Pretending I'm driving an EV with the caravan

[GaryB]

A slightly left-field post I know, but I thought some might find it interesting/amusing. No, this isn't another EV argument post and (again) I am certainly NOT anti EV and it isn't a detailed insight into EV ownership. Anyone wanting factual EV towing info look up the excellent posts by Tobes on here.

I have a plug-in hybrid which returns around 45 miles on a full charge. We've been to Devon for 8 nights with the caravan and normally when away we leave home with a full charge and then just use the car in auto-hybrid mode making the most of regen braking to put a bit of juice into the battery while away. However, this time I decided to "pretend" to be a novice in a pure EV and see how I would manage if it didn't have the petrol engine as well. This wasn't a detailed scientific experiment that was planned out beforehand, just something I did for fun/casual interest (a fantasy EV towing exercise).

The journey was 206 miles and we stopped half way on the M5. The services were busy and we stopped just after Bristol, parking up in the caravan parking area. I looked around as to where the car charging points were and noticed that you couldn't get back to them (or the petrol station!) once you'd reached the caravan parking area. I wasn't going to charge the car here as I didn't want to leave the caravan/dog/wife alone while I charged the car but wanted to understand the logistics if I did.

Arriving at the site (Dornafield CAMHC) I checked in and asked where the EV charging point was (this is advertised as being available on Google) only to be told it was no longer available. I know the CAMHC will allow you to charge on-pitch from the caravans supply for £7 a night but with only a 10 amp supply I didn't want to push my luck.

Out and about I looked for an EV charging point wherever we parked and was surprised how few there were down there. I confidently pulled up to some in Teignmouth only to discover that they weren't suitable with the Type-2 charger plug that my car has. Other places seem to be dominated by Scottish Power owned chargers, visiting Totnes I pulled into one of their bays, confidently downloaded the app but couldn't get it to work. The app was asking for the charger number or scan the code. There were neither on the charger so I tried to pay by card. This didn't work. Again I parked in a normal space using petrol propulsion only. Visiting Kingsbridge I tried another Scottish Power charger and met the same frustrating charger number/code issue BUT the pay by card worked! I plugged the car in and let it soak up some juice. Yes, the rate was high (65p per KWH) but I was trying to mimic using an EV hence didn't mind being a few pounds out of pocket. I also noticed that quite a few EV charge bays were used by people driving EV's to simply bag a space. Park, plug in, *** into the shop and out again so if you arrive at an EV charge point and find it full, it might well be empty shortly.

I used a couple of other chargers when out and about but found the need to download various apps frustrating and the instructions not always straight forward (I'm not a luddite but I do find some technology a bit bewildering creating a descending of the brain fog!). One of the charging bays was so short that my car (Audi A6 estate) overhung by almost 2 feet!

Returning home we stopped half way (Gloucester services M5 north) and noticed lots of Tesla chargers which would have been accessible if you dropped the caravan off at the caravan parking.

So what's the point/conclusions of all this? I just wanted to see how I would get on if I ran a pure EV. I'm not overly confident with phone apps etc and will admit to getting a bit bamboozled by some of the app instructions, but I have to say that I could have made the whole experience work if needed. The main take-away was the need to forward plan your driving and never assume that the charger you want will be available/the correct type, apps like Zap-Map and others certainly help (you pay an annual subscription) but you have to take a far more structured/planning approach to your movements. Yes, I know an ICE currently makes more sense as a towing vehicle but as time moves on more folks will be pushed down the EV route, especially if they have a company car. As said before, this was just a casual/fun exercise so don't don't try and turn it into a for/against EV rant.

 

[otherclive]

A slightly left-field post I know, but I thought some might find it interesting/amusing. No, this isn't another EV argument post and (again) I am certainly NOT anti EV and it isn't a detailed insight into EV ownership. Anyone wanting factual EV towing info look up the excellent posts by Tobes on here.

I have a plug-in hybrid which returns around 45 miles on a full charge. We've been to Devon for 8 nights with the caravan and normally when away we leave home with a full charge and then just use the car in auto-hybrid mode making the most of regen braking to put a bit of juice into the battery while away. However, this time I decided to "pretend" to be a novice in a pure EV and see how I would manage if it didn't have the petrol engine as well. This wasn't a detailed scientific experiment that was planned out beforehand, just something I did for fun/casual interest (a fantasy EV towing exercise).

The journey was 206 miles and we stopped half way on the M5. The services were busy and we stopped just after Bristol, parking up in the caravan parking area. I looked around as to where the car charging points were and noticed that you couldn't get back to them (or the petrol station!) once you'd reached the caravan parking area. I wasn't going to charge the car here as I didn't want to leave the caravan/dog/wife alone while I charged the car but wanted to understand the logistics if I did.

Arriving at the site (Dornafield CAMHC) I checked in and asked where the EV charging point was (this is advertised as being available on Google) only to be told it was no longer available. I know the CAMHC will allow you to charge on-pitch from the caravans supply for £7 a night but with only a 10 amp supply I didn't want to push my luck.

Out and about I looked for an EV charging point wherever we parked and was surprised how few there were down there. I confidently pulled up to some in Teignmouth only to discover that they weren't suitable with the Type-2 charger plug that my car has. Other places seem to be dominated by Scottish Power owned chargers, visiting Totnes I pulled into one of their bays, confidently downloaded the app but couldn't get it to work. The app was asking for the charger number or scan the code. There were neither on the charger so I tried to pay by card. This didn't work. Again I parked in a normal space using petrol propulsion only. Visiting Kingsbridge I tried another Scottish Power charger and met the same frustrating charger number/code issue BUT the pay by card worked! I plugged the car in and let it soak up some juice. Yes, the rate was high (65p per KWH) but I was trying to mimic using an EV hence didn't mind being a few pounds out of pocket. I also noticed that quite a few EV charge bays were used by people driving EV's to simply bag a space. Park, plug in, *** into the shop and out again so if you arrive at an EV charge point and find it full, it might well be empty shortly.

I used a couple of other chargers when out and about but found the need to download various apps frustrating and the instructions not always straight forward (I'm not a luddite but I do find some technology a bit bewildering creating a descending of the brain fog!). One of the charging bays was so short that my car (Audi A6 estate) overhung by almost 2 feet!

Returning home we stopped half way (Gloucester services M5 north) and noticed lots of Tesla chargers which would have been accessible if you dropped the caravan off at the caravan parking.

So what's the point/conclusions of all this? I just wanted to see how I would get on if I ran a pure EV. I'm not overly confident with phone apps etc and will admit to getting a bit bamboozled by some of the app instructions, but I have to say that I could have made the whole experience work if needed. The main take-away was the need to forward plan your driving and never assume that the charger you want will be available/the correct type, apps like Zap-Map and others certainly help (you pay an annual subscription) but you have to take a far more structured/planning approach to your movements. Yes, I know an ICE currently makes more sense as a towing vehicle but as time moves on more folks will be pushed down the EV route, especially if they have a company car. As said before, this was just a casual/fun exercise so don't don't try and turn it into a for/against EV rant.

I just find it a pity that the industry hasn’t been able to rationalise its approach more. It is one of the things that is a negative in many peoples minds. Even if it were better there are those who probably would still lack confidence, or ability to use the systems. Understandably all they would want to do is drive in, plug in and pay. IE mirror the approach with ICE.

Apps that don’t work for one reason or another are common across so many areas. I find parking apps to be unreliable even more so if mobile service is scant. Also in bright sunlight the phone screen or meter screen can be virtually difficult to read. We always carry cards, plus coin bags too, or have had to telephone the company providing the service. . Such is progress. I hope the remainder of your holiday was less stressful as an old style ICE driver. 👍

 

[Buckman]

I just find it a pity that the industry hasn’t been able to rationalise its approach more. It is one of the things that is a negative in many peoples minds. Even if it were better there are those who probably would still lack confidence, or ability to use the systems. Understandably all they would want to do is drive in, plug in and pay. IE mirror the approach with ICE.

Apps that don’t work for one reason or another are common across so many areas. I find parking apps to be unreliable even more so if mobile service is scant. Also in bright sunlight the phone screen or meter screen can be virtually difficult to read. We always carry cards, plus coin bags too, or have had to telephone the company providing the service. . Such is progress. I hope the remainder of your holiday was less stressful as an old style ICE driver. 👍

I must admit that myself, probably like many other people, were not aware that there was no standardisation for EVs to plug in. I thought they were all the same type like topping up an ICE vehicle.

 

[GaryB]

Apps that don’t work for one reason or another are common across so many areas. I find parking apps to be unreliable even more so if mobile service is scant. Also in bright sunlight the phone screen or meter screen can be virtually difficult to read. We always carry cards, plus coin bags too, or have had to telephone the company providing the service. . Such is progress. I hope the remainder of your holiday was less stressful as an old style ICE driver. 👍

I didn't let it stress me really as it wasn't something I NEEDED to do, there's so many negative tales on forums I just wanted to see how it really was. Another issue is that with so much faffing around with charger apps I almost forgot to pay for my parking one occasion! I always use the parking apps where possible, fortunately they were all either Ringo or Pay-by-phone which I'm used to.

 

[Tobes]

However, this time I decided to "pretend" to be a novice in a pure EV and see how I would manage if it didn't have the petrol engine as well. This wasn't a detailed scientific experiment that was planned out beforehand, just something I did for fun/casual interest (a fantasy EV towing exercise).



So what's the point/conclusions of all this? I just wanted to see how I would get on if I ran a pure EV. I'm not overly confident with phone apps etc and will admit to getting a bit bamboozled by some of the app instructions, but I have to say that I could have made the whole experience work if needed. The main take-away was the need to forward plan your driving and never assume that the charger you want will be available/the correct type, apps like Zap-Map and others certainly help (you pay an annual subscription) but you have to take a far more structured/planning approach to your movements.

I like this approach - test it to see how it works for you. But, there are a couple of significant differences between how you got on and how a full EV driver would get on.
1) Your plug. As a PHEV driver, and from your comment on the inability to charge at a certain location, I surmise you only have a type 2 connector, and no DC rapid charge CCS port. This constrains your ability to to public charge significantly, and or course impacts the speed at which you can do so.
2) Experience. As a full EV driver who was embarking on a towing road trip, I would hope (and strongly advise) that you didn't leave your first DC public charging experience until you absolutely needed it, and with a caravan on the back. - I know this is not what you did, but the experience you had was similar to that of an absolute novice.

PHEVs also tend to lack the incredibly sophisticated real time charging navigation that can tell you not only where you can charge, but if said chargers are available, busy or out of service. They are more focused on the petrol side, as that it what is used 99.9% of the time away from home, due to 1)

Zapmap is OK (and does not need a subscription) but is in my mind now outdated and somewhat overtaken by Electroverse and Google. Electroverse also takes away all the hassle of needing multiple charging accounts, as it covers so many (but not all) charging companies. It also gives you access by RFID, removing the need to use a phone to start and stop charging.

I applaud your experiment - it's a great step to try and see the world through the eyes of a different view point. But if you try and use someone else's eye, you may also need to be wearing their glasses

I must admit that myself, probably like many other people, were not aware that there was no standardisation for EVs to plug in. I thought they were all the same type like topping up an ICE vehicle.

There is standardisation. Type 2 for AC, CCS type 2 for DC rapid charging, and ChaDaMo for Nissan Leafs and Lexus UX (and the Outlander PHEV).

PHEVs tend not to have the CCS part, because they don't rapid charge, so this skews the experience of anyone who wants to try an EV using a PHEV. It's the equivalent of trying out a 4x4's off road capability in a paved carpark.

 

[Dustydog]

Reading the above excellent scripts and following my son’s ongoing EV experience one thing is common.
Make sure you know exactly where the appropriate chargers are and their position at the services especially with a caravan. I expect times will improve but as I said yesterday my son only discovered the Tesla chargers at Hopwood services last Friday! And far cheaper than the rest!

 

[Buckman]

PHEVs tend not to have the CCS part, because they don't rapid charge, so this skews the experience of anyone who wants to try an EV using a PHEV. It's the equivalent of trying out a 4x4's off road capability in a paved carpark.

See people trying out 4x4 capability in car parks all the time. LOL!

 

[Tobes]

See people trying out 4x4 capability in car parks all the time. LOL!

Its true - a sleeping policeman is about as most people get in a Chelsea tractor

 

[Hutch]

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/M4PR-IZXKxw?feature=shared

My son playing with his toy.
The next week we took it off roading in a quarry.

 

[Buckman]

I used to love going off road in the company Landrover Defender. Got solidly stuck once and required a Caterpillar bulldozer to pull out the car. This was way back in the sixties.

 

[otherclive]

Minimal electronics, just solid Japanese engineering, plus trained drivers including a Land Rover Experience session. 😂

 

[Oscarmax]

Back from Blacknowl New Forest Sunday, at least 4 full EV on site caravan towing, due to my disability unhitching a caravan to recharge is impractical. Cost wise towing down to the New Forest and running around for 3 weeks cost £69.10 52.83 litres 599 miles, charging up using public chargers would have cost approximately £190 @ 79 pence kWh, compared to a diesel tow car at 40 mpg £88/90.