That was a fantastic road trip. Really felt for you in those dark moments. Watched all five videos right through and really enjoyed it. These videos can serve as an excellent case study on Electric cars. Practical and real-world experience. I would invite all the politicians, car maker CEOs and those from the infrastructure lobby to look at this case study. As an engineer myself, there are too many weak links in this EV industry for the end customer, in most cases, they don't care. Thank you despite the pain, for this road trip. Onwards my friend.
Lololol, come on, get a grip, he uses headlines like this as click bate to get "likes" from the members of the "Single functioning Brain Cell Society". What kind of engineer are you that you would accept this tripe without thinking about it.
@@alexanderforson299 it's bait. Get that wrong in a different context and it's possibly the difference between pleasuring yourself and being a good fisherman....
The video deliberately singles out potential problems rather than the norm and tells only one side of the story. For example, it is possible to drive j'o'g to le in just over 15 hours in an EV. It's been done, observing the national speed limits, with a total of 100 minutes en route charging time. The majority of UK drivers never do journeys that long and, on average, would only need to charge their EV batteries once a week, which is hardly a hardship, especially as charging infrastructure is improving all the time. At the moment, there is roughly 1 public charger for every 20 EVs in the UK, plus another 400k home chargers. New multi rapid charger sites are opening up all the time on major routes. I have recommended apps to Lee that will plan his journey complete with charging stops and times, but he refuses to use them, claiming you "shouldn't need to plan your journey." It's his maverick attitude and determination to treat his EV like it was an ICEV that leads him into so much trouble. Deliberately or not? I'll let you decide..
@@FullFact548 "For example, it is possible to drive j'o'g to le in just over 15 hours in an EV. It's been done, observing the national speed limits, with a total of 100 minutes en route charging time." Let me guess, they did it at night when all the roads were empty. With a diesel ICE they would have spent 10 minutes filling up not 100. An hour and a half wasted! "The majority of UK drivers never do journeys that long..." They still travel hundreds of miles on holiday usually fully laden and aren't keen on wasting it waiting around for a charger to become free. "At the moment, there is roughly 1 public charger for every 20 EVs in the UK, plus another 400k home chargers. New multi rapid charger sites are opening up all the time on major routes." Which is still woefully inadequate for a switch to ev. The goverment are nearly 100,000 charging points short of their 2030 target. People who can't charge at home can forget it. "I have recommended apps to Lee that will plan his journey complete with charging stops and times, but he refuses to use them, claiming you "shouldn't need to plan your journey." You shouldn't. That'sthe freedom that the ICE has given us. What if you "plan your journey" and you get held up in traffic or have to take a detour due to an accident. Is the coverage so woeful you can't deviate from your route or you risk getting stranded? "It's his maverick attitude and determination to treat his EV like it was an ICEV that leads him into so much trouble." You mean you can't treat EVs as a thing of convenience and instead have to plan your every move or they become a complete liability. All you've managed to do is confirm that EVs are a complete pile of manure for anything other than pootling around town and doing the shopping. I congratulate you!
If you need to drive from John O'Groats to Land's End regularly, quite right, don't buy an EV. At least not yet, until longer ranges and faster charging are available. But if you're an ordinary driver doing a few hundred miles a week, they're a no-brainer.
Sorry for your pain but, your pain is our gain... as I now won't buy an EV , you have proven what other channels fail to show, thanks for a great collaboration with Geof .
I put this video right up there with the Champ, with Jon Voight & Ricky Schroder. You had me in tears, my heart really went out to you mate. I watched Geoff's one already, obviously & you want to do it AGAIN across The States. You need your head examined. Claire & I were so genuinely worried about you as in Geoffs video you never got the fact that every charger you went to had an issue. Yesterday's episode made the press, I reckon this episode will make the evening news tomorrow. Oh & congratulations in advance I think you just killed the EV in the UK. LOL
Lee, EVs do have a place in the future...in a museum as the most expensive failed experiment of the 21st Century. Even your nose was telling you the bleeding obvious. On the bright side, you should get sponsorship from Costa Coffee and Walker's Crisps. Terrific content. Well done!👍
Lee, my husband and I are convinced to never buy an EV. I met a lady last week who was traveling (in her EV) from southern New Hampshire to Palm Beach, Florida (USA) for the winter in a Polestar. I asked her about the charging and she said, “No Problem”. I somehow think it won’t be as easy to charge her car as she thinks. My opinion, EVs are meant for short trips around town or short drives to work. My guess is that it’s not meant for an extended road trip. No worries, I’m never going to buy an EV. Thanks for the great video.
I don't know what the charging network is like in the USA. If they lady says "no problem" she probably knows it's fine. In Norway and France in particular you just rock up where you like, get an ultra-rapid charge, and get on your way. Britain is lagging behind because the government isn't doing what it should, but even so it's not nearly as bad as Lee pretends it is.
She probably left out the parts where she had to wait around while charging. I’m on the east coast and I’ve driven by charging stations with people waiting in/by the cars. I’ll go to several stores for over an hour’s time. When I’m done some are still waiting there😳🙄 Must be nice to have all that free time🫤 Not for me,I’ve got things to do.
You are off your head Morag!!! LOL Don't listen to this nutter! LOL I'm screenshotting all Morag's replies to make a response video to show what nutters these EVangelists are.
Morag, I follow another RUclips channel (Endless Adventure) they are an American couple who rented an electric travel van (during the pandemic a couple of years ago) and they had issues getting a charge. I believe they were in the Alps. Several times the charging stations were either broken or extremely slow. I think Lee’s experience is more common than most people realize.
Lee was well established in his RUclips venture when I came upon him so there's much I haven't seen. Out of interest I looked up his first encounter with the Taycan. I was struck by the utter joy of that first drive. His amazement at the technical wonders on display. The handling. The acceleration. The things it could do. "This" he declared in all seriousness "is the future." It's such a shame to see his disillusion with the whole concept of EV usage. Not because of what he still maintains is a great car, but with the utter incompetence of those tasked with supporting them. My driving days are pretty well over now, what with age and attendant failings, but I'm sure I had the best of them. I'm glad I never had to spend so much time planning, and worrying about speed. No one watching me. Checking on me.. Jump in, quick glance at the road atlas, and off. Fill up when needed. Admire the scenery. Arrive. Such fun.
When you consider what's going on with EV's, you shouldn't think of them in a vacuum. The push for EVs is part of a much larger and more ominous effort by our "benefactors" in the government to monitor us and control our behavior.
Man, I’ve only subscribed to this channel today but I have been glued all day to your story. Man I feel for you and the stress it’s taken on you! Make sure you look after yourself and take some time out to regroup and get your strength back. Nothing is more important than your health!
We was conned into this. Electric is not the future and anyone with a electric car has lost a fortune. I went int a garage last month to get my car fixed and even the salesman said they wouldn’t have a electric car but are forced to sell them. Says a lot
Don't believe Lee's act. If you're driving distances you choose a car with a fast charge speed (his has that) and chargers that can deliver that speed (he chose chargers that couldn't - old ones waiting for an upgrade). Your car will probably take 20 minutes to charge, not 40. This after three hours driving. If you can't deal with a 20-minute rest after three hours of driving you probably shouldn't be on the road in the first place.
@@blahmcblahface3965 Every time I've gone on a long journey I've nearly always been able to drive straight on to a charger, and it has worked. Couple of times a ten-minute wait. This is normal. Those of us who actually do it can see the time-wasting tricks Lee pulls every single time.
@@blahmcblahface3965 Well, since my car has a shorter range than Lee's, and charges slower, then no you wouldn't. I'm not made of money like he is. I also don't have a RUclips channel. But lots of people have made such videos. You could watch them.
@@andyb6120Could also say similar for those companies buying EVs for tax purposes who can tell their customers how responsible they are in saving the environment.
The last time I went into the dealership (to pick up the wife’s new ICE car) I actually asked the salesman what he thinks of the EV’s he looked around to make sure nobody was listening and said quote: “they are fn crap and stupidity expensive and impossible to sell😮”
I seriously felt your pain, Lee, watching this, the stress was clearly real, the nosebleeds were testament. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, this was seriously good viewing, Top Gear levels of entertainment 😊👍❤️
Lee, 10 out of 10 for trying . Great banter with Geoff , you work well together. Brilliant production. you win on the video editing & all that 1ST 🏆🏆 The EV infrastructure needs expanding big time.. a local Shell petrol station just installed 4 rapid chargers 20 FT away from the pumps. - You were right , these technocrats have no 3loody idea. petrol + EV fires = boom 💥💥. thanks again for 3 nights of sheer brilliance, well done 👍😎🚗
Lee. You have just proved that this 'project' has failed. EV is a failed attempt at going green. The infrastructure will not get better. Brilliant content. Yourself and Geoff make a fantastic team. Anyone considering buying an EV should (by law) watch this. This is the reality.
Are you really that stupid? Think about it? How many sane people race every day from Lands End to John O Groats or vice versa. His journey is not representative the daily distance travelled by any car. I would suggest that this year there has been only two nutters who have attempted this pointless exercise. The majority of cars travel less than 20 miles a day.
Ahhhhhh! "project" "failed" Only if the project was to provide clean, efficient, affordable transport to the masses. Let us just put the tin foil on me edd and suggest the "project" aim, is to trap us all in our neighbourhood! Project is a massive success!
@@MStanleyRoss yup, the aim of the whole scheme. To stop private car ownership. Those that can't afford this lunacy will go without a car at all, while the rest can only travel around their own towns, and only if their environmental credit score allows.
Hi Lee! New to your channel 😊 I am really enjoying your EV journey, good to see someone exploring them in a 'long haul journey ' stylee 😊 As you show until the infrastructure is in place with fast charging, longer ranges then EVs are only really suitable for city dwellers, short trips, etc but a very valid video. Personally the "Range anxiety" would be unacceptable for myself as someone that struggles with 'normal' anxiety I would not add that to my list of first world problems. Anyhoo, continue to do what you do... Liked and subscribed 😊😊😊
I have many friends that went on and on when they got company EVs. Came round took me for a spin and showed me how quick they are. 6 months later they look 10 years older. One friend had his wife ask me if he was having an affair because he was staying overnight in the midlands so often, he also has had a few an overstay fines as he has fallen asleep many times whilst waiting for his car to charge
and it wont make any difference to our weather patterns .they say its too dry,too wet,too cold,too warm, too windy,no wind. we will always get what we get sent.always has been. its baffling these green university students but without even a GCE certificate to my name the weather has always done what it wants as far as i remember in the 60s. deep snow,drought etc. these greenies are massively over thinking this. universities and govts should chill out.
Having watched both yours and Geoff's videos on your epic journey, I have to say I really feel for you Lee. I did note one positive for you to take home though, your wipers were much quieter than Geoff's. 😀
I can’t get over those Gridserve charging points with no info on what you’re gonna be charged for days. Imagine going to a petrol pump and the staff saying “just handover your credit card details and we’ll let you know what you’ve been charged in a few days….” Geee thanks, jolly decent of you lol… It’s like handing out blank cheques to people you don’t trust.
Hey mate it was me from Derby in the VW green and white - great content- I’ve watched a few videos and subscribed, keep posting dead good. - all the best!
If electric cars were cheap to buy, reliable, kept their value, fun to drive, full charge in 5 minutes - it still wouldn't work. Not enough power on the national grid - We would need to treble of quadruple our PowerStation's in the UK, and i can't see one new power station being built in the next 50 years, and we need 15 plus built tomorrow.
They're paid and their advertiser's are legacy ICE manufacturers who are merely making compliance cars, based on ICE chassis and none of them make a profit on a single EV. If those journo's say bad words, they don't get the next press car to drive and that's the end of their income. Simple really!
Also all that power needed to make the coffee and thank God for diesel powered lorries needed to deliver everything to keep the EV - NPC's filled up with food and hot drinks.
First, that's only for days when you don't need the range. If you're going to drive a long way, of course you fill it to 100%. Indeed, the issue is simply that you don't leave the car *sitting for several days* at 100%. (And even if you do, relax, you haven't done much damage.) It's not hard to organise. Second, that doesn't apply to LFP batteries like I have. Get a car with an LFP battery and whack it up tp 100% and let it sit there any time you like. But it's always a good line for people who want to make it sound harder than it is.
@@nigelsmith737 I don't think they're going to black out the sun, you know. But if nobody has any electricity, then driving one's car is likely to be the least of anyone's worries. Good luck getting fossil fuels in that event anyway. EVs are great cars to drive. Have you tried one? Have you listened to Lee when his mask slips enough to show how much he likes his car? His entire gripe is with the UK public rapid-charging network, not with the cars at all.
I know EV are dangerous with batteries bursting into flame, but now I know of the biggest danger they give, and that is stressed out drivers on the roads.
You poor man. What a terrible experience. Charging stations that cause stress and pain. Useless infrastructure, useless rubbish experience. How could anyone expect to put up with such dysfunctional technology and unreliability. I feel so sorry the elites of the world, just interested in lining their own pockets, while pretending its about net zero. My money will never be wasted on a stupid EV. Thank you for demonstrating the futility of EVs so effectively! 😊
A friend, (a now retired orthopedic consultant ) here in North wales, did a bit of locum work in Wick, on four occasions. Obviously Wick hospital paid him well enough for him to make the long journey from North Wales to the top of Scotland. On one occasion, he drove the entire distance non stop, in his Audi Avant Allroad diesel. He was obviously rather tired when he got home. Im still amazed he didn't take a rest break, but it just proves the efficiency of Rudolf Diesel's brilliant invention
Excellent video. Highlighted probably all of the issues on Extra Volatile car ownership: Even down to the ridiculously short charging cables... The charging station getting it's knickers in a twist because you plugged it in first... The charging-rage with that Cupra (if he kills someone, will the cause of death on that person's certificate be 'public EV charger availability'?)...
The national EV charging problem will be totally solved just as soon as the country generates 1 billion kWh of extra electricity every day. (or some large proportion of this. Even if they are charged at home, the nation still needs the electrical energy to charge them). Or another way of looking at this - if the entire national grid - approximately 28 gigawatts of electricity is used to fast charge electric cars using 50 kW fast chargers, then it would be possible to charge about 500,000 cars at one time. But the UK has some 23 million vehicles (admittedly, not all in use at the same time, and not all charging at the same time) but it is certainly possible that something like 1 million of these, at least, would be charging concurrently. So just as soon as we have trebled the national grid - all will be fine and dandy fir the electruc vehicle revilution. Except of course, the Government wants us to all use heat pumps everywhere, so we will need at least a doubling of the national grid to barely keep anybody warm in the winter. From these simple cakculations alone, it is completely obvious that nobody in Government has even begun to think through the costs and the delivery needs for this enormous additional electrical power demand.
Clearly obvious that any of this has not been thought through. The powers that be are just pandering to the Attenborough brigade. Get with the Bellamy brigade and live properly.
Actually the UK grid needs major upgrades over the next 2 decades anyway. The gas is running out, the government's "genius" idea of replacing it with hydrogen is finally being understood to be nonsense, and that leaves everyone moving to electricity for heating and cooking. I can comment that for Norway where i live the rollout of EVs has been accompanied by considerable infrastructure investment, both of the grid and the charger network. They didn't make a big song and dance about the grid upgrades, they just knuckled down and did it. The charging network expansion was done by the private sector with public incentives (especially in more out of the way locations).
@@15bit62 absolutely. But compare Norway to the UK - 5 million or so vehicles versus 33 million. And how many of these vehicles in Norway are buses, lorries etc. that still run on diesel? And of course Norway is the "poster child" of the EV revolution. Which is mostly based on hydroelectric power generation. Norway is a vast mountainous country with a small population - mostly concentrated in a few major population centres. The UK is vastly different - Scotland alone is the only part of the UK that is even similar to Norway - but it still doesn't have the geography to utilise hydroelectric energy on the scale that Norway can.
@@pmkeith This is true, but also consider that a diluted population results in quite significant challenges also: Installing fast chargers in the middle of nowhere (which we have a lot of) requires significant grid-level work. Probably more than installing them in more population-dense regions where power lines already exist. I would agree that the whole Norway "Poster-Child" thing is sometimes overdone: We are a wealthy country with a different social outlook to places like the UK. But we do prove that electrification of the transport sector is totally possible, even though it might be expensive and take time and leadership to achieve. Long distance trucks in Norway are still diesel. But then they are mostly not Norwegian either - a lot of the long distance trucking here is done by eastern european companies. Local delivery lorries (7.5T class) are increasingly EV though, and some areas have had hydrogen pilot projects doing this for several years. For buses there has been a "green push" for many years, so city buses have been LPG for >10 years now, and they are beginning to add EVs to the fleet in the larger cities. Long distance coaches are still diesel.
The thing that strikes me most is the frustration & inherent waste of time waiting to charge! Maybe you have to plan, but only 1 faulty / unavailable charge along your route and you're buggered. I would happily jump in my diesel skoda tomorrow & drive to Scotland (I live in Somerset), no planning, no stress....and not beung forced to eat / drink my way there! 😅
i had your exact model of car for 9 months before selling it it locked me in at least 6 times once was very scary set on fire and also after 6 month most services take hours to charge another fault there endless give me my first car a punto gt turbo any day of the week be safe love the vids
This is painful to watch! I will stick with my diesel which gets 600+ miles range in 5 mins... Theres a reason that within the last month, Honda, Toyota, Ford and GM have all decided to either stop or reduce EV production as theres no demand and they are loosing billions. GM are almost bankrupt as a result!
Thank you both for the thoroughly entertaining episodes of this experiment. Would never get a EV EVER!! Love my 2015 Diesel VW Tiguan ( I know not a popular car) but I love it! Solid, sturdy & great on milage. Thanks Lee & Geoff you are great together,looking forward to your next adventures. 👍🏻👏🏻from Brisbane Australia.🤗
I think the no canopy policy with these charge points are deliberate as wet drivers will have to use the car heaters to dry themselves using more electric that they charge you for.
Exceptionally entertaining viewing from you and Geoff. I'm with Geoff and daily drive a 28 year old classic car. Statistics have proved that making one EV battery makes the same CO2 as my car does in 10 years.
I suppose that does depend on how many miles you have driven your car in the last 10 years. Normal cars don’t produce any emissions unless they are driven.
Having owned 4 Evs, driven all over uk in a Tesla and other brands I can confirm it’s not the future Chargers broken, busy or blocked is just the reality The only way to use them is like I do now and charge off peak from home and never go beyond the cars range That way they are superb, quiet, powerful and relaxing The stress comes from charging on the network
I took a 250 mile round trip to visit family in mt diesel today. Didn't have a full tank and got back still with half a tank. Had AC, heating etc all on too. No stress or stops needed.
The only positive that can be taken from all of this is that those poor folks who have been duped into believing that EV's are the future are receiving the nearly realtime punishment for refusing to spend just 10 minutes of their lives and brain power to contemplate the inevitable outcome. If only our legal systems were this efficient.
Don’t know if you’ve noticed but Jaguar (who until recently were committed to fully electric by next year) seem to have stopped advertising the electric iPace and are advertising the F Pace - petrol. I also saw another advert for a petrol car from a manufacturer who has been pushing electric - I think it was Renault but can’t remember. So is this the beginning of the end for EVs
Peugeot keeps advertising the 2008 EV and asking the question who do you trust. Well I don't trust the car magazines, Fully Charred or Electric Viking and the EVangelist cult.
@@kjelle5350Yes dead right. People who buy one are losing a lot of money too! New cost £72k. After one year and 6000 miles on forecourt for £48k. So what did that poor dupe get for the trade in price? £40k if they were lucky? So that’s £32k in a year. I traded in my 6000 mile F Pace after a year (I needed a 550 hp V8 you see) for £51 k a loss of £8k from the new price. At the time of writing my local Jag dealer has 50 cars for sale 14 of them iPace. No one wants used EVs even though they are cheaper than the petrol equivalent . Strange but seems to be true!
I went to B&Q yesterday & the checkouts were chaotic. All self-service with no organised queuing structure and people were pushing in and getting served before you even though they came after. Everyone is so selfish. It stressed me out so much that I've vowed never to return. Queuing for electric chargers would tip me over the edge. Knowing that even when I reach one I'd have an hour to wait is beyond what I'm prepared to tolerate. I'd like to retire within the next 5 years or so and that'll be me done with cars apart from little trips to the local places in my petrol car. If we have no option other than to buy EVs I'll hang up my car keys. I'd rather stay at home anyway. People stress me out.
Really all EV owners must have the patience of a saint. To sit and wait for so long for a charge, then there’s the extra cost of paying for motorway services coffee prices , then the anxiety of range is something I’ll never experience. I refuse to go electric. ICE all the way for me.
What a nightmare, and, you never even got to Land's End, a journey that I completed on a push-bike when I was 65. "Battery powered cars are the future" Who are they trying to kid🙃
Great videos, really enjoyed watching the journey from start to end. One small point though, 22:20 my wife does my pack up, and I always have a little apple too, but I am not a public servant, I work from a van for a national water company 🙂 A large part of my job is driving, and the company looked into electric vans and realised it just wasn't practical or indeed viable, and so we are still using diesel thank god. As you said, it's clear and obvious EV's are not the answer or the 'future', but the people in charge know this, they are not stupid, it's nothing to do with the environment, or carbon, it is all about money and they are making money from all this ridiculous rubbish.
Lee great videos highlighting the poor infrastructure for charging EV’s. Which I think will only get worse. I toyed with the idea of getting an EV a moment of madness!! Got a BMW X6 instead and what a car it is. You must of spent a fortune in McDonalds and Costa coffee’s every time you stopped to charge.
It's obviously getting better. Lots and lots of ultra-rapid chargers going in all over the place. I keep turning up to motorway service stations and exclaiming, where did these come from? It might be a long time before Killington Lake is a place to stop at though - and I think Lee knew that. And if you think a rest break every three hours driving is a bad idea, maybe you shouldn't be on the road.
Was a fellow EV owner here Lee (Tesla). remembering the many range/charge time induced panic attacks watching this. Back to petrol and sanity. Feel for you mate.
Did you really own a Tesla? They are the easiest car in the world to live with and or Model Y is the best car I've ever owned for long journeys. If you got stressed with a Tesla you must get stressed getting out of bed in the morning.
Yes, 2020 model 3, waited 11 months for the privilege of owning it, kept it for 8, charging it wasn’t as stress free as filling a car with petrol. Oh BTW, do you really own a Tesla? Happy motoring.
Spot on analysis. I used to move 500 people a day in a fleet of diesel Transits out in the wilds of Sussex and Kent. I had no problem running as a fleet manager with maybe 10 drivers and me and a part time mechanic doing all repairs and maintenance and daily fuel ups. I could not even conceive doing that job with a fleet of electric busses. Like you say, not fit for purpose.
What a shambles Lee, those chargers not working correctly, you must have swore a few times and edited it out! You looked shattered with all the stress,Great video's 👍
Full marks to you for showing what we all knew but nobody talks about. Spending £100,000+ of your own money to end up hating it and already losing 50% of its value, shows the truth and displays an unbiased view that nobody and I mean nobody can refute. Well done to both of you! Now sell the bloody thing and buy a used BMW diesel, no buy several!🤣🤣
If this video doesn’t change anyone’s mind about EVS then nothing will I will not buy a EV the amount of time waiting around and it’s time you won’t get back
OMG - You're expected to charge up, with no idea of price? I notice many service stations (gas stations) are doing the same with items inside the shop - you have no idea what it costs until it's scanned at the checkout. It's madness.
On a different note. My brother who is a bus driver was telling me this morning that the electric buses he drives have their heating turned off by the company. So the buses are f…in freezing and full of condensation. Not only that the lights are on a timer with a manual override. If a driver turns the lights on because it’s dark in the bus the bus alerts the company who text the driver to turn the lights off. It doesn’t matter you may have elderly passengers suffering from age eyesight problems like cataracts or glaucoma. Tell me this is the future and we are in the 21st century
Save your sympathy. It's all a contrived act for clicks and likes. He could have done that journey with sensible, planned breaks and no stress, but that wasn't the agenda. It's as real as WWF wrestling. Look for the other videos of EV drivers doing the route - it's not a problem unless you make it into one.
Screaming, "you should have done it in a Tesla", is like saying the only way EV's will work is if everyone owns one, and that's not going to work either. 🤦♂
The same week you did your trip Lee I drove from Wigan to Bridgwater in Somerset, stayed overnight and then headed to the Jamaica Inn for the night. Next day headed to Port Isaac for a few days. Took a trip to the Eden Project for a day and headed back a few days later. Stopped at Exeter for a splash and dash and made it home in 5 and half hours. All on 70 litres of diesel. Stress free trip. My god how stressed were you? Not acceptable what you went through Lee.
It is the complete powerlessness. If you ran out of liquid fuel, you can nearly always walk somewhere, buy a 5ltr container and walk back and go. How can you carry electricity???
The future being a rise in insurance claims for electric cars being stolen and found burnt out once the penny drops and the owners realise what a liability they've purchased.
A university lecturer that I know told me that when he went to swap for a new Citroen( he always has Citroens) he asked about EVs the salesman wouldn’t sell him one. He sat him down and ran through the numbers and the EV was way more expensive. James swaps every two years and the salesman told him I don’t want to lose you as a customer and I would if you had one of those things. Says it all really. Good video & trip Lee and Geoff.
And even if they figured out the batteries and the charge times, your grid doesn't supply sufficient power to charge the damn things and keep everything else going as well. Add electric heat pumps and a few other fun things and there isn't a solution.
You lasted longer than I expected Lee, what an unpractical way to travel. I was surprised at the number of non-functional chargers. That £60 charge would have been my last straw. Talk about taking advantage of people.
I missed that bit. How did he manage to rack up £60 at an EV charger? I mean I assume that Taycan has a decent-sized battery, but that's ridiculous. I suspect this is another outrage Lee manufactured for likes.
Oh, I'm thinking this was pre-authorisation charges? Applegreen are quite bad for that and I racked up £90 once, but it's entirely nominal. The money is never taken from your account. And of course you're surprised at the number of non-functional chargers. Lee was going out of his way to find them. I think he was checking the apps like ZapMap and PlugShare to find the places that were slowest, and busiest, and had broken chargers, and going there. It's certainly not like that for a normal drive.
@@moragkerr9577 that was at the last charge point at the end of the pt 3, I always have to convert to US dollars, I’m in the States. I just about fell over at $79. USD to charge the Taycam.
@@TheMacMaster Still no come-back other than "you're brainwashed"? I'm driving a great car that cost me under £27,000 and its performance has quite reconciled me to the loss of my beloved GTi - taken out by a BMW driver who didn't look where he was going. I'm not imagining the smooth ride, the hassle-free overnight charging or the low maintenance. I get it you have buyer's regret. You're not cut out to be an early adopter. But people need to realise that most of this is an act put on for clicks and likes. Actual cross-country driving in an EV isn't yet what it will be when we have a charging network like they have in Norway, but it's not nearly as bad as your histrionics make it out to be.
Sitting around a service station drinking coffee and eating while your car charges absolutely ridiculous. I can fill my car up in less than ten minutes and get over 400 miles from one tank without stop I would not have the patients for an electric car
“There’s none so blind as those who will not see” the infrastructure for EV cars is NOT there and is light years away. Better off with a horse and cart until it is!!
I am sure the co2 footprint for the diesel is less than the Ev. Not that CO2 is a problem at the 0.043% of the atmosphere which we only add a tiny % to in a country that produces 2% of the world’s co2 and for a life giving gas that farmers pump lavishly into greenhouses to grow their vegetables more quickly. World’s gone mad!
There is only two ways your car would have beat the BMW diesel. First, the BMW breaks down. Second would be if you put your car on a trailer and towed it there with a ICE powered vehicle like the little green car you passed.
I added up your total KW used on the whole trip (on Geoff's video) and it was the equivalent of powering my whole house for 46 days, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, electric cooker... all other general household appliances. It's crazy when you think all of that electricity used just to drive one journey 🤯🤯
Yes, now consider that there's about 50kWh in a dense gallon of diesel and 2/3rd of that is just gifted away as heat, doing nothing to move the vehicle. Puts energy into perspective.
Plus it's the amount of money which was spent on that journey. Our diesel car does 800 miles on a single tank, how is that uneconomic for a vehicle using very little fuel?
The only place for ev are in city centres and for delivery drivers that do less than 100 miles a day for business to be carbon neutral these cars are not for the masses.
You actually think "the masses" drive more than 100 miles every day? What colour is the sky on your planet? And actually there are EVs with practical range over 300 miles, so depending on your requirements you can do a lot more than 100 miles a day. If you drive less than (say) 200 miles a day, if you can charge at home, if you don't tow a caravan or a horsebox, and you don't have a frequent requirement to travel cross country under time pressure, EV heaven has already arrived. I think that's most people actually, possibly apart from the "charge at home" part, and even there you might be surprised at what's possible.
Our local Renault dealer told me that they are financially penalised by the government if they do not sell a certain quota of EV’s. This applies to all manufacturers not just Renault. Hence the push to get us into EV’s.
I can see into the future, " were you mis sold an electric vehicle in 2023? you may be entitled to compensation" 😂
The salesman at Rainworth Skoda told us a few months ago to buy a new diesel car and not to bother with an EV under any circumstances.
Pure gold....like watching Basil Fawlty at his best - I bet you felt like grabbing a tree branch and giving the EV a "a damn good thrashing".
Your comment had me in stitches 🤣🤣🇬🇧
Spot on 😆
That was a fantastic road trip. Really felt for you in those dark moments. Watched all five videos right through and really enjoyed it. These videos can serve as an excellent case study on Electric cars. Practical and real-world experience. I would invite all the politicians, car maker CEOs and those from the infrastructure lobby to look at this case study. As an engineer myself, there are too many weak links in this EV industry for the end customer, in most cases, they don't care. Thank you despite the pain, for this road trip. Onwards my friend.
Lololol, come on, get a grip, he uses headlines like this as click bate to get "likes" from the members of the "Single functioning Brain Cell Society". What kind of engineer are you that you would accept this tripe without thinking about it.
@@alexanderforson299 it's bait. Get that wrong in a different context and it's possibly the difference between pleasuring yourself and being a good fisherman....
@@alexanderforson299 a single functioning brain cell would be smarter than you!
The video deliberately singles out potential problems rather than the norm and tells only one side of the story. For example, it is possible to drive j'o'g to le in just over 15 hours in an EV. It's been done, observing the national speed limits, with a total of 100 minutes en route charging time.
The majority of UK drivers never do journeys that long and, on average, would only need to charge their EV batteries once a week, which is hardly a hardship, especially as charging infrastructure is improving all the time.
At the moment, there is roughly 1 public charger for every 20 EVs in the UK, plus another 400k home chargers. New multi rapid charger sites are opening up all the time on major routes.
I have recommended apps to Lee that will plan his journey complete with charging stops and times, but he refuses to use them, claiming you "shouldn't need to plan your journey." It's his maverick attitude and determination to treat his EV like it was an ICEV that leads him into so much trouble. Deliberately or not? I'll let you decide..
@@FullFact548 "For example, it is possible to drive j'o'g to le in just over 15 hours in an EV. It's been done, observing the national speed limits, with a total of 100 minutes en route charging time."
Let me guess, they did it at night when all the roads were empty. With a diesel ICE they would have spent 10 minutes filling up not 100. An hour and a half wasted!
"The majority of UK drivers never do journeys that long..."
They still travel hundreds of miles on holiday usually fully laden and aren't keen on wasting it waiting around for a charger to become free.
"At the moment, there is roughly 1 public charger for every 20 EVs in the UK, plus another 400k home chargers. New multi rapid charger sites are opening up all the time on major routes."
Which is still woefully inadequate for a switch to ev. The goverment are nearly 100,000 charging points short of their 2030 target. People who can't charge at home can forget it.
"I have recommended apps to Lee that will plan his journey complete with charging stops and times, but he refuses to use them, claiming you "shouldn't need to plan your journey."
You shouldn't. That'sthe freedom that the ICE has given us. What if you "plan your journey" and you get held up in traffic or have to take a detour due to an accident. Is the coverage so woeful you can't deviate from your route or you risk getting stranded?
"It's his maverick attitude and determination to treat his EV like it was an ICEV that leads him into so much trouble."
You mean you can't treat EVs as a thing of convenience and instead have to plan your every move or they become a complete liability.
All you've managed to do is confirm that EVs are a complete pile of manure for anything other than pootling around town and doing the shopping. I congratulate you!
This is the best advert for not buying an electric car i have ever seen !!!
If you need to drive from John O'Groats to Land's End regularly, quite right, don't buy an EV. At least not yet, until longer ranges and faster charging are available. But if you're an ordinary driver doing a few hundred miles a week, they're a no-brainer.
Sorry for your pain but, your pain is our gain... as I now won't buy an EV , you have proven what other channels fail to show, thanks for a great collaboration with Geof .
Yeah, he screwed it up on purpose for clicks and giggles. The reality is way different.
I put this video right up there with the Champ, with Jon Voight & Ricky Schroder. You had me in tears, my heart really went out to you mate.
I watched Geoff's one already, obviously & you want to do it AGAIN across The States. You need your head examined.
Claire & I were so genuinely worried about you as in Geoffs video you never got the fact that every charger you went to had an issue.
Yesterday's episode made the press, I reckon this episode will make the evening news tomorrow.
Oh & congratulations in advance I think you just killed the EV in the UK. LOL
Lee, EVs do have a place in the future...in a museum as the most expensive failed experiment of the 21st Century. Even your nose was telling you the bleeding obvious. On the bright side, you should get sponsorship from Costa Coffee and Walker's Crisps. Terrific content. Well done!👍
They're going to do to ICE cars what the digital camera did to 35 mm film. And for much the same reasons.
EVs were aready in museums. They have been round since the 1850's. So more of a failed experiment 19th Centrury.
Lee, my husband and I are convinced to never buy an EV. I met a lady last week who was traveling (in her EV) from southern New Hampshire to Palm Beach, Florida (USA) for the winter in a Polestar. I asked her about the charging and she said, “No Problem”. I somehow think it won’t be as easy to charge her car as she thinks. My opinion, EVs are meant for short trips around town or short drives to work. My guess is that it’s not meant for an extended road trip. No worries, I’m never going to buy an EV. Thanks for the great video.
I don't know what the charging network is like in the USA. If they lady says "no problem" she probably knows it's fine. In Norway and France in particular you just rock up where you like, get an ultra-rapid charge, and get on your way. Britain is lagging behind because the government isn't doing what it should, but even so it's not nearly as bad as Lee pretends it is.
She probably left out the parts where she had to wait around while charging.
I’m on the east coast and I’ve driven by charging stations with people waiting in/by the cars.
I’ll go to several stores for over an hour’s time.
When I’m done some are still waiting there😳🙄
Must be nice to have all that free time🫤
Not for me,I’ve got things to do.
You are off your head Morag!!! LOL Don't listen to this nutter! LOL I'm screenshotting all Morag's replies to make a response video to show what nutters these EVangelists are.
Morag, I follow another RUclips channel (Endless Adventure) they are an American couple who rented an electric travel van (during the pandemic a couple of years ago) and they had issues getting a charge. I believe they were in the Alps. Several times the charging stations were either broken or extremely slow. I think Lee’s experience is more common than most people realize.
So glad I bought a 3litre diesel instead of an EV. Just filled up and have 700 miles from a tank.
😮how much did that cost, I’d need a mortgage.
Hateful things that sound like tractors, stink and set fire to car parks.
@@st200ol about £85. But 700 miles lasts me a month. And I have a big fast comfortable car that costs a lot less than an EV would.
Lee was well established in his RUclips venture when I came upon him so there's much I haven't seen. Out of interest I looked up his first encounter with the Taycan. I was struck by the utter joy of that first drive. His amazement at the technical wonders on display. The handling. The acceleration. The things it could do. "This" he declared in all seriousness "is the future." It's such a shame to see his disillusion with the whole concept of EV usage. Not because of what he still maintains is a great car, but with the utter incompetence of those tasked with supporting them. My driving days are pretty well over now, what with age and attendant failings, but I'm sure I had the best of them. I'm glad I never had to spend so much time planning, and worrying about speed. No one watching me. Checking on me.. Jump in, quick glance at the road atlas, and off. Fill up when needed. Admire the scenery. Arrive. Such fun.
When you consider what's going on with EV's, you shouldn't think of them in a vacuum. The push for EVs is part of a much larger and more ominous effort by our "benefactors" in the government to monitor us and control our behavior.
Man, I’ve only subscribed to this channel today but I have been glued all day to your story. Man I feel for you and the stress it’s taken on you! Make sure you look after yourself and take some time out to regroup and get your strength back. Nothing is more important than your health!
We was conned into this. Electric is not the future and anyone with a electric car has lost a fortune. I went int a garage last month to get my car fixed and even the salesman said they wouldn’t have a electric car but are forced to sell them. Says a lot
I couldn't deal with waiting for 40 minutes to then charge my car for 40 minutes. It just doesn't make sense to own an EV if you're driving distances.
Don't believe Lee's act. If you're driving distances you choose a car with a fast charge speed (his has that) and chargers that can deliver that speed (he chose chargers that couldn't - old ones waiting for an upgrade). Your car will probably take 20 minutes to charge, not 40. This after three hours driving. If you can't deal with a 20-minute rest after three hours of driving you probably shouldn't be on the road in the first place.
@@moragkerr9577when the charger works....and when there isn't a queue for it. I'll stick with petrol mate. You're all mental
@@moragkerr9577but by all means....make a video...show us all how easy it is with your 20 min stops every 3 hours....I'll be waiting to watch that
@@blahmcblahface3965 Every time I've gone on a long journey I've nearly always been able to drive straight on to a charger, and it has worked. Couple of times a ten-minute wait. This is normal. Those of us who actually do it can see the time-wasting tricks Lee pulls every single time.
@@blahmcblahface3965 Well, since my car has a shorter range than Lee's, and charges slower, then no you wouldn't. I'm not made of money like he is. I also don't have a RUclips channel.
But lots of people have made such videos. You could watch them.
There are no benefits of electric cars.
They are designed to keep us locked into Technocratic zones that limit our travel to where,when and with who.
Not for the consumer. Only the energy companies.
100% accurate, no benefits whatsoever!
@@andyb6120Could also say similar for those companies buying EVs for tax purposes who can tell their customers how responsible they are in saving the environment.
I think that that was the point of this agenda being pushed....get people out of private cars.
The last time I went into the dealership (to pick up the wife’s new ICE car) I actually asked the salesman what he thinks of the EV’s he looked around to make sure nobody was listening and said quote: “they are fn crap and stupidity expensive and impossible to sell😮”
Complete BS!
Words of Wisdom from a man in the trade......
I seriously felt your pain, Lee, watching this, the stress was clearly real, the nosebleeds were testament. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, this was seriously good viewing, Top Gear levels of entertainment 😊👍❤️
Great, truthful video. Will now abandon any lingering idea of buying an EV!
Lee, 10 out of 10 for trying . Great banter with Geoff , you work well together. Brilliant production. you win on the video editing & all that 1ST 🏆🏆 The EV infrastructure needs expanding big time.. a local Shell petrol station just installed 4 rapid chargers 20 FT away from the pumps. - You were right , these technocrats have no 3loody idea. petrol + EV fires = boom 💥💥. thanks again for 3 nights of sheer brilliance, well done 👍😎🚗
They haven't even installed the ones at the petrol station they revamped by me.
You may get a brilliant bonfire night.
Two blokes having fun. Jeff's attitude is great, and he's a gentleman as he called himself waiting for you.
Lee. You have just proved that this 'project' has failed. EV is a failed attempt at going green. The infrastructure will not get better.
Brilliant content. Yourself and Geoff make a fantastic team. Anyone considering buying an EV should (by law) watch this. This is the reality.
Are you really that stupid? Think about it? How many sane people race every day from Lands End to John O Groats or vice versa. His journey is not representative the daily distance travelled by any car. I would suggest that this year there has been only two nutters who have attempted this pointless exercise. The majority of cars travel less than 20 miles a day.
Ahhhhhh! "project" "failed" Only if the project was to provide clean, efficient, affordable transport to the masses. Let us just put the tin foil on me edd and suggest the "project" aim, is to trap us all in our neighbourhood! Project is a massive success!
@@MStanleyRoss😴💤
@@MStanleyRoss yup, the aim of the whole scheme. To stop private car ownership. Those that can't afford this lunacy will go without a car at all, while the rest can only travel around their own towns, and only if their environmental credit score allows.
Diesels are best ,but the high up rich want no more diesel coz they think they own us
Hi Lee! New to your channel 😊 I am really enjoying your EV journey, good to see someone exploring them in a 'long haul journey ' stylee 😊
As you show until the infrastructure is in place with fast charging, longer ranges then EVs are only really suitable for city dwellers, short trips, etc but a very valid video.
Personally the "Range anxiety" would be unacceptable for myself as someone that struggles with 'normal' anxiety I would not add that to my list of first world problems.
Anyhoo, continue to do what you do...
Liked and subscribed 😊😊😊
I have many friends that went on and on when they got company EVs. Came round took me for a spin and showed me how quick they are. 6 months later they look 10 years older. One friend had his wife ask me if he was having an affair because he was staying overnight in the midlands so often, he also has had a few an overstay fines as he has fallen asleep many times whilst waiting for his car to charge
He's having an affair :)
If he has a Tesla, it's an affair. Any other make of EV, it charging!!
😂 an affair with cheap coffee and crisps
Found you through Geoff, really enjoyed your commentary through the journey, sorry you had such a terrible time on this leg
and it wont make any difference to our weather patterns .they say its too dry,too wet,too cold,too warm, too windy,no wind. we will always get what we get sent.always has been. its baffling these green university students but without even a GCE certificate to my name the weather has always done what it wants as far as i remember in the 60s. deep snow,drought etc. these greenies are massively over thinking this. universities and govts should chill out.
Having watched both yours and Geoff's videos on your epic journey, I have to say I really feel for you Lee. I did note one positive for you to take home though, your wipers were much quieter than Geoff's. 😀
the problem with EVs is the journey becomes about getting to the charge points rather than the destination.
I can’t get over those Gridserve charging points with no info on what you’re gonna be charged for days. Imagine going to a petrol pump and the staff saying “just handover your credit card details and we’ll let you know what you’ve been charged in a few days….” Geee thanks, jolly decent of you lol… It’s like handing out blank cheques to people you don’t trust.
@@nsweeney3970 Exactly, and what happens when you only have a tenner in cash? No charge for you...
Hey mate it was me from Derby in the VW green and white - great content- I’ve watched a few videos and subscribed, keep posting dead good. - all the best!
If electric cars were cheap to buy, reliable, kept their value, fun to drive, full charge in 5 minutes - it still wouldn't work. Not enough power on the national grid - We would need to treble of quadruple our PowerStation's in the UK, and i can't see one new power station being built in the next 50 years, and we need 15 plus built tomorrow.
Great video series.
I am very disappointed that none of the motoring journalists have been as vocal about how bad Ev's are.
Keep up the great work!
They're paid and their advertiser's are legacy ICE manufacturers who are merely making compliance cars, based on ICE chassis and none of them make a profit on a single EV.
If those journo's say bad words, they don't get the next press car to drive and that's the end of their income.
Simple really!
Lifes too short to own an EV
you missed a hidden charge how many £5 coffees did you have to buy Sandwiches & crisps at service station prices ?
And the mental cost of spending so much time in those horrible places. Spend my time avoiding them at all costs.
I disagree I can stop for petrol without buying a coffee and sandwich if I don't have to wait 40 minutes !@@user-bw8nw5xd5g
Also all that power needed to make the coffee and thank God for diesel powered lorries needed to deliver everything to keep the EV - NPC's filled up with food and hot drinks.
Well that's great, charging dispenser doesn't even tell you how much it's going to cost you when you have filled up!! It just gets worse and worse.
Imagine buying diesel or petrol car and the manufacturer said only fill to 80% what a joke lol
😂
First, that's only for days when you don't need the range. If you're going to drive a long way, of course you fill it to 100%. Indeed, the issue is simply that you don't leave the car *sitting for several days* at 100%. (And even if you do, relax, you haven't done much damage.) It's not hard to organise.
Second, that doesn't apply to LFP batteries like I have. Get a car with an LFP battery and whack it up tp 100% and let it sit there any time you like.
But it's always a good line for people who want to make it sound harder than it is.
Price of petrol or diesel, most people can only afford to fill to
@moragkerr9577 ! you want have to worrie about charging soon, as blackout are coming lol ,you want be able to charge EV are a joke lol
@@nigelsmith737 I don't think they're going to black out the sun, you know. But if nobody has any electricity, then driving one's car is likely to be the least of anyone's worries. Good luck getting fossil fuels in that event anyway.
EVs are great cars to drive. Have you tried one? Have you listened to Lee when his mask slips enough to show how much he likes his car? His entire gripe is with the UK public rapid-charging network, not with the cars at all.
I know EV are dangerous with batteries bursting into flame, but now I know of the biggest danger they give, and that is stressed out drivers on the roads.
You don't know anything, you think you do.
A lot of EV drivers are not logical you can’t educate some people Lee
You poor man. What a terrible experience. Charging stations that cause stress and pain. Useless infrastructure, useless rubbish experience. How could anyone expect to put up with such dysfunctional technology and unreliability. I feel so sorry the elites of the world, just interested in lining their own pockets, while pretending its about net zero. My money will never be wasted on a stupid EV. Thank you for demonstrating the futility of EVs so effectively! 😊
I will never complain again about having to wait 10 minutes at a petrol station because there are 2 cars in front of me😂
For once im glad im 76yrs old and wont have to put up with all this shit . lol
Same here, I am 79, and have a hybrid, which is great!!
@@hornslane I was talking EV not Hybrid
A friend, (a now retired orthopedic consultant ) here in North wales, did a bit of locum work in Wick, on four occasions.
Obviously Wick hospital paid him well enough for him to make the long journey from North Wales to the top of Scotland.
On one occasion, he drove the entire distance non stop, in his Audi Avant Allroad diesel.
He was obviously rather tired when he got home.
Im still amazed he didn't take a rest break, but it just proves the efficiency of Rudolf Diesel's brilliant invention
Excellent video. Highlighted probably all of the issues on Extra Volatile car ownership:
Even down to the ridiculously short charging cables...
The charging station getting it's knickers in a twist because you plugged it in first...
The charging-rage with that Cupra (if he kills someone, will the cause of death on that person's certificate be 'public EV charger availability'?)...
The national EV charging problem will be totally solved just as soon as the country generates 1 billion kWh of extra electricity every day.
(or some large proportion of this. Even if they are charged at home, the nation still needs the electrical energy to charge them).
Or another way of looking at this - if the entire national grid - approximately 28 gigawatts of electricity is used to fast charge electric cars using 50 kW fast chargers, then it would be possible to charge about 500,000 cars at one time. But the UK has some 23 million vehicles (admittedly, not all in use at the same time, and not all charging at the same time) but it is certainly possible that something like 1 million of these, at least, would be charging concurrently.
So just as soon as we have trebled the national grid - all will be fine and dandy fir the electruc vehicle revilution.
Except of course, the Government wants us to all use heat pumps everywhere, so we will need at least a doubling of the national grid to barely keep anybody warm in the winter.
From these simple cakculations alone, it is completely obvious that nobody in Government has even begun to think through the costs and the delivery needs for this enormous additional electrical power demand.
Clearly obvious that any of this has not been thought through. The powers that be are just pandering to the Attenborough brigade. Get with the Bellamy brigade and live properly.
Actually the UK grid needs major upgrades over the next 2 decades anyway. The gas is running out, the government's "genius" idea of replacing it with hydrogen is finally being understood to be nonsense, and that leaves everyone moving to electricity for heating and cooking.
I can comment that for Norway where i live the rollout of EVs has been accompanied by considerable infrastructure investment, both of the grid and the charger network. They didn't make a big song and dance about the grid upgrades, they just knuckled down and did it. The charging network expansion was done by the private sector with public incentives (especially in more out of the way locations).
@@15bit62 absolutely. But compare Norway to the UK - 5 million or so vehicles versus 33 million. And how many of these vehicles in Norway are buses, lorries etc. that still run on diesel? And of course Norway is the "poster child" of the EV revolution. Which is mostly based on hydroelectric power generation. Norway is a vast mountainous country with a small population - mostly concentrated in a few major population centres. The UK is vastly different - Scotland alone is the only part of the UK that is even similar to Norway - but it still doesn't have the geography to utilise hydroelectric energy on the scale that Norway can.
@@pmkeith This is true, but also consider that a diluted population results in quite significant challenges also: Installing
fast chargers in the middle of nowhere (which we have a lot of) requires significant grid-level work. Probably more than installing them in more population-dense regions where power lines already exist. I would agree that the whole Norway "Poster-Child" thing is sometimes overdone: We are a wealthy country with a different social outlook to places like the UK. But we do prove that electrification of the transport sector is totally possible, even though it might be expensive and take time and leadership to achieve.
Long distance trucks in Norway are still diesel. But then they are mostly not Norwegian either - a lot of the long distance trucking here is done by eastern european companies. Local delivery lorries (7.5T class) are increasingly EV though, and some areas have had hydrogen pilot projects doing this for several years.
For buses there has been a "green push" for many years, so city buses have been LPG for >10 years now, and they are beginning to add EVs to the fleet in the larger cities. Long distance coaches are still diesel.
@@15bit62 Yep, sounds idyllic. But Norway is not going to let us all come and live there - not that I could afford it.
The thing that strikes me most is the frustration & inherent waste of time waiting to charge!
Maybe you have to plan, but only 1 faulty / unavailable charge along your route and you're buggered.
I would happily jump in my diesel skoda tomorrow & drive to Scotland (I live in Somerset), no planning, no stress....and not beung forced to eat / drink my way there! 😅
Lee certainly plans! It takes real planning to find the absolute worst way to charge at every point on the route.
Lee, you have proved to me , EVs are rubbish, My next new car is going to be Petrol or Diesel. Thank you for your efforts.
i had your exact model of car for 9 months before selling it it locked me in at least 6 times once was very scary set on fire and also after 6 month most services take hours to charge another fault there endless give me my first car a punto gt turbo any day of the week be safe love the vids
This is painful to watch! I will stick with my diesel which gets 600+ miles range in 5 mins... Theres a reason that within the last month, Honda, Toyota, Ford and GM have all decided to either stop or reduce EV production as theres no demand and they are loosing billions. GM are almost bankrupt as a result!
Sandwich and coffee sales have gone through the roof since EVs
Thank you both for the thoroughly entertaining episodes of this experiment. Would never get a EV EVER!! Love my 2015 Diesel VW Tiguan ( I know not a popular car) but I love it! Solid, sturdy & great on milage.
Thanks Lee & Geoff you are great together,looking forward to your next adventures. 👍🏻👏🏻from Brisbane Australia.🤗
EVS just make your journey longer and stress you out and course you anxiety Lee
I think the no canopy policy with these charge points are deliberate as wet drivers will have to use the car heaters to dry themselves using more electric that they charge you for.
Exceptionally entertaining viewing from you and Geoff. I'm with Geoff and daily drive a 28 year old classic car. Statistics have proved that making one EV battery makes the same CO2 as my car does in 10 years.
I suppose that does depend on how many miles you have driven your car in the last 10 years. Normal cars don’t produce any emissions unless they are driven.
Having owned 4 Evs, driven all over uk in a Tesla and other brands I can confirm it’s not the future
Chargers broken, busy or blocked is just the reality
The only way to use them is like I do now and charge off peak from home and never go beyond the cars range
That way they are superb, quiet, powerful and relaxing
The stress comes from charging on the network
As your man with the VW EV said great around town, back and forth to work, long run forget it.
Long run being anything over 100 miles.
I took a 250 mile round trip to visit family in mt diesel today. Didn't have a full tank and got back still with half a tank. Had AC, heating etc all on too. No stress or stops needed.
The only positive that can be taken from all of this is that those poor folks who have been duped into believing that EV's are the future are receiving the nearly realtime punishment for refusing to spend just 10 minutes of their lives and brain power to contemplate the inevitable outcome. If only our legal systems were this efficient.
This is the real reason my home electric bill has tripled in cost, to pay for the infrastructure. The estimated minimum cost is 50 billion pounds.
Don’t know if you’ve noticed but Jaguar (who until recently were committed to fully electric by next year) seem to have stopped advertising the electric iPace and are advertising the F Pace - petrol. I also saw another advert for a petrol car from a manufacturer who has been pushing electric - I think it was Renault but can’t remember. So is this the beginning of the end for EVs
Jaguar are losing money on the I-Pace.
Peugeot keeps advertising the 2008 EV and asking the question who do you trust. Well I don't trust the car magazines, Fully Charred or Electric Viking and the EVangelist cult.
@@kjelle5350Yes dead right. People who buy one are losing a lot of money too! New cost £72k. After one year and 6000 miles on forecourt for £48k. So what did that poor dupe get for the trade in price? £40k if they were lucky? So that’s £32k in a year. I traded in my 6000 mile F Pace after a year (I needed a 550 hp V8 you see) for £51 k a loss of £8k from the new price. At the time of writing my local Jag dealer has 50 cars for sale 14 of them iPace. No one wants used EVs even though they are cheaper than the petrol equivalent . Strange but seems to be true!
@@bentullett6068. Dead right. Would you buy a full EV made with French electrics??? Talk about bonfire night!
I went to B&Q yesterday & the checkouts were chaotic. All self-service with no organised queuing structure and people were pushing in and getting served before you even though they came after. Everyone is so selfish. It stressed me out so much that I've vowed never to return. Queuing for electric chargers would tip me over the edge. Knowing that even when I reach one I'd have an hour to wait is beyond what I'm prepared to tolerate. I'd like to retire within the next 5 years or so and that'll be me done with cars apart from little trips to the local places in my petrol car. If we have no option other than to buy EVs I'll hang up my car keys. I'd rather stay at home anyway. People stress me out.
All these EVangelist saying you did it wrong. I bet none of them have the bottle to challenge Lee in their toy cars. Go on prove me wrong.
I'm keeping my 2001 Ford Ranger XLT! "JUST LOVE OIL!!"
I do love inhaling Castro R on race day,but not on the streets.
Me TOO! I Love the Smell of Castrol!@@stuartmitchell8736
Really all EV owners must have the patience of a saint. To sit and wait for so long for a charge, then there’s the extra cost of paying for motorway services coffee prices , then the anxiety of range is something I’ll never experience. I refuse to go electric. ICE all the way for me.
What a nightmare, and, you never even got to Land's End, a journey that I completed on a push-bike when I was 65. "Battery powered cars are the future" Who are they trying to kid🙃
Congratulations on achievement 👏
Great videos, really enjoyed watching the journey from start to end.
One small point though, 22:20 my wife does my pack up, and I always have a little apple too, but I am not a public servant, I work from a van for a national water company 🙂
A large part of my job is driving, and the company looked into electric vans and realised it just wasn't practical or indeed viable, and so we are still using diesel thank god.
As you said, it's clear and obvious EV's are not the answer or the 'future', but the people in charge know this, they are not stupid, it's nothing to do with the environment, or carbon, it is all about money and they are making money from all this ridiculous rubbish.
Lee great videos highlighting the poor infrastructure for charging EV’s. Which I think will only get worse. I toyed with the idea of getting an EV a moment of madness!! Got a BMW X6 instead and what a car it is. You must of spent a fortune in McDonalds and Costa coffee’s every time you stopped to charge.
It's obviously getting better. Lots and lots of ultra-rapid chargers going in all over the place. I keep turning up to motorway service stations and exclaiming, where did these come from? It might be a long time before Killington Lake is a place to stop at though - and I think Lee knew that.
And if you think a rest break every three hours driving is a bad idea, maybe you shouldn't be on the road.
Hey Morag. thanks for the NUTTY response again! Jeez you must be the head EVangelist. I bet your wife packs your sandwiches and cuts the crust off!
Was a fellow EV owner here Lee (Tesla). remembering the many range/charge time induced panic attacks watching this. Back to petrol and sanity. Feel for you mate.
Did you really own a Tesla? They are the easiest car in the world to live with and or Model Y is the best car I've ever owned for long journeys. If you got stressed with a Tesla you must get stressed getting out of bed in the morning.
Yes, 2020 model 3, waited 11 months for the privilege of owning it, kept it for 8, charging it wasn’t as stress free as filling a car with petrol. Oh BTW, do you really own a Tesla? Happy motoring.
Where did you charge when at home or work?
Long time watcher,best video to date.
I've been considering EV.
Not anymore, Cheers.
Thank You.
Good move!
Spot on analysis. I used to move 500 people a day in a fleet of diesel Transits out in the wilds of Sussex and Kent. I had no problem running as a fleet manager with maybe 10 drivers and me and a part time mechanic doing all repairs and maintenance and daily fuel ups. I could not even conceive doing that job with a fleet of electric busses. Like you say, not fit for purpose.
What a shambles Lee, those chargers not working correctly, you must have swore a few times and edited it out!
You looked shattered with all the stress,Great video's 👍
A chocolate fireguard
An ashtray on a motorbike
A sunroof on a submarine
A concrete parachute
An EV
Full marks to you for showing what we all knew but nobody talks about. Spending £100,000+ of your own money to end up hating it and already losing 50% of its value, shows the truth and displays an unbiased view that nobody and I mean nobody can refute. Well done to both of you! Now sell the bloody thing and buy a used BMW diesel, no buy several!🤣🤣
If this video doesn’t change anyone’s mind about EVS then nothing will I will not buy a EV the amount of time waiting around and it’s time you won’t get back
OMG - You're expected to charge up, with no idea of price? I notice many service stations (gas stations) are doing the same with items inside the shop - you have no idea what it costs until it's scanned at the checkout. It's madness.
On a different note. My brother who is a bus driver was telling me this morning that the electric buses he drives have their heating turned off by the company. So the buses are f…in freezing and full of condensation. Not only that the lights are on a timer with a manual override. If a driver turns the lights on because it’s dark in the bus the bus alerts the company who text the driver to turn the lights off. It doesn’t matter you may have elderly passengers suffering from age eyesight problems like cataracts or glaucoma. Tell me this is the future and we are in the 21st century
Watching a mans descent into hopelessness started off as in Top Gear hilarity, wound up being seriously sorry for him.
Save your sympathy. It's all a contrived act for clicks and likes. He could have done that journey with sensible, planned breaks and no stress, but that wasn't the agenda. It's as real as WWF wrestling. Look for the other videos of EV drivers doing the route - it's not a problem unless you make it into one.
Screaming, "you should have done it in a Tesla", is like saying the only way EV's will work is if everyone owns one, and that's not going to work either. 🤦♂
what makes you think a tesla could cope?
@@holdmyhand2009 He was saying others in comments section was saying that. I personally don't think it would make much if any difference at all.
The same week you did your trip Lee I drove from Wigan to Bridgwater in Somerset, stayed overnight and then headed to the Jamaica Inn for the night. Next day headed to Port Isaac for a few days. Took a trip to the Eden Project for a day and headed back a few days later. Stopped at Exeter for a splash and dash and made it home in 5 and half hours. All on 70 litres of diesel. Stress free trip. My god how stressed were you? Not acceptable what you went through Lee.
It is the complete powerlessness. If you ran out of liquid fuel, you can nearly always walk somewhere, buy a 5ltr container and walk back and go. How can you carry electricity???
Most people just call break down then trek aimlessly in hope of finding fuel
The future being a rise in insurance claims for electric cars being stolen and found burnt out once the penny drops and the owners realise what a liability they've purchased.
A university lecturer that I know told me that when he went to swap for a new Citroen( he always has Citroens) he asked about EVs the salesman wouldn’t sell him one. He sat him down and ran through the numbers and the EV was way more expensive. James swaps every two years and the salesman told him I don’t want to lose you as a customer and I would if you had one of those things. Says it all really. Good video & trip Lee and Geoff.
Weldone to Lee and Geoff can’t wait for next challenge
Lee what you need to do is invite one of the evangelist to do the journey with you and let them plan it, it would be interesting to see the results.
1:18:14 I really couldn't be bothered with all that messing around, I fill my Yaris with £50 worth of diesel and it lasts me 3-4 weeks.
And even if they figured out the batteries and the charge times, your grid doesn't supply sufficient power to charge the damn things and keep everything else going as well. Add electric heat pumps and a few other fun things and there isn't a solution.
Thanks for the mention. Loving your work. Yours sincerely 'The Tache'. 😂
LOL! See you when I'm back in the Lakes.
You lasted longer than I expected Lee, what an unpractical way to travel. I was surprised at the number of non-functional chargers. That £60 charge would have been my last straw. Talk about taking advantage of people.
I missed that bit. How did he manage to rack up £60 at an EV charger? I mean I assume that Taycan has a decent-sized battery, but that's ridiculous. I suspect this is another outrage Lee manufactured for likes.
Oh, I'm thinking this was pre-authorisation charges? Applegreen are quite bad for that and I racked up £90 once, but it's entirely nominal. The money is never taken from your account.
And of course you're surprised at the number of non-functional chargers. Lee was going out of his way to find them. I think he was checking the apps like ZapMap and PlugShare to find the places that were slowest, and busiest, and had broken chargers, and going there. It's certainly not like that for a normal drive.
Morag, you are off your head!!! LOL!!!! This is brilliant content for my response video to show you EVangelists are all brainwashed.
@@moragkerr9577 that was at the last charge point at the end of the pt 3, I always have to convert to US dollars, I’m in the States. I just about fell over at $79. USD to charge the Taycam.
@@TheMacMaster Still no come-back other than "you're brainwashed"? I'm driving a great car that cost me under £27,000 and its performance has quite reconciled me to the loss of my beloved GTi - taken out by a BMW driver who didn't look where he was going. I'm not imagining the smooth ride, the hassle-free overnight charging or the low maintenance.
I get it you have buyer's regret. You're not cut out to be an early adopter. But people need to realise that most of this is an act put on for clicks and likes. Actual cross-country driving in an EV isn't yet what it will be when we have a charging network like they have in Norway, but it's not nearly as bad as your histrionics make it out to be.
If your electric car is affecting your mental health you need to give it a brake?!
Great Scott @ 45mins in your only chance of winning now is to hook up to the clock tower & wait for a lightning strike while travelling 88 mph
Look after yourself lee electric cars not worth the hassle and stress
I’m going to stick to my Hybrid Toyota Yaris, not interested in full on electric milk floats
I can't remember the last time I saw a man in need of a hug, more than Lee did in this video.
Sitting around a service station drinking coffee and eating while your car charges absolutely ridiculous. I can fill my car up in less than ten minutes and get over 400 miles from one tank without stop I would not have the patients for an electric car
“There’s none so blind as those who will not see” the infrastructure for EV cars is NOT there and is light years away. Better off with a horse and cart until it is!!
...in the uk
Most of our existing infrastucture was built with horse and cart.
I am sure the co2 footprint for the diesel is less than the Ev.
Not that CO2 is a problem at the 0.043% of the atmosphere which we only add a tiny % to in a country that produces 2% of the world’s co2 and for a life giving gas that farmers pump lavishly into greenhouses to grow their vegetables more quickly. World’s gone mad!
This comment,👍💯
There is only two ways your car would have beat the BMW diesel. First, the BMW breaks down. Second would be if you put your car on a trailer and towed it there with a ICE powered vehicle like the little green car you passed.
Hi my Lexus NX 350 h would see it off😎🏁
I added up your total KW used on the whole trip (on Geoff's video) and it was the equivalent of powering my whole house for 46 days, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, electric cooker... all other general household appliances.
It's crazy when you think all of that electricity used just to drive one journey 🤯🤯
Yes, now consider that there's about 50kWh in a dense gallon of diesel and 2/3rd of that is just gifted away as heat, doing nothing to move the vehicle. Puts energy into perspective.
Now compare that to a full tank of fuel which has over 600kw of energy. 450kw of that gets wasted straight into the atmosphere
Plus it's the amount of money which was spent on that journey. Our diesel car does 800 miles on a single tank, how is that uneconomic for a vehicle using very little fuel?
The only place for ev are in city centres and for delivery drivers that do less than 100 miles a day for business to be carbon neutral these cars are not for the masses.
You actually think "the masses" drive more than 100 miles every day? What colour is the sky on your planet? And actually there are EVs with practical range over 300 miles, so depending on your requirements you can do a lot more than 100 miles a day.
If you drive less than (say) 200 miles a day, if you can charge at home, if you don't tow a caravan or a horsebox, and you don't have a frequent requirement to travel cross country under time pressure, EV heaven has already arrived.
I think that's most people actually, possibly apart from the "charge at home" part, and even there you might be surprised at what's possible.
Our local Renault dealer told me that they are financially penalised by the government if they do not sell a certain quota of EV’s. This applies to all manufacturers not just Renault. Hence the push to get us into EV’s.
I'd never heard of the macmaster before and stumbled on the channel by accident. What a find!! Big fan now!!
Thank you