Tim Dowling: why did I buy an electric car? Because I wanted a medal

Lunch with my agent is going nowhere, so I decide to share my latest motoring anecdote I’m having lunch with my agent – an infrequent occurrence, because neither of us ever has any good news for the other.

This lunch is no different. “Sorry to make you come all this way,” she says, “but I had to be near the office today. ” She hints at some complex contractual negotiations involving an author for whom, I suspect, she…