From Rolls-Royce to Lexus EV

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Why would a retired Rolls-Royce executive buy an electric Lexus? My curiosity made that the most pressing question I had for George at our recent coffee morning interview. Rolls-Royce is owned by BMW. Why not an electric Beemer? The BMW electric offerings were too big when he was ready to purchase (early this year), he tells me. He would have considered the iX1, but it came out 6 months too late.

His main criteria for a new car purchase were reliability, after-sales support, and a strong dealer network. The JD Power US Dependability study ranks Lexus as #1 with the least issues per 100 cars. That’s what convinced him to go Lexus. Another reason for buying his Lexus was the insurance option provided. Lexus offers new for old insurance for four years. Although, this insurance is 40% more than for his previous car. George obviously thinks it’s worth it.

George has had an amazing career, and he shared some of the highlights with me, including one of his first jobs at Rolls-Royce when he was tasked with delivering a car to an agent in London. One of the questions asked was about the location of the audio six-stacker CD player. He was unable to answer. The boss suggested he improve his product knowledge before delivering a car again. For those planning to buy a Rolls-Royce Phantom and still using CDs, the six-stacker is in the glovebox. However, his career progressed from there, retiring from Rolls-Royce as Regional After Sales Manager for the Asia Pacific region. In this position he visited most countries in Asia, including China, and watched the transformation of its economy, evidenced by the number of Rolls-Royce dealerships increasing from 1 to now well into double figures.

After retiring from Rolls-Royce, George and his family moved from Singapore to Australia. For the past 8 years, they have been a two-car family, most recently having a Mercedes-Benz C200 convertible and a Mercedes-Benz CLA250 shooting brake. He is used to quality and luxury. So, when he decided to downsize from two cars to one, he went looking for the perfect fit, even going so far as to put a deposit on a Mercedes EQA. Mercedes-Benz Australia saw fit to sell the car to someone else who was the end of their relationship with Mercedes-Benz, though.

He purchased his Lexus UX300e on February 14th – how romantic. He tells me it is the right size for himself, his wife, and the family dog. George tells me he loves tech and the Lexus has “the right level of technology.”

“The Lexus isn’t the cheapest car on the road, at AU$93,000, but we got what we paid for,” including some great after-sales support.

George describes the salesman at Lexus as: “The Rolls-Royce of a car salesperson.” He would know. The salesman knew the car and sold it well. And the perks? George was very impressed with the personalised service provided with his Lexus. When he travels, the car is collected at the airport, stored securely, charged up, and washed. When he returns, he is met by a “girl with a Lexus clipboard” and taken to his car. At his destination, he is given a loaner Lexus for up to 8 days of free driving.

The price of the car also included a charging wall box, installed. George and his wife live in a gated community. I asked if he had issues getting the charging wall box installed. He answered that it was fairly straightforward. He just had to provide details about the electrician, including his qualifications and insurance cover. The fact that there are already at least 5 or 6 other community members with electric vehicles may have helped.

The car receives software updates during regular services at the Lexus of Maroochydore dealership. After his latest update, George reports that car is now “quieter and smoother.” He tells me he has to be careful in carparks as people cannot hear the car. An issue that they were having with their infotainment was resolved and the system upgraded.

I asked about reactions to the car. The most common one is that most people didn’t realise that Lexus made an EV. George told me the amusing story of a snake catcher they called. The snake was in front of the car — perhaps admiring the Lexus. Australia is known for its snakes — many of which are actually harmless. However, it is a little creepy to have one in your home. The snake handler, Snake Man Dan, didn’t actually manage to catch the slippery reptile but was fascinated by the car. According to George, “he spent more time looking under the bonnet than I have.” Just for fun, here is the photo of Tess’s close encounter with a python.

One fly in the ointment is the fact that George’s Lexus UX300e comes equipped with CHAdeMO charging. We discussed adaptors, but he feels they are too expensive and also feels Lexus Australia needs to step in and support their customers. He is comfortable with the fact that he can charge at home and there are CHAdeMO chargers around Brisbane. Many of the early public chargers have a CHAdeMO plug. One of the requirements for government co-funding was that equal numbers of CHAdeMO and CCS2 be provided at each location. That decision was made when most of the EVs on Australian roads were Nissan Leafs. That is no longer the case.

“We rarely go country,” he explains. In any case, the Queensland electric super highway supports CHAdeMO. “The battery of the Lexus UX300e has an estimated total capacity of 72.8 kWh. The usable capacity is 64 kWh (estimate). An estimated range of about 210 miles is achievable on a fully charged battery,” George tells me. “I charge to 90% (a preset option), the car says I can then travel 350 kilometres with the AC on and this is very accurate.”

His wife has always been vocal about other cars, utes, or trucks on the road spewing out pollutants. Now that they are driving an EV, her level of criticism has grown, and is truly justified.

“I love the car,” says George when asked about his overall feeling toward the Lexus. “It’s appropriate that we took delivery on 14th February.” And when asked about his future motoring needs, “I will not be going back to a ICE vehicle, EVs are the future”