Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Andrew’s electrifying road trip
Critics are quick to point out the limited range and scarcity of charging points for electric cars. But a Youtube vlogger from Canterbury has conducted an unusual charity challenge to prove them wrong. Andrew Till has just completed a near 2,000-mile journey around Britain in his Kia e-niro, which took him from the city to Land’s End and John O’groats, and back home again.
He now says it is a “no-brainer” for more drivers to have electric cars in Canterbury. “With traffic congestion in the city, it would make a huge difference to cutting air pollution, too, and as a father that’s something I worry about,” he said. The 40- year- old graphic designer and web developer is an electric car enthusiast who talks about the vehicles on his Youtube channel Mr EV, which has more than 5,000 subscribers. “I wanted to demonstrate the ease of a long-distance journey in one of the latest electric cars to show that range is not really a drawback any more,” he said. “The cars are also quieter and less stressful to drive, particularly in heavy traffic.” Andrew previously drove from Canterbury to Rome and back. His latest exploit, which took him to the three corners of the mainland Ukwith his sister-in-law Cecilia Antonini as co-driver, saw him recharge his car 16 times - but he says the process was simple.
“There are many more charging points these days and I was getting up to 250 miles on a charge on some parts of the journey,” he said. “It’s economical too. The whole journey cost around £120 using public chargers but back at home using my own electricity, I pay 1p a mile.” Andrew, who lives with wife Flaviana and their seven-yearold daughter in Oaten Hill Place, also used the journey to raise more than £3,300 for The Stroke Association - which helped him when he suffered a mini stroke in July - the British Lung Foundation and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/misterev-uk-tour.