I love cars. I enjoy driving. I love driving cars that are new in the market. So, you can imagine the build-up of excitement as I waited to take delivery of my new Audi E-tron Sportback. I’m now at the point of having owned the car for a number of weeks and have clocked up just over 3,000 miles. My experience thus far has been enjoyable and unexpected, and so with that in mind, I wanted to share three observations from my initial few thousand miles.
You join a new community
You often hear philosophers talk about how we long to belong. I’m not suggesting for a moment that buying an EV will bring satisfaction if you are facing some kind of existential crisis, but what’s clear is that you join a community you probably never realised existed. It feels a bit like I’m making new friends at every charging station I visit. And with this exclusive new membership comes new vernacular. I find myself conversing about kilowatt hours, CCS, CHAdeMO, PHEV’s and the different between slow, fast and rapid (chargers!). As a result of being part of this new community, you also start noticing things you didn’t before. You realise that the local park and ride has got 2 rapid chargers which are almost never used, whereas the 6 at Fleet Services on the M3 are rarely working. In my former days of driving an ICE (internal combustion engine, for those not part of my new community) vehicle I barely saw chargers. Now I can’t miss one, making a mental note of its kilowatt hour charging capacity too. It’s safe to say this new membership doesn’t make me a more interesting dinner party guest.
The infrastructure just isn’t there
One of the inevitable topics of discussion with your newfound community members is how lacking the charging infrastructure is. Last year the government announced that by 2030 the sale of petrol and diesel cars would be banned. There is a lot that needs to be done in the intervening eight and a half years if this is ever going to be achievable. My e-tron will accept charge up to 150kwh (making the most of the highest capacity chargers available in the UK), but it still takes 38 mins to charge from 0-80%. That didn’t sound like very long until I pulled into my local BP with my two kids in the back. “We just need to wait here while daddy charges the car”. We lasted 13 minutes before I unplugged and drove home, for fear of what may happen in the public view of all on the BP forecourt. Even still, that 38 minutes is reliant on having a charger available and working, neither of which are guaranteed.
It’s all about your appetite for growing pains
As I reflect on my last 3,000 miles I think there are a lot of parallels with my ownership experience and my day job as CEO of a technology company. In both areas I am the recipient of growing pains. As far as my car choice goes, I like that I am driving something that is more environmentally friendly than my previous car, is technologically advanced and gives me literal hands-on experience of one of the most exciting emerging trends in the automotive sector. On the other hand, I’ve been irritated at the shabbiness of the infrastructure, moaned about the lack of centralised and reliable information on chargers, and it irks me that I need to factor in my proximity to a rapid charger into my weekend plans. Would I be without it? Right now, no. To me, the price is worth it.
And so it is when I think about my role running a rapidly growing business. Growing pains are exactly that; painful. Each day there are many things which don’t go the way I would have hoped, but are all part and parcel of the journey that we’re on as a business. We’re at the forefront of our industry, and so that means that we aren’t aimlessly following a well-trodden path, we’re trying to shake things up and that’s not easy. We have hurdles, blockages, slippages and disappointments, as well as the soaring highs of wins, progression, accomplishments and surprises.
For me personally, the decision to have an EV over an ICE is a marginal one. When it comes to my choice of vocation, there’s no doubt in my mind; growing pains all the way.