What Range Anxiety? EV Adventurers take on Longest Challenge Yet

Rarely are electric cars brought up in conversation without the phrase "range anxiety" following close behind. Two EV enthusiasts have come a long way to silently leaving that old stigma behind.

Chris Ramsey of Plug In Adventures has a history of breaking new ground for electric vehicles on Scottish soil, becoming the first person to complete the North Coast 500 in a electric car whilst racking up fuel costs of absolutely zilch thanks to his frugal choice of powertrain.



Earlier this summer, Chris teamed up with co-driver, Terry Mohammed of BMM Energy Solutions, a firm who specialise in electric vehicle charging points, for a somewhat more ambitious journey. Together, they decided to push the electric car boundaries even further.

The BMW i3 at the start line on Castle Esplanade. Massed bands just out of shot.

In a BMW i3 kindly loaned by Eastern BMW in Edinburgh (the very same car I tested back in June no less), the pair set off from Castle Esplanade for Monte Carlo, in a 2551 mile round trip beyond anything either had ever tried.

Whilst the trip south through the UK was nothing new for the pair, across the channel was a different story. "The charging infrastructure in the UK is extremely reliable, but on the continent was a bit of an unknown for me." explained Chris, who's no stranger to planning his ambitious journeys around charging stations.

Despite initial trepadation, and following a few hiccups after disembarking the Eurostar at the opposite terminal to the only charging point, Chris said the pair had little trouble once across the Channel "the drive through France was stunning, and the charge points worked perfectly."

The car, named "Monte" by the pair, wasn't allowed in the casino to gamble.

Upon reaching Monte Carlo, time was short as Chris and Terry had been invited to join BMW in London at the Formula E race the very next day, meaning they only had time for one quick zap through the famous tunnel on the Monaco F1 circuit before having to turn around and head back to the UK.

Thanks to their agreement to stick to the i3's 80-mile electric-only range, all 2,551 miles from Edinburgh to Monte Carlo, on to London and then back to Edinburgh were covered without a drop of petrol, and with total charging costs of only 55 Euros.

In France, the charging network is maintained by Sodetrel Mobilité, run by EDF, and charging costs €1.50 for a 20-minute fast charge. Enough time for a quick rest on such an epic journey, but staying within the car's electric-only range meant stopping more than 30 times to plug in, all of which combines to make it even more impressive that the pair made the voyage in just 60 hours.

Turns out you can spec your yacht to match your i3's paint scheme... who knew?