Solar Panels

A mum-of-two from Christchurch is enjoying free motoring, thanks to the solar panels on her home powering her hybrid car. Roz Drinkwater doesn’t pay a penny for the electricity she uses during the day, which means she can charge her Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) and drive without having to pay for fuel.

The family-sized SUV uses both electric and petrol power. Unlike non plug-in hybrid vehicles, the Outlander PHEV can travel substantially further on battery power – 32.5 miles – more than enough to accommodate Roz’s journeys, whether it’s the school-run, weekly shop or visiting her mum.

Roz, 50, said: “There’s plenty of battery power to do everything I need to do. I just stick it on charge when I get home and I never need to go to a petrol station.

“It’s brilliant, I absolutely love it. Even if you take away how economical it is, I would still love the car. It doesn’t feel like you’re driving an electric car, it’s really comfortable.”

The impressive electric range of the PHEV gives the vehicle significant environmental credentials. It emits just 44g/km of CO₂ and the official combined fuel consumption figure is 148mpg.

Roz bought the car from Poole Mitsubishi, in Ringwood Road, in July and has only filled it up with petrol once since then, for the occasional longer journey. The solar panels on the family home in Smugglers Lane South, in Highcliffe, are on a 20-year lease and as part of the deal, their electricity is free during the daytime.

“I’m literally running it for free,” said Roz, who has an 11-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter.

“There’s no road tax because of how environmentally friendly it is and I’m not paying for charging it. It’s fantastic.”

Roz added: “It’s the perfect car for me.  It’s got great boot space for all the children’s stuff and the dog. It blends the practicality and economy with space and comfort. It’s great.”