population
let's talk about french cars and cup holders because I think Ginny was talking about the Alpine
A290 on the podcast last week well if she wasn't talking about on the podcast she's been talking
about it non-stop to all of us at various points during the week the A290 for for clarification
does not have a cup holder in the center console the Renault 5 does the 290 doesn't and but Andy
mm2x got in touch and he said look I suspect it never crossed the french designers minds
I live and work in France I cannot remember the last time I saw someone walking around
with a coffee or a cup of tea a short coffee is taken at breakfast or in a cafe on the way to work
just a five minute break to say hello to the locals ask a frenchman after nine o'clock if he would
like a coffee or tea and the answer is rarely we a car is to drive nothing else go back 25 years
and cars didn't have cup holders they came in with fast food seriously though i presume it is
something we've inherited from the americans i suspect the luce will be the first and oh he's
gone on to the luce well let's go back to the luce you know we've spoken about
that enough but very interesting intel there from Andy perhaps it is a bit of a british thing or
an american thing perhaps that we require cup holders in our cars don't know what do you think
yeah historically it did come from the americans didn't it i mean there's always been
american cars with with more cup holders than seats at times um but no you're right perhaps
being the alpine it's just one of those things you give up for a more sporty drive right maybe
it's weight savings you never know that extra 500 millilitre liquids can add some weight but you
know gin is a bit tiny so it might not matter i think the um problem is that they
absolutely definitely did think about it because the Renault 5 has got cup holders this is the
problem is that they've literally looked at the cup holders in the Renault 5 and gone well we
don't need that do it because this is a performance car so you're not going to have a coffee in here
let's put some buttons here instead to differentiate them and everyone's gone well maybe not guys come
on i mean lia i still like my you know my ventilator in my alpine a290
yeah no i'm afraid uh i'm i'm all for coffee um what i will say is there is no french person
walking around with a cup of tea because the tea over there wow it's not good is it no they can't
do it they do coffee brilliantly in France and wine and cheese and bread oh my god i love it all
but tea no right anyway i'm probably going to have started some kind of major sort of interracial
issue over who makes a good cup of tea now i'll say conflict between the english and the french
that's never happened before no anyway love the alpine a290 but i'm with ginny it needs cup holders
um if we move on i think we'll finish up on this because as we know this is becoming a
theme with me so we've had a message in from uh at dfid7 tour us i think you can guess where this
is going can't you glad that vicky id taura is on the podcast today um excuse me just returned
from half-term in Cornwall with a family five of us full boot and 750 miles total mileage
mix of motorway journeys hilly a roads coast roads the length and breadth of the country
charged fine from public rapid chargers although at times had to hunt for some free ones you found
free rapid chargers sure where are they free is in nobody's cash on them oh my god
i miss i did that one i was like my god there's a free rapid charger quick
i just go to Cornwall and use it i see so okay fair enough so obviously a bit challenging with
the with the chargers being really busy down in Cornwall i don't really i'm yeah this is the funny
thing isn't it i charge up all the services mostly up the kind of m3 and m1 and all that and m4 all
the usual from where i am and i never have a problem but then you do hear still people i think
when you get past the big major motorways it can still be a bit of a problem anyway so apart from
that i managed to return trip 240 miles of 25 percent still in the battery so that's good isn't
it net result was an average efficiency of 4.3 miles per kilowatt hour which i was it's pretty good
that is good i think we're all seeing pretty decent efficiency now the weather's kind of
warmer and all that it's really noticeable my skoda l rock that i do most of my miles in these
days is doing well over four as well so and yeah i'm very pleased that you're enjoying your id seven
toros we all know one of my favorite cars so yeah it's just a just a great car and good to end on
something that doesn't cost half a million pounds as well isn't it i think quite all right well
shall we bring this into land because we're at the obligatory nearly 45 minutes of the kilowatt
half hour podcast so hopefully that will please everybody because i know you don't like it when
it's only half an hour so thank you ever so much for listening and uh have a lovely week and we'll
see you on the next one take it easy
About this episode
Nissan Sunderland’s spare-line deal with Chery sparks questions about UK production, plug-in grant rules of origin, and whether Chinese brands are gaining share. The hosts also dig into why EV adoption is accelerating—over 27% of UK new cars are EVs year-to-date—while charging knowledge gaps and dealership experience shape buyer confidence. From real-world range testing in Norway to lease pricing and winter tire advice, the show ends by previewing a Toyota Hilux BEV video.
Chinese cars are having a big moment in the UK, and this week we're asking whether some of them could soon be built here too.
Vicky, Batch and Lucas discuss Nissan's talks with Chery about using spare production capacity at Sunderland, the latest customer satisfaction data which suggests Chinese brands are winning over British buyers, and another record month for EV sales as electric cars take more than 27% of the UK new-car market.
There's also a look at what we've been driving, including the Alpine A390 GTS and the Kia EV2, plus the latest Electrifying videos featuring the Polestar 5, Toyota Hilux BEV, Zeekr crash testing and a Kia EV2 range test.
As always, we welcome a new pair of Electric Virgins, answer a listener question about whether rear-wheel drive is really a problem on British roads in winter, and dive into your comments on everything from the Ferrari Luce to Mercedes-AMG styling and the brilliance of YASA's axial-flux motors.
All that, plus Bargain of the Week and the usual collection of comments, questions and moans.
Follow, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.
