Thanks Dave for putting this sentiment of “charge while you stop and not stopping to charge” in such a succinct way. I’ve been road tripping like that in the UK for the last 2 years in my EV. An important point is to get to know your car - some vehicles turtle mode limiting speed and functionality at 5 or 10% charge. Meaning filling just enough on the public network just to get home could for some EV cause an issue. Other EVs have erratic distance to empty guages particularly deep into the pack dropping range incommensurate with the distance travelled. Luckily my GV60 will drive into single digits state of charge without turtle mode or issues while accurately indicating remaining range. At my age driving range is limited by my bladder and my hydration practices (2hrs driving) not my car! And for health and safety reasons drivers should really take regular breaks as outlined in the Highway Code or indeed as mandated for HGV drivers. Loving your channel.
Hi Dave, I have been watching your video clips for quite a while now in preparation for my first electric car. This Monday I was given the chance to drive a ev from London to Darlington, the following day to Sunderland and from there to Stockport and finally Bognor Regis. Having used the built in Sat Nav and having learnt a lot from your channel found it really easy charging and driving. Do thanks Dave
Totally agree - always be charging. I have an EV and road trips with the family means stopping every 2 hours (it is better for you). When you plan your stops to make sure you have charging, you can keep your state of charge high. This allows you to skip chargers that have a queue or just aren’t working properly. The plus is that your car usually take on energy faster with less in the batteries so don’t care to 100%.
I picked up my EV last Friday and wanted to let you know about my experiences to date. The good AND the bad. This is prob a long post and I hope it does not get deleted. First some background. I am disabled ( I am not going into my conditions here but I have a carer ), and the car is a Motability car. due to my condition, the choice of cars was not great (B.T.W. the cars are NOT free. We pay out of our PIPs). I have had Berlingos for the last two times. Each time a diesel version. I extended the lease from three to five years on both as to me a car is just a tool that gives me my freedom. The EBerlingo I picked up on Friday is great. It's VERY quiet!! Very similar to the ones before so no problem driving it. The range is about half of what I had before but as I (like lots of disabled people) do not do a high mileage, I don't think it will be a problem. where the problem has arisen is in charging. Motability sorted out an OHME home charger and that went in well. Changed over to Octopus EV tariff. Imagine my surprise when I first went to charge the car to find that I couldn't just set it up and 'plug and go'! Nope, the API for the car doesn't work with the APP. So every time I want to charge the car I have to work out how much I need to put in and then alter the app to charge that amount and when I want the car to be ready. Now before someone says "So? It's not hard" "You are forgetting disabled people (and I suspect many of 'Joe Public'), have far too many other things to deal with to be bothered with things like that. Akin to computers and phones. People just want to use it and not have to deal with setting up etc(ok after initial setup). My Carer took one look and said 'Forget it!' I have enough to do already!. Don't get me wrong I am FOR EVs as such, but people want 'plug and go' That is not the case with all at the moment. I went on a group to check I wasn't missing something and got told 'It's not a biggie' Well yes it is. Motability is 'encouraging' its members to go the EV route, yet things like this are a hassle they don't need. Speaking to some friends who are disabled this weekend, some have already decided not to get EVs due to this. Remember when you have chronic illnesses/conditions every day is an uphill battle. This should not be a problem for anyone in this day and age. There is no standard for the interface between the manufacturer's and charger's systems. Something that (IMHO) needs seeing to post haste!
Totally agree Dave, when I am on a long trip my motto is charge when you stop don’t stop to charge. Especially if stopping for lunch I have found that actually I often put a bit more charge in than I actually need ( eg may fill to 85% rather than 80% was aiming for), but it is the amount of time I am eating lunch etc which determines when I stop the charge. (Ps have never filled to 100% on a public charger complete waste of time).
Completely agree. Great videos! Since my very first long distance trip, after I bought my MYLR 2 years ago, I find EV long distance travel much more relaxing than in an ICE car. I have relatively quick stops which for long distances seems to be the most time efficient option. The car is spot on telling me if I have enough charge for the next stop. I only every charge the car 90% plus when I want to catch some sleep while charging. Every family holiday I have an extension lead to charge the car over night on a 3 pin socket at the location where we stay.
I’ve work it out with our new car Peugeot e3008 with a 73 kW battery. Charging from 20% to 80% works out to be 48.8 kWh. So in thirty it should give us an extra 173 to 219 miles on top what is left. That more than enough. for long journeys.
Or, they could be people who are having a leisurely lunch and the stupid car has charged too quickly. That's not unusual when we're on a road trip. Not often to 100%, but sometimes end up setting that anyway just to allow us time. Well take what it is at when we get back.
I’ve noticed that: - Your Tesla S had the efficiency of around 3 miles per kWh in the last 15 miles before charging. Presumably, that was better than normal as the graph shows some light cruising, possibly around the dual carriageways or similar larger roads around Bristol with speed restrictions. In the winter or hot summer with either heating or air conditioning turned on, that would reduce the efficiency further. If you drove in city traffic or on the open motorway, especially with passengers, I’d expect more like 2 miles for each kWh. - Your typical charging cost is between 39-50p, whereas the other people’s photos show the very common rate of 79p per kWh. On longer journeys, people are dependent on the rate of 60-85p per kWh. At 70p per kWh average and a 2.5 miles of average efficiency, that makes the cost of each of these journeys around £17.4 per 62miles/100km. At the current cost of petrol at £1.5 per litre (currently, it’s £1.42 at Texaco and similar garages in my area), that buys me 11.6 litre of petrol. In my fairly thirsty supercharged petrol car, that is enough for 1.5 times more. In my petrol Smart car, it’s more like twice that much. I don’t have to suffer the shocking depreciation or the inconvenience of having overpriced coffees and mediocre meals at these awful service stations, either.
So true - in June I did 571 miles in my 2024 Countryman S E for the grand total of £11.70. I also own a 2023 Defender D250 90 that averages 32mpg. In the Defender that £11.70 it cost to do 571 miles in the Countryman would get me …………….. 56 miles!
Hi Dave our EV shows a Range of 315 'esh miles when at 100% SOC so with good old man maths we estimate for each 1% of battery used equals 3 miles travelled and as my old round trip to work was 60 miles that = 20 % used so if the Sat nav shows 100miles to home we can easily divided that by 3 and get 33.3 so need 35% of battery to get home plus a bit more.
I find I rarely look at the state of charge in my EV. It is always full every day and I almost never drive more than hald the range in one day. Last time I got to drive an ICE car I almost run out of fuel because I didn't think to check how much fuel I had.
Not a hotel but my local shopping centre. Car park fee £2.70 whether you charge or not. I’m lucky that my car can charge at 22kW AC. Recent transactions Activity July 10 July 08:36 36.82 kWh - 01:51:03 £0.00
@@garrycroft4215The opposite is true for me in Central London, roadside charging around Oxford St comes with free parking. The round trip is 62 miles. So with my Citroën Ami I have 3 hrs free parking, whilst it charges. Costs me about £2.20 for the electricity to get home. Obviously it only costs about 30p to get there
3:15 you should not be doing more than 2 hours without a stop anyway. I think the highway code says "30 minutes parked and out of the car for every 4 hours of driving " so 15-20 at or around 2 hours and the same at or around 4 hours. The highway code has said that for decades, it is for safety reasons and gas nothing to do with EVs.
I usually find it takes me longer than half an hour to have a break, the time is not usually important to me. So even with a 50kW Zoe I get a good charge. I stoped at the Tesla Main Dealer in Exeter this week and was offered a free coffee and a buiscuit. The value of the 2 free Coffees for my wife and I and a buiscuit more than covered the cost of the charge which was 34p per kWh.
I like to stop every 2 hours anyway. The longest journey I do semi-regularly is a 2.5 to 3 hour drive and I might do that in one go if the traffic is clear. Still waiting for my EV to be delivered - ordered in May and due in September - is this normal? I thought there was a massive stockpile of EVs, so was a little disappointed to find that demand is higher than supply.
Little and often is okay if you are at or near retirement age taking it easy and don't have a busy schedule. Some companies are mandating EV's which of course means extra down time for charging some even want their employees to charge the company EV during their lunchtimes.
The point is you are charging when you're doing something else anyway. The actual time it takes to charge is then the time it takes for you to plug it in and unplug it. Even if it is lunchtime.
I agree retirement is a wonderful thing my nephew was given a model 3 company car and he couldn't get on with it but he didn't have home charging so he swapped it for a plug in hybrid that never plugs in
@@stulop That is not the point, your lunchtime is your personal time not for going out of your way to find a charger to charge a company car for company business before you can continue your own personal business in your lunchtime.
@@terrymackenzie6784 Thanks for that very pragmatic response, sometimes EV's are just not the appropriate vehicle, ands that's coming from someone who does really love driving my Tesla but it has extended my working day.
@@teetubbie7697 You plug a car in, you unplug it. The finding is in work time. Get yourself organised. How many people are doing 2 to 300 miles before lunch? EVs are not ready for those few.
I can't help but totally agree...again! Why fill my battery when it costs a lot, I need minimum added to complete the trip. Arriving home with 10 miles left is not a problem as i know I have a charger there. As for stopsmy wife would love to stop almost every hour, I can go 3 to 4 but I am then ready for food and drink. My car could charge from 10% to 80% in as little as 25 minutes, so may need to rush food. My old one was around 45 minutes, so far more relaxed. Charging above 80% is a waste of time as it then takes the same time again for that last 20%. Also not many drives have needed 6 or more hours of driving, but I have found after the first stop the next stop will be earlier.
It's true. Driving an EV requires different thinking than an ICE car, and range is much less important than most people think it is. What's more important is the regular placement of chargers , their speed , and whether or not they actually function....you reading this Electrify America? Fortunately we Tesla owners have an edge , for now, in that Tesla chargers are reliable and abundant for the most part. Musk's move to open it to the world is a double edged sword but arguably for the best I suppose.
I charge exactly like you do. Therefore it has not been an issue with me driving my i3 to Germany 2x and to Denmark. Even the little BMW covers 110 - 120 miles in 2 hours motorway between 15 and 80%. As you state: range is irrelevant.
Worth noting ALL batteries slow charging as they fill. Phones laptops and EVs. CPO and makers could do better at educating people. Volvo have a good section on website about charge curve.
@@clivethomas6864 For chargers that know what the battery SoC is they could apply the standard rate for charging up to 80% and then increase the rate for everything over 80%. This would address your concerns over the time limit but would still encourage people to move on quickly once they hit 80%.
Some twaddle in this video - the last two times I’ve rapid charged I’ve charged to 99% and 100% - for EXACTLY the reason you only put a couple of KWh in - because I simply wasn’t ready to set off yet. Baby woke up after we’d already been stopped for half-an-hour and he needed feeding. I certainly wasn’t going to move the car when I was happy to get the range. Not everyone who charges to 100% at a rapid is an imbecile - they may be perfectly aware it’s not time efficient.
Incredible what is wrong with the "splash and dash" mentality..... They could do it with their petrol cars.... grabbing £10 or £20 at the services just to get there.
Thanks Dave for putting this sentiment of “charge while you stop and not stopping to charge” in such a succinct way.
I’ve been road tripping like that in the UK for the last 2 years in my EV.
An important point is to get to know your car - some vehicles turtle mode limiting speed and functionality at 5 or 10% charge. Meaning filling just enough on the public network just to get home could for some EV cause an issue. Other EVs have erratic distance to empty guages particularly deep into the pack dropping range incommensurate with the distance travelled.
Luckily my GV60 will drive into single digits state of charge without turtle mode or issues while accurately indicating remaining range.
At my age driving range is limited by my bladder and my hydration practices (2hrs driving) not my car! And for health and safety reasons drivers should really take regular breaks as outlined in the Highway Code or indeed as mandated for HGV drivers.
Loving your channel.
Hi Dave, I have been watching your video clips for quite a while now in preparation for my first electric car. This Monday I was given the chance to drive a ev from London to Darlington, the following day to Sunderland and from there to Stockport and finally Bognor Regis. Having used the built in Sat Nav and having learnt a lot from your channel found it really easy charging and driving. Do thanks Dave
Totally agree - always be charging. I have an EV and road trips with the family means stopping every 2 hours (it is better for you). When you plan your stops to make sure you have charging, you can keep your state of charge high. This allows you to skip chargers that have a queue or just aren’t working properly. The plus is that your car usually take on energy faster with less in the batteries so don’t care to 100%.
I picked up my EV last Friday and wanted to let you know about my experiences to date. The good AND the bad.
This is prob a long post and I hope it does not get deleted.
First some background. I am disabled ( I am not going into my conditions here but I have a carer ), and the car is a Motability car. due to my condition, the choice of cars was not great (B.T.W. the cars are NOT free. We pay out of our PIPs). I have had Berlingos for the last two times. Each time a diesel version. I extended the lease from three to five years on both as to me a car is just a tool that gives me my freedom.
The EBerlingo I picked up on Friday is great. It's VERY quiet!! Very similar to the ones before so no problem driving it. The range is about half of what I had before but as I (like lots of disabled people) do not do a high mileage, I don't think it will be a problem.
where the problem has arisen is in charging. Motability sorted out an OHME home charger and that went in well. Changed over to Octopus EV tariff. Imagine my surprise when I first went to charge the car to find that I couldn't just set it up and 'plug and go'!
Nope, the API for the car doesn't work with the APP. So every time I want to charge the car I have to work out how much I need to put in and then alter the app to charge that amount and when I want the car to be ready. Now before someone says "So? It's not hard" "You are forgetting disabled people (and I suspect many of 'Joe Public'), have far too many other things to deal with to be bothered with things like that. Akin to computers and phones. People just want to use it and not have to deal with setting up etc(ok after initial setup).
My Carer took one look and said 'Forget it!' I have enough to do already!.
Don't get me wrong I am FOR EVs as such, but people want 'plug and go' That is not the case with all at the moment. I went on a group to check I wasn't missing something and got told 'It's not a biggie' Well yes it is. Motability is 'encouraging' its members to go the EV route, yet things like this are a hassle they don't need. Speaking to some friends who are disabled this weekend, some have already decided not to get EVs due to this. Remember when you have chronic illnesses/conditions every day is an uphill battle. This should not be a problem for anyone in this day and age. There is no standard for the interface between the manufacturer's and charger's systems. Something that (IMHO) needs seeing to post haste!
Perhaps Ovo Charge Anytime tariff might be a better option to give you that ‘plug and go’ experience?
@northyorkshirechris5735 Not sure how the tariff help the comms between the car and the charger.
Totally agree Dave, when I am on a long trip my motto is charge when you stop don’t stop to charge. Especially if stopping for lunch I have found that actually I often put a bit more charge in than I actually need ( eg may fill to 85% rather than 80% was aiming for), but it is the amount of time I am eating lunch etc which determines when I stop the charge. (Ps have never filled to 100% on a public charger complete waste of time).
Completely agree. Great videos! Since my very first long distance trip, after I bought my MYLR 2 years ago, I find EV long distance travel much more relaxing than in an ICE car. I have relatively quick stops which for long distances seems to be the most time efficient option. The car is spot on telling me if I have enough charge for the next stop. I only every charge the car 90% plus when I want to catch some sleep while charging. Every family holiday I have an extension lead to charge the car over night on a 3 pin socket at the location where we stay.
I’ve work it out with our new car Peugeot e3008 with a 73 kW battery. Charging from 20% to 80% works out to be 48.8 kWh. So in thirty it should give us an extra 173 to 219 miles on top what is left. That more than enough. for long journeys.
Thanks Dave, excellent tips for how to charge more relaxed.
Loving your work dave
The 100% guys must be the same people who fill the kettle to the top for one drink.
Or, they could be people who are having a leisurely lunch and the stupid car has charged too quickly. That's not unusual when we're on a road trip. Not often to 100%, but sometimes end up setting that anyway just to allow us time. Well take what it is at when we get back.
I’ve noticed that:
- Your Tesla S had the efficiency of around 3 miles per kWh in the last 15 miles before charging. Presumably, that was better than normal as the graph shows some light cruising, possibly around the dual carriageways or similar larger roads around Bristol with speed restrictions. In the winter or hot summer with either heating or air conditioning turned on, that would reduce the efficiency further. If you drove in city traffic or on the open motorway, especially with passengers, I’d expect more like 2 miles for each kWh.
- Your typical charging cost is between 39-50p, whereas the other people’s photos show the very common rate of 79p per kWh. On longer journeys, people are dependent on the rate of 60-85p per kWh. At 70p per kWh average and a 2.5 miles of average efficiency, that makes the cost of each of these journeys around £17.4 per 62miles/100km. At the current cost of petrol at £1.5 per litre (currently, it’s £1.42 at Texaco and similar garages in my area), that buys me 11.6 litre of petrol. In my fairly thirsty supercharged petrol car, that is enough for 1.5 times more. In my petrol Smart car, it’s more like twice that much. I don’t have to suffer the shocking depreciation or the inconvenience of having overpriced coffees and mediocre meals at these awful service stations, either.
Hi Dave! I actually prefer to display BOTH percentage and kilometers left at the same time. And as you say, one quick glance, and I'm off. 🙂
If ICE owners calculated how much they spend a year on fuel and how much an equivalent EV owner spends, they'd cry.
So true - in June I did 571 miles in my 2024 Countryman S E for the grand total of £11.70. I also own a 2023 Defender D250 90 that averages 32mpg. In the Defender that £11.70 it cost to do 571 miles in the Countryman would get me …………….. 56 miles!
Hi Dave our EV shows a Range of 315 'esh miles when at 100% SOC so with good old man maths we estimate for each 1% of battery used equals 3 miles travelled and as my old round trip to work was 60 miles that = 20 % used so if the Sat nav shows 100miles to home we can easily divided that by 3 and get 33.3 so need 35% of battery to get home plus a bit more.
I always charge my car at either Tesco or Marks and Spencer!! There are two M&S and one Tesco with charging points in my area.
I'm like that Dave 😆
I find I rarely look at the state of charge in my EV. It is always full every day and I almost never drive more than hald the range in one day.
Last time I got to drive an ICE car I almost run out of fuel because I didn't think to check how much fuel I had.
If you charge to 100% you’ll have less regen braking too
Mines caught me out a few times
Great video
Afternoon mate
Where are these hotels that offer free charging, most that I have come across are the slower 22kW chargers and cost around £0.50 - £0.60/kWh.
Not a hotel but my local shopping centre. Car park fee £2.70 whether you charge or not. I’m lucky that my car can charge at 22kW AC.
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10 July 08:36
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@@garrycroft4215The opposite is true for me in Central London, roadside charging around Oxford St comes with free parking. The round trip is 62 miles. So with my Citroën Ami I have 3 hrs free parking, whilst it charges. Costs me about £2.20 for the electricity to get home. Obviously it only costs about 30p to get there
Cheers Dave
3:15 you should not be doing more than 2 hours without a stop anyway. I think the highway code says "30 minutes parked and out of the car for every 4 hours of driving " so 15-20 at or around 2 hours and the same at or around 4 hours.
The highway code has said that for decades, it is for safety reasons and gas nothing to do with EVs.
I usually find it takes me longer than half an hour to have a break, the time is not usually important to me. So even with a 50kW Zoe I get a good charge. I stoped at the Tesla Main Dealer in Exeter this week and was offered a free coffee and a buiscuit. The value of the 2 free Coffees for my wife and I and a buiscuit more than covered the cost of the charge which was 34p per kWh.
Good comments and makes complete sense. I have not found any hotels with free charging, are you thinking of the old days 🙂
I like to stop every 2 hours anyway. The longest journey I do semi-regularly is a 2.5 to 3 hour drive and I might do that in one go if the traffic is clear. Still waiting for my EV to be delivered - ordered in May and due in September - is this normal? I thought there was a massive stockpile of EVs, so was a little disappointed to find that demand is higher than supply.
Little and often is okay if you are at or near retirement age taking it easy and don't have a busy schedule.
Some companies are mandating EV's which of course means extra down time for charging some even want their employees to charge the company EV during their lunchtimes.
The point is you are charging when you're doing something else anyway. The actual time it takes to charge is then the time it takes for you to plug it in and unplug it. Even if it is lunchtime.
I agree retirement is a wonderful thing my nephew was given a model 3 company car and he couldn't get on with it but he didn't have home charging so he swapped it for a plug in hybrid that never plugs in
@@stulop That is not the point, your lunchtime is your personal time not for going out of your way to find a charger to charge a company car for company business before you can continue your own personal business in your lunchtime.
@@terrymackenzie6784 Thanks for that very pragmatic response, sometimes EV's are just not the appropriate vehicle, ands that's coming from someone who does really love driving my Tesla but it has extended my working day.
@@teetubbie7697 You plug a car in, you unplug it. The finding is in work time. Get yourself organised. How many people are doing 2 to 300 miles before lunch? EVs are not ready for those few.
I can't help but totally agree...again! Why fill my battery when it costs a lot, I need minimum added to complete the trip. Arriving home with 10 miles left is not a problem as i know I have a charger there. As for stopsmy wife would love to stop almost every hour, I can go 3 to 4 but I am then ready for food and drink. My car could charge from 10% to 80% in as little as 25 minutes, so may need to rush food. My old one was around 45 minutes, so far more relaxed. Charging above 80% is a waste of time as it then takes the same time again for that last 20%. Also not many drives have needed 6 or more hours of driving, but I have found after the first stop the next stop will be earlier.
It's true. Driving an EV requires different thinking than an ICE car, and range is much less important than most people think it is. What's more important is the regular placement of chargers , their speed , and whether or not they actually function....you reading this Electrify America? Fortunately we Tesla owners have an edge , for now, in that Tesla chargers are reliable and abundant for the most part. Musk's move to open it to the world is a double edged sword but arguably for the best I suppose.
I charge exactly like you do. Therefore it has not been an issue with me driving my i3 to Germany 2x and to Denmark. Even the little BMW covers 110 - 120 miles in 2 hours motorway between 15 and 80%. As you state: range is irrelevant.
Worth noting ALL batteries slow charging as they fill. Phones laptops and EVs. CPO and makers could do better at educating people. Volvo have a good section on website about charge curve.
Would be a good idea if Tesla put up the cost of charging after 30 minutes. This would stop people charging to 100%.
I don’t agree because people with cars that don’t charge at a high rate (ie. Poorer people) would be penalised. A little bit to Tory for me.
@@clivethomas6864 For chargers that know what the battery SoC is they could apply the standard rate for charging up to 80% and then increase the rate for everything over 80%. This would address your concerns over the time limit but would still encourage people to move on quickly once they hit 80%.
No because then I would have to leave the restaurant just to move the car! 😅
My Tesla's charge in 20 minutes. That's 3 Tesla's hour on each super charger. @@clivethomas6864
@@clivethomas6864 "Poorer person"?
Some twaddle in this video - the last two times I’ve rapid charged I’ve charged to 99% and 100% - for EXACTLY the reason you only put a couple of KWh in - because I simply wasn’t ready to set off yet. Baby woke up after we’d already been stopped for half-an-hour and he needed feeding. I certainly wasn’t going to move the car when I was happy to get the range.
Not everyone who charges to 100% at a rapid is an imbecile - they may be perfectly aware it’s not time efficient.
Incredible what is wrong with the "splash and dash" mentality..... They could do it with their petrol cars.... grabbing £10 or £20 at the services just to get there.
Ahem! You mean a ‘volt and bolt’