Video | 500-mile EV range challenge!

It’s pretty much impossible to imagine a 500-mile journey to Scotland without humming the Proclaimers’ classic but at least for this one Rory and Alex are driving rather than walking. That is, unless the batteries in their electric cars run out before they get there. And they do indeed need to put shoe leather to the ground.

We’ll get to that in due course, but first of all the challenge. In the early days of electric cars we heard a lot about range anxiety, and how many people were scared of going electric for worries about whether they’d be able to get to where they need to go. Much-improved public charging infrastructure and the latest crop of much more efficient electric cars have seemingly gone a long way to address these concerns. But have they gone far enough? As far as being able to drive the 500 or so miles from Northampton to Glencoe on a single charge, for instance?

Well, the BMW iX3 Rory is driving claims to be able to cover that distance, at least by its official numbers, while the  Mercedes CLA Alex has chosen says it can do a little over 480 miles. As we know, though, official range and efficiency numbers and those you can score in real life don’t always align. Will Rory and Alex make it? Do they have any tips on how to best maximise the efficiency in your EV if you’re undertaking a long journey of this type? And what’s the best kind of electric vehicle for long-distance driving – one like the BMW with  a big battery and lots of power or something sleeker and more aerodynamically efficient like the Mercedes?

Answers to all these questions and more can be found right here! And if you enjoyed this video and are not yet subscribed to the YouTube channel sign up here, join the comments thread to discuss the video and stay tuned for more great content!