Silent Running

 We were up early again, ready for Ellie to be dropped off. She had only just woken up and was in serious need of a cuddle with Grandpa and then Nana.

I had an itch that I needed to scratch. "Is an EV (Electric Vehicle) a feasible vehicle for us?". I needed more information so today we went to a local garage for a test drive. The first thing that I have to admit was how well the car behaved. It really was a pleasure to drive and, in terms of accommodation, it ticked all the boxes. It was also silent. Unnervingly silent. There were two options - a 50Kw and a 85Kw model. The 50Kw option would mean that several of our longer journeys would demand a recharge en route. This even includes journeys to Di's sister, where we could get there but would have to recharge while there or on the way back. The 85Kw option would accommodate all our journeys... but would cost more than 40K. This is a non-starter because of the luxury car penalty that you pay for the first 5 years of the car's life. This means that on top of the standard road tax, you pay an extra £410 each year. This comes into effect for EVs from next April... and I will not pay this penalty for buying an EV.  I had various other questions which the salesman answered without hesitation. Ellie's view of the whole event was that we should buy it. We returned home.

We had a quiet afternoon where Diane spent some time reading with Ellie and then they began a jigsaw puzzle. Zoe picked Ellie up at about 16:30, but she'll be back in the morning.