In 2019, Donna Hufton started weighing up both the cost and environmental impact of her two-car household. As her husband began working remotely, they decided to take the leap and not only get rid of one car but change their remaining car for an electric vehicle.
As an Agency Service Manager in Sanctuary Supported Living, covering 45 schemes from the Wirral to Preston, Donna was initially worried about the effect on her sense of freedom and independence, but with a careful agreement that her work takes priority for car use they have made it work. Donna travels around 200 miles per month for work, with visits and inspections at schemes balanced by regular liaison calls that can be in person or virtual, depending on their nature.
Although the upfront cost for the car was significant, Donna feels that this has been outweighed by the savings in charging and running costs over the last four years. Affordability is supported by having a good deal on off-peak electricity, installing solar panels and battery storage to fuel their car with electricity generated from their roof, and the car purchase coming with a free subscription for use of nationwide charging points.
Donna notes that this is particularly useful for longer journeys. when she needs to travel to Worcester or Birmingham, she can be car sharing with three colleagues, and a half-hour stop along the way to charge is made easier by a car which provides up-to-date information on the nearest available charge points!
After her household moved from having two cars to one, Donna is grateful for the flexibility of her role and working pattern. The train is an option, with a 30-minute-journey door-to-door, but she can sometimes work from home or from a range of Sanctuary’s hub offices.
The variety of Donna’s role and travel needs could easily have been taken as a reason to keep a car, and to avoid change. Instead, she’s demonstrating how possible it can be to make a sustainable choice work for your circumstances.
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