Long trip advice for new EV driver
Discussion
5s Alive said:
Maracus said:
cptsideways said:
Once into Scotland there are only three ionity locations Gretna, Glasgow Polmadie and Perth. Good luck getting more than 130kw out of any of them. Most of the charge place Scotland 50kw ones only get you 35kw if they work.
Pretty much equates to 2 hours driving 1 hour of charging
The CP Scotland 50Kw chargers I used on the Isle of Skye all were hitting high 40s when i used them and all 4 worked. Maybe I was lucky?Pretty much equates to 2 hours driving 1 hour of charging
I used one of the FastNED chargers in Hamilton in July. That was ~100Kw when i used it, although I think it was rated at 350kW, 4 out of 6 were in use and I was around 20% SoC. So not hitting the headline numbers.
Alickadoo said:
What happens when you say to the children, 'this is the way it is, we have to wait here for an hour while the car charges'?
When it comes to EVs isn't the problem what happens when you say to grown men 'this is the way it is, we have to wait here for an hour while the car charges'?Can't say I'm surprised that a government funded charging network that costs £20 a year for access with all charging then being free is slow and unreliable.
You get what you pay for as they say.
At 35kW even an hour isn't going to get you very far. In our etron that would add about 95 miles, so less than 2 hours of driving on A-roads/motorways. OK in a pinch, but really wouldn't want to rely on that regularly despite the cost saving.
You get what you pay for as they say.
DonkeyApple said:
Alickadoo said:
What happens when you say to the children, 'this is the way it is, we have to wait here for an hour while the car charges'?
When it comes to EVs isn't the problem what happens when you say to grown men 'this is the way it is, we have to wait here for an hour while the car charges'?Edited by SWoll on Thursday 30th March 07:54
Alickadoo said:
What happens when you say to the children, 'this is the way it is, we have to wait here for an hour while the car charges'?
I’d welcome you to come and say that to mine and then deal with the fallout, while I went off with the Mrs for a coffee.Edited by wyson on Thursday 30th March 08:38
Bannock said:
EV driver of many years here, and regular driver from Berkshire to Scotland. I have never attempted it in my EV (short range Leaf), but have considered it and so have paid attention to motorway service stations chargers on my trips, out of interest. My last drive to Scotland was during autumn half term last year, so possibly similar, although maybe slightly less busy than Easter holidays. I noticed on the Friday evening drive up, the chargers at the services where I stopped were mobbed, with several cars queuing to get on. I was pouring with rain and looked utter misery. On my trip back home on a Saturday afternoon, the situation seemed better at Wetherby services, that is to say most of the chargers were busy, but turnover seemed quick and I wouldn't have been perturbed if I was wanting to use one.
So, it can be a bit of a lottery in my observational experience. I would say that it would be a good idea to target service stations with the new, multiple Gridserve outlets, and if possible choose ones near motorway junctions, so that you can have a good Plan B, i.e. a nearby non-service station charge point to aim for within a few miles - e.g. a pub, restaurant, retail park etc. If you're going up the East of the country, be aware that Gridserve still haven't rolled out the multiple charger facilities to a lot of service stations on the M1.
Do a bit of research, plan plan plan, and have a Plan B.
Precisely why I'd never consider driving an electric if staying away from home.So, it can be a bit of a lottery in my observational experience. I would say that it would be a good idea to target service stations with the new, multiple Gridserve outlets, and if possible choose ones near motorway junctions, so that you can have a good Plan B, i.e. a nearby non-service station charge point to aim for within a few miles - e.g. a pub, restaurant, retail park etc. If you're going up the East of the country, be aware that Gridserve still haven't rolled out the multiple charger facilities to a lot of service stations on the M1.
Do a bit of research, plan plan plan, and have a Plan B.
Vasco said:
Precisely why I'd never consider driving an electric if staying away from home.
No point in judging based solely on examples given at the busiest of times (public holidays). It's like being surprised that Alton Towers is busy during school holidays, or that the M6 is busy during rush hour. Implementing a charging network with enough spare capacity to easily handle these scenarios would mean leaving it relatively idle the other 90% of the time. Who's going to invest in that?
Alickadoo said:
What happens when you say to the children, 'this is the way it is, we have to wait here for an hour while the car charges'?
My kids have never given a s
t, although we’ve never needed to stop for more than 30 minutes even during the 350 to 400 mile drives to Cornwall and the Highlands at the height of the summerKids hate being in cars, and having some time to get some air and run around a bit is perfect for them.
It’s only grumpy old men who want to “press on”.
CheesecakeRunner said:
My kids have never given a st, although we’ve never needed to stop for more than 30 minutes even during the 350 to 400 mile drives to Cornwall and the Highlands at the height of the summer
Kids hate being in cars, and having some time to get some air and run around a bit is perfect for them.
It’s only grumpy old men who want to “press on”.
We don’t all have unlimited supplies of cheesecake to keep the kids endorphines flowing and then put them in a food coma! Glad the Model Y has wipe clean seats, would be an awful mess otherwise. t, although we’ve never needed to stop for more than 30 minutes even during the 350 to 400 mile drives to Cornwall and the Highlands at the height of the summerKids hate being in cars, and having some time to get some air and run around a bit is perfect for them.
It’s only grumpy old men who want to “press on”.
If either you or Alickadoo offered to babysit whilst detouring and waiting for a charge, I’d get any EV, esp. if you brought a nice New York style cheesecake with you!
Edited by wyson on Thursday 30th March 08:59
Oh a more serious note, everyones kids are different. Honestly its great if you have more patient ones. But they are definitely a factor, sometimes a bigger or smaller factor depending on what yours are like, how old they are etc.
I’m waiting for mine to start getting into double digits, other parents tell me they become a lot more rational as they get older. Toddlers, at least mine are a handful and very, very impatient.
Although they are small, they are still people, and its unpleasant for them to feel that way, and also hard to be on the receiving end of such emotions. Being strict or rational, at least with my terrors, only serves to escalate until they completely go off the deep end and they take hours to return to normal. It is very stressful for all involved and the best solution is to not introduce that frustration in the first place.
I’m waiting for mine to start getting into double digits, other parents tell me they become a lot more rational as they get older. Toddlers, at least mine are a handful and very, very impatient.
Although they are small, they are still people, and its unpleasant for them to feel that way, and also hard to be on the receiving end of such emotions. Being strict or rational, at least with my terrors, only serves to escalate until they completely go off the deep end and they take hours to return to normal. It is very stressful for all involved and the best solution is to not introduce that frustration in the first place.
Edited by wyson on Thursday 30th March 09:27
CheesecakeRunner said:
My old Jaguar had wipe clean seats too. They were made from a cow’s arse.
Is the argument really now reduced to trying to insult people based on what fabric they sit on?
Cow's arse is technically food waste with ultra low carbon impact during processing. Given its infinite durability within the lifetime of the application and the fact that it can be sequestered at and of life for almost zero cost it is pretty much the perfect eco material for a car. It just needs a rebrand. Is the argument really now reduced to trying to insult people based on what fabric they sit on?
wyson said:
We don’t all have unlimited supplies of cheesecake to keep the kids endorphines flowing and then put them in a food coma! Glad the Model Y has wipe clean seats, would be an awful mess otherwise.
If either you or Alickadoo offered to babysit whilst detouring and waiting for a charge, I’d get any EV!
I do wonder where it is that people are driving. A Model Y LR will provide 300 miles of driving on a charge, enough for 5-6 hours on UK roads. Having 2 kids myself I'd be stopping at least once on a trip like that for toilet breaks and a leg stretch no matter the type of fuel the car uses, but more likely twice. A couple of 15 minute top ups would have you at your destination 300 miles away with plenty of range to spare.If either you or Alickadoo offered to babysit whilst detouring and waiting for a charge, I’d get any EV!
Edited by wyson on Thursday 30th March 08:55
SWoll said:
I do wonder where it is that people are driving. A Model Y LR will provide 300 miles of driving on a charge, enough for 5-6 hours on UK roads. Having 2 kids myself I'd be stopping at least once on a trip like that for toilet breaks and a leg stretch no matter the type of fuel the car uses, but more likely twice. A couple of 15 minute top ups would have you at your destination 300 miles away with plenty of range to spare.
Agreed. My trips have been in a Performance Model 3, but you’re right, I’m more likely to stop for the kids’ benefit, than the car’s. I checked the first time I did the Cornwall and Scotland drives (from the Midlands), and the trips didn’t actually take any longer than the previous ICE cars.
AlexIT said:
Ehmmm 
Sorry... but...
Didn't mean to get off topic... it's just....
Just joking, everything will be fine
-eventually-
Sorry... but...
Didn't mean to get off topic... it's just....
Just joking, everything will be fine
-eventually-
Yah, you mean when they leave home and go off to uni? Hahaha. They are going to become little angels as soon as they turn 10. Mark my words! Edited by wyson on Thursday 30th March 09:31
CheesecakeRunner said:
SWoll said:
I do wonder where it is that people are driving. A Model Y LR will provide 300 miles of driving on a charge, enough for 5-6 hours on UK roads. Having 2 kids myself I'd be stopping at least once on a trip like that for toilet breaks and a leg stretch no matter the type of fuel the car uses, but more likely twice. A couple of 15 minute top ups would have you at your destination 300 miles away with plenty of range to spare.
Agreed. My trips have been in a Performance Model 3, but you’re right, I’m more likely to stop for the kids’ benefit, than the car’s. I checked the first time I did the Cornwall and Scotland drives (from the Midlands), and the trips didn’t actually take any longer than the previous ICE cars.
CheesecakeRunner said:
My old Jaguar had wipe clean seats too. They were made from a cow’s arse.
Is the argument really now reduced to trying to insult people based on what fabric they sit on?
No, not at all. It's a swipe at the modern marketing claptrap that all carmakers/clothing companies seem to have adopted.Is the argument really now reduced to trying to insult people based on what fabric they sit on?
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