Getting started with a PHEV: Christiane's testimony

Do you not dare to invest in electrified vehicles due to a lack of knowledge or because you have negative preconceptions about this type of vehicle? Discover the testimony of Christiane, who has been adopting a PHEV vehicle on a daily basis for 6 months now.

What car do you own?
A Mercedes A-Class 250e, I got it in April 2024, and I've driven 17 000km since then, it's my only car and I use it for both my personal and professional trips. Before this car, I had a diesel Audi A3 Sportback with which I covered 150,000km in 4 years. 

What's your routine - Where do you charge on a daily basis?
I use my car to go to work 3 times a week, I do 10km a day to go there and back, in addition to these trips I use my vehicle for my personal activities, to go to the gym, to do my shopping and to visit my family and my friends. Even when I'm working from home, my vehicle is used every day. I travel about 100km per week (apart from my long business trips). 

I do not have the possibility to charge my vehicle at home, the configuration of my car park does not allow the installation of a charging station (parking spaces not allocated). I charge my car when I come to work, we have a charging station near our car park that has been installed by a store that charges my car in 4 hours. Unfortunately, we do not have charging stations in the parking lot of our premises. 

What are the advantages you have seen compared to your old car?

When I charge my car and drive solely with the battery, the journeys are much quieter, the acceleration is sharper and the power is higher thanks to the electric motor. In winter (when the battery is sufficiently charged) I have the possibility to preheat the passenger compartment and seats, which saves me from having to defrost the windshield and therefore save time in the morning, while gaining in comfort because I arrive in a car already at the right temperature.
The fact that there is no noise in 100% electric mode makes journeys much more serene and zen. 

What do you think are the disadvantages compared to a combustion car?

The range is not enough in electric (50km) while I like to ride in this mode, I would like to be able to do at least 100km. The gas tank is very small (35 liters) which is problematic when I make long trips on the highway. The charging speed is quite slow, if I had known I would have taken the fast charging option which would have allowed me to reduce by 2 the charging time at the office as well as to be able to charge it in 20 minutes on the highway (and therefore compensate for the small size of the gas tank). The consumption in the city when I have no battery is really high (10 liters/100km) because the car doesn't really work in hybrid, when I have no battery I am only on petrol and I can't recover energy under braking, so it works either in petrol or in electric but never at the same time as with other brands. 

Can you make 100% electric trips?

Yes, in my daily life, the trips from office to home are mainly electric, when my journeys are longer or my days are busier I sometimes drive only with internal combustion.
I recommend this type of vehicle for people who are reluctant to use electric vehicles, because it allows you to get a taste of this mode of operation while getting into the habit of charging the car and finding a charging station, while having the safety of the petrol engine.
However, it is preferable to opt for a model with a larger battery allowing you to drive more in 100% electric mode as well as to pay attention to the charging speed in order to be able to optimize your journeys as well as possible.

Embrace electric cars and offer them more easily to your customers with your new expertise.

Discover the testimonies of Jon and Stuart's long electric car trips on our LinkedIn.