ELECTRIC CAR OWNERSHIP

Case Study – Fiat 500E owned by Mike Horseman

Last year, local resident Mike Horseman decided to change his rather desirable Audi A4 soft top, 3 litre petrol rocket ship with a diminutive Fiat 500E (E is for full Electric Powertrain).

Why did you choose the Fiat 500 E?

I love the look of the car, the way it has been designed and it is very gadget friendly. When it comes to new technology, I am an ‘early adopter’. I like to have the lastest Apple iPhone, iPad, and digital camera etc. I used to be a graphic designer in the UK, and I had the first Fiat 500 convertible in the country when I was living in Poole. It was bright red with every possible extra, and looked like an Abarth. I think it cost me £17,000 at the time.

This time I wanted an electric car, attracted by the fact I can charge it at home for free and the running costs are virtually zero. The environmental aspect is also important to me as I have grandchildren.

Did you receive a grant to help purchase the car?

Yes, the car cost 26,000 Euros. If you trade in your own car, you can receive a grant of €7,000. I decided to sell my car privately and so I received a lesser grant of €4,500. There was a lot of paperwork involved and I went through a gestoría in Manacor, Mallorca, which was recommended by the Fiat garage. It cost me €85 Euros. In November 2021, the local gestorías were not up to speed in the process but I expect it is different now. The authorities ask to see copies of all the paperwork from the garage to ensure there are no fraudulent claims.

I knew the grant would take some time to come through, and it took exactly one year for the money to arrive in my bank account. However, what I was not told at the time, and what I did not expect, was that at the end of the financial year I would be taxed on this ‘income’. That was a recent, nasty surprise!

What have the running costs been like in Menorca?

As a household we have 2 cars and so I do not use the Fiat all the time. I use it as a run-around and I get 165 miles or 265 km out of one charge. A specialist electrician fitted a DPS home charger in my garage with a voltage controller which regulates the charge. It is an intelligent charger with 5.7 potencia and so it knows when we are boiling the kettle etc. I have the Endesa Happy Tiempo electricity contract which gives me one day of free electricity every Friday. I have pre-programmed the car to start charging at midnight and so this is free.

When I bought the car most public chargers were free to use. I found that some were not working, such as those outside hotels closed in winter. There are many different providers now and you need a different app on your phone for each one. Currently I am using MELIB and Endesa. The chargers at the hospital are free and many of the shops. The chargers vary in cost from 34c/kw to 45 c/kw. Fiat shows you all the chargers available on your phone app or you can find them on the car’s navigation map. It tells you if they are available and working or if they are already being used by another car. The app on your phone has other cool features, such as a valet mode to stop other people driving the car, climate control, and a summary of the vehicle’s health.

I have been very pleased with my purchase. Once a year I pay 46 Euros for a plug-in test and Fiat have been brilliant. There have been no other maintenance costs so far. I have driven 5117km in 18 months and you can drive 13000km before the first major service. This is simply a plug-in diagnostic to check mainly the status of the batteries as well as normal air filter/air con gas check and general condition plus any system upgrades which may be needed.