By Paul Homewood
h/t Ian Magness
Ray Bestwick bought an electric car last May in the hope of hassle-free motoring.
But with eight trips to the garage in little more than a year, the 62-year-old engineer cannot wait to put an end to his “soul-destroying” experience.
The Renault Megane E-Tech driver isn’t the only electric vehicle owner to face a multitude of problems, with a host of Telegraph readers detailing their reasons for pulling the plug on green energy.
Fears over range and a lack of charging infrastructure are the main factors behind owners turning their back on EVs.
Mr Bestwick, from Derbyshire, said: “My Renault is meant to have a range of 280 miles but it’s only ever reached over 200 twice out of about 30 times. I’m lucky to get 160 out of it, so it’s blatantly obvious there is a problem.
“I’ve taken it to three different Renault garages and they’ve all said there’s nothing wrong and it’s because of my driving style.
“I don’t agree with that at all – I’m 62 years old and drive in eco mode 90pc of the time. I’m after economy, not speed.
“It’s soul-destroying constantly getting told it’s my fault when it clearly isn’t.”