All posts by Graham

Tesla Tales: all you need to know about this car.

Car Leasing

Graham Forrester is the Managing Director of  the McGoff Group Facilities Services Limited based in Altrincham. Graham has been driving Tesla S on Contract Hire for a few months now and we sat down with him to find out what his experience has been so far…

So Graham, why did you choose Tesla rather than a more conventional car?
For the business: the Tesla S had 100% capital allowance in the first year; zero road tax, £5,000 Government contribution, significantly reduced fuel costs, no London Congestion Charge and very little maintenance and servicing requirements.

Personally, it is an extremely well equipped, high-tech, spacious, eye-catching, low environmental impact, high performance car with only 5% benefit in kind tax and very low (virtually free) fuel costs and emissions.

How many miles can you drive before recharging your Tesla?
I generally charge to 90% capacity (which is recommended by Tesla for maintaining battery life) which gives a 207 mile range. I don’t usually like to let the range drop below 30 miles before recharging.

How are the charging facilities around you? Do you charge it at the office or home?
I have a single phase charging point at home and a three-phase point at my workplace. I am also lucky to have Tesla Superchargers in relatively close proximity to home for longer journeys north, east and south bound. The car plans my longer journeys via the Supercharger network which Tesla have guaranteed to be free for use and currently other charging points such as Ecotricity are free to use. Home charging tends to be the exception rather than the rule.

Are there any notable differences between a normal car and an electric car?
The three most significant differences include: the lack of engine noise, the use of the regenerative engine to decelerate and the instant torque when accelerating.

Pre- Tesla how much money would you have to put in your car? How much would it cost you a week now in comparison?
Fuel costs for my Mercedes C220D were around £60 per week and benefit in kind was around £36 per week. Fuel costs now are virtually zero whilst benefit in kind is £26 for the Tesla S 70.


What are the pros and cons of driving a Tesla?
The pros? It is simply a pleasure to drive. The comfort, entertainment system (Spotify and Internet radio), performance, low noise levels and cabin/luggage space are superb.

The cons? You have to ensure that you allow sufficient time to stop and charge on longer journeys. The Tesla S 70 has the shortest range of all the versions however the longer range comes with a significantly higher price tag. Personally I need to stop every couple of hundred miles to stretch my legs and recharge my own batteries and this allows me to catch up with e-mails and make calls. The only other con I have found so far is the lack of any means to hang up my jacket!

Does it drive differently?
It drives itself. You can’t get much more different than that.

The first time you drive the car the complete lack of noise is a total surprise however you soon get used to it. The Tesla S is very easy to drive and, despite its large footprint, very easy to manoeuvre because of the all-round sensors and reversing camera.

For more information about Electrical vehicles contact CVSL today.Tesla Contract hire

Tesla

Why London businesses are choosing low emission vehicles

Car Leasing, Tax and Legislation News, ,

The London Congestion charge was implemented by London Mayor, Ken Livingstone in 2003 to reduce pollution in the capital. When the initiative was first launched the charge was £5 and now in 2016 the charge is £11.50 per day for driving within the charging zone between 07:00 and 18.00. If you pay in advance you can reduce the cost by £1 a day with auto pay.

The congestion charge can be expensive, especially if you are a business with multiple cars and if residents discount doesn’t apply to you, this could cost you up to £2898 per year. As a resident this would cost you £289.80 per year.  You can check here whether your property’s address qualifies for  residents discount.

This is the reason why more and more businesses in London are switching to for low emission vehicles as they are exempt to pay congestion charge under the Ultra-Low Emission vehicles.

Which cars are exempt under the ‘Ultra Low Emission Discount (ULED)’?

Vehicles that are eligible for the Ultra Low Emission Discount include all models that produce less or equal to 75gCo2/km and meet Euro 5 emissions standards.  Under the current scheme this includes all electric and most plug-in hybrid vehicles but conventional hybrids are treated as petrol and diesel vehicles only qualifying if their emissions are 75gCO2/km or less and are Euro 5. Please note the TFL reviews it schemes regularly.

If you would like to know more about low emission vehicles and how you can save money speak to CVSL today.

london traffic - congestion charge

What does the 2016 budget means for motorists?

Tax and Legislation News

Fuel duty will be frozen again in 2016-2017
Chancellor George Osborne has announced that fuel duty has been frozen for the sixth consecutive year. The current fuel duty price is 57.95 pence per litre for 2016-17, which means that pump prices are now 18 Pence cheaper than they would have been if the Government had maintained pre-2010 fuel duty escalator plans. This will save the typical motorist £75 a year and £275 a year for a small business with a van.

Company car tax and allowances
100% First Year Allowance (FYA) for businesses to purchase low emission vehicles has been extended for a further three years. The threshold however has been lowered from 130g/km to 110g/km of CO2 and the FYA from 75g/km to 50g/km of CO2 from April 2018, to reflect falling emissions.

The chancellor also said he will continue to base Company Car Tax on CO2 emissions of cars and consult on reforming lower CO2 bands for ultra-low emissions.

Driverless cars
Driverless cars will be tested as soon as next year. The Chancellor has said that driverless cars would be trialled on a ‘’strategic road network’’.  The Government has said that it will be investing in driverless cars as it wanted the UK to be “a global centre for excellence in connected and autonomous vehicles”.

Petrol

Bugatti Chiron revealed at Geneva Motor Show 2016

Car news

This week is the 86th Geneva Motor Show and it is fair to say that it is a big one. The show is being dominated by the launch of super cars Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Bugatti.
The Bugatti Chiron is the successor to the Bugatti Veyron. The Chiron can reach 62mph in less than 2.5 seconds which is extremely impressive considering the weight of 1,995 kg. It can reach a 261 miles per hour.

The Chiron doesn’t come in cheap – at a cost you £1.8m, the production of this car is set to be limited to 500 only and a third of them have already been sold.

“Bugatti has tested the limits of physics,” states Company President, Wolfgang Dürheimer. “The Chiron is the result of our efforts to make the best even better.”
The Chiron features an improved 8.0 litre W16 engine which generates 25% more power than the Veyron. It has two turbos in action, with the other two kicking in above 380rpm.
The suspension system has got 5 driving programmes: lift, auto (which is the default mode), autobahn (high speed stability), handling and top speed (which is activated by a second ignition key to raise from 380kph to 420 kph)
Surely you would need good brakes when driving this top speed? The Chiron has carbon silicon carbide 420 mm brake discs and are also gripped by callipers with eight titanium pistons at the front and six at the rear.

The Chiron is a luxurious sport vehicle. The interior is equipped with leather throughout and has even got Wi-Fi on board. According to Bugatti, the sound system is so good that it can be considered as the ‘’the world’s fastest concert hall.’’

What do you think of the Chiron?

Bugatti Chiron
Copyright image Bugatti 

Plug-in car grant is changing

Car news

Over recent years there has been a growing demand for electric and hybrid cars, partly due to the government’s plug in-car grant. The plug-in car grant was previously set at £5,000 per eligible car, however this grant is now being cut on the 1st of March 2016.

How is the plug-in car grant changing?

There will be 2 grants available:

‘Category 1’ cars with a zero emission range of over 70 miles will receive a grant of £4,500.

‘Category 2 and 3’ cars with a shorter zero emission range, such as plug-in hybrid vehicles with a petrol or diesel engine, will receive £2,500.

So what does it mean?
Most full-electric cars will still continue to receive a grant but the amount received may be reduced. Most full-electric cars will fall in category 2 and 3 meaning you will receive £2,500.
However, we do have some category 1 cars available here at CVSL, which could still mean a £4,500 grant under the new regulations.

If you would like to take advantage of the current grant get in touch today. Orders need to be submitted before the 29th February and be delivered within 9 months.
Take a look at our Electric Vehicle range.

BMWI3