Full service rental - a simple way to make owning an electric car even more affordable. Margrit Vambola’s user experience
Margrit is a recent electric car owner who prefers comfort, reliability and comprehensive solutions. After purchasing a car, she decided to rent an Enefit Volt electric car charger for home use. A few months have passed, but Margrit can already confidently state that she sees more advantages in renting than owning a personal charger.
Tell us more about why you have chosen an electric car as your daily means of transport?
I have chosen an electric car as my daily means of transport for quite a few reasons.
First of all, the biggest argument for me was that the ownership costs of an electric car are lower than that of a car with an internal combustion engine. Fossil fuels like petrol and diesel are much more expensive than electricity.
When it comes to owning an electric car, it's largely a matter of choice whether to pay more for lease or for fuel. A great advantage is that banks give electric cars a much better interest rate than to internal combustion engine cars.
Has owning an electric car changed your driving habits and how?
Driving an electric car definitely requires more planning. I have been able to go outside Tallinn as well with my car. Electric car charging has been made very convenient and accessible, so you can basically drive anywhere.
I would also like to point out that it is possible to park an electric car for free in the city center zone in Tallinn.
You use electric car charger full service rental by Enefit Volt. Why did you decide on a rental solution?
I decided on a full-service rental of an Enefit Volt electric car charger precisely because of the convenience. This means that I can charge my car when the need arises, without having to leave home. I can also schedule the charging, which means an even cheaper “tank” filling.
Signing the contract for the full-service rental of an Enefit Volt electric car charger was very quick and convenient. I received quick answers to all my questions from the manager.
The charger was installed within two weeks of signing the contract. This included both the charging station and its installation. In addition, Enefit Volt offers many solutions for the installation of the charger that are suitable for every customer. When I initially failed to insert the connector into the charger, staff from Enefit came and made a video to show me exactly how it’s done.
Customer service has been very pleasant and friendly both during the process and in the follow-up service.
Do you use our smart charging application?
I have the smart charging application, but since I am a very new owner of an electric car, I haven't had time to use it yet.
In your opinion, what are the biggest advantages of electric cars compared to "traditional" vehicles?
I find that there are so many benefits. Cheaper maintenance costs, free parking in the center of Tallinn, the possibility to use bus lanes. Based on my own car, I can say that the driving experience is certainly much better than I have had with internal combustion engine cars before. Cabin silence is a big plus.
If you use green electricity for charging, we can talk about an even more environmentally friendly car.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering switching to an electric car and adopting a home charging solution?
For a person who is considering the purchase of an electric car, I recommend that you definitely do the preliminary work and find out your needs and expectations for an electric car. Depending on the price range and battery size, you can buy cars with very different characteristics. I received a lot of answers from Äripäev’s radio show "Energy Hour" subtitled "Electric cars for businesses: satisfaction depends on cars".
How do you, as a user, see the future of electric cars in the next 10 years?
The future of electric cars is perhaps that the cars can feed electricity back to the grid, and a proper public charging infrastructure will be created across Estonia.
Finally, how satisfied are you with your electric car and with smart charging in general?
I am very satisfied because both the availability of the service and using the equipment are extremely easy and convenient. The monthly rental of the device is also reasonably priced. I definitely see more advantages in renting than owning a personal charger.