Electric cars are becoming more popular as charging port networks improve across towns and cities. They are cost-effective when nipping from A to B and charging from home.
However, increasing rates at fast and ultra rapid charge points are making it more expensive to charge vehicles over a long distance. And while the charge ports are faster than most, it's also worth mentioning that they still take a good 20 minutes at best.
So, is it worth getting an electric car if you're making longer trips? Journalist Steven Smith set out to find out by driving 175 miles from Cornwall to Bristol to see family.
Using a Volvo C40 loaned to him, he would compare the costs and time taken to make the trip. This would be compared with Steven's six-year-old BMW 318 diesel, which will return 55 to 60mpg on the same journey.
As he wrote in Wales Online, the BMW would usually end up costing around £50 at today's diesel prices for the 175 miles there and back and usually takes about two hours and 45 minutes each way.
Recounting the trip there Steven said: "One thing I made sure of was that the Volvo was absolutely fully charged before setting off on the Saturday morning to give myself a fighting chance. It's recommended not to charge to 100 percent in order to prolong the battery's life, but I disregarded that for this trip.
"Despite the battery showing 100 percent, when I was ready to set off I still only had 180 miles showing for actual range, compared to a theoretical 273, according to Volvo's official claim."
He was on the road for 120 miles before stopping at Taunton Deane services to charge his motor. At this point the vehicle was now at 25 percent.
Steven said: "I'd normally stop here for 10 or 15 minutes, if at all, for a quick break and a cuppa. But on this occasion I needed juice of another kind, so I waited until 10.20am, by which time the battery had replenished to 60 percent.
"It had all been very easy, but it hadn't been cheap. The cost was £19.62 to add 55 miles. Yikes - 55 miles in my BMW would use about a gallon, costing less than £8."
He powered on and arrived at Bristol 30 mins later than usual - and, on arrival, back down to 35 percent charge and a 60-mile range.
As for the return trip, Steven found himself in the unenviable position of nearly running out of charge.
He explained: "I departed at 6.45pm, which is the usual time for me on this return day trip, having squeezed enough juice into the car during the day to get back to a 90-mile range, 52 percent charge."
He planned to go to Exeter services, which had superfast chargers 75 miles away, and found it to be a tight squeeze.
Steven said: "I arrived - just - at Exeter with 7 percent charge, 14 miles range showing. I have to admit that the 20 minutes or so before arriving there were not a pleasant feeling, as the range seemingly got tighter and tighter.
"But I made it and, at 8pm, plugged in. The process was the same as in the morning, quick and easy to get charging, this time, for some reason, 66p per kWh. The charger did not disappoint when it came to speed - it showed as much as 130kw during charging, although it slows as it gets fuller, so this was impressively quick - it was hard not to be struck by how far we've come in terms of charging tech in recent years.
"But, phew, it wasn't cheap. I mooched around a fairly quiet service area until 8.45pm, stopping the charge at 84 percent, 140 miles range - comfortably above the 100 remaining until home."
The motorist made it home 50 minutes later than normal, with 25 miles and 16 percent battery left, and described the experience as "a bit of a brain melt".
Costs
Fully charge at home before departure: approx £20; miles added: 180
Fast top-up at services on outward journey: £19.62; miles added: 55
Slow top-up in Bristol: £5 approx; miles added: 30
Super-fast top-up at services on return journey: £43.45; miles added: 126
Total: £88.07
Diesel cost for same journey: assuming 55mpg and 173.9p per litre, £50.24
Petrol cost for same journey: assuming 45mpg and 150.9p per litre, £53.28
The verdict
Steven said: "I wanted this to work, I really did. But after what I hope you will agree was a pretty comprehensive real-world test, I couldn't make the numbers add up.
"Whichever way I looked at it, the return trip had taken me 90 minutes longer than usual and cost me nearly £40 more. I certainly didn't expect that. Helping to save the planet with zero-emission vehicles comes at a personal cost, it would seem, certainly given the spiralling cost of energy in the past year or so."
He added that he liked the car despite it not being able to make up the miles it claimed to on paper.
Steven concluded: "We will all be driving electric cars one day, but I suspect that moment is still several decades away. For now, the decision of whether to go electric or not is absolutely one you should consider if you're planning to buy a new car anyway."
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