What Car? BMW i3 long-termer

[johnmcilroy]

The weekly updates on the i3 continue to pile up. Thought I'd post a link to the latest one, though, because it details a return visit to London when the charging infrastructure actually worked!

Still haven't forgotten the idea of a meet-up, either. Remember how I said late June? Then late July? What comes next....?

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/july/1302136

Regards to all,

John

 

[johnmcilroy]

Hi all,

Our time with the i3 REX is coming to an end - but I've had a bit of a crazy idea on how to say goodbye to it. I'm going to drive it to my parents' for dinner. We're based in Teddington, south London. They're based in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. And I'm going to try to do it all on no more than a tank of fuel.

Do you reckon it's do-able? I've managed to acquire a charging card for the ESB Ecars network in the Republic of Ireland, so I reckon I can get from Dublin up north without too many issues. And I believe there's the option to 13A charge as I cross the Irish Sea...

But I'm a bit worried about day one of the trip, which will take me from Teddington to an overnight halt (and overnight charge) in Liverpool. I can CCS the i3 back up to full charge after a short squirt round to Beaconsfield services, but then I'm at the mercy of Ecotricity up the M40. And beyond that, the ZapMap looks like the wild west once you're north of Birmingham.

All advice gratefully received. Am I totally mad for even trying this?!

Regards to all,

John

 

[RJSATLBA]

Have a look at Ecotricity's map. It shows a CCS on the M6 at Stafford Days Inn and another next to the M62 at IKEA Warrington.

 

[johnmcilroy]

Thanks for that. I've noticed one at IKEA in Walsall too, which looks about a mile off the M6, so that's do-able (and very useful as I head north).

I hear nasty things about trying to use an i3 with Ecotricity's non-CCS chargers, though...

Regards to all,

John

 

[BoMW]

Maps showing stations is one thing, whether they work is another as I have experienced on many trips

 

[Boxbrownie]

Or finding them without an ICE vehicle festering quietly in your space! Our local ASDA has four free spaces for EV charging, I do not think we have EVER been shopping there without seeing every space filled with ICE cars, when I asked at the customer services I just got a blank look as if they didn't even know they had charge points there!

Good luck with you epic drive, look forward to your tales of looking for a box of 'D' cells to wire together to get you going in the middle of nowhere