A tale of nine chargers
Five things we learned driving our Jag EV to Cornwall and back. By Phil McNamara
1. Range anxiety? It’s charging anxiety
As pioneering goes, driving from Hertfordshire to Cornwall in an electric car does not equate to Cortés discovering California. But jeopardy still exists, as the Nissan Leaf stranded on the M5 a few miles from Exeter services’ chargers demonstrates. During my family’s 684-mile, week-long odyssey, there were five episodes where we couldn’t get a charger to work, or found it in use, raising the prospect of a two-hour pitstop. Considering we only tried to charge nine times, that’s a majority of hassle.
2. The iPace absolutely can do staycations
The best certified iPace range is 292 miles: well-equipped, big-wheeled OW19 TKF offers 220 when ‘brimmed’. On this trip, I fastidiously used Eco mode, optimising the air-con and my right foot with a real-time consumption coach. Take it easy – a doddle when averaging 57mph on the A303, with bonus rollercoaster descents to recoup energy – and you can see a 1:1 ratio between miles travelled and decreasing range. We eked 200 miles from the Jaguar, despite stu¦ng it with five people and luggage.
3. There are chargers, and there are chargers
For long EV journeys, abide by the three Ps: planning, pliability and patience. Plan where to stop, have a fallback position or two, and be happy to wait. St Ives’ only chargers were four gratis 7kW Pod Points at Tesco: thank heavens for no parking time restriction, because we needed to charge overnight. A 50kW charger is deemed rapid, but still takes
Jaguar i-Pace S Month 7
The story so far
Handles the commute well – but a holiday?
+ Lots of space, fabulous to drive
The UK’s undercooked charging network
Logbook
Price £64,995 (£80,980 as tested) Performance 90kWh battery, two e-motors, 395bhp, 4.8sec 0-62mph, 124mph
E ciency 2.5 miles per kWh (o cial), 2.6 miles per kWh (tested), 0g/km CO2 Energy cost 6.0p per mile Miles this month 924 Total miles 12,090