The Renault Twingo is a tiny car made for city driving. People are excited about electric versions because they are good for the environment and easy to park.
The Renault 5 E-Tech Electric is a small electric car that looks like an old popular model but uses new battery power. It's easy to drive in cities and doesn't use gas.
The Renault 5 is a small car that was popular a long time ago. Now, Renault has made a new electric version that helps save fuel and is better for the environment.
The Mercedes-Benz GLC is a fancy small SUV that is comfortable to drive and has lots of nice features inside. It's popular with people who want a stylish and safe car.
The height button is a special control in some Mercedes cars where you tell the car how tall you are, and it moves the seat and screens so everything fits you perfectly.
The Department of Transport is a part of the government that looks after roads, trains, and cars. They make rules and sometimes study how people drive.
"Big Brother" means someone watching everything you do, like a spy. When people say this about cars, they mean the government or companies might be watching where you drive or what you do.
The Nissan Leaf is an electric car that runs on a battery instead of gas. It's one of the first electric cars many people could buy, making it popular for everyday driving without using fuel.
The World Luxury Car award is a prize given to the best fancy and comfortable cars around the world. It shows which cars are the nicest to drive and ride in.
The Lucid Gravity is a new electric SUV made by Lucid, a company that makes fancy electric cars. It's coming to the UK soon and is known for being very good.
VAT is a tax added to things you buy, like charging your electric car in public. People want this tax to be lower so charging electric cars doesn't cost too much.
Charge My Street is a group that helps people charge their electric cars in neighborhoods. They are working to make charging cheaper by fighting some taxes.
The BYD Seal is a new electric car from China that goes fast and can drive a long way on one charge. It's a good choice for people looking for a powerful and affordable electric car.
The Chevrolet Equinox EV is a new electric car that runs on batteries instead of gas. It's a small SUV that people can use for daily driving without using fuel, helping the environment.
The Kia EV3 is a new electric car that will be good for driving in cities. It uses a battery instead of gas and is expected to be easy to use and affordable.
An interest-free loan means you can borrow money and pay it back later without paying extra money called interest. It helps people buy things like electric cars more easily.
The Dodge Charger is a fast and strong car that looks sporty and is popular for people who like powerful cars. It has a loud engine and is fun to drive.
Beeps and bongs are sounds a car makes to get your attention, like reminding you to do something or warning you about something. Sometimes they can be a bit annoying if they happen too much.
The Ford Ranger is a small truck that can carry heavy stuff and is good for work or fun activities. People sometimes talk about how much it costs to insure or keep it running.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a new electric car that looks cool and can charge its battery quickly. It's packed with smart features and is good for people wanting a modern electric vehicle.
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 Well hello and I know that some of you doubt it
does but we are back for the second episode of our new season and it didn't take us two
months to get here did it Batch?
No it really didn't, no amazingly and I think it's fair to say our factory reset has worked
hasn't it, amazing.
It has, we've had such a full post bag of really lovely messages welcoming us back,
thankfully none of you were too cross and we didn't get any scolding because we were
a bit scolded when we were off there and we're going to be diving into all of that later
but why don't we kick off with what we've been driving and looking at and then we'll
look into what else has been going on in the world of cars, so Batch what have you thought
have you been up to, what have you been behind the wheel of?
Well I've had a bit of a quiet time recently but I have been, I've been spending some extended
time in a car that I completely forgotten about actually existing, it's the Fiat 600E
can you remember that car Ginny?
There's so many, yeah no I do remember it vaguely you know somewhere in there.
I know, I know and that's the point isn't it, it's one of those cars that's perfectly fine,
perfectly nice car but that's the problem isn't it, it is perfectly fine and this 600E,
I mean it's lovely, it's bright orange, black roof, ivory coloured seats you know it's nice to drive,
perfectly nice car, it's just it doesn't get under my skin like the Fiat 500E does,
I love the Fiat 500E, again that's another car that's easily kind of forgotten about these days
but yeah I don't know, I don't know what it is, I've been spending a lot of time in this car
and I've come to the realisation that I think it's a Stellantis problem so you know as you know
Stellantis owns Fiat, they own Vauxhall, they own Peugeot, they own pretty much most things
and yet these cars they turn up don't they, big fanfare, they launch really exciting and then
they kind of just fade away into the background and we get excited about other stuff so I don't
know if that's just a me problem, I don't know if you think the same Ginny or whether our listeners
think the same, nice cars are pretty forgettable, yeah it's really interesting because I'm going
to give a plug to another podcast which is the podcast that you also appear on sometimes, it's
the Car Dealer podcast, so I was on that last week and they do, as you all know it's a fun thing
where you get people to judge the best news story, we might have to nick that from the Car Dealer
guys and get out, I love you listeners to tell us which was the best news story but one of the
things we talked about was that Stellantis lost 22 billion euros last year and the company's CEO
is blaming it on EVs and I think what I think the ups and of that conversation was was actually no
perhaps it's just that you're not making good enough ones and I mean there was a lot of financial
stuff around them writing you know off certain things and things being cancelled which of course
all impacted on those losses but I think that the upshot of that conversation was that actually
they're a bit the samey and but it was very interesting because I think the brand that
stood out as I think it was James Bagot was saying that is the Fiat, it's the Fiat 500,
it's a car we get excited about and I was saying I still think Citrins have got a nice
personality but I think some of you said some of that sharing it's just feeling a bit too samey
but I don't know it's not an industry thing is that something that Motring done this moan about
if you are listening to this and buying cars do you really care whether it's got the same
part for it? No yeah I sometimes think that because this 600e like the indicator stalks and
the keys are all same as a Jeep and the same as a Voxel and I think that's probably a me thing
because I've got a luxury of trying all these other cars but the problems I think Stellantis have
got is they've got very emotive brands and when you product share you've got to make sure that each
of those cars feel like they're from those individual brands and I don't think Stellantis has quite
cracked that just yet and I think one of the other things we talked about because that was a
point that I raised on that and I was saying well like what Renault does is lean into its history
it's doing this brilliant thing isn't it of having these dual strategies
they've got their modern icons as they call them which are their newer cars and then they've got
these icons which is the twingo which is coming and the four and the five why isn't Citroen doing
that? Where's the electric two? The electric two cv the Dish of O I would love to see that electric
love it I know it's a golden opportunity and I think you know if Renault have really surprised
everybody and who would have thought Renault would be leading the EV market and and and they
really are it's incredible. Yeah I'll come to that minute but I'm really interested to hear
what people who are listening think so you can drop us an email podcast at electrifying.com
or drop us a comment as you will hear from later in the comment when we go through a lot of them
we do read them all even you know even the horrible ones. So what have I been driving
also and what we'd like to hear from you is what do you think? Does it matter to you whether
you know cars share the same things or is it just simply a bit of an obsession that we have in the
industry that when we're driving a lot of cars back to back? So I've obviously been driving Yoda
Yoda the Renault 5 who's currently getting the three master kilowatt hour at the moment now
which I still think is pretty is okay it has been still quite cold. Yeah I just love Yoda Yoda's
going home soon she's been you know taken back to the mothership and I'm going to be sad but I'll
talk about that more on a future podcast but I have been out to drive something that I can't
talk about I can tell you what a car is though the Mercedes which is going to be a sure podcast.
I've just come out from a few days actually being very immersed with Mercedes and there'll be a lot
of stuff over the coming weeks that I'll be able to talk about some really interesting things.
I'll be able to tell you what the GLC was like to drive I can't do that today but what was
interesting is this is the first time I've seen it so Nick's done the walk around videos and the
very first look video and goodness me that hyper screen is big. It's a meter it's a meter of screen
and the grill you know is BMW grills are going smaller they're going no
extra extra yeah what a surprise me actually and I'm not massively a blingy person really and not
into blingy cars the grill when you see it I actually think this is a car that looks really
good when you see it I think in the metal as we say and I really liked the grill which I was
completely not expecting to do. I like it I mean I haven't seen it in the flesh like you have but
I've seen pictures I've seen videos of it and I agree with you and I think we've got to remember
Mercedes have always been flashy they've always been blingy and I think in the past few years
I'm thinking like the CLA you know when we had the CLA at the barn a few weeks ago apart from
the fact it's got a star on the on the grill it doesn't look like a Mercedes you know a Mercedes
should be big and brash and flashy that's what I think a Mercedes should be so I really like the
look of the GLC I can't wait to drive it so yeah I mean I mean and just just from if I go purely
off the you know the the tech is fabulous isn't it I mean you know they're going down that BMW
Neuerklasse route and we had a lovely German teacher who remind me which I've been it was
brilliant that it's actually not Neuerklasse it's Neuerklasse so I'm trying to remember to get it
right now Neuerklasse they're doing their own tech stack so we've got a video of that dropping
in a few weeks but what I can tell you about is I've discovered a new piece of technology
that has changed my life that I didn't know existed in a Mercedes and it's across all Mercedes
do you know about the height button no no I genuinely I don't know what you're talking about
what okay all right this blew my mind so and this is very that you'll like this batch because you
get in a lot of cars after me and there is a very funny video that I think we might need to try and
just put a clip of one this pod pod for you messing in the car after me I thought I'm short gang
right there's there are a lot of members of the electrifying team who are are taller and you
know and more substantial than I am and they don't like getting into cars after me because it's
like impossible so in the same these you go into the seat settings you can set your height in feet
and inches or in centimeters so it works for either and there's a little bar and you set it to your
height set it at five foot four it's calibrating everything it knows about the interior dimensions
the screen size is everything and the seats automatically adjust for your height
and it was bang on I didn't know that existed and honestly and then what you can do after you've been
in you can reset it so it can go back to the previous position you know so you it's up I thought
it was brilliant it was one of those little pieces of technology that I wish every single car had
because we're in and out of a lot of cars all the time I don't know but I just thought it was
clever it was a really smart piece of tech and I didn't know it existed well I think I don't want
to rain on your parade here Julie but I think master have done something like that before they did
I know I know that I know that but I will give it to you though in the master it never works
and I know that from from you know past experiences it never works and it sounds great in the Mercedes
perhaps Mercedes have watched the CLA video that me and Nicola did where I did
try and get in the car after you'd driven it and I tried so much I actually fell out of the car
because I was unable to get behind the wheel because you like you drive like this don't you
I actually like my wheel quite a long way away just that it feels closer so actually in terms of
I don't I like my wheel like some of my wrists you know around there but it's just that I'm
short that's all it's bullying bullying me it is I'm sorry this is all right be very highted
anyway um so look should we go on to the news because there's been quite a lot of news this
week hasn't yeah I don't oh why don't you take that the one that that apparently
we don't need big brother to watch us because apparently the department of transport is doing
that job for us for it no it's like big brother this is a good story I've learned this really
interesting I know what are what are my my mouth dropped when I read this on electrifying.com this
week so it's uh EV drivers are being spied on apparently so the UK government has been analysing
mobile phone data to understand how electric car drivers behave okay just let that sink in for a
moment okay I know um and it includes where they travel and where they charge so it goes exactly
back to what you just said Ginny big brother this is 1984 kind of stuff it sounds like doesn't it so
it's a two-year project it was run by the DFT the Department of Transport using data from the O2
network um and also providers uh Tesco Mobile, Gifgaff, Sky and Virgin. Now EV drivers were
identified through their use of EV related apps and websites allowing researchers to estimate
journeys based on phone speed and location data now obviously we had to we had to get a comment
from the DFT we had to find out what the earth is going on here and officials insist okay they
insist that data was analysed it was aggregated um meaning that individuals could not be identified
but of course it still raises big questions about how much mobile data companies are collecting
and sharing the awkward twist in all of this after spending get this £602,000 the report
concluded the data isn't actually accurate enough for detailed EV analysis I mean it's
incredible isn't it um it it is absolutely nuts and just think that £602,000 could have gone in
really useful charger grants for people that you're buying second hand cars which is my my hobby
horse at the moment that I think we need to reintroduce uh the the grants for uh for chargers
um it's a really strange thing isn't it and I think it was you it what surprised me was I think
it just if you've looked at an EV website or you've engaged with some EV content like twice I
think it was that's when they were they sort of thought that you were potentially an EV driver
and they were interested in what the phone data was telling was telling them um and it's just
a I don't know I think we weren't aware we weren't aware of it which is you know not not ideal
they're very I mean just on the legal side because we don't want to get sued um it's all been done
legally you know so there's no you know there's no laws been both been broken so it's it isn't
for me it isn't about that it's about the fact that we just we didn't know about it
yeah and I'd love I'd be fascinated to know what people think about it and there's part of me that
also wondered is is this all maybe part of a plan for for somehow was it going to feed into paper
mile I don't think it was because this was this was a project set up by the previous government
so this has not been this isn't yeah this was a conservative government starting project but and
obviously they didn't learn much but it does raise those questions about how are we going to be
tracking things like like paper mile doesn't it well yeah and and and hopefully you know this
might serve as a bit of an example of yeah I mean you're right it was a two-year project so it was
it wasn't under the current administration as far as I'm aware but it does it raises it should be
using an example of with these discussions around paper and paper mile there is going to have to
be some analysis of individuals their journeys you know what they do what people do in their cars
just tell us what's going on the vast majority of people I'm sure wouldn't mind all of this if it
means we have a fairer system you know it can actually be used in a good way fine yeah just tell
us it's going on you know I think it was the breach of trust really that that was the thing you know
when you when you signed up for an EV you didn't know you were also and I'm an O2 customer as well
I was like oh great okay and anyway let us know what you think about that one because I think that
for me was quite a big story um from you know from the last week the other big story um is that
the final three for the World Car of the Year have been announced and so I'm a juror on that as you
know and am I right in thinking you're a UK Car of the Year juror as well batch I am I am indeed yes
climbing my way up to the world so well we talked about that on the on the podcast last week because
that had just been announced so we've got like not to the finals but we've got a step closer so
the final three the the final shortlist has been announced and there's two electric cars are up for
World Car of the Year probably not surprisingly the BMW ix3 uh the other one was the Nissan Leaf
and then bringing up the rear was the Hyundai Palisade so obviously that you know it's a world
award not all markets are moving at the same place at the same pace so we do get some internal
combustion engine cars coming up but actually the last couple of years that the shortlist has been
all EV but the Palisade in particular is a massive seller particularly North America
where obviously you know there's a bit of a kind of changing and loosening of targets over there
I think the Leaf is interesting again it's the the original Leaf actually was a winner of World
Car of the Year and I think just because this is a global award I thought that was an interesting
inclusion and then we have this other separate which might sound a bit complicated but we have
an EV category as well so which aren't always based on the World Car because World Car there are
some kind of financial parameters around in that as well but again for World Electric vehicle
we've got the Leaf and the ix3 but in that the third one is the CLA which of course has just
been announced as European Car of the Year and then just generally EVs did really well Volvo
ES90 is up for World Luxury Car the Lucid Gravity which car sold in North America I've been told it's
coming to the UK I've driven that obviously it is a brilliant car it is a brilliant luxury sort of
family or not a very lucky family SUV and then a nice one was the Ionix 6N which is up for World
Performance Car of the Year which again I think is well deserved so when is announced on April 1st
and then I think we just want to probably rattle off one more news story don't we because we've
talked a lot about that on public charging and there's been a bit of a bit of a move in the
right direction this week batch is that right yes so the public charging might be getting a little
bit cheaper so why is that maybe maybe maybe yes well it may be and and well why is that well
it's it's a community charging network called Charge My Street has just won the first stage of
a legal challenge against the Treasury of a VAT on public EV charging so that's that's a pretty big
step you could say a step in the right direction um the other group has argued that small community
charge points should qualify for the same 5% VAT rate as domestic electricity instead of the 20%
currently applied to most public charges that's something that we've been saying and quite a
few other people have been saying as well and importantly the I mean the late 20s yeah so the
late Quentin Wilson you know the I mean I always think of the late Quentin Wilson lovely man and
who did so much champion this so sorry I interrupted so no no no he was he was one of the biggest
advocates of this and and it seems like the tribunal has agreed on this so under the current
wording of the law it ruled that drivers using those charges should actually be paying the lower
rate now this could have big implications for the cost of public charging although the HMRC
could still appeal or the government might simply change the legislation but and this is the important
bit but if the ruling stands it could help bring down those charging costs which campaigners say
is essential if EV ownership is going to work for drivers without off-street parking yeah and we've
got to have it fair haven't we so this is a very small step in the in the right direction and again
I think this is only over I think it's not the that I don't think I don't know I might be wrong
but it's my understanding this ruling doesn't cover sort of the the DC rapid charging it's
more those lower local AC charges but it is a step in the right direction and as always on all the
news stories whether it's that or whether you think we got the World Car of the Year finalist
wrong um or what we think about about the brother watching also known as the Department of Transport
watching EV drivers you can email us podcast at electrifying.com let us know in the comments below
shall I do the Barnard's bargain should we make it a Buckley bargain this week? Buckley bargain yeah
Buckley bargain it trips off the tone better actually we got a buck we got a Buckley bargain
courtesy of Barnard that's a real complicated one he has found a great deal on the BYD seal
so it's the 230 kilowatt design model it gets that 83 kilowatt air battery um you've been in
the seal recently we know Nick's a massive fan of that it's a good car it is so here you go batch
would you go for this there's at least still at the moment 314 pounds a month with 2826 pounds
up front that's over three years 8000 miles a year and the best bit it's in stock and it's
registered and it's ready to go oh yeah I just love the seal it's just all rounder you know and
at that price why wouldn't you that's it I mean that deal is on at the moment and you can find
that on the deals page over at electrifying.com but that for me is a lot of car for the money
a lot of car yes yeah right let's go on to comments and questions and we had some lovely
comments welcoming us back which we're so happy about should we just take these one by one each
because we're going to do loads of them just to make us feel nice yes um so we had kiss underscore
Paul Stanley which is a great youtube handle at least you've not broken the format of a 30 minute
podcast that lasts longer than 30 minutes well done all great to see you return
um and the electric transition says yay great to have you back I was worried we'd seen the
end of the podcast don't worry you've not seen the end of this podcast and I promise we'll
be back next week too uh yeah duomc great return to the kilowatt half hour oh and I wasn't expecting
the spice girls to sound as good as I remember too this is because we were talking about the spice
girl uh triplets uh the the small vw cars that are coming along and then gav kenny said huzzah
it's back and the snazzy new new title was so shout out to manos for those so he did a great
job with and we got music and everything that's what took us two months to choose the music for
all our viewing and if people don't understand the spice girls reference just go and listen to
last week's podcast and you'll quickly understand um yeah I mean loads more comments I mean um
Wagner Guiness I probably completely Gimenez I think it was I'm going for for Wagner Gimenez
for Wagner and you're what are you saying or Wagner Gimenez I don't know anyway whoever you are feel
free to tell us if we're getting it wrong leave a comment for next week but he they've been saying
I'm just thankful you guys are back thanks for taking the time to keep us updated with the news
so that's a lovely thing to say and then Mark Cornwall said it's been a while clearly it was so
Ginny could finally get her walls painted green yes welcome back we don't know for a long time my
walls had like different colors on I went for green and shout out also to a lot of the regulars so
a4 djl neville brownie the laser hive steven medell 1383 mark freyman and everyone else who
welcomed us back it was lovely yes although not everyone was happy to see us back this comment
from graham harrison 1323 came flying in and it says thought I'd clicked on an episode of loose
women by mistake wittering on about spice girls etc not for me thanks stick to cars don't want to
listen to inane banter maybe just me but it got right on my nerves um but uh thankfully we didn't
have to dive in here because mig v 40 did that on our behalf he swept in with this one liner saying
you can't yes it's just you yes graham he's just you you can't please all the people all of the time
you really can't and we also got another one which was brilliant which was
I'm only here for the inane banter which you know if you're not here for that it's the
wrong podcast whether it's it's all the loose women as we're in the loose women of the team
I mean random anyway so but yes please you know do always let let our comment let send us your
comments we do love reading them all and we're back to now we're going to welcome our electric
virgin of the week so these are people who have made the move into EVs for the first time we're
going to go and say hello to somebody across the pond in rural Ohio which makes me really happy
um buckeye EV charging I wonder what if buckeye is something to do with buckley are we distant
cousins no do you have a connection with Lochdale I just would love to know I have a family in rural
Ohio because I've been I'm just I've been watching Yellowstone and I'm a bit obsessed with though
the kind of rural America at the moment anyway forget the thing I want to know is how well do
the Spice Girls go down in rural Ohio that's okay we really are drag old thing we're getting really
into the inane banter territory anyway buckeye EV charging said I really enjoy everything you ladies do
and that andgy batch that's what I'm the other boys on the team I look forward to every video
and I only wish we could get those cars that you talk about here and review here in fact because
of your channel I'm buying my first EV on saturday a 2026 Chevrolet equinox EV which is one we don't
get here I'm so excited to become part of this community and revolution in electric transportation
I just wish I could be here in another 30 years to see it really evolve and on one of your future
shows could you delve into what you think it will take to the US to really begin to embrace EVs great
idea and I think that is something that you should have a chance about and maybe you know try and
find somebody with a bit more insight into the US market to talk to us but let us know how you go on
and let us know I mean we don't we you know I've driven the Chevrolet equinox so we'd love to know
what you hear so welcome to the gang and also welcome to the gang Gav Kenny who said my friend
has just bought a CLA this is because we were talking about it winning European car of the year
very excited to see it next week and he is also getting an EV3 in august so welcome to the gang
welcome to the electric gang should we do a few more comments yes should we have a look at
well we've been talking about affordability haven't we and also used EV loans in in scotland
now mike davis 660 has said an interest-free loan on new and used BEVs makes so much sense
yes might we agree with i was like meek and actually we totally agree with you as well
andrew bell says we took advantage of the interest-free loan via the energy savings trust
in december 2024 after a friend did the same in 2023 and recommended it when he got the loan it
was up to 28 000 pounds six-year repayment for a used EV when we got it they reduced it to 25 k
six-year repayment with a household income less than 50 000 pounds we purchased a used
nine months old at the time renum again e-tech good choice for just under 25 000 pounds with
around 6 000 miles on the clock the car dealership was also offering a home charger and installed
from about 500 pounds as past the deal which we took the charger was installed under a week after
receiving the car you have to be quick to get the loan however they usually announce the loan
just after the scottish bug scottish government budget quite difficult to say which is october
november and all the money is gone by around january february time but isn't that brilliant and
this is why i was talking about last week i was having a bit of around about the electric car
grant and about there being some grants given out to business and landlords and you know on
having charges fitted and my thought was always been you know some kind of you know household
income you know let's set that a certain level and let's help get people into used EVs because
that's arguably you know where you can make the most difference and then my other point that
i've made last week was that if you're spending 10 grand on a used EV which can get a good one now
right and then suddenly you have to pay another thousand pounds on a charger that could be the
difference between your switching or not and more 30 messages and said totally agree on the charge
thing i was lucky to get one thrown in with my classic Ioniq six years ago but if i had to drop
you know two thousand dollars i don't remember you're in the us at the time it is a bit cheaper
now it would have made me stop and think and then we have the other side of the argument
EV ready personally i'm not in favor of spending tax pay and money subsidizing second hand car
purchases purchases reckon it's right the grants are focused on new cars on incentivizing
manufacturers to produce them getting more new EVs on the road but on the flip side i can see
where i do think that those who buy second hand sorry on the flip side helping those who buy
second hand for charges would be good and i can see where jenny is coming from about supporting
landlords and really landlords should install charges with their own money so yeah i think
affordability is like the big thing now and it's it's how we you know try and get a lot more people
into much more affordable EVs in the used market so and we know that people do have concerns and
questions and also we know charges are expensive as always let us know what you think yes we had
the question about the big boot did you before did you know why the the by did suddenly got a
bigger boot do you know this yeah it was random wasn't it it doesn't it doesn't make any sense
actually because nicola went out and drove the car in madrid a couple of weeks ago i helped her
write the script you know and i dived through all the specs but it didn't really become clear why
the atto 3 which is what we're talking about the atto 3 of course it switched from
look which ways is it rear wheeled is front wheel drive to rear wheel drive isn't it
but the boot has now got i think that's what it is well well this is what they've said this is
what j little 2814 said not sure if anyone has answered this already but apparently they've
changed the battery layout so they can make the boot deeper oh okay well that would make
sure check it's very good so that would be good um and then we had a lot of response to our beeps
and bongs because last week but we were talking about how annoying it is in some cars when you
get in and you literally pull away from the house and before you've even got to the end of the street
it's saying you look tired to take a break which is like i mean it's basically saying you look a
rough today isn't it yeah so as three women on the podcast we did object to that does that happen
to you it's not you see i get i i get it as well i got a new one last week where i was told
that i need to sit up and i'm like where do you think i'm sitting i'm not sitting on the
shades long am i i am sitting upright driving a car so it's just ridiculous it's getting all too
much it's not being a school isn't it sit up pay attention it'll be shouting at you for giving
me the side eye next anyway people are agreeing with us um maturely going to have nine also happy
to hear that we're back said few you're back the shakes are beginning to fade the cork is back
in the cobons which i look over cobons port anyway and for it and the breeze so um on the
subject to be some bongs our leap motor to three has the weariness bongs but the thing is they go
on for 15 seconds 15 unless you have left thing left hand for finger accuracy of burning the bolt
it lasts that long too so i presume you can't get there and and actually some really good
real range figures they're coming in from um maturely going to nine uh with winter range on
the to three and also range on the dole the dolphin surf now what we really want is you
guys to send us in your real world range experiences and we are collating them all
in a spreadsheet um one person suggested perhaps you could we could get but mr barnard to do that
and that indeed is what will happen so we're going to start looking much more about we want to know
what you're getting at your cars as well so yes um who else did who else is with us on the facial
recognition tired well single bat single bassist chai has perked up he's and he's and and they've
come in with this comment saying i think there should be a calibration option to set your natural
resting slash concentration face um so it knows what do you look like normally so genius saying
yes so rather than saying you are tired it knows that this is the normal state in fact every time
you get in the car it should say how amazing you are looking today so you set off in a good mood
and hopefully will be more considerate to fellow drivers this is assuming they don't add a sarcastic
mode where it says you look amazing in that tone where you are left unsure what a brilliant idea
i'll think about some regular a regular on the podcast and i know what she's all about videos
that is genius yeah literally like the next lot of design directors interior design team
i go to talk to or the or the the ux people who love to do a seminar i'm going to bring that up
we're gonna we're going to get that change made what would you like your car to say to you in
the morning other than oh take a break you look a bit tired i'm with single bat you look fabulous
let us know in the comments below this one i thought was really interesting interesting
though from brx ranger when do you think our insurance companies will tell us we are not
allowed to turn those systems off well yeah interest what an interesting thought yeah i mean i hate to
to say this but it's it's i can't help but think it's only a matter of time you know really yeah
let's see yeah and i think we should end our comment section on the vw spice girls because
obviously it really went grey and mark who listened and watched last week but he won't be watching
anyway now because he doesn't want to watch loose women about electric cars in ancient what is it
wasn't something new like a loose woman and a loose bloke well i think that's something entirely
different that's a show we don't want to make no okay graham smith 6443 said so glad you're back
but surely vw are not having triplets they're having quads as there is the id cross as well
no he's kind of forgot about that one technically yes yeah yeah um christopher nunn says skoda is
basically oudie are you kidding skos are better built better equipped and better value don't lower
skoda to oudie levels i have to agree with christopher there actually i think he's spot on
it's really harsh but you know might not disagree that's because i likened if you not that if this
is not making sense i liken the vw triplets to the id to being baby spice because it's as cute
everybody's going to love it it's fun and the um the skoda epic forthcoming was basically posh
because oudie is because skoda is basically the new oudie these days um and then um we had special
circus who said sorry but that's a poor analogy posh spice was the useless one
she didn't sing for the show for the set dressing who wants a useless girl which was harsh and our
final uh comment i think back shall hand over to you it's from urban strachan a long time
listener to the show um and again lino watches a lot of our videos so let's end with this one
yeah killer what half hour is back girls great podcast great episode um and then also great
to cvw group triplets coming this year oudie polo kupa rival and scooper epic skoda skoda
skoda that's that's the fifth child um skoda epic um but personally i'm most excited i can't speak
today but personally i'm most excited for the Hyundai Ioniq three hope it's worth the wait
to replace my insta um so are you starting ev conversion build this year electrifying team
get old you go and convert it to a proper 21st century ev hot hatch it's something we've threatened
to do for a while listen we couldn't do a podcast for two months what are the chances of us doing
an ev conversion but i think it is something that we we i have a feeling that there is a member of
the team who might take that arm um but we'll be driving well we will be going to see the Ioniq
three very very soon i've actually seen it already i can't talk about it yet but we will be having
a video soon on that car so so much great stuff coming we'll be reporting it all on the youtube
channel also giving you loads of a name banter about it here on the podcast so um thank you so
much for joining us back just been a delight i think some of the boys are back next week on
that one as well so and we do promise it's going to be weekly again we're not going to let you down
but until then keep those comments coming in but for this week thanks for listening bye
About this episode
The hosts discuss the often overlooked Fiat 600E and Stellantis' challenge of making emotionally engaging EVs amid heavy platform sharing. They highlight Renault's success with nostalgic electric models and tease upcoming insights on the new flashy Mercedes GLC, including its impressive hyper screen and a clever seat height adjustment feature. The episode also covers a controversial UK government project tracking EV drivers via mobile data, sparking privacy concerns. Throughout, the hosts invite listener opinions on brand differentiation, car tech, and industry trends, blending personal experiences with broader EV market analysis.
The Kilowatt Half Hour is back for Episode 96, and the Electrifying.com team is diving into another busy week in the world of electric cars ⚡
Ginny and Batch catch up on what they’ve been driving – including a first taste of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLC EQ (with a very clever feature we can’t quite talk about yet) and extended time behind the wheel of the Fiat 600e. It’s perfectly fine… but is “fine” enough in today’s ultra-competitive EV market?
A surprising revelation that the UK government analysed mobile phone data to study how EV drivers travel and charge. Is it useful research… or a little bit creepy?
A potential breakthrough for cheaper public charging after community network Charge My Street won the first stage of a legal challenge over VAT on public EV chargers.
Plus, it’s time for Barnard’s Bargain, where Batch uncovers a seriously tempting lease deal on the BYD Seal.
We also dive into your comments and questions, including:
Listeners welcoming the podcast back (and some who weren’t quite so happy…)
A new “Electric Virgin” listener in Ohio buying their very first EV
Real-world range reports from the community
The mystery of BYD’s magically growing boot space
ADAS beeps, tiredness warnings and whether insurance companies will eventually force drivers to keep them switched on
And of course, there’s plenty of listener banter — including debates about Spice Girls analogies, the upcoming VW Group EV “triplets”, and dreams of Electrifying converting a Yugo into a modern EV hot hatch.
Got a question, a real-world range report, or a car-buying dilemma? Drop it in the comments or email the team — and we might feature it on the next show.
