I crashed my Outlander PHEV, now what?

Or how a minor bingle allowed me to reconnect and then quickly reject (again) the internal combustion engine..

So this all started a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday morning while I picking up an ebay bargain. On the way back I found myself distracted by the car’s sat nav only to look up and find the string of cars in front braking abruptly. Of course I didn’t stop in time and hit the car in front.

Outlander PHEV collision crash test aftermath

This is where I need to own up to a dirty little secret. I love old BMWs.

To be specific I own two BMWs, that’s right, count them, two! a BMW E28 535i and custom built E46 BMW M3 Compact. The 535i I’ve actually owned twice five years apart. Yes, I missed it so much I tracked it down and bought it back from its current owner.

The M3 Compact was a labour of love in that it’s pretty much one of a kind. The mechanicals and all the ECUs are from an M3 Convertible while the compact body is largely unchanged so it’s effectively a sleeper. Both vehicles are incredibly charismatic and both have lived a life, are unique and would be difficult for to part with and to replace.

These vehicles are hangovers of my petrol head past and while I should really sell them for the ”greater goooood” I love them both dearly. Until the bingle both vehicles were laid up in storage. I would occasionally drive one of them on a weekend or special occasion (like one might ride a horse?) but not really for day to day driving.

Initially I loved the theatre of the BMW M3 straight six but that novelty wore think very quickly. So here’s my top 5 reasons why I can’t wait to get back into my Outlander PHEV and Nissan LEAF.

Spot the odd one out!

1. It’s really inconvenient to re fuel – It seems as though I need to visit the Servo every few days. Worse still is the inability to refuel at home. There’s been a few occasions where I’ve had really busy and long days, returned home to realise I wouldn’t be able to conveniently fill up with renewable fuel from the Zappi EV Charger in my garage. Instead, I would need to make a detour via a servo the next day. So irritating!

2. It’s really expensive to refuel. In my Outlander I’m used to being able to fuel my daily drive of 50km well for next to nothing. With the BMW there’s been a few occasions where I’ve fully intended to ‘fill up’ but stopped half way simply because I couldn’t stomach the expense.

Hello hip pocket…

3. Always conscious or wear and tear. With both BMWs I’m always conscious that with every cold start. Every drive I’m wearing parts down and that I’m adding to the demise of the various internals of the engine, gearbox, clutch, fuel system and all the other thousands of moving parts in the car. For example, second gear on the E28 has a slight crunch and I’m sure it’s gotten worse over the last week or two. That potentially means big $$$ at some point in the future. With electric cars such as the Nissan LEAF or Hyundai Kona

4. It smells! Whenever I jump out of the BMW I’m reminded of the pollution it emits. This is even more apparent within an enclosed space such as a garage. I guess you wouldn’t notice it if you only drive an ICE car but coming from an EV the smell is very much on the nose and constant reminder of why we must transition to sustainable and clean transport.

If only I had a bowser in my garage

5. It’s embarrasing – driving a petrol car is clearly not a sustainable method of transport. There’s a constant reminder that the car is not using renewable energy and that really doesn’t sit well with me, the EVolution team, my wife and our customers. When you consider the humongous amount of effort required to spin those wheels (think well to wheel argument) it seems to be the most ridiculous and inefficient way of getting around.

So in short I can’t wait to get into the Outlander PHEV again.. or maybe I’ll simply convert a Range Rover to electric as part of the Jaunt project? Watch this space.

So what would you miss and complain about if you went back to an ICE car? Comment below!