26 October

One of the profound changes EVs bring is the degree of remote control and diagnostics drivers have. Tesla pioneered this with the extraordinary Tesla app (which if you have a Tesla home battery also integrates with your car). KIA have now done it with their EVs, the phone app allows all sorts of things, like activating heating or cooling remotely, or the car camera for security or to monitor pets or kids etc. EVs with their big batteries don’t need to be ‘on’ to do all of these things. You don’t need to have them idling like in an ICE, there is no idle in an EV. With these apps you can tell the car (for example) what time you want to go to work in the morning in winter, and it will have the windscreen, windows and mirrors defrosted, and the car, seats and steering wheel heated waiting for you. Or cooling, if it’s summer. You can also get tyre pressures and other mechanical information.