Vauxhall Grandland Electric GS long-term test: will an EV work with no home charger?

Verdict

Having an EV without a home charger is showing how electric cars still don’t quite fit the needs of owners without anywhere convenient to plug in. My situation aside, the Vauxhall Grandland Electric is set to be a relaxing and spacious companion for the next few months and I’m keen to put its capabilities to the test.

One of the biggest incentives to invest in an electric car is the fact that it can potentially save you a great deal of money. However, ‘potentially’ is the key word here, because an EV’s biggest savings typically come through the use of a home charger – something that I don’t have.

Imagine, then, my concern when I was handed the keys to Auto Express’ new Vauxhall Grandland Electric test car. I was more than a little worried as to how I’d be able to inject some juice into its beefy 72kWh battery without having to sell any organs in order to afford it.

Driving around my home city of Norwich, it’s amazing how several of the comparatively slow charging options cost almost the same as plugging into one of the ultra-fast units that will make the most of the Grandland’s 160kW charging capabilities; you have to dig a little deeper if you wish to save a bit of cash.

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For example, there’s a Lidl just around the corner and if you sign up for the LidlPlus app, you get a lot more than a free tote bag and some cheaper pastries; LidlPlus, like some other supermarket charging apps, offers 
a small discount on charging. Dropping the price of charging from over 70p per kilowatt-hour to just over 60p saves around £7 per charge, which certainly takes the sting out of paying for each session.

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However, I’ve noticed a couple of niggles with the car in my first 1,000 miles or so, and while these glitches are certainly not painful, they are undeniably irritating. The primary annoyance is the air-conditioning system, which sounds like a cricket has been trapped in the dashboard; the incessant chirping sound has felt somewhat akin to Chinese water torture on longer journeys, and has led me on more than one occasion to turn off the air-con completely – even in an admittedly welcome warm spell in April.

Speaking of being rather toasty, the Grandland’s infotainment system tends to heat up so much (even when it’s not particularly balmy outside) that it can come as a bit of a shock whenever you touch it in order to choose a different song or adjust the climate controls; thankfully, the Grandland does have physical toggle switches for the temperature and fan speed.

Don’t think I don’t like the Grandland, though – thus far it’s been a relaxing motorway companion – because I’m actually shocked how desirable I think it is. Vauxhall’s signature ‘Vizor’ front-end design goes a long way to accentuate the SUV’s fittingly ‘grand’ proportions which, in our particular test car, are picked out with striking Impact Copper paintwork that really pops in the sunlight.

Unfortunately, the inside is less striking. The hodgepodge of cheap and premium materials is a bit of a letdown, however I am a fan of the way different fabrics have been used to adorn the inside of the doors. Vauxhall also talks much about the car’s illuminated ‘Pixel Box’ mobile phone charger, although after using this for a while, my phone, much like the Grandland’s infotainment screen, tends to overheat.

Finally, on the topic of illumination, I must say that I remain sceptical of the illuminated Vauxhall logo and script that dominate the front and rear of the car respectively. Both are certainly well executed – they really add to the sense of occasion as you approach the car at night – however any other logo or combination of letters would make a lot more sense in my eyes. There’s nothing overly wrong with announcing to everyone that you own a Vauxhall, but it’s a little bit like bragging that you shop in Tesco – it’s not anything particularly special.