Electric cars: the practicalities of going all electric

‘It seemed like a good idea at the time’ is my stock response to those who ask ‘What made you decide to have an all-electric car?’ I try to avoid saying more because I found I had a lot more to think about than I had anticipated.

Don’t get me wrong. Having jumped all the hurdles – the unexpected as well as the expected hurdles – I find the Volkswagen ID.4 is on the whole a great car to drive. But looking back I wonder if I should have constrained my desire to go all-electric until I had got a more informed tax adviser. This article explains some of the issues which I felt necessary to explore. The major problem was that I advised myself. In the process I made a significant mistake.

Fortunately I can live with the consequences of my incompetence (not least because the VW ID4 has...