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Cornwall Council 2021 Elections

All the current Davidstow parish councillors have been re-elected without opposition, so we have had to look further afield for some election day excitement. On Thursday instead of our usual gentle stroll to the other side of Tremail we had to take a drive in Lisa, our trusty Nissan LEAF electric vehicle:


We spent yesterday “live Tweeting” the election results from across Cornwall as they arrived, including this “shock news” from our recently boundary changed local district:

As you may be able to surmise from the above, we weren’t too impressed with the ultimate conclusion across Cornwall as a whole:

With a 37% share of the “popular vote” the Conservative Party now has a 7 seat majority on the “redistricted” Cornwall Council. With a 9% share of the vote the Green Party has but a single seat. Personally I cannot comprehend what the farmers and fisherfolk of Kernow were thinking when they voted for someone sporting a true blue rosette.

Perhaps somebody can enlighten me?

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My Journey in a Nissan LEAF

Having heard so much about electric cars, I was excited to get the opportunity to go for a longer journey in the 30 kWh version of the Nissan LEAF (range 120 miles):

Lisa, the V2G EVSE Limited vehicle-to-grid R&D Nissan LEAF
Lisa, the V2G EVSE Limited vehicle-to-grid R&D Nissan LEAF

We started the journey in Tremail, heading for IKEA in Exeter. Once we reached the A30, the car was cruising gently all the way to Exeter. The cruise control was activated at 60 miles per hour, leaving us free to chat during a relaxing journey. Once at IKEA, we headed for the electric vehicle charging point, where we met a fellow electric car fan:

Battery state of charge after our trip from Tremail
Battery state of charge after our trip from Tremail

He was enthusiastic about his Nissan LEAF but also told us that he had recently had a test drive in an electric MG (range 200 miles) which he said was a fantastic experience. He was in the process of charging his car and was kind enough to finish his charging session early to allow us to start charging ours, before we headed for IKEA:

Battery state of charge after charging at Exeter IKEA
Battery state of charge after charging at Exeter IKEA

The journey home was equally pleasant and I arrived back in Tremail a convert.

The future is electric!

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Davidstow Electric Car Hire

At Monday’s meeting of Davidstow Parish Council the chair asked if there was any other business to be added to the agenda. I raised my hand to announce the birth of Davidstow Electric Car Hire, which was duly discussed towards the end of the meeting.

As a pilot for the Camelford Electric Car Club project V2G EVSE Limited are making two of their research and development electric vehicles available for hire by residents of and visitors to the Davidstow area.

Lisa the Nissan LEAF and Zoe the Renault ZOE are now available for hire by the hour, day or week via HiyaCar.co.uk:

If you have never experienced the joys of driving a 100% electric powered vehicle now is your chance to do so at remarkably little cost.

Here’s an extract from a recent Top Gear review of the Nissan LEAF:

The real joy of the Leaf isn’t the money, it’s the motor, and its charming grace. For the way most people drive (if not, literally, for petrolheads), it’s simply a better source of motion.

and here is Top Gear’s opinion of the Renault ZOE:

It’s not for everyone – power can be a little bit reserved, something you’ll notice more if your range-anxiety is under control and you’re brave enough to tackle motorway stints – but for more regular urban use this is more than good enough as an entry to the EV world.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask, using the space provided for that purpose below.