Share

The Kilowatt Half Hour
Ep 125: Gordini's Alive! and the Pixo paradox
The Kilowatt Half Hour is back with another packed episode of EV news, car-buying advice and, naturally, plenty of waffle.
This week, Ginny, Mike and Tom discuss another reborn Renault, Bentley’s eye-wateringly expensive new electric SUV and the tiny new Nissan Pixo – which may or may not get Nicola hot under the collar.
We also look at some surprisingly good news for high-mileage EVs, with new data suggesting electric cars are less likely to fail their MOT than petrol cars as the miles rack up.
Plus, we answer your car-buying questions: should you lease a new EV for a young driver rather than buy a cheap used car? What makes the perfect electric car for an over-70s driver? And why are some car dealers apparently more interested in finance customers than people paying cash?
There’s also this week’s EV Virgin, your suggestions for future used-car reviews, more debate about what actually counts as a Chinese car, and a return to the enduringly hilarious Deli Van saga.
All that, plus your comments, questions and plenty of the banter that makes the Kilowatt Half Hour considerably longer than half an hour.
Listen now and join the conversation at podcast@electrifying.com.
More episodes
View all episodes

128. Ep 128: Paris show, and the flying Tesla
44:25||Season 3, Ep. 128The Paris Motor Show has given us plenty to talk about this week – from retro-inspired concepts and exciting new electric cars to the rather bonkers prospect of a rocket-powered Tesla Roadster!Vicky Parrott and Batch are back to unpack the biggest stories from Paris, including Citroën's potential 2CV revival, Renault's E-Space concept, the gorgeous Alpine A310, the new Smart #2 and Vauxhall's striking STX concept. Is retro design the future, and are we finally falling out of love with SUVs? The team debates whether car makers are rediscovering their individuality – and picks their favourite cars from the show.Then there's Tesla. Elon Musk has been talking up a new Roadster with optional compressed-air rockets, promising performance that sounds almost too outrageous to be true. Could it really arrive in 2028? Is it legal? And should anyone be allowed to drive a car capable of accelerating from 0–62mph in under a second? We have questions!Plus, we tackle a listener's buying dilemma. With a Porsche Macan 4 going back after redundancy, what used electric car offers all-wheel drive, at least 400hp and around 300 miles of range for £30,000? The suggestions include the Kia EV6, Audi e-tron GT and Audi Q4 e-tron quattro.And, of course, we're reading your comments from our Paris Motor Show video. You have strong opinions on the Citroën 2CV van, the Fiat Multipla concept, the Alpine A310 and whether the car industry needs more retro design – or a fresh start altogether.
127. Ep 127: Jag's Jeopardy, Paris Stars and BMW smashes 500 miles!
43:48||Season 3, Ep. 127Is Jaguar’s radical new Type 01 the start of a glorious new chapter or a massive gamble? Ginny, Nicola and Mike get stuck into the biggest EV stories of the week, including BMW’s latest electric SUV and its astonishing 500-mile-plus range.We’re also looking ahead to the Paris Motor Show, where a host of exciting new concepts are set to steal the spotlight, and checking out Renault’s latest Espace concept.Plus, we’re answering your questions! Should you splash out on a fabric roof for your new Renault 4? How does regenerative braking actually make an EV more efficient? And what should you do when your electric car’s infotainment system decides to go on strike?There’s plenty of listener feedback, too, as we hear from new EV owners in Australia, debate the cost of public charging and VAT, and discover what you really thought of last week’s show. And, of course, there’s time for more kipper-related controversy…Got an EV question or a car-buying dilemma? Email us at podcast@electrifying.com.Listen, subscribe and join the conversation!
126. Ep 126: Slippers, kippers and electric hot hatches
58:11||Season 3, Ep. 126The Kilowatt Half Hour is back, and this week there’s a lot to get through — from electric hot hatches and Renault’s latest updates to the increasingly fierce battle for ultra-fast EV charging.Vicky, Nicola and Tom discuss the new Renault Megane E-Tech, which gets more range, faster charging and qualifies for the full £3,750 Electric Car Grant. We also look at Geely and BYD’s charging arms race, with some frankly ridiculous charging speeds on the horizon.We tackle your car-buying dilemmas too, including the tricky choice between the BMW iX3, Volvo EX60 and Smart #5 Brabus — plus the eternal question: should you buy a car with your head or your heart?There’s also a mystery Renault Fuego concept to investigate, a new EV owner celebrating their EVV status, and plenty of your suggestions for retro Renaults, weird vans and the best uses for V2L.And, of course, we read your comments — including some strong opinions on cash buyers, kippers, waffles, fidgeting, phone positioning and why the Kilowatt Half Hour is increasingly looking like the Kilowatt Hour.All that, plus your questions, comments and the usual Electrifying.com chaos.
124. Ep 124: Nicola’s Hangover and Tom’s Hannover
55:46||Season 3, Ep. 124This week, Ginny, Nicola and Tom also dig into the surging popularity of EVs across Europe, the latest generation of London’s electric black cab, and why BYD is suddenly getting seriously enthusiastic about electric trucks.Plus, there’s plenty of waffle, listener questions and your comments – including whether the Hyundai Ioniq 3 has enough performance, whether an BMW i5 is a sensible first EV, the continuing love for the Smart #1 and, inevitably, another debate about fake engine noises in electric cars.🔄 And your questions, comments and corrections from last weekKilowatt Half Hour is the podcast about the world of electric cars from the team at Electrifying.com.Listen, subscribe and let us know what you think – especially if you have a question you'd like the team to answer on a future episode. Contact us at podcast@electrifying.com.
123. Ep 123: Kia goes GT crazy + the Nic Hume fan club
47:43||Season 3, Ep. 123The Kilowatt Half Hour is back with more EV news, buying advice and feedback from our increasingly vocal listeners. This week, Ginny, Nicola and Batch discuss the new Dacia Spring, Nissan’s new Pixo city car, the Volkswagen Polo and three fast Kias, while welcoming the rapidly expanding Nicola Hume fan club.We also tackle two listener car-buying dilemmas – from choosing the right EV for a 25,000-mile-a-year commute to finding a potential hot-hatch replacement for a Hyundai i20 N. Plus, we dive into your thoughts on EV servicing costs, left-hand-drive cars in the UK, Smart’s struggle for visibility and, inevitably, the Renault 5.Kilowatt Half Hour: technically half an hour, emotionally much longer.Email the team at podcast@electrifying.com
122. Ep 122: Renault tweaks 5, Lepas leaps and the Defender no-show
45:49||Season 3, Ep. 122Is the Renault 5 getting even better, or is Renault simply fixing what wasn't broken? We look at the latest updates, including more range, a new entry-level version and some intriguing new tech.We also discuss yet another delay for the electric Defender, with the next-generation model now reportedly pushed beyond 2030, and ask whether the smaller Defender Sport could arrive sooner to fill the gap.And there’s a new Chinese EV brand to get your head around: Lepas is coming to the UK with the L6, a 279-mile electric SUV promising plenty of equipment for around £32,000.Plus, Nicola finds herself on the naughty step after some comments about EV range and public charging, we answer your questions about the Smart #1, Toyota bZ4X Touring and Subaru E-Outback, and hear your experiences of EV tyres, electric trucks and V2G.And, of course, we bring you your comments, including the latest instalment of the Kilowatt Half Hour running-time debate.
121. Ep 121: Buzz Gets Camp, Genesis Goes Posh + Tesla gives us a Semi
55:37||Season 3, Ep. 121It’s a big one on the Kilowatt Half Hour this week – and not just because the podcast has once again spectacularly overshot the half-hour mark.Nicola, Tom and Mikeare talking big electric cars, big electric trucks and one very big question: is Volkswagen finally going to give us the electric Buzz camper van we’ve been waiting for?We take a look at the new Genesis GV90, a huge seven-seat electric SUV that’s aiming squarely at the Range Rover, complete with a 123.5kWh battery, 350kW charging and a frankly ridiculous 25-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system.Tesla’s Semi is also finally heading for Europe, with more than 1,000bhp and the ability to add 60% of its range in just 30 minutes. But after all these years, is the Tesla electric lorry still relevant?Plus, the Renault 5 gets a new rival in the shape of the Aion UT, Geely reveals plans for its European production ambitions, and we look at the videos coming up this week – including our BMW iX3 vs Volvo EX60 twin test and the return of the Renault 5 Turbo 3E.In your EV questions, we tackle whether the Audi e-tron GT or BMW i4 makes the better used buy, whether the Renault Twingo could get a bigger battery, and whether EVs really are more prone to tyre blowouts.We also help another listener settle the eternal question: VW ID. Polo or Cupra Raval?And, of course, we dive into your comments – from Jaguar’s controversial new interior and Volvo’s EX60 door handles to the apparently devastating lack of exciting colours on modern cars.Join the conversation at podcast@electrifying.com
120. Ep 120: Jag Opens Up, JAE-MODA Hits 100K & The Worst Car Name Ever
51:24||Season 3, Ep. 120This week, we take a look inside Jaguar’s radical new Type 01, celebrate Omoda and Jaecoo passing 100,000 UK sales, and discuss what a YouGov poll tells us about public support for the UK’s EV sales targets.We’re also answering your EV buying questions, including whether to choose the VW ID. Polo or Cupra Raval, and finding the right electric car for a reluctant 78-year-old EV buyer.Plus, we revisit the Audi A2, debate the return of sensible mechanical door handles, discuss what went wrong with the DS brand, and read your reaction to last week’s chaotic episode.And yes, we have to settle the important question: just how ‘quite’ funny is Batch?Message the team at podcast@electrifying.com