Last year we partnered with Octopus Energy Electric Vehicles to bring a new benefit to Hutch staff... Hutchies can now sacrifice some of their gross monthly pay for a new electric vehicle and save up to 40% thanks to savings on National Insurance and Income tax. Jeroen, one of our Senior Engineers was one of the first to sign up to the scheme and recently took delivery of a brand new Kona Electric. Here's Jeroen, to talk about his new car...

When did you get your car and why?

My car arrived in November last year. I’ve lived in London for over a decade now and for the most part public transport and home deliveries covered what we needed, but having moved further out into the suburbs, relying on buses became more difficult. When Hutch’s EV scheme came along, it felt like the right fit - we just got a house with a drive to park and charge the car, we felt we could get more use out of a car, and an electric car felt like a good choice for the environment as well.

I’m not a car nut and hadn’t been driving much in some time, so my focus was on safety and comfort rather than getting something flashier. The Kona gives me enough driving assistance features to help ease me back in and it’s great to drive. The additional range - 239 miles for the premium model - is an extra advantage for the longer trips we’re planning now we have a car. As for the colour? We would have preferred blue, but when we got the call that switching to white would save us an eight month wait, we’re happy to deal with that not fitting our preference.

What’s the best thing about your car?

It’s the freedom it affords us - whether it’s being able to go shopping at 9PM if we feel like it, driving somewhere without having to change buses, and generally moving that much faster.

What’s great (or not so great!) about driving your car?

There have been a lot of additional options that help me drive now compared to when I first started - just having a reverse view camera makes life so much easier. It does result in a lot of extra beeps though - usually a good reminder.

Happiest memory of driving your car?

It’s obviously still early for us, but this is the first time my partner has had a car as part of the household. Our first big “shopping trip”, where we could buy our noodle packs in bulk and make it home easily was a really happy moment. Right now, just planning another outing is exciting!

Would you recommend your car to others?

Yes, it is comfortable to drive while giving us the space we need.

Stay tuned for more Hutchies and their cars!