UK to France in a Tesla 769 miles Can we do it?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ค. 2021
- Driving from the middle of England to Bordeaux in France in a day. A total of 769 miles in a Tesla Model 3. Using only Tesla Superchargers I show you what's involved and compare the costs and experience to doing the same journey in an ICE car. Is it better, worse, easy, difficult - or a total nightmare that I'd never, ever do again? Watch to find out!
If you're planning to buy a Tesla because of this video here's my referral code to get you 1,000 miles of free supercharging so you could do your own road trip for free.
ts.la/quentin74418
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QuentinWillson?s=20 - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
I really loved your video. It took a while before I decided to buy an electric vehicle because I feared it wouldn’t be fit for holiday trips. In January I made my decision and bought a Model Y which was delivered to me only two weeks later. And like you say, the experience driving it has been amazing. I’m 51 years old but haven’t had so much fun driving a car since my twenties. Instead of fearing the long trips I’m really looking forward to our holiday in France.
The David Attenbourgh of car journalism
Sophisticated delivery and quality content as forever has been with Quentin
A top quality and rather enjoyable reportage. This quality of production and content deserves many more subscribers and views.
I 100% agree
Totally agree! This is worthy of a professional yet entertaining documentary made by passionate people. Great job 👏🏽 👍🏽
What he said
@@BaumannAxel Quentin Willson is a professional. He used to host BBC Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson.
Quentin Wilson - what a legend. Doesn't lament the passing of the internal combustion engine like other motoring journalists, but highlights the benefits and opportunities of what the future holds. Just brilliant.
I always did like his presenting style. He sees things as they are, not how he'd like them to be.....
Yes we wax lyrically but forget those who don't have parking on their property and have to park on the street. By now we should be seeing massive investments in charging infrastructure but we are not, but of course don't want to talk about those minor details.
@@pokie6087 I do agree to an extent, but there are lots of options to address that issue such as pavement bollards, streetlight charging, neighbourhood schemes to fill up on your neighbour's drive, supermarket carpark charging, not to mention the ever increasing network of rapid chargers. In theory there can be a charger where ever there is electrical infrastructure, which is pretty much everywhere. I predict that EVs will be conveniently accessible to all within but a few short years. Or you could move?
@@JJ-zg1hh
I hear this a lot but what are we actually seeing by way of infrastructure. I recently drove down the M4 and stopped at a large services. There were in total three charging points. Everything you mention comes at a massive cost and so far we see very little. Oh and I don't have to move. I have a large garage with a power supply but I'm not going to adopt the "I'm alright jack" attitude of the motoring press. We are decades off having an efficient charging infrastructure and I fear personal mobility will eventually go back to what it started as. For the wealthy only. The rest of the peasants will have to catch the bus or walk.
@@pokie6087 good points but I'm not sure that the issue you raise is the key one. For me, EVs should be adopted by those that can, such as public services (police etc), commercial sectors, and yes, those better off members of the public that want to make the moral choice as a nod to climate change. I still firmly believe that you've got to let the single mum with 3 kids buy and run a 3 grand second hand Astra for the next 10 years or so. She's got more on her plate than to worry about than switching to an electric vehicle. My point is to let the government, businesses, and wealthy early adopters pay for this stuff so that the single mum can benefit from it a few years later at a much more palletable price.
Last week I drove from Germany to Arctic Circle in my 2021 Model 3 Performance. I used only Supercharger and drove 5216 km in 7 days! Absolutely easy and not really a challenge anymore! :-)
Yikes! That a big distance. Congratulations and my respect. Well done!
Fantastic, well done!
That's quite the distance! How comfortable was this in the Model 3 Performance? I'm going back and forth between the Long Range and the Performance, but the wheels of the Long Range have bigger sidewalls. Especially further up north, did you ever had times you were worried about e.g. potholes?
Holy smokes. That's insane! And impressive!!!!
@@trashmail8 Yes I was worried about the performance wheels and bad dirt roads but everything was fine, but if the road was very bad I drove only 30 kph.
Great to see Quentin , brings back memories of proper car review programs
Mr Quentin Wilson we need to see more, of you!!!!!!!!
I did south coast UK to Zadar Croatia in 21 hours….Long Range Model 3 with 8 stops and covered 1242 miles….Can’t wait to do it again.
Brilliant video sir 👏
I would like to show you around Orkney where since 2013 , over 100% of our electricity is made from renewables, and where we have around 350 plus evs !
I just got back from my road trip around Italy in my model 3. Did over 3000 miles without any issues. Drove from Puliga to london back in 2 days and was absolutely without issue. Range anxiety is a load of BS now but I understand that non EV owners (like my parents) don’t get it but when you have it you’ll be fine.
What I like about Tesla is really the charging map integration navigation! No need to use 3rd party charging map, navigation map, and finding faulty chargers at times!
Can confirm it's all true. I have a Model 3 in Australia and one in France. Both are 'road trip' vehicles that we use to explore Europe and the nether regions of Australia. Have never had a range anxiety issue and am happy to stop for a pee and cuppa while topping up the battery. Love these cars to bits.
I had my first Tesla experience yesterday with a SR+ Model 3:
Drove from London up to Nottingham then out to the Peak District for a hike, then do the journey back. It was 331 miles had to stop twice for a ~20 min charge. Zero range anxiety even as a first timer in an EV. Can’t wait for the Berlin made Model Y!
How dare you. Petrol is the future. I just love the rumbling of an engine. Makes me shiver down my neck because it reminds me of my dildo waiting for me at home.
@@BoeingPrototype yeah but how will you escape from the hunter killer drone when they can just switch your electric car off. you muskrats are so short sighted.
Awww Mr Wilson, a voice from my childhood.
Just discovered the channel this evening, no hesitation in hitting subscribe.
Great production values Quentin, keep
producing great content.
Enjoyed the video from start to finish. Great to see you on TH-cam Quentin.
Great channel to stumble across. The legend that is Quentin Wilson. As engaging and professional as ever.
Lovely to see you again Quentin. I love my model 3 so much i sold the SR+ and ordered the Long Range, every minute driving it is a treat
The times that I've driven to Spain and just keep pushing on, not taking proper breaks just piling on the miles. Probably much more stressful than Quentin's journey and not really much quicker.
What an excellent sensible evaluation of the trip, well done!
In the fall of 2019 I drove my Tesla Model 3 Performance 2100 km from Stockholm to Annecy in 27 hours straight with a few short naps included. Roadtrips with Teslas are pretty much like with any car minus the emissions.
Absolutely love this! Just ordered my Model 3 & am busy cramming hours of TH-cam content down my throat! This was a very reassuring video from one of the best! Thanks so much 👍
Good to hear his dulcet tones again 😉 Good information 🤗
Great video! I currently sit in Tuscany, Italy, having driven from Denmark, through Germany and Switzerland down here. Not a single minute down here with range anxiety! My biggest advice down here, would be to ensure you can plug in where you stay. A slow 220 volt outlet is fine for topping up, but it’s needed as the Italian network of chargers around town etc. is pretty bad
We just done home to London just over a hundred miles, charged up the night before cost us £3, the hotel we stayed at in London for the night had free electric charging and then came home, no up required, all in our Renault Zoe 68 plate, with kids. No problems
Simply amazing video!
EXCELLENT!
The best, most straightforward video for all the petrol heads I've seen in the last couple of months, honestly...
Greetings from Hungary - from your new subscriber.
Happy to see you again, Quentin!
I can agree, long journeys like this in a Tesla Model 3 are totally fussless. The Supercharging network is an huge plus. I can't say the same thing for other brands out there (Ionity charging network is not as much developed as Tesla).
Greetings from France
In the UK the non-TESLA charging is getting a major upgrade. By the end of the year it will be easy in the UK. But you are correct. Across Europe it is very uneven. The only constant system is TESLA.
Really great summary and enjoyed the whole video.
I did Oxford - Madrid in a Model X back in 2017, was mega easy back then and loved it more than when I've done it in an ICE
I know! I’ve just done 6 hours in a Range Rover Velar and it felt, heavy, noisy and dated. It’s hard to describe the different sensory experience of a Tesla but it’s definitely really different.
Hello Quentin, I remember watching you as a child on tv, you were the first person I watched reviewing cars on tv. I’m now 37 and drive a Model Y! Great to see you making content. I hope you are well!
Class vid , really enjoy watching Quentin the car guru. He’s a throwback to the guys who did Wheelbase , tremendous.
From Top Gear and fossil cars, to TH-cam and electric. You’ve still got it. We’ll be driving to the south of France in our SR+ later this year hopefully. By the looks of it, we can look forward to some posh charging. The last trip was in our old Laguna…great tourer, but won’t miss the gazole.
Really reassuring. Thanks Quentin. Planning to go from U.K. to Nice at some point soon in my Long Range M3.
Thanks! I appreciate this as I'm planning a similar trip myself. Keep up the good work!
Quentin should be a presenter on “Fully Charged”. Always provides great analysis and captivates the audience.
I had the exact same thought.
They should do a Fully charged Quentin EV challenge every four months - Can you comfortable do the North Coast 500 in a EV now? There you go your first clip FC. 😁
Aye
Great to see you making content, Quentin! You've come a long way since doing the Triumph Stag buying guide on Top Gear all those years ago (still a gorgeous car, I'm sure you'll agree). I would've thought you'd be the last of the Top Gear lot to embrace EVs with your love and knowledge of classic/older cars but embrace it you have, and my hat is firmly off to you.
If someone can do it in a 24kw Nissan van am sure you can manage in a Tesla, Quentin luv x
Massive EDIT: I posted this before watching & apologise for jumping to the conclusion that you may be of similar opinions to your ex TG colleague. Have now just watched a video of you speaking at Cardiff Uni about EVs. I did not know you were such an advocate esp. back at the dawn so to speak.
I've been driving EVs since 2009 - much to Clarkson's disapproval - and in just 11 years look how far the electric car has come. It took the combustion engine 100 years to get to the refinement levels it has today. within 3 to 5 years we'll have solid-state batteries with triple the current ranges.
@@quentinwillson8918 We own a 24kw Leaf and find a lot of the kickback in the press pretty hilarious. It affects people though. I was asked only a few days ago about its range....about 80 miles with some spare...to be met by the usual laughs despite telling them it's been our only car for the last 4 years, it does a 34 mile round commute and by the way we are driving (from Hyde) to Bangor next Tuesday...along with pointing out that every EV since has exponentially better battery & charging...and they still say "Mmm ... I may consider a Hybrid..." 🤦🏻♀️
With solid state batteries there won't be many excuses left I guess.
@@quentinwillson8918 I'm a great supporter of EVs and I also have a Model 3 ... but if we have solid state batteries (or any other format) with "triple the current ranges" in 3 to 5 years I will most certainly eat my hat!
That’s exactly what I find EV driving - relaxing.
Stops are actually stops and the car is so quiet throughout.
Nice
Great video Quentin, thanks for sharing.
Another quality review from Quentin. Do more please !
Brings back memories watching this. Used to love watching car shows in the 90s as a kid
Great content Quinton, loved it. I’m glad you mentioned the urban myth of bad build quality as we have read a lot of comments about it on the model y which we are considering ordering
Really enjoyed that, the car and just joining a road trip. Hope you will be making more videos on TH-cam 🤞
Informative and helpful. A useful video. Thank you.
Wow! Good to see you again Quentin
That was fun and informative. Thanks Quentin👍
Great to see Quentin Wilson reviewing cars again on the big screen.
It's good to find you on TH-cam again Quentin. I remember that advice you gave on Top Gear 20 years ago about buying a new S-Class Merc W220.
I bought a 200,000 mile W140 and it ran perfectly for years.
Thanks, great report 👍
Great video Quentin. You put the case very persuasively and eloquently. I’m anxiously awaiting delivery of my own Model 3 LR and looking forward to taking some long trips. The Tesla certainly makes that something to look forward to, rather than it being a chore to be endured.
Thanks Quentin for spreading the word. I'm off to Bulgaria at some point, and the trip looks easy until I get nearer Sofia.
Excellent! Always enjoyed Quentin on top gear..
So good to watch such a calm, pleasant, relaxed and accurate video of a Tesla trip through France. Thank you Quentin. I'm trying to convince my wife to do a road trip to Cadiz rather than fly from the UK. This should allay many of her current reservations. I currently have a Nissan Leaf but I think I'll wait until we get a Model 3 though. I'd love to see a similar trip through Spain if you are looking for video ideas. Nice tip about the toll gates too 👍,
A drive to Spain sounds a good idea. Not that I need any excuses to drive my Tesla! Thanks. 😎
I drove from Scotland as far as Murcia in a Model 3 pre-pandemic. Easy. You should note that Murcia supercharger was not available on Sundays (it is in a shopping mall and Spain recently forced shopping malls to close on Sundays). Don't know if the issue is resolved yet.
First of all: Sorry for my english.
Nice video!
It was the first video I saw of you. You got a like and a subscription straight away.
I love England, have been there every year since 2003 with my Chrysler PT Cruiser, unfortunately I have been for 2 years not there because of the "C". :-(
Now I also have a Model3 ..., it's great!
I would be happy to see more videos from you. I have now also looked at the ones that are online.
Wish you all the best.
Greetings from switzerland
I'm so very glad to have discovered your TH-cam channel Mr Willson! It's refreshing to see a familiar face from my youth, whose motoring opinions I already appreciate and trust. Your era of Top Gear was the last one I could watch with my father without him getting frustrated at the... immaturity of the other presenters - before the switch from journalism to entertainment.
I just wanted to leave you a comment to help with the TH-cam algorithm. All the best to you.
Great car , but look how much you have to pay for one, any savings on fuel are thrown out the window, by comparison of an equivalent ICE.
Though they're not cheap you'll find a BMW with similar performance and gadgetry will cost you at least as much.
@@MrAdopado
Let me rephrase that to equivalent size and not performance 👍
@@siddyskip The model 3 is a competitor to the BMW 3 series. So it is price comparable with the competition.
Sure
No better car for the job.
I did 4,500 miles in 2019 in a Model 3 SR+ - all the way through France and Italy to Malta and back via Prague and Berlin. No range anxiety - the car has that for me!
The old boy has still got it. Great presenting.
Thanks. The closest I can get to France is Quebec or the southern parishes of Louisiana, but this took care of my _"rangiety"_ - as I'm on the verge of pulling the trigger on a Model 3 myself.
awesome video and amazing quality! loved it, subscribed :)
Excellent video! Thank you:)
You present this video so well
Brilliant video - one the last leg of my decision making and your video just came up !Thank you.
You will not regret taking the plunge. I procrastinated for 3 years and now wish I hadn’t. The M3 is simply an awesome machine
Now procrastinating due to may things
Bravo! As always you have an Incredibly elegant and simple way to talk about cars…in this case a brilliant machine, the Tesla model 3.
This is one of the the best Tesla video's. Great car ,effortless journey.
Driving in Europe shouldn’t present any issues for Teslas. But while it’s great that you’ve had no quality issues, that doesn’t make it an urban myth; it means simply that you’ve had no problems. Others have.
"Quality issues"
I did a road trip from the UK around France, Belgium and the Netherlands in November 2019 in my Kona EV - 1900 miles total in a week, and that's without the ease of Tesla's charging network to help. Anything can be done with the right planning
Just love the panache and style, you haven’t lost it Q 👍
Great report, honest, it shows Ev's have a long way to go before becoming usable for anything else then a second car. You say you have no Range anxiety, yet every chance you get you charge. I understand, no problem. Well, get back to me when the batteries can charge twice as much in half the time and I'll consider it. Oh and most importantly, get back to me when all chargers are superchargers at 800 volts and they are all over the place like gas-stations and of course standardized. So in 50 years time or so?
Really enjoyed this - many thanks.
Thanks that answered my concerns about distance driving in the Tesla 3
It's super-easy, even in the SR+ the superchargers are not so far apart.
Seeing the quality of this video, I assumed it was 4 million subscribers you got! I'm surprised it's 4k. You definitely deserve 4 million and more..
Tesla owners group UK did the trip to Nice 2018, and following year to Gibraltar, 20+ Tesla without a problem thanks to the Superchargers.
Good to see Quentin in our part of the world, not far from Niort. Now 2 and half years into EV ownership with the Kia e-Niro, have had trips to Switzerland, the UK and all over France. Had the occasional worry with public chargers but never gone below 11% or had any real panics. Had to use a 7.2 Kw charger when a 50 kW DC was out of service once...so forced to sample the pastries at a nearby cafe for 40 minutes to finish our journey...damn!
Great video and I like the Martin Baker on your wrist Quentin!
Top report Quentin, I’m sold.
wow a rational and reasonable account of using an electric car to do the big journeys. The energy cost comparison was very interesting.
I am about to head out to France and drive with Tesla.. I was quite worried about lack of super chargers and get stuck somewhere but so relieved to have seen your video. Thank you so much!
A pleasure! You will have a great drive. Often the charge is complete before you have finished your lunch/ sandwich/KFC! I’m in Florida as I write this reply driving a Hertz Model 3 rental and it’s so easy here too. Have a wonderful trip in your Tesla! P.S I’ve bought a Model Y now too.
Enjoyed that. About the same time, we drove the the Alps in a standard range MG ZS, it was fine too, a bit more planning but it was fine. Just purchased a model Y, really looking forward to not planning our next trip to the Alps and just hitting the navigate to button.
You'll have a great trip. Lots of chargers. No range anxiety. Good luck.
Beautiful video!
Same, no issues with mine, looking forward to driving around Europe.
The reason why France has nicer roads than the UK is because France is 5 times the size of the UK but has the same population. Therefore, roads are less busy and less damage/maintenance. But I agree, driving on French roads is like driving on clouds
Nice to see Quentin again
Excellent video. Very informative. And not too long at 9 minutes. I would have liked to have seen the times on the stops flashed on screen and a closer look at that Ferrari in front of you on the train, but that is just nitpicking. You have a new subscriber.
Watching from 🇳🇬
Great information. I recently took a trip with my family in a Model 3 to visit my brother in the Bay Area in the US. Started in Atlanta and the 3 of us took 5 days of sightseeing and driving out and after a few days of visiting we took 5 days back. We stopped at quite a few remote places with no issues being able to use Superchargers for 100% of our travel. The total was around 5,000 miles where we averaged around 500 miles a day. That gave us around 8 hours of driving/charging and the rest for sightseeing at our stops.
We stopped at dozens of places but hit a number of the more popular tourist spots like the Meteor Crater, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Death Valley and Yosemite. Plenty of Superchargers with many in the actual parking lots of the hotels we used so we would be charged full for the beginning of each day.
The only minor close call we had was on the trip back after stopping at Calico Ghost Town we pulled in to Needles, California to charge with an outside temperature of 121 F / 50 C. After charging for about 5 minutes the charger stopped working. It was an older V2 Supercharger without the liquid cooled cables so it was overheating. I switched to another charger and the same thing after 30 seconds. I charged and waited and charged and waited a few rounds and finally drove on to the next charger since we still had enough to make it to the next stop. It was hot at the next stop but about 10 degrees F cooler so didn't have a problem there.
After the trip was over we reflected on how smoothly the trip went and realized that if we had been in an ICE the trip would have been pretty much the same. Every day we stopped around 2 to 3 times for 20 minutes each stop to charge and use the bathroom, etc. In an ICE we would have stopped at least twice anyway for bathroom breaks and occasionally to fill up with gas with maybe 10-15 minutes per stop. Not much different.
Well done. Thank you.
I would love to do this drive. I would love to just visit France. Beautiful countrysides!
Nice video. I live just north of Bordeaux and regularly drive to La Manga in Spain (700 miles) in my Model 3. No problemo.👍😊
Quentin the voice of reason when it comes to cost saving. That’s why I watch him.
He is still an absolute proffesional👍
I always love travelling along the French roads they really are as smooth as silk.
Except every village and town in France is now full of speed bumps.
I bought my model 3 long range to use as my "little town runabout"!!!
That’s the best advert I’ve seen for one. If only I could afford 40k+ for a basic one.
If only there were more chargers around Northern Ireland. If only my local power station didn’t burn oil. If only there was room in one for my family, dog and camping gear.
Still too expensive for what they are and I still can’t see the justification for getting rid of the Merc I get 70+ mpg out of that cost me just over half the price.
Not hating on the Tesla, it’s just not there yet.
Couldn't agree with You more. I'm Polish, living in a willage 25 KM from a major city, my neighbour bought model 3, installed a PV on the roof and was so sure that he will get rid of his A6 Avant. Two years later, he still owns an A6 for longer distances and uses Tesla as a city trip daily driver.
I drove from Somerset to Poland in my Model 3 last summer, 4 supercharges along the way and no stress or issues.
Great video! Need more Europe road trips
Great vid
Thank you for a good and informative video.
Great to see how easy it is to travel long distances in a Tesla with their brilliant supercharger network.
Loved this.
Beautiful country side to drive through
Not if you choose to stay on expensive autoroutes where you see nothing interesting and have crappy service station food..