The Electric Car Challenge: A Journey to Understand the Reality
As we set off on our 300-mile journey in the Mitsubishi i-Miev, we were filled with excitement and anticipation. The car's maximum range is theoretically 100 miles, but with its unique battery management system, every time you decelerate or brake, energy can be used to top-up the battery pack, extending the range. Our goal was to see if electric cars are finally viable for everyday driving.
The journey began quietly, but as soon as we lifted off, it became apparent that conserving energy would be key. With only 64 horsepower under the hood, tips racing driver mentality kicked in, and we found ways to conserve power. We carried momentum through roundabouts, braked smoothly, and even went full throttle to make up for lost time. Every yard counted as we made our way to our first roadside cafe recharge.
The cafe proved to be a welcome respite, with the free juice on offer giving us a much-needed boost. However, our enthusiasm was short-lived, as we soon became aware that driving with the lights on was sapping power from the batteries at an alarming rate. We pulled over in the hope of dragging a top-up, but disaster struck when we realized we were being followed by the police. A brief encounter turned into a traumatic experience as they asked us to produce our license within seven days.
Leaving the lights on and the indicators on had left us with only three bars on the battery, sending shockwaves through our team. We limped the last 20 miles to the recharge point, our spirits dampened by the realization that the car's true range was not as advertised. The next leg of our journey would take us another six hours at motorway speeds, but without the luxury of energy-sapping lights.
As we faced the daunting prospect of another long day on the road, it became clear that electric cars needed an internal-combustion engine to make them truly viable for everyday driving. Our team leader, Robert Llewellyn, shared his own experience with living with an i-Miev, emphasizing that while it was a great car, it wasn't a complete solution. Electric cars only made sense in urban environments where the limited range and lack of tailpipe emissions were less of an issue.
The truth is, electric cars are not a replacement for traditional vehicles just yet. They have limitations, such as range anxiety and the need for frequent recharging. However, with advancements in technology and increasing awareness of their benefits, we can expect to see more efficient batteries and charging infrastructure in the future. For now, they remain a niche product that requires careful planning and consideration.
In the end, our journey was not just about testing the limits of an electric car but also understanding its place in the world of transportation. As we reflect on our experience, we can't help but feel that electric cars are worth exploring, even if they're not yet ready for mainstream adoption. With their potential to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality, they may just be the key to a cleaner, greener future.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is an electric car the Mitsubishi I'm Eve this is Tiffin Adele and this is a shopping centre in newcastle upon tyne which is about there our mission is to go from here to a meeting with actor and electric car evangelist Robert Llewellyn at 4 p.m. tomorrow there are now more public recharging points in the UK than ever before so this challenge will help us find out if electric cars are finally viable normally the journey would take five hours but in an electric car it's not that simple as we were about to find out the Mitsubishi i-miev costs are staggering thirty-eight thousand pounds but the fact the Metro centre car park lets you charge up for free is some consolation how does it filming our 300 mile journey had begun quietly theoretically the IMF has a maximum range of a hundred miles but every time you decelerate braking energy can be used to top-up the battery pack and thus extend the range down this hill now as soon as I lift off can you really feel thinking it's going to charge and with just 64 horsepower to play with tips racing driver mentality found other ways of conserving energy you want to brake now we only got drum brakes on the back carry momentum through the roundabout think how much power I saved I'm gonna go full throttle we've got six point five miles to go and how many bars at one and how many miles per bar four so it was out with the enthusiastic driving and in with the slow desperately trying to nurse the car to our roadside cafe recharge every yard counted no done oh god we've just pulled out in front of a car we made it just and took immediate advantage of the free juice on offer we worked our way through various fry ups as it took six hours for the lithium-ion batteries to get back to full charge the next stop was 70 miles away in Sheffield but it soon became apparent that driving with the lights on was sapping much-needed power from the batteries we weren't going to make it so pulled off in the hope of dragging a top-up we've got a plug he did the kinda security guard in Yorkshire topped us back up to four bars in just over an hour but within minutes disaster struck again we're being followed by the police yeah we've just just been pulled over by the police hi oh you're right yeah yeah I'm good thanks just a bit suspicious that's all well I'm not surprised I don't have to tell you that you don't have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you don't mention now something which you later rely on in court driving suspiciously mint I was asked to produce my licence within seven days but that was just a minor inconvenience compared to the next problem while we were sitting there waiting for the policeman I left the lights on and the indicates on and everything on and the car has used energy we're now almost back to the same kind of traumatic situations we were before because we've got three bars on oh yeah we've got three bars seriously oh don't do that we're in so much trouble we're doing 33 on the m1 by the way we limped the last 20 miles to the recharge this 140 mile leg would take a normal car three hours but had taken us one day then we face another six hour Philip slow but par for the course for electric cars Daito and without the need for energy-sapping lights Ladell hitomiko sweet spot we even established that electric cars can sit at motorway speeds but our optimism was short-lived real world's driving hadn't got anywhere near the claimed 100 mile range staring down the barrel of another six-hour recharge in leicester it dawned on us that to make her appointment with Robert Llewellyn the only I'm Eve user we know we were going to need some help there was nothing wrong with the I mean it's just we needed an internal-combustion piggy back to get us back on schedule Thank You chief so how does a man who actually lives with an I'm Eve cope with the car every day well I mean we genuinely use it every day an electric power generation is so much more efficient than use burning petrol in the car and the electric motor is so much more efficient eighty percent of efficient motor in your car 25 percent in the most super eco greenwash petrol or diesel cars 75 percent of that stuff you're pumping in is wasted that is stupid old technology it's just this recharging people I've spoken to who've used electric cars for the last decade you know they use it to go to the shops to go to the schools I pick up all those things and they're going to go we're driving to Idaho from California and we're not going to use these extra cards yet of two cars they got well they hire they rent a car and there's the essence electric cars are not a complete solution they really only make sense in a city environment where the limited range is less important and a lack of tailpipe emissions cleans up the local air we've learnt everything that you think yeah then we've we've got the mission of Ruby marine self I know tell you drive youthis is an electric car the Mitsubishi I'm Eve this is Tiffin Adele and this is a shopping centre in newcastle upon tyne which is about there our mission is to go from here to a meeting with actor and electric car evangelist Robert Llewellyn at 4 p.m. tomorrow there are now more public recharging points in the UK than ever before so this challenge will help us find out if electric cars are finally viable normally the journey would take five hours but in an electric car it's not that simple as we were about to find out the Mitsubishi i-miev costs are staggering thirty-eight thousand pounds but the fact the Metro centre car park lets you charge up for free is some consolation how does it filming our 300 mile journey had begun quietly theoretically the IMF has a maximum range of a hundred miles but every time you decelerate braking energy can be used to top-up the battery pack and thus extend the range down this hill now as soon as I lift off can you really feel thinking it's going to charge and with just 64 horsepower to play with tips racing driver mentality found other ways of conserving energy you want to brake now we only got drum brakes on the back carry momentum through the roundabout think how much power I saved I'm gonna go full throttle we've got six point five miles to go and how many bars at one and how many miles per bar four so it was out with the enthusiastic driving and in with the slow desperately trying to nurse the car to our roadside cafe recharge every yard counted no done oh god we've just pulled out in front of a car we made it just and took immediate advantage of the free juice on offer we worked our way through various fry ups as it took six hours for the lithium-ion batteries to get back to full charge the next stop was 70 miles away in Sheffield but it soon became apparent that driving with the lights on was sapping much-needed power from the batteries we weren't going to make it so pulled off in the hope of dragging a top-up we've got a plug he did the kinda security guard in Yorkshire topped us back up to four bars in just over an hour but within minutes disaster struck again we're being followed by the police yeah we've just just been pulled over by the police hi oh you're right yeah yeah I'm good thanks just a bit suspicious that's all well I'm not surprised I don't have to tell you that you don't have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you don't mention now something which you later rely on in court driving suspiciously mint I was asked to produce my licence within seven days but that was just a minor inconvenience compared to the next problem while we were sitting there waiting for the policeman I left the lights on and the indicates on and everything on and the car has used energy we're now almost back to the same kind of traumatic situations we were before because we've got three bars on oh yeah we've got three bars seriously oh don't do that we're in so much trouble we're doing 33 on the m1 by the way we limped the last 20 miles to the recharge this 140 mile leg would take a normal car three hours but had taken us one day then we face another six hour Philip slow but par for the course for electric cars Daito and without the need for energy-sapping lights Ladell hitomiko sweet spot we even established that electric cars can sit at motorway speeds but our optimism was short-lived real world's driving hadn't got anywhere near the claimed 100 mile range staring down the barrel of another six-hour recharge in leicester it dawned on us that to make her appointment with Robert Llewellyn the only I'm Eve user we know we were going to need some help there was nothing wrong with the I mean it's just we needed an internal-combustion piggy back to get us back on schedule Thank You chief so how does a man who actually lives with an I'm Eve cope with the car every day well I mean we genuinely use it every day an electric power generation is so much more efficient than use burning petrol in the car and the electric motor is so much more efficient eighty percent of efficient motor in your car 25 percent in the most super eco greenwash petrol or diesel cars 75 percent of that stuff you're pumping in is wasted that is stupid old technology it's just this recharging people I've spoken to who've used electric cars for the last decade you know they use it to go to the shops to go to the schools I pick up all those things and they're going to go we're driving to Idaho from California and we're not going to use these extra cards yet of two cars they got well they hire they rent a car and there's the essence electric cars are not a complete solution they really only make sense in a city environment where the limited range is less important and a lack of tailpipe emissions cleans up the local air we've learnt everything that you think yeah then we've we've got the mission of Ruby marine self I know tell you drive you\n"
