I've been running a Skoda Elroq for a couple of months now to see if this sensible, long-legged compact SUV is the perfect beginner's electric car.
After a couple of days pleasantly trundling around London suburbs, where it quickly impressed with sublime low-speed drivability and commendable efficiency, I put the Elroq's do-it-all credentials to the test with a few hundred motorway miles, an endeavour that can so often be the undoing of an otherwise-agreeable EV, given the energy demands and NVH implications of sustained high-speed cruising.
First was a run up to Crewe for an early look at Bentley's new brand-shaping EXP 15 concept. And when I say early, I'm not just referring to pre-embargo access but the sickening 4am start necessitated by our tight schedule.
Correctly predicting that I wouldn't have much patience for public chargers at such an early hour, I 'brimmed' the 82kWh battery the day before and had a confidence-inspiring 343 miles of range on the display when I set off.
Up until the M25, that figure declined at almost exactly the same rate as my remaining distance, but once free of the capital's Orwellian 20mph zones and barrelling along at 70mph, the gap between the two numbers started to widen.
By my first rest stop, I had travelled 110 miles but lost a displayed 140, with the car's efficiency falling from a decent 4.3mpkWh in town to a less brilliant 3.4mpkWh, corresponding to a motorway range of 279 miles.
From there on, I kept an eye on my 'comfort buffer' how much juice I was forecasted to have left by the time I parked up at Pyms Lane.
Initial calculations suggested I would have 106 miles remaining, but as I needed to maintain a constant 70mph and it was too warm to have the air-con off, that safety net gradually shrank as the miles rolled by, and I ended up with just 80 miles left as I threaded the Elroq gingerly in between the brazenly specified Bentaygas and Continentals in Bentley's car park.
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Sounds great, and all with zero tailpipe emissions (which amidst all the hype/criticism I think some people sometimes forget).
Seriously considering a second hand EV for our next car, probably a Skoda Enyaq, Renault Scenic or Tesla Model Y.
Would love an ev, but just can't comitt until I can have a car that can carry 3-4 people in comfort with a weeks worth of gear and bikes in the car, and give me 500-600 miles of range from a full "tank" and allow me to fill up from empty to full in 5-10 mins, from a car that cost less then £15 grand to buy and £300 per year to insure. That's what I get with my 10 year old 7 seat people carrier and that's my benchmark.
Fair enough. Which new car under 15k will be your next purchase?
By way of a real world comparison please could you repeat this journey in January on a wet and windy day with a headwind while aiming to maintain 78mph on the motorway. I am willing to bet the range will be little more than half that quoted by the manufacturer.
When a motorway range of 300 miles in any conditions can be achieved I'll definitely be buying one.
Just remember it's been proven by studies that whilst driving faster will certainly get you there a couple minutes sooner, the ratio to efficiency and increased risk is very bad and not considered worth it. And it really is only a couple minutes shaved off, nothing that truly makes a difference.
It's highly likely that, say, driving 78 only shaves off about 5 minutes on a 2-3 hour drive.But for EVs, you could save a fair chunk of range on the motorway by just driving at 70, or 65 even.
Air resistance bleeds off large amounts of efficiency at higher speeds, you see. You'd have a lot more range left over if you drove at 60 or 65, with only a slight increase in journey time.
You may feel less stressed, too. The journey would be more casual and relaxing.
To say nothing of the massively increased risk to driving at higher speeds too, but I won't labour that point because most people don't care for it and it's unrelated to efficiency.