Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

Two British drivers recently completed an EV trip from London to Edinburgh significantly faster and at a considerably lower cost than the same journey three years ago – demonstrating just how far EV technology has come.

 

At the end of January, EV enthusiasts Robert Llewellyn and David Peilow took just over 13 hours to drive their Nissan LEAF from Marble Arch in central London to Edinburgh castle in Scotland, a journey totalling 655km (407 miles). In 2011, the same trip took David 18 hours.

 

So, how were the duo able to cut 5 hours from the previous trip time? As well as benefiting from improved EV technology in the LEAF itself, they had access to the UK's extensive Ecotricity and Charge your Car rapid charger network, which didn't exist back in 2011. The pair made eight recharging stops, each one requiring no more than 25 minutes to replenish the battery to 80% capacity.

 

Furthermore, they took no risks. Even though the 2013 LEAF they were using has an autonomy of 199km NEDC (124 miles), they drove a maximum of 85kms (53 miles) between charges, just in case the next charger was out of service. Throughout the journey, the duo maintained normal motorway speeds and travelled with the heating on.

 

The cost of this cross-border trip? Just £17.02 (€20.71) in electricity consumption, compared with around £77 (€94) for a standard petrol vehicle. What's more, the LEAF has a purchase price of around £20,000 (€24,300), while the Tesla Roadster David used for his 2011 trip cost around £100,000 (€121,700). In under three years, EV vehicles have become more accessible, less expensive – and significantly faster over long journeys. Now that's progress!