Of course most of my journeys like most people are local so no big deal if I decided to get an EV. However I’m based in West Yorkshire so for family and other reasons I return to SE London on a reasonably regular basis. If my EV gave me 200 miles it wouldn’t get me there. Another full charge wouldn’t get me home. Might sound a bit daft but that alone puts me in two minds.
I did a road trip in a Renault Zoe at Christmas 2022, went from south London to Manchester and then Liverpool and then back. The range of those is only about 170 at motorway speeds and in the cold. Never had an issue with a stop off at a service station for a quick break, grab a coffee, came back and I'd enough charge to get me to through the next leg. I've got a bigger EV now with a much longer range so it would be even easier, I think Tesla's charge from about 20% to 80% in around 30 minutes using on of their superchargers, depending on the model that's around 180 miles in the time it takes to stop off for a quick break and a drink.
Obviously really long distances for EVs at the moment are a slight issue as it will add some time to a journey but if you're traveling the length of the country you're probably stopping for a break anyway so the additional time then is minimal.
Not to detract from the excellent information in your post but I never stop for a coffee or a break when driving Leeds to London. Having to do so would really irritate me. Also when I get to London on my regular visits to visit my father in law I couldn’t charge my EV at his house. Having to drive to somewhere and spend the time doing so would also irritate me. Sounds like I’m just creating problems where there are none but at this point an EV is not for me.
It definitely does cause a hassle if you wouldn't ordinarily stop as it does add a fair bit of journey time on. You would be able to charge at the house as they can be charged with a standard 3 point plug but it depends how long you stay for. They charge slowly and wouldn't do much damage if you were only there a few hours
Fewer people driving long-distances in one hit, tired, would be a good thing
The journey time for me from Leeds to London is under four hours. I certainly don’t need to stop because I’m tired. In fact stopping for forty five minutes would make little difference to my level of tiredness if I was stupid enough to drive in that condition.
The Highway Code recommends a "minimum break of at least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving". Drivers having to stop to recharge their car, as well as themselves, is a good thing.
I don’t know many people that would follow that advice. Basically it’s bollocks, that why. I bet there is not a single poster on this thread that does.
You'd lose that bet
You then ?
we stop every 90 minutes, especially with kids in the car
That’s completely different though isn’t it ? That’s a sensible parenting decision and isn’t in the Highway Code. Perhaps I’m very out of whack but I’d be astonished if people were routinely taking a break after two hours behind the wheel. Lorry drivers are mandatorily obliged to stop for 45 minutes after four and a half hours. Of course it’s sensible to make your own decisions about rest breaks.
Lol i love that people asking perfectly legitimate questions about the practicality of driving 4 hours north in an EV in less than 8 hours are being accused of scaremongering
People going on about loads of street chargers in London. It’s not in London where charging issues occur.
It is around the rest of the country.
Waiting an hour to get to use one of the two chargers at a motorway service station.
Looking for a supermarket on your route that has a charger in their car park so you can top up and get to your destination.
Personally would make it a requirement that every petrol station has to have at least one rapid charger installed maybe even have the government pay for them and take the profits less cut for the petrol station for rental of their land
I’ve been looking on the Chargefinder website for the area where I live. There are no public charging points less than a ten minutes drive from my house, the closest having three. I completely understand why this forum is Londoncentric but outside of London the picture looks very different.
Had anyone used their EV for driving abroad? If so, was it easy to find chargers and were they in English?
I am looking to potentially get one as a company car, but drive abroad 3 or 4 times a year, usually no more then 500 miles once off the Eurotunnel
Thanks
I've done a 700 mile journey down to the south of France last two summers. 240-260 ish range BMW IX.
First time I was only 2 months or so in an EV and did make one mistake (not to purchase a universal charging card, Chargemap - it's good, in France at least, and gives easy access to local 7kw chargers that can otherwise be tricky to make work) and had one bit of bad luck - a whole IONITY station being out of power on the way back, and on a bank holiday, which did hurt us to be fair. Second time around, last summer, was totally fine.
I speak a little bit of French, but generally using public chargers, especially on motorways, is straightforward - it's just tap the card or QR code with vehicle app and plug in. The Ionity chargers have language options I think.
Like others on here, the advice is to plan your stops on long journeys, with maybe alternatives in mind, and it helps having a passenger alongside if you decide to divert from plan A, which I have done several times.
In general, by the time you need a charge you need a rest, and at 100kw or thereabouts, by the time you've had a coffee and a piss you're ready to go.
The other thing I find, which of course will vary from model to model and much of which is also on ICE cars, is that the tech and integration between the car and navigation makes driving an EV on a long journey especially, but also in town, much less tiring as a driver.
Regen braking for example. Don't know how I lived without it. When I borrowed my dad's Kia the other day I could hardly drive it initially.
I was apprehensive re range anxiety when I first went into an EV, but that soon goes away when you get used to a different mindset about driving and your car.
I do accept I think much more, and sort of all the time, about how 'full' it is compared to when I had an ICE, but that just becomes a background thing and there are many upsides - the costs, especially as a company car, being a major one. Not to mention the societal and environmental benefits.
I know this is a wild example but I am driving from Vancouver to Toronto (2692 miles) in March and i'd be interested to know if that's even possible in an EV.
I know this is a wild example but I am driving from Vancouver to Toronto (2692 miles) in March and i'd be interested to know if that's even possible in an EV.
I know this is a wild example but I am driving from Vancouver to Toronto (2692 miles) in March and i'd be interested to know if that's even possible in an EV.
Just use a petrol car, no need to take any breaks at all then.
I live in Leeds. I regularly drive Leeds to London ( Kidbrooke, via A1 and Blackwall )return. I have had 2 electric cars since 2016. I stop once on the return journey to charge. No servicing, no tax , 300 miles costs about £6.00 with Ovo charging at home. Happy days!
I live in Leeds. I regularly drive Leeds to London ( Kidbrooke, via A1 and Blackwall )return. I have had 2 electric cars since 2016. I stop once on the return journey to charge. No servicing, no tax , 300 miles costs about £6.00 with Ovo charging at home. Happy days!
Make hay while the sun shines then.
Once EVs are more common / nearing a significant percentage of users that financial situation will change.
Of course most of my journeys like most people are local so no big deal if I decided to get an EV. However I’m based in West Yorkshire so for family and other reasons I return to SE London on a reasonably regular basis. If my EV gave me 200 miles it wouldn’t get me there. Another full charge wouldn’t get me home. Might sound a bit daft but that alone puts me in two minds.
I did a road trip in a Renault Zoe at Christmas 2022, went from south London to Manchester and then Liverpool and then back. The range of those is only about 170 at motorway speeds and in the cold. Never had an issue with a stop off at a service station for a quick break, grab a coffee, came back and I'd enough charge to get me to through the next leg. I've got a bigger EV now with a much longer range so it would be even easier, I think Tesla's charge from about 20% to 80% in around 30 minutes using on of their superchargers, depending on the model that's around 180 miles in the time it takes to stop off for a quick break and a drink.
Obviously really long distances for EVs at the moment are a slight issue as it will add some time to a journey but if you're traveling the length of the country you're probably stopping for a break anyway so the additional time then is minimal.
Not to detract from the excellent information in your post but I never stop for a coffee or a break when driving Leeds to London. Having to do so would really irritate me. Also when I get to London on my regular visits to visit my father in law I couldn’t charge my EV at his house. Having to drive to somewhere and spend the time doing so would also irritate me. Sounds like I’m just creating problems where there are none but at this point an EV is not for me.
It definitely does cause a hassle if you wouldn't ordinarily stop as it does add a fair bit of journey time on. You would be able to charge at the house as they can be charged with a standard 3 point plug but it depends how long you stay for. They charge slowly and wouldn't do much damage if you were only there a few hours
Fewer people driving long-distances in one hit, tired, would be a good thing
The journey time for me from Leeds to London is under four hours. I certainly don’t need to stop because I’m tired. In fact stopping for forty five minutes would make little difference to my level of tiredness if I was stupid enough to drive in that condition.
The Highway Code recommends a "minimum break of at least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving". Drivers having to stop to recharge their car, as well as themselves, is a good thing.
I don’t know many people that would follow that advice. Basically it’s bollocks, that why. I bet there is not a single poster on this thread that does.
You'd lose that bet
You then ?
and me - so that's two
I’d almost certainly stop if I was driving to Leeds.
I live in Leeds. I regularly drive Leeds to London ( Kidbrooke, via A1 and Blackwall )return. I have had 2 electric cars since 2016. I stop once on the return journey to charge. No servicing, no tax , 300 miles costs about £6.00 with Ovo charging at home. Happy days!
Make hay while the sun shines then.
Once EVs are more common / nearing a significant percentage of users that financial situation will change.
The charging costs won’t massively increase, I’m on the same OVO tariff and without it a full charge would be £15 for around 250 miles. The way they work is allowing energy companies to make money in times where there is an excess of electricity in the grid.
I know this is a wild example but I am driving from Vancouver to Toronto (2692 miles) in March and i'd be interested to know if that's even possible in an EV.
Just use a petrol car, no need to take any breaks at all then.
I live in Leeds. I regularly drive Leeds to London ( Kidbrooke, via A1 and Blackwall )return. I have had 2 electric cars since 2016. I stop once on the return journey to charge. No servicing, no tax , 300 miles costs about £6.00 with Ovo charging at home. Happy days!
Make hay while the sun shines then.
Once EVs are more common / nearing a significant percentage of users that financial situation will change.
The charging costs won’t massively increase, I’m on the same OVO tariff and without it a full charge would be £15 for around 250 miles. The way they work is allowing energy companies to make money in times where there is an excess of electricity in the grid.
You miss my point I should have been clearer.
As tax revenues from the pump fall it will be switched to EV in some fashion.
I live in Leeds. I regularly drive Leeds to London ( Kidbrooke, via A1 and Blackwall )return. I have had 2 electric cars since 2016. I stop once on the return journey to charge. No servicing, no tax , 300 miles costs about £6.00 with Ovo charging at home. Happy days!
Originally, a 30kw Leaf. I had retired and thought I needed a town/ city car. After 3 years my circumstances changed and I needed trips to London so went for. Tesla M3 LR. The Leaf persuaded me that electric cars are quiet, efficient and cheap to run. In 6 years I have spent £ 200 pounds on servicing. The purchase costs are steep normally but deals are appearing now.
I live in Leeds. I regularly drive Leeds to London ( Kidbrooke, via A1 and Blackwall )return. I have had 2 electric cars since 2016. I stop once on the return journey to charge. No servicing, no tax , 300 miles costs about £6.00 with Ovo charging at home. Happy days!
Make hay while the sun shines then.
Once EVs are more common / nearing a significant percentage of users that financial situation will change.
The charging costs won’t massively increase, I’m on the same OVO tariff and without it a full charge would be £15 for around 250 miles. The way they work is allowing energy companies to make money in times where there is an excess of electricity in the grid.
You miss my point I should have been clearer.
As tax revenues from the pump fall it will be switched to EV in some fashion.
EV public charging have 20% VAT against it already, home charging at 5%. If your talking about road charging, then cool, much fairer
I live in Leeds. I regularly drive Leeds to London ( Kidbrooke, via A1 and Blackwall )return. I have had 2 electric cars since 2016. I stop once on the return journey to charge. No servicing, no tax , 300 miles costs about £6.00 with Ovo charging at home. Happy days!
Make hay while the sun shines then.
Once EVs are more common / nearing a significant percentage of users that financial situation will change.
The charging costs won’t massively increase, I’m on the same OVO tariff and without it a full charge would be £15 for around 250 miles. The way they work is allowing energy companies to make money in times where there is an excess of electricity in the grid.
You miss my point I should have been clearer.
As tax revenues from the pump fall it will be switched to EV in some fashion.
EV public charging have 20% VAT against it already, home charging at 5%. If your talking about road charging, then cool, much fairer
My point is the financial situation (advantages) will change and not for the better compared to now. Fuel duty will be added (in some way) to to EV charging or potentially PPM - its inevitable / necessary
I live in Leeds. I regularly drive Leeds to London ( Kidbrooke, via A1 and Blackwall )return. I have had 2 electric cars since 2016. I stop once on the return journey to charge. No servicing, no tax , 300 miles costs about £6.00 with Ovo charging at home. Happy days!
Make hay while the sun shines then.
Once EVs are more common / nearing a significant percentage of users that financial situation will change.
The charging costs won’t massively increase, I’m on the same OVO tariff and without it a full charge would be £15 for around 250 miles. The way they work is allowing energy companies to make money in times where there is an excess of electricity in the grid.
You miss my point I should have been clearer.
As tax revenues from the pump fall it will be switched to EV in some fashion.
EV public charging have 20% VAT against it already, home charging at 5%. If your talking about road charging, then cool, much fairer
My point is the financial situation (advantages) will change and not for the better compared to now. Fuel duty will be added (in some way) to to EV charging or potentially PPM - its inevitable / necessary
Less justifiable though, as taxing diesel and petrol is supposed to be a way of raising revenue to repair the damage caused by pollutants.
I’ve been looking on the Chargefinder website for the area where I live. There are no public charging points less than a ten minutes drive from my house, the closest having three. I completely understand why this forum is Londoncentric but outside of London the picture looks very different.
It was worse a year ago, but with each passing year things will improve. I suspect (hope) that a Labour government will be more inclined to encourage the growth of EV infrastructure than the current administration, who probably think EVs are woke 😂.
I've had an EV for a year now, Mustang Mach E entended range rear wheel drive and love it. I do 9K pa and it's cost about £250 in electric to do that - I have a OHME Home Pro charger and have a cheap overnight rate from Ocotpus at 7.5p a kW.
I've never had to use a public charger, always makes sure I've got enough in the tank to do a run. In the summer I was getting 340 miles per full charge. In the winter it's only about 220, I knew it would drop off but the amount suprised me. Would improve if I garaged the car and or preconditioned it before a run. About town you do get more range compared to motorway - my driving is a mix.
Only other thing Ithat caught me out us how wide this car is - didnt pick that up on the test drives. Wish I could set my sat nav to avoid really narrow roads!
I live in Leeds. I regularly drive Leeds to London ( Kidbrooke, via A1 and Blackwall )return. I have had 2 electric cars since 2016. I stop once on the return journey to charge. No servicing, no tax , 300 miles costs about £6.00 with Ovo charging at home. Happy days!
Make hay while the sun shines then.
Once EVs are more common / nearing a significant percentage of users that financial situation will change.
The charging costs won’t massively increase, I’m on the same OVO tariff and without it a full charge would be £15 for around 250 miles. The way they work is allowing energy companies to make money in times where there is an excess of electricity in the grid.
You miss my point I should have been clearer.
As tax revenues from the pump fall it will be switched to EV in some fashion.
EV public charging have 20% VAT against it already, home charging at 5%. If your talking about road charging, then cool, much fairer
My point is the financial situation (advantages) will change and not for the better compared to now. Fuel duty will be added (in some way) to to EV charging or potentially PPM - its inevitable / necessary
Less justifiable though, as taxing diesel and petrol is supposed to be a way of raising revenue to repair the damage caused by pollutants.
that wont be the concern - the government have to balance the books. We have separate taxes in Income Tax and NI but inevitably they are pooled to support all government spend.
I live in Leeds. I regularly drive Leeds to London ( Kidbrooke, via A1 and Blackwall )return. I have had 2 electric cars since 2016. I stop once on the return journey to charge. No servicing, no tax , 300 miles costs about £6.00 with Ovo charging at home. Happy days!
Make hay while the sun shines then.
Once EVs are more common / nearing a significant percentage of users that financial situation will change.
The charging costs won’t massively increase, I’m on the same OVO tariff and without it a full charge would be £15 for around 250 miles. The way they work is allowing energy companies to make money in times where there is an excess of electricity in the grid.
You miss my point I should have been clearer.
As tax revenues from the pump fall it will be switched to EV in some fashion.
EV public charging have 20% VAT against it already, home charging at 5%. If your talking about road charging, then cool, much fairer
My point is the financial situation (advantages) will change and not for the better compared to now. Fuel duty will be added (in some way) to to EV charging or potentially PPM - its inevitable / necessary
I suspect telematics based road pricing will end up being the taxation solution. You pay based on type of vehicle and how far/when you drive.
I live in Leeds. I regularly drive Leeds to London ( Kidbrooke, via A1 and Blackwall )return. I have had 2 electric cars since 2016. I stop once on the return journey to charge. No servicing, no tax , 300 miles costs about £6.00 with Ovo charging at home. Happy days!
Make hay while the sun shines then.
Once EVs are more common / nearing a significant percentage of users that financial situation will change.
The charging costs won’t massively increase, I’m on the same OVO tariff and without it a full charge would be £15 for around 250 miles. The way they work is allowing energy companies to make money in times where there is an excess of electricity in the grid.
You miss my point I should have been clearer.
As tax revenues from the pump fall it will be switched to EV in some fashion.
EV public charging have 20% VAT against it already, home charging at 5%. If your talking about road charging, then cool, much fairer
My point is the financial situation (advantages) will change and not for the better compared to now. Fuel duty will be added (in some way) to to EV charging or potentially PPM - its inevitable / necessary
I suspect telematics based road pricing will end up being the taxation solution. You pay based on type of vehicle and how far/when you drive.
Quite possibly & ultimately the most logical I agree - but it will depend what can come soonest. IF EV usage rapidly takes off fuel duty will quickly drop and need to be replaced. That may come from some form, of duty on EV charging if that can most quickly be adopted.
Of course most of my journeys like most people are local so no big deal if I decided to get an EV. However I’m based in West Yorkshire so for family and other reasons I return to SE London on a reasonably regular basis. If my EV gave me 200 miles it wouldn’t get me there. Another full charge wouldn’t get me home. Might sound a bit daft but that alone puts me in two minds.
I did a road trip in a Renault Zoe at Christmas 2022, went from south London to Manchester and then Liverpool and then back. The range of those is only about 170 at motorway speeds and in the cold. Never had an issue with a stop off at a service station for a quick break, grab a coffee, came back and I'd enough charge to get me to through the next leg. I've got a bigger EV now with a much longer range so it would be even easier, I think Tesla's charge from about 20% to 80% in around 30 minutes using on of their superchargers, depending on the model that's around 180 miles in the time it takes to stop off for a quick break and a drink.
Obviously really long distances for EVs at the moment are a slight issue as it will add some time to a journey but if you're traveling the length of the country you're probably stopping for a break anyway so the additional time then is minimal.
Not to detract from the excellent information in your post but I never stop for a coffee or a break when driving Leeds to London. Having to do so would really irritate me. Also when I get to London on my regular visits to visit my father in law I couldn’t charge my EV at his house. Having to drive to somewhere and spend the time doing so would also irritate me. Sounds like I’m just creating problems where there are none but at this point an EV is not for me.
It definitely does cause a hassle if you wouldn't ordinarily stop as it does add a fair bit of journey time on. You would be able to charge at the house as they can be charged with a standard 3 point plug but it depends how long you stay for. They charge slowly and wouldn't do much damage if you were only there a few hours
Fewer people driving long-distances in one hit, tired, would be a good thing
The journey time for me from Leeds to London is under four hours. I certainly don’t need to stop because I’m tired. In fact stopping for forty five minutes would make little difference to my level of tiredness if I was stupid enough to drive in that condition.
The Highway Code recommends a "minimum break of at least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving". Drivers having to stop to recharge their car, as well as themselves, is a good thing.
I don’t know many people that would follow that advice. Basically it’s bollocks, that why. I bet there is not a single poster on this thread that does.
You'd lose that bet
You then ?
and me - so that's two
I’d almost certainly stop if I was driving to Leeds.
I've had an EV for a year now, Mustang Mach E entended range rear wheel drive and love it. I do 9K pa and it's cost about £250 in electric to do that - I have a OHME Home Pro charger and have a cheap overnight rate from Ocotpus at 7.5p a kW.
I've never had to use a public charger, always makes sure I've got enough in the tank to do a run. In the summer I was getting 340 miles per full charge. In the winter it's only about 220, I knew it would drop off but the amount suprised me. Would improve if I garaged the car and or preconditioned it before a run. About town you do get more range compared to motorway - my driving is a mix.
Only other thing Ithat caught me out us how wide this car is - didnt pick that up on the test drives. Wish I could set my sat nav to avoid really narrow roads!
I suggest you look at the on line reviews. Narrow down your choice based on usual factors ie 4 doors,size of boot etc then choose the one with the biggest and most efficient battery. Factor in installing a charger at home, if you can. Not essential but brilliantly convenient. Not convinced by hybriids myself.
Comments
I am looking to potentially get one as a company car, but drive abroad 3 or 4 times a year, usually no more then 500 miles once off the Eurotunnel
Thanks
First time I was only 2 months or so in an EV and did make one mistake (not to purchase a universal charging card, Chargemap - it's good, in France at least, and gives easy access to local 7kw chargers that can otherwise be tricky to make work) and had one bit of bad luck - a whole IONITY station being out of power on the way back, and on a bank holiday, which did hurt us to be fair. Second time around, last summer, was totally fine.
I speak a little bit of French, but generally using public chargers, especially on motorways, is straightforward - it's just tap the card or QR code with vehicle app and plug in. The Ionity chargers have language options I think.
Like others on here, the advice is to plan your stops on long journeys, with maybe alternatives in mind, and it helps having a passenger alongside if you decide to divert from plan A, which I have done several times.
In general, by the time you need a charge you need a rest, and at 100kw or thereabouts, by the time you've had a coffee and a piss you're ready to go.
The other thing I find, which of course will vary from model to model and much of which is also on ICE cars, is that the tech and integration between the car and navigation makes driving an EV on a long journey especially, but also in town, much less tiring as a driver.
Regen braking for example. Don't know how I lived without it. When I borrowed my dad's Kia the other day I could hardly drive it initially.
I was apprehensive re range anxiety when I first went into an EV, but that soon goes away when you get used to a different mindset about driving and your car.
I do accept I think much more, and sort of all the time, about how 'full' it is compared to when I had an ICE, but that just becomes a background thing and there are many upsides - the costs, especially as a company car, being a major one. Not to mention the societal and environmental benefits.
Humankind transitioned from the horse.
I've never had to use a public charger, always makes sure I've got enough in the tank to do a run. In the summer I was getting 340 miles per full charge. In the winter it's only about 220, I knew it would drop off but the amount suprised me. Would improve if I garaged the car and or preconditioned it before a run. About town you do get more range compared to motorway - my driving is a mix.
Only other thing Ithat caught me out us how wide this car is - didnt pick that up on the test drives. Wish I could set my sat nav to avoid really narrow roads!
Any suggestions for a small electric car (super-mini category), up to £15K? I'm guessing I'm looking at 2019-2021 models at that kind of price.
We only do about 4,000 miles a year with just a couple of longish trips so raneg not a massive issue.
BMW i3 - £15k should get you a 2019 or 2020 model year - go for the bigger battery (42.2 kWh) with a range of just shy of 200 miles.