Agent reveals how his electric car dream turned into a nightmare
David Kirby of David Lee tells The Neg he has handed his electric car back after three years, saying its range wasn't enough.
An agent has abandoned his electric pool car after finding it didn’t keep its charge for long enough.
David Kirby, co-founder and director, of David Lee sales and lettings agency in Hertfordshire (main picture), told The Neg that after three years with an electric Mini he has decided to switch back to a petrol car.
When the lease on the Mini expired, he made the call to hand it back. “The restricted mileage, particularly on the Minis, is the main reason,” he says.
“The ease and practicality we will have with a petrol car is much better. Also, when you read into it then the less you believe electric is better for the environment.”
He says the way the batteries are produced and disposed of is a downside for the electric cars.
Fun and cool
Kirby says although there are other electric cars with a longer charging range, the Mini is best suited to estate agency business: “We have always run Minis which we chose from the very beginning.
“They are good fun, cool, lovely to drive and well-made. They are also small and easy to manoeuvre,” he says.
But the charge on the electric Mini would often go down below 20 miles remaining, and there was the constant fear it would run out, he explains. And with a petrol car you might get 400 miles from one tank.
David Lee was established in 2004 by Kirby and partner Lee O’Brien, and now operates from a converted barn office in the village of Little Hadham, having closed three high street branches.
The company also boasts a network of self-employed agents, who work using the David Lee brand.
Read more about electric cars and agents.
