Fuelling Around podcast: Judge Jules gives the inside track on alternative fuel vehicles

DJ and entertainment lawyer Judge Jules joins hosts Jason Plato and Dave Vitty on the award-winning podcast Fuelling Around to discuss his career and why he feels electric cars are not as good as they seem.

Jules is recognised as one of the most talented DJs in the world, having worked with music icons Boy George and Paul Masterson.

The 57-year-old sat down with Plato and Vitty to discuss the highlights from his long career as well as his thoughts on alternative fuels for motoring, including hydrogen.

Judge Jules believes electric cars are lagging behind

During the podcast Jules discussed his views on the electric car market and why, despite owning one, he feels they’re somewhat impractical.

“I’ve got a BMW iX 4×4, which I got on a lease quite recently and lease prices have gone down ridiculously, it was probably 50% cheaper to lease than it would’ve been a year earlier, which is indicative of the problems faced by the electric car market,” Jules explained.

“It’s well publicised but for the record, we all know why electric cars aren’t doing as well as they should do, by pretty much lying about their range.

“The paucity, even in London, the paucity of fast charging, let alone outside this country; also the uncertainty regarding resale prices and the uncertainty about long-term battery life.

“I’ve got a lease, it’s for a couple of years, it’s a great car, I absolutely love it and I can charge it outside my house. But if you don’t have the ability to charge it outside your house, which the majority of people probably don’t, certainly in London, there are significant disadvantages.

“Electric cars are fabulous, and I can only speak really positively about the quality of the car, but it doesn’t go far enough to do any journey of substance. I couldn’t use it to go out ‘DJing’, because the range isn’t good enough, unless you go 60mph on the motorway, and you can’t guarantee there will be charging at the other end.

“It’s a little bit hard on the motoring industry to hold them to account, when the infrastructure is not there, and nor is the technology.

“We keep hearing about the golden ticket about a car with a 800-1,000 mile range on a single charge, but that’s a long way off.

“The longest you can do now is about 350 miles and that depends on the variables, but you really need double that. There are many people that charge up and down the motorway everyday doing long distance journeys and it’s just unworkable.

“We all agree it’s a great thing in theory, but the practical reality is, unless you’re using it like I do for relatively short journeys and I can stick it outside the house and put it on charge, which is a luxury I have and not many others do, it’s not going to work.”

Plenty more episodes of Fuelling Around to enjoy

Series eight is flying around the track, but if you haven’t listened to Fuelling Around before, you’ll be glad to know there’s a wealth of previous episodes from seven series for you to listen to.

A host of celebrity guests have littered the award-winning podcast that has so far produced a string of excellent shows to listen to.

You can also tune into Fuelling Around on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or various other platforms if you want to see what all the fuss is about.