Imagine this: all my cars have been petrol-fueled, mostly manual gearboxes, and always my trusty companions. So when my lease ended, I thought, “Why not take the plunge into the world of electric vehicles?” Our criteria were simple – a tall car for my equally tall spouse and I, spacious enough for our two-year-old, his stroller, and our ever-growing luggage collection.
After exploring several options, we finally settled on the Jeep Avenger, fresh off the assembly line in Poland. After some impatient waiting for the car to be hand-built, it finally arrived. The dealer enthusiastically showcased all the features, handed us a QR code for the manual (because who needs paper these days?), and mentioned that all the car options were available in an app.
We secured our son’s car seat, and off we went. Feeling tech-savvy, I tried installing the manufacturer’s app. It rejected the number plate but graciously accepted the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), only to insist the car was built in 1970. Needless to say, none of the vehicle monitoring features were functional.
A few days later, we decided to visit a shopping center in the next city. “Let’s charge the car while we shop,” we thought, blissfully unaware of the adventure ahead. Oh, how wrong we were!
The shopping center’s charger was powered by a malnourished three-legged mouse running backwards and forwards on a wheel, not sure which way to run. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone had spiked its water with Psychedelics (3kW). In the hour we spent shopping, the battery charged a measly 1%. At this rate, we’d be stuck for days. So, we consulted our phones and found a slightly faster charger nearby. An hour later, with the slightly quicker 7kW charger, we had just enough juice to get home.
Determined to outsmart the charger gods, I got up early the next morning to find a charger, take a walk, do some shopping, and return to a better charge. Alas, our local Tesco’s chargers were all 7kW, perfect for a top-up but nothing more.
Desperate for higher-powered chargers, I found a 22kW charger in Troon, about ten miles away. “Yeah, why not?” I thought. However, upon arrival, I discovered the charger was out of order. At this point, I was ready to bang my head against the wall in frustration.
I still had errands to run in Kilmarnock, so I resorted to an app called ZapMap, which revealed a car park near the supermarket with much bigger chargers. These chargers were CCS type, so I plugged in and went shopping. An hour later, I returned to an 80% charge for under £25. It had been a learning curve of a day, but at least I now knew what the dealer hadn’t explained.
This Thursday, the car goes back to the dealer to sort out the app issue. Would I buy another Jeep? Absolutely. It’s comfy, quiet, and incredibly quick off the mark. Once you turn off sports mode, it’s also fairly efficient.
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Hi I am Marcus, MM0ZIF, a licenced Radio Amateur, Doctor of Musicology, amateur weather enthusiast. I over the years have been a Amateur Radio Tutor, Examiner, and a Regional Manager for the Radio Society of Great Britain.
This site is dedicated more towards Amateur Radio and Weather, with an angle on Technology too. I also maintain https://havenswell.com/ which is my other blog which is more aimed at cooking, hobbies and life in general as well as businness and networking.
