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Fully Charged LIVE 2022 – the world’s number 1 clean energy and electric vehicle show – took place over 29 & 30 April & 1 May at Farnborough International; there was far too much going on to cover everything, so here are some highlights from a completely action-packed three days (naturally, EV-focused)…
Fully Charged LIVE 2022 featured over 50 live theatre sessions, hosted by Fully Charged presenters Robert Llewellyn, Jack Scarlett, Helen Czerski, Imogen Pierce and Dan Caesar. The theatre sessions covered subjects including electric vehicles, charging, home energy and everything in between. Green Car Guide’s Editor Paul Clarke was on stage talking about ‘What are the best electric cars that are currently on the market?’, with Jack Scarlett in the Giga Theatre, and this was also the theme on the Green Car Guide stand.
Fully Charged LIVE must have been an important event because The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Transport, dropped in to see what was going on and for a selfie with Robert Llewellyn.
Fully Charged LIVE 2022 was supported by LV= General Insurance & ElectriX; ElectriX is developing a number of offers to help drivers get started with EVs.
Fully Charged BUSINESS, powered by EV leasing company DriveElectric, delivered workshops and provided advice for businesses looking to transition to EVs and clean energy.
Cinch was the official used EV partner of Fully Charged LIVE, offering the ability to buy a car online, with finance and part exchange options, as well as free home delivery or collection and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Another way to drive an electric vehicle is through salary sacrifice, which can offer up to 40% off an EV, and Octopus can provide cars, chargers and energy.
A wide range of EVs were available for test drives at Fully Charged LIVE 2022, with many people commenting how useful it was driving a number of cars back-to-back on the same route.
One EV that was available for its first UK test drives was the all-new Nissan Ariya; having driven the car, we can confirm that the Ariya is definitely a step-up from the Nissan LEAF in terms of a ‘premium’ offering.
One of the most popular vehicles for visitors to Fully Charged LIVE 2022 was the Volkswagen ID. Buzz – the first time that this vehicle had been seen in the UK.
Another first for Fully Charged LIVE 2022 was the Genesis GV60 – a new EV from the luxury brand of Hyundai and Kia.
And there was yet another exclusive for Fully Charged LIVE 2022 – the ORA CAT – the best-selling EV in China, and it’s on sale in the UK very soon.
Hang on, surely not another item of big news? Yes, the all-new Kia Niro EV was on show for the first time in the UK at Fully Charged LIVE 2022.
Green Car Guide’s view is that the Kia EV6 is one of the best EVs that you can buy, and it was on display and available for test drives.
The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is based on the same platform as the Kia EV6; both brands have catapulted themselves to the very top of the EV leader board.
Polestar is another new EV brand, with the Polestar 2 offering performance, a good driving range, and stylish looks.
The new BMW i4 combines a rewarding BMW driving experience with an all-electric powertrain – and up to 335 miles of range.
Stellantis has a variety of EVs that offer good value for money, including the Fiat 500 and the Peugeot e-2008.
The ultimate urban mobility solution surely has to be the Carver, with the brand new, faster Carver S+ on show in the UK for the first time at Fully Charged LIVE 2022.
What’s the only vehicle in the world with three-wheel drive? As far as we’re aware, only the Nobe 100 GT qualifies for this title – and the retro-styled two-seater is due to be built in the UK.
As well as cars, Fully Charged LIVE 2022 also had an area dedicated to commercial vehicles – including the eagerly-anticipated all-electric Arrival van.
If you need something larger than an electric van, then how about the Volta Zero truck – the world’s first purpose-built full-electric 16-tonne commercial vehicle created specifically for urban freight distribution.
In our view, one of the most exciting vehicles on show at Fully Charged LIVE 2022 was the E Motive electric truck, designed for applications such as an airport fire tender, as well as for use in agriculture and quarrying/mining.
If you’re looking for a retro commercial vehicle, then there’s the Morris JE electric van with a 200-mile range.
There was also a Two Wheel Test Track at Fully Charged LIVE 2022, with electric two-wheelers of all shapes and sizes.
New for 2022 was the Future of Flight Zone, complete with an electric plane – something that Robert Llewellyn was very excited about…
Fully Charged LIVE 2022 featured around 200 exhibitors, with many offering charge points. An interesting company was Kempower, which designs and manufactures DC fast charging solutions, as well as offering a charging management system to work out how charge is intelligently delivered to all vehicles on a charging network.
A wide range of EVs and chargers were on show at Fully Charged LIVE 2022, and if you need the cables that connect EVs to chargers – which is likely to be an increasingly important issue as EVs enter the used car market – then these can be supplied by EV Connectors.
The Home Energy Advice Team, powered by OVO Energy, was a new feature for 2022, allowing visitors to access free, independent advice from industry experts covering topics from energy efficiency and electric car charging to heat pumps and zero emission boilers.
There were also lots of other attractions at Fully Charged LIVE 2022 including the Family Fun Zone, Electric Picnic etc, and the Fully Charged team should be congratulated for putting on such an entertaining and essential event.
Around 25,000 visitors were expected to attend Fully Charged LIVE 2022, with the Fully Charged YouTube channel accelerating towards one million subscribers.
Next year (2023), Fully Charged LIVE will once again take place in Farnborough, but there will also be a Northern Fully Charged LIVE, in Harrogate. In the meantime, there’s Fully Charged LIVE Amsterdam, 20/21/22 May 2022!
