How Kari went green
Kari switched her diesel SUV for an EV to support a greener future
We caught up with founder of baby food brand Tom Pom Organic Kari to find out more about her EV journey...
"So many of us love our sporty cars, hatchbacks, convertibles, SUVs, estate cars, and anything else that makes us either feel excited to drive, or at least is reliable enough to get us to where we want to go.
But why does it feel so nerve wrecking when we think about switching from our beloved petrol or diesel car to a fully electric car? Hybrids are ok, but why not just go for it?
After years of raising my kids in huge diesel SUVs, I decided that I would practice what I preach for myself and my business.
I sold my Audi Q5 and bought a Nissan Leaf in 2019. There were not many fully electric options at that time, but the Leaf is just big enough without being too big, or too expensive.
Yes, I was nervous watching my Audi roll down the road with its new owner, but within a week I knew I would never look back – I fell madly in love with my new electric car!
Why did my EV steal my heart?
- It is cheaper. I used to pay £80 for diesel every ten days - that's close to £3,000 a year! I now pay less than £5 when I fully charge my car at night on a special night tariff about every ten days (less than £200 a year). I also have a green tariff that only uses renewable energy which is a little more expensive, but very important to me. If I go on a longer trip on the motorway, I will need to charge my car for about £8 to cover a 2-hour motorway trip. Amazing!
- No car tax: Yep, no car tax. No ULEZ, no congestion charge. Some councils offer free parking too!
- Instant torque (makes you go fast quickly!). If you haven’t tested an EV out, I highly recommend the experience. There is no delay in the car’s response when you accelerate, and it goes FAST. Why? There is no engine in an electric car, just the battery and motor generator. When you accelerate in an EV, it instantly generates force to send you forward. Traditional cars need the engine, fuel and gear box to create drive, which leads to a delay in acceleration and creates dirty emissions. SO, if you want to safely pass a push bike or quickly enter onto a motorway, the electric car is far superior.
- Cheap service: No oil to change, gear box to stress over, engine issues – just plug it in to test it and check the tyres. Done! Every 18,000 miles is about £160, and there isn’t a list of things that need work done.
- It feels great. The car is quiet and calming to drive. I know that making this change is my contribution to the bigger issue of saving our planet.
My eldest son asked me "what the point was" if big companies are still polluting.
Simple; if the majority of households made greener purchases and led a greener lifestyle, we would create consumer demand for greener options. THEN businesses would listen and change to meet the green demand, and new businesses would grow to support this.
Switching to fully electric is not only economical and responsible, it makes our hectic lives easier and is also so much fun. Why not test it out?"