We drove from a UK seaside town in an electric car

After a year of driving an electric car, I thought I had mastered the art of public charging. However, a recent experience highlighted just how ill-prepared Britain is for a swift transition from petrol to electric by 2030. Just last week, I was travelling back from a seaside holiday in Minehead, Somerset, to my home in Folkestone, Kent.

According to Google Maps, the journey would cover 242 miles and take roughly 4.5 hours without traffic or stops. My 20-plate Mercedes EQC has a range of 235 miles before needing a recharge, so we planned for a brief top-up at a service station en route. Electric cars are quite smart; they alert you well in advance when you're likely to run out of charge and guide you to the nearest charging points, which are plentiful along the country's motorway network.

Most car manufacturers also offer an app that informs you when your car has enough charge to complete your pre-set journey. Having had a smooth experience on our trip to Minehead, we didn't anticipate any issues on the return leg, reports the Mirror[1]. On our outbound journey, we stopped at Amesbury Service Station, a modern facility with numerous drive-thru lunch options and chargers that boosted the car by 120 miles in less than 30 minutes.

This convenience cost us around GBP30, a price many EV drivers are willing to pay for quick charging. The GridServe charging points were top-notch, so when I spotted another service station with fast charging facilities on a slightly different route home, I naively assumed we'd only be stopping for a quarter of an hour before continuing our journey. How mistaken I was.

Our initial stop was at Leigh Delamere Service Station on the M4, where almost every EV point was occupied.

In true British fashion, there was a group of four or five drivers congregated around the parking spaces engaged in what appeared to be a serious discussion as we arrived. It transpired that these chargers were agonisingly slow - and their speed would decrease even further when another user connected their vehicle. So after a half-hour wait, and gaining less than 40 miles of charge, we decided to try our luck at another service point in search of a quick charge.

Time squandered. We were directed to Chieveley services, a further 57-miles down the motorway, where we were assured functioning fast chargers awaited us. However, upon arrival, we were greeted by a visibly flustered car park attendant and a crowd of EV users milling about once again.

It emerged that several of the chargers had malfunctioned - some weren't accepting card payments, while others failed to detect that cars were even plugged in. It was difficult to ascertain if any of them were actually operational. With only one charging slot left and a number to call for assistance, we found ourselves acting as representatives for Chieveley's EV community.

We didn't have enough charge to make it home, and it was uncertain whether we could reach the next closest charging station. Given our limited options, we decided to stay put and hope for the best. As we waited, numerous EVs were circling the car park, with some drivers leaving upon seeing others struggling.

Cars in dire need of a recharge had no choice but to park in regular spaces and wait. While waiting for our pump to reset, a mother and son returning from Heathrow Airport to the West Country discovered their charging point was also out of order. With just 15 miles of charge left, they too had no option but to wait for a solution.

After a smooth flight from LA back to the UK, their only travel issue was with their electric vehicle. After nearly an hour, our charger finally recognised our car and it seemed we were at last charging up. Despite feeling relieved, we had lost around 1.5 hours attempting to charge, extending an already lengthy journey home with a four year old child prone to travel sickness.

Was the ordeal necessary? Simply put, no. Chargers are now commonplace at nearly all motorway service stations, but it's always a gamble whether you'll encounter a slow or fast charger until you get there.

This is unless you're an EV driver who covers long distances daily and has become acquainted with which chargers to avoid and which ones to head straight for when in a hurry. Like many technological devices, they often fail, break down or malfunction. Will there be a faster back-up reboot available at these public service stations given people's clear reliance on them?

Keir Starmer declared last month that by 2030, car manufacturers will be prohibited from selling new petrol and diesel cars, with the exception of hybrids, which can continue to be sold until 2035. According to the Government, demand for EVs is on the rise, with sales increasing by 40% in March compared to the previous year. And I can certainly believe it.

However, the infrastructure needs to improve exponentially, with fast chargers readily available everywhere. For those residing in residential areas without driveways or off-street parking, more efforts need to be made to ensure they have the necessary equipment. As for those undertaking long journeys in an EV, I can only hope this incident was an anomaly.

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References

1. ^ the Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)
2. ^ Somerset Live (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
3. ^ click this link and select 'Join Community'. (chat.whatsapp.com)
4. ^ Somerset Live (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
5. ^ Privacy Notice. (www.reachplc.com)
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