Alex Outhwaite's VW electric van is charging on the far left.
Alex Outhwaite was offered a VW Transporter for her tour.
One in four charging stations had an issue during the trip.
She found EV travel more affordable after she encountered long waits and out-of-service charging stations.
I want to own an electric vehicle. The lower cost and reduced environmental impact are appealing, but the range and process of charging make me anxious to take the plunge. Mike Jackson said in February that most EV drivers were still not taking overnight trips away from their home-charging setup.
I got the chance to have a monthlong test drive of an EV and experience what it's like to rely on an EV to travel long distances.
In my day job as a TV and events host, I had to drive with a colleague around Britain working at food events. I jumped at the chance to own an electric Volkswagen ABT Transporter.
I knew it would be difficult.
My trip required many charges during the day and constant planning because the ABT had a range of only 80 miles. Rather than setting a location in aGPS and just setting off, we would have to map the route via fast-charge points, checking each point against recent reviews to make sure they were in service.
This couldn't guarantee that another driver wouldn't pass us by when we arrived.
Meticulous planning was needed to make sure the journey passed EV charging spots.
Plugshare and Zap Map are apps that allow route planning. I found that one in four of the 36 charge points I visited had issues with the data that I used to see which charge points were out of service.
There were several free charging points at some charge stations. It was only possible to charge one vehicle at a time.
I immediately called the customer service for the point's owner, who confirmed this.
This was not an isolated incident. For up to 45 minutes, we had to wait for a charge point. Repeatedly doing this could add hours to the journey.
The free port was not accessible for the large van until the car moved.
Another issue was highlighted by waiting. Cars are encouraged to line up at the gas station. On weekends and public holidays, we encountered charge points in stations that had many cars waiting, with no obvious way to tell who arrived when, and no obvious place to wait without blocking other drivers.
Some of the charge points were badly lit, so I was glad I wasn't alone.
I had to register to use new charge points in places where I had limited signal, which was a recurring issue. With more than 300 electric-charging companies globally, it's not always possible to aim for a charge point you're already registered at.
The charging station required the use of an app and good cell service.
Traveling across Britain, the provision of charge points varied. We had a few sticky situations near the beginning of the month where we hadn't planned as thoroughly.
We had a few sticky situations early on in our tour in the north of England, which we hadn't planned on. One time we arrived at a fast-charge point at a gas station, only to discover the card reader wasn't working to start the charge.
With limited options, we went to Ikea with less than a mile left of charge.
It made me think how difficult it is in more remote parts of the world.
In North Dakota, home to only 60 EV charging stations, a sudden out-of-service charge point could leave you stranded.
One of the charging stations on Alex's journey was out of service.
The VW ABT and other electric vans have a lower range than personal vehicles like the Model 3 and the mustang Mach E. There are still many things that can add hours to cross-country journeys.
A typical EV can be charged at a 7-kilo watt charging station in the UK in under eight hours.
One could check the apps to make sure they were on their way to faster charges. Highway signs don't specify what is available, so those driving alone must rely on them. It would be helpful if there were more detailed signs.
The low financial and environmental cost of my month on the road was more important to me than the hassle.
The prices are a full charge.
The average gas price in the UK is about.5 pounds per liter, which works out to about 25 pence per mile, compared with about.7 pounds per mile for full charge.
It would be a lot cheaper for people to charge at home.
I'm hoping the problems I encountered when I bought an EV for myself will not happen now that 500,000 charge points are in the US.
Business Insider has an original article.
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