Sadly this is the final part of my Fully Charged Live 2023 review. I have had an absolute blast sharing the incredible vehicles that were on view in Farnborough and in Harrogate. Hopefully you have enjoyed the journey as well.
However, it is not over yet! I have another EVision vehicle and 4 more really interesting electric vehicles to tell you about, including a prototype that had people asking lots of questions. Mainly “how do you open it?”.
The Ford F150 Lightning Makes Its Debut
Literally (almost) fresh off the boat, EVision was pleased to show off our brand new Ford F150 Lightning at Fully Charged Live. Pickup trucks don’t get much bigger or American than this incredible machine, and the crowd loved it.
Big, blue and beautiful. This vehicle had a lot of attention over the weekend. Many thought that the F150 was far too big for them. However, there were a lot of people commenting that we don’t have any pickup trucks in the UK that are big enough for their needs. Now they do.
Similarly to the Rivian R1T, the Ford F150 Lightning is a supremely luxurious truck that is packed with tonnes of amazing features and with a top class performance to boot.
You will find a pretty sizable 131kWh battery powering this gorgeous beast. This gives the F150 a real world range of around 320 miles. The rapid charging capability means that you can charge up to 80% in just 41 minutes as well. There is a top speed of 112mph and you can achieve a 0-60mph time of just 4 seconds. Now that is power!
Jeep Avenger… Assemble
Some have described the Jeep Avenger as the best Jeep ever. That is quite some statement about a manufacturer that has produced some pretty memorable vehicles in the past. However, this one is electric and so I will be biassed and say it is definitely the best one yet.
The Jeep Avenger is the 2023 European Car of the Year and is available from just £34,800. Yes, I had to read that figure more than once too. How has Jeep managed to produce such an incredible machine for so little? If this hasn’t made competitors tremble, it should.
The Jeep Avenger is, as you would expect, a large SUV that has superb off-road capabilities. Its build is a complex one, owing a lot to an amalgamation of various Stellantis Group parts. It may be a bit of a Chimera, but it seriously works. This is a stunning vehicle that I would love to take out on an adventure. It is definitely an Avenger assembled. The Fully Charged Live crowd really appreciated it.
Looking at the performance stats, this is a vehicle that is capable of doing more than just the daily school run. There is a real world range of around 185 miles, a top speed of 93mph and a 0-60mph time of 9 seconds. Plus, as already stated, this Jeep has great off-road capability. Incredible for such a starting price.
Astra Electric – A Celestial Star
For those who like etymology, the word Astra comes from the Greek word for star. A very apt name for this electric car. We saw many new electric cars on display, however, this one will make a real impact when it comes to converting people to electric. It is a stunning car, but also a conventional looking one. Cars like this will make the transition a little easier.
As you can tell from its appearance at Fully Charged Live, the Astra electric car is intended to be a competitor to the very successful ID.3 from Volkswagen. Complete with slim LED headlights, 18 inch diamond cut alloy wheels and visor front facia, this car is built to look almost identical to the conventionally fuelled sibling.
With the Astra electric you will get a real world range of around 190 miles, a top speed of 106mph and a 0-60mph time of 8.5 seconds. These are all really respectable numbers to put up. Plus, this car will cost as little as £36,000 when it is released. Ordering will go live in June 2023 apparently. Expect to see a lot of the Astra electric cars on the road very soon.
Another Iconic Ioniq
When we attended the Fully Charged Outside event in 2021 it was the Ioniq 5 that was a major attraction for the visiting masses. This time around, it was the turn of the next generation, the Ioniq 6. I was very keen to see the new entry from Hyundai and was lucky enough to get up close to it on the set-up day before the crowds arrived.
Whereas the Hyundai Ioniq 5 went with a very futuristic style, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 has gone for a seriously sporty look. Sleek, aerodynamic and glorious, the Ioniq 6 is just a beautiful car to look at (and I did… for a very long time). Obviously aimed at a more premium sports saloon clientele, the Ioniq 6 is going to have a lot of admirers.
With a starting price of £50,245 the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is actually a lot cheaper than some of its obvious competition. The stats behind the car also more than justify the tag. There is a 74kWh battery underneath the car which provides 270 miles of real world range. This figure is helped largely due to the incredible aerodynamic shape of the car. It is clearly designed to be as efficient as possible. Job done.
There is a top speed of 115mph and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 can hit 0-62mph in as little as 5.1 seconds. For just over £50,000 this vehicle is actually quite a bargain.
The Aehra Debuts at Fully Charged
Sadly we have arrived at the last vehicle of the series. I am also pretty sure that very few of you will be familiar with this one.
First of all, expect this car to be in the same price bracket as the Porsche Taycan and the Tesla Model S P100D. It will not be on the cheap car shortlist by a long stretch. However, when you consider the pedigree behind the vehicle you can understand why this is expected to be a pretty special machine.
Signor Filippo Perini is the chief engineer who was brought in to oversee the project. For those that are not familiar with the name, Signor Perini was one of the most respected engineers from Lamborghini. Anyone who designs Lamborghinis should be expected to pull off something pretty special. Italian from the ground up, the Aehra will be going into production in Italy by 2025. Only two years to wait. Hopefully someone figures out how to open the car by then.
