Home | News | Zoe helps save the planet

News | 13th June 2019

Zoe helps save the planet

A RETIRED couple in Langholm are one of the first purchasers in the town to have bought an electric car.
Tom and Alison Hutton’s main reason for deciding to invest in it was because of the rising costs of repairs and maintenance on their 10-year-old petrol car with its inefficient engine and they were keen to eliminate the effects of pollution in the environment.
Renault Zoe is the cheapest to buy of the current electric cars. The Zoe stands for zero emissions.
Tom and Alison have a charging point attached to the outside wall of their house connected to their mains electricity meter. The electricity used is coming from renewables.
The battery is leased which means that, if it fails, they can have it replaced at no additional cost.
There are low maintenance costs, too, although insurance is more expensive but they hope that, in time, the premiums will reduce once more electric cars are on the road.
The car is limited to 85 mph and, once the battery is fully charged, they have a theoretical 180 miles of road to drive.
After a recent trip to North Berwick, Tom said: “We charged up the car for 180 miles in a car park in North Berwick and on the return 80 miles, we used 53 per cent of the battery so 140 miles seems a reasonable distance to feel happy with.”
He added: “It’s very much like driving an automatic car because there is no clutch. It takes a bit of getting used to after years of driving a manual petrol car. It really keeps you focused on smooth careful driving and the slower you drive, the more electricity you preserve.
Free
Although they have to pay for the electricity they use when they charge the car at home, it is a lot cheaper than buying petrol and one of the benefits of the electric car is that it’s free to charge at most points around Scotland.
Tom and Alison have used the free charge point at Tweedbank railway station and Tom has installed an App on his mobile phone called ChargePlace Scotland. It costs £20 to register and it gives all the information you need about available charging places.
The ChargePlace Scotland network has been developed by the Scottish government through grant funding of local authorities and other organisations to install publicly-available charge points.
Recipients of the funding are known as hosts. A host is the designated owner of the charge points they have installed and are responsible for maintenance and general upkeep of their charge points.
The ChargePlace Scotland network is operated for the Scottish government by Charge Your Car Ltd.

Would you like to support us?

The Eskdale and Liddesdale Advertiser is our community owned local newspaper and even in today’s troubled times, we aim to bring you local news and articles in an impartial, responsible and factual way.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this free article but we need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent and keeps you up to date with what is happening in Eskdale and Liddesdale.

Every reader’s contribution, however big or small, is so valuable to us.

Donate Today

‘Owned by the Community...Published for the Community’ Do you have a story?

Please get in touch if you have a story or article you would like to see published.

Virus hardship funds are open for business

Enterprise agency and councils are focusing on tailored support

Grand designs

Three potential options being considered

Government may ease lockdown next week

Langholm businesses respond to news of fewer restrictions

Everything stops for tea

THE Jeffrey family of Henry Street, Langholm got into the…

Physio celebrates her patient’s full recovery

Langholm therapist will remember camaraderie and optimism

July date for town’s flood scheme order

More public engagement is planned over council’s £8m project

Town gets tested

THE coronavirus mobile testing unit will return to Langholm on…

Fears raised on spread of virus into Eskdale

UK government’s relaxation of restrictions causes confusion

Drug capsule maker boosts clinical trials

Company’s Langholm owner: I feel it’s a worthwhile investment TWO…

Extra event support

DUMFRIESSHIRE MSP Oliver Mundell has called on the Scottish government…

Virus under control

Scottish Borders records no deaths in the first five days…

Heartfelt thanks

P4 pupils send letters to our key workers THE children…

Moor crowdfunder kicks off with £100k

Community buy-out appeals to the public to help raise £3m

Windfarm company take on MoD in court

Petition on seismic budget allocation will go to judicial review…

What a boring survey

ANOTHER Clap for Carers is coming up tonight. It’s strangely…

A look around at life in lockdown

“It was the best of times, it was the worst…

Tributes to Scott

A lovely, humble, young friend to many THE people of…

Rural testing pledge

NHS to expand its service into hot-spots in rural communities…

Big benefits for community

Many groups in the area receive funding from the Ewe…

Petition calls for Day to reinstate workers

Staff made redundant should be furloughed, say MSP and MP…

Kitchen is dumped and set on fire

A COMPLETE kitchen has been dumped and set on fire…

Nature wins in £6m sale of special moor

A PRICE tag of £6m has been put on more…

Bags of love for the NHS

A LABOUR of love to support NHS workers has sewing…

MSP supports EWM redundant workers

Willie Rennie has appealed to Philip Day to reverse the…

Couple’s wedding is put on hold by virus

Langholm bride and groom will have to wait to make…

Kevin’s a Yorkshire driving force

A FORMER Langholm primary school pupil is doing his bit…

100 not out for Jean

CENTENARIAN Jean McKie celebrated her 100th birthday on Monday with…

£83,000 for Eskdale

NEARLY £83,000 is being pumped into Eskdale’s economy through the…

Action on south

Team SOS is ready to support businesses WORKING as one…

No pause on flood scheme disappoints

THE council team in charge of developing Langholm’s flood protection…

Jobs at risk at mill after orders dry up

MOST of the 16 employees at Drove Weaving in Langholm…

EWM cancels orders with Asian suppliers

Millions of pounds worth of lost business has been catastrophic…

Boost for flood victims

FORTY households in Newcastleton, hit by floods during Storm Dennis…

Langholmite in lockdown

By Ken Turk WE ARE now into our fourth week…

Nurse catches virus from hospital patient

Langholm woman had sore throat, cough and was short of…

Eggs-actly what’s needed

THE Easter Bunny did not let down the children of…

Langholm gets £60k boost for shopfronts

A TOWN centre improvement scheme, which provides half of the…

On the frontline

Paramedic is committed to the service ONG-SERVING paramedic Hazel Jeffrey…

Full support promised after exams cancelled

Headteacher pledges that no exam pupil will be disadvantaged. NO…

Horseracing BRIAN Hughes, who rides regularly for James Ewart Racing…

requires mailchimp logins and wired up to a list

Join our mailing list
Keep up to date with all that’s going on at the E&L