KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 — Jeff Lynne‘s ELO will be calling it a day after their final tour.
The Over and Out Tour will begin on August 24 in Palm Desert, California with stops in Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, New York, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Phoenix and Sacramento before ending on October 25 with a show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, reported Billboard.
The original ELO released a dozen albums until 2001 including the 1980 soundtrack to Xanadu featuring Olivia Newton-John – as well as two credited to Jeff Lynne’s ELO, 2015’s Alone in the Universe and 2019’s From Out of Nowhere.
The latest album was the last time Lynne, 76, was on the road.
ELO is an English rock band formed in Birmingham, UK, in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan.
Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangements with futuristic iconography.
Lynne later disbanded the group in 2016 but Bevan formed his own band, ELO Part II, which later became The Orchestra.
Apart from a brief reunion in the early 2000s, ELO remained largely inactive until 2014, when Lynne re-formed the band with keyboardist Richard Tandy as Jeff Lynne’s ELO.
Ray Bestwick bought an electric car last May in the hope of hassle-free motoring.
But with eight trips to the garage in little more than a year, the 62-year-old engineer cannot wait to put an end to his “soul-destroying” experience.
The Renault Megane E-Tech driver isn’t the only electric vehicle owner to face a multitude of problems, with a host of Telegraph readers detailing their reasons for pulling the plug on green energy.
Fears over range and a lack of charging infrastructure are the main factors behind owners turning their back on EVs.
Mr Bestwick, from Derbyshire, said: “My Renault is meant to have a range of 280 miles but it’s only ever reached over 200 twice out of about 30 times. I’m lucky to get 160 out of it, so it’s blatantly obvious there is a problem.
“I’ve taken it to three different Renault garages and they’ve all said there’s nothing wrong and it’s because of my driving style.
“I don’t agree with that at all – I’m 62 years old and drive in eco mode 90pc of the time. I’m after economy, not speed.
“It’s soul-destroying constantly getting told it’s my fault when it clearly isn’t.”
A recent investigation by What Car magazine found that electric cars have up to a third less range in reality than advertised. The data highlighted the disparity between the results of official government tests and those that can be achieved during real-world usage.
“I’m at the end of the line as it’s ridiculous,” Mr Bestwick said. “I’ve considered not paying the monthly lease but I don’t want any trouble so I’m waiting until next May when I can ditch it.
“I’m so glad I didn’t purchase the car outright. It would have cost £38,000 then, but the values depreciate so quickly I think it would only be worth about £22,000 now.”
Research from Auto Trader earlier this year found that a motorist buying a £50,000 electric car could expect to lose £24,000 in value over three years, while a similarly priced petrol car would lose only £17,000.
“I’m all for technology but I’m going back to petrol, or I’ll get a hybrid. I’m not going to entertain full electric again as this has been the worst car I’ve ever had,” Mr Bestwick said.
Renault told The Telegraph it is “sorry” to hear of Mr Bestwick’s concerns, but reiterated that a lack of range is likely down to driving style.
A spokesman said: “Investigations by our dealers suggest the range indicated is commensurate with Mr Bestwick’s driving style and car set-up.
“As with all cars, no matter if they are combustion engine or electric, driving style, environmental conditions and car set-up are significant contributors to achieve range in real-world driving.
Renault said techniques such as “making use of regenerative braking systems, moderating speed and the use of the heating or air-con” will help boost range.
The manufacturer also said some E-Tech owners have reported surpassing the advertised 280-mile range.
