The Joy of Range Anxiety
The thrill of ‘will I make it’ electric car driving might be just what you need to inject a bit of excitement to your everyday.
When you take delivery of your new electron powered wheels you have two options to route planning:
Carefully plan your charging options and always have 100 miles range contingency
Freestyle
I started with Option 1 and swiftly moved to Option 2. I’ve learned that it always works out OK in the end.
If you’re driving a petrol car you know that if you spectacularly manage to run out of fuel, a friendly AA man will come and top you up.
But just imagine your battery running out— “I’ll have to be towed 100 miles home, it will be so embarrassing”.
Fortunately you don’t actually need to worry, it will never happen — as the admiral of your vessel you are now a strategist with an exciting array of options — adding enjoyment to every journey as you craftily consider recharging solutions:
Mid-air refuel. You can risk an in-flight recharge and pull in to a motorway charging point. They could be engaged, out of service, or the app won’t work. Don’t cheat and check if they’re working before you pull in. Then watch as the whoosh of 150KW brings you up to 80% in 10 mins, just enough time to pick up a pumpkin latte. Satisfaction when it works 8/10
Extreme eco. They don’t tell you this in the showroom, but if you want to hit the stated range it’s time to settle down to a relaxing 65 MPH and dial down the seat heaters. Most of the time I ignore this — electric cars are supposed to be fun! But if you do actually want to eek out 100 miles to the safety of your home charger, you can. Satisfaction when it works 8/10
Granny charger. Staying at a hotel with no charging points? Ask your friendly receptionist and they’ll probably let you plug in to a good old 3 pin socket round the back for free. It will take 24 hours to charge but who’s in a rush anyway? In a few years you’ll look back on such days as pure wild west. Satisfaction when it works 6/10
It’s good for your soul to have some unknowns in your life, a slight sense of risk. Getting an electric car is hardly like being an early arctic explorer but it will add a whole new sense of fun and satisfaction to something that’s always felt routine.
Oh and one last thing — don’t tell people who don’t have an electric car about ‘the exciting moment you had’ when low on battery — they just won’t be interested.
Check out the blog on Medium as well.
