Well, it seems like Gary and Gavin had quite the electrifying adventure! With unplanned fuelling stops, I guess you could say they were truly living life in the fast lane!
They started their journey in Dundee in the Renault Zoe, with 156 miles on the battery, which equated to 92% charge at 8:15 am. Their first stop was at The Wynd in Cumbernauld, where they arrived at 10:23 am with 42% charge remaining. They wanted to top up their battery on the rapid charger to ensure they had enough range to reach the next stop but encountered a fault on the service. They were able to charge on the AC side, which had a capacity of 43 kW, but the Zoe’s on-board limiter only allowed it to pull 22 kW on an AC connector. They charged up to 65% in approximately 50 minutes, which gave them an estimated range of 96 miles. They left The Wynd at 11:23 am.
Their next stop was in Crawford, which they reached at 12:21 pm with 24% charge remaining. Although this was only an hour from their last charging session, the battery decreased more than they both anticipated due to using the lights, window wipers, heating and music. They charged up on the rapid charger to 80% before leaving at 12:40 pm. However, they decided to disconnect from the charger as there was an overstay fee in place on using this rapid charger.
Their next stop was at the Northbound Services, Burton in Kendal where they charged up on GridServe rapid charger.
Gary and Gavin then encountered a common problem faced by electric vehicle (EV) drivers during their journey. Upon arriving at the DW Stadium in Wigan at 4:15pm, they discovered that the Be.EV charger available was already in use by someone else on the DC connector, whilst charging for a short period of time on the AC socket they decided to move on to find a rapid charger. Conveniently, they were able to use their ChargePlace Scotland RFID card on the Be.EV charge point, showcasing the interoperability of different charging networks. It’s important to note that such interoperability can make EV driving more convenient and enjoyable for drivers.
However, to avoid delay in rush hour traffic on their long journey, they decided to charge at a local Lidl Pod Point rapid charger instead. They charged up to 65%, which gave them a range of 126 miles, before leaving at 5:20 pm.
Their next stop was a SWARCO e-connect machine at Prestatyn in North Wales. They arrived with 29% charge remaining and left when their battery was approximately 60% full, which gave them an estimated range of 110 miles. They had 70 miles remaining to their destination.
Gary and Gavin finally arrived at their destination at around 8:40 pm, with just 12 miles of range left on the Zoe’s battery.
