COP26
It is less than three years since the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference, hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy, in Glasgow.
Much has changed over that period and much hasn’t. We have been through three Conservative Prime Ministers and now have a Labour one.
2021 EV Rally
The first Green Fleet EV Rally also took place in Scotland at that time and we have just completed the third one. This latest rally convinced me that in terms of EV and charging much has changed over that period. Let me explain.
Three years ago the rally took meticulous charger planning. My co-driver, Dean, charted out almost every single charger in Scotland and laminated it in a map. When we found a charger that worked first time, we rejoiced and even cheered. We took advantage of almost every single charger we passed, or were close to, on the route. It was a real example of splash and dash because we didn’t know if the next charger would work. At various pinch points there were long queues.
A-Z
Roll on three years and the A-Z 1,500 mile rally in our chosen vehicle, the new Volkeswagen ID7 wrapped splendidly in AA yellow. Oh how things have changed. My co-driver, Esther, and I didn’t really plan any stops. In fact, on the first day driving 270 miles from the AA in Oldbury we talked about our Formula One ‘one-stop’ strategy.
2024 EV Rally
With over 50 electric vehicles taking part, for 2024 teams covered about 1500 miles following an A to Z theme - visiting towns and check points in alphabetical order.
The aim was to show that electric vehicles are viable and that the charging network is up to the job, as well as highlighting areas for improvement and uncovering any challenges that need to be overcome. And along the way, the event will showcase examples of clean energy and its role in the transition to e-mobility.
This Rally follows the success of the EV Rally Of Scotland (EVROS) in 2021 and the Great British EV Rally in 2022, which covered the length of John O'Groats to Land's End. In 2023, the rally visited all capital cities of the UK and Ireland.
The route
Taking on the retro theme of using A to Z atlases for navigation, the rally visit towns, cities and check points in alphabetical order.
Day one started at the AA's Oldbury Innovation Centre and covered 270 miles until the overnight stop at Carlisle.
On day two, we ventured north to Gretna, before they then head east to Gateshead, then south towards Sheffield. Checkpoints included the Innovation Hub at Drax Electric Vehicles, a charging top-up at a Compleo UK site, with the final destination was Mercedes-Benz Trucks' Tankersley offices.
On the third day we headed towards Cambridge, via Norwich. Check points included a charge at myenergi's premises and a quick interview with CEO Jordon Brompton and GRIDSERVE's Electric Forecourt in Norwich for BBC interviews.
Teams then left Cambridge on day four and headed east to a brand new EV charging facility, featuring a wind turbine, battery storage, eBus/eHGV capability and ultra-rapid chargers from Arnold White Group. The route then went past London, before heading south-west, visiting Virta Charging at BMW UK & MINI's premises.
The final leg of the Rally on day five covered more than 300 miles as teams headed towards Exeter, Yatton and Zouch, before visiting Chester and finishing at the impressive Cawley House facility, a hub from headline partner, Lex Autolease.
Changes
Despite the high daily mileage across some fairly remote parts, such as the Lake District and Lincolnshire, for cars the EV rally was a breeze. No doubt it was more testing for vans, HGVs, and our heroic motorcycle rider.
In the last three years we have seen a big increase in the number and reliability of chargers. The customer service at chargers (often provided by The AA) has improved. The range of EVs has also improved.
The car
The Volkswagen ID7 no doubt contributed to the ease of the epic journey.
It is a comfortable, spacious executive car.
It has a very simple dash board and an intuitive screen. The head up display gives great sat nav instructions, speed limits and warnings of other vehicles. Every new car should have a Heads Up display.
The only real niggle was the car is very sensitive to vehicles around it and tends to over react with multiple warnings at roundabouts or even in traffic. We managed to reduce the sound but it still flashed at us much too often. I love the blind spot warnings but if the car warns of everything around it – including a roundabout it didn’t like – then it loses its impact.
That aside the ID7 was a joy to drive.
Conclusion
The ID7 is one of those cars that just eats up the miles and even after a long day driving you still don’t feel tired. I did use the regen braking function most of the time which again made driving easy as you rarely need to brake.
It really got to the stage that we were driving a car and not an EV. This is how it should be. EVs are cars but just with a different form of power.
The ID7 is fast enough, big enough, comfortable enough and most importantly has a decent range. We didn’t log our range precisely but got over 300 miles and also achieved some of f the higher scores in the telematics charts for efficiency. This was impressive as we were driving the car ‘normally’ rather than hypermiling without AC etc.
This car definitely does the job safely, comfortably and efficiently but perhaps just lacks that streak of inspiration to really stand out from the crowd. In terms of the EV Rally and lack of range anxiety, it was the perfect car for the job.
Spec:
- Acceleration 0-62 mph: 5.4 to 6.6 seconds
- Cargo volume: 532 to 605 L, 1,586 to 1,714 L with seat area
- Dimensions: 4,961 mm L x 1,862 mm W x 1,535-1,551 mm H
- Number of doors: 5
- Driveline: Four-wheel drive, Rear-wheel drive
- Engine: Electric
- Range: Officially the VW ID7 will do 386 miles of range on a full charge of its 77kWh battery.
- Style: Hatchback saloon
- Price: From £50,670