After a year behind the wheel of an electric car, I believed I had mastered the art of public charging. That confidence was shattered during a recent return journey from a holiday in Minehead, Somerset, to my home in Folkestone, Kent. This 242-mile trip, which should have taken about 4.5 hours, turned into a frustrating ordeal that laid bare Britain’s inadequate EV charging infrastructure.
My 20-plate Mercedes EQC, with a maximum range of 235 miles, seemed perfectly capable of the route with just one quick recharge stop planned. Our initial outbound trip went smoothly, stopping at Amesbury Service Station, where efficient chargers added 120 miles in under half an hour. The £30 cost was a small price for the convenience and speed of the GridServe charging points.
Confident from this experience, I expected a similarly easy return. But when we stopped at Leigh Delamere Service Station on the M4, the reality was starkly different. Nearly all EV charging points were occupied, and users gathered around in frustration. Worse, these chargers were painfully slow and slowed down further when another car plugged in. After a half hour, we had barely gained 40 miles of charge, forcing us to press on to another station in search of faster charging.
READ MORE: Bath Rugby Player Ratings from Saracens Defeat: ‘Silenced the StoneX’
READ MORE: Somerset Funeral Notices: Honoring 25 Cherished Lives with Heartfelt Tributes
Our next stop was Chieveley Services, another 57 miles down the motorway, where we hoped for better luck. Instead, we arrived to find many chargers malfunctioning—some rejecting card payments, others failing to detect vehicles. Only one slot was free, and we found ourselves stuck, unsure whether we could reach home or the next charging station.
We waited, joined by other stranded EV drivers facing similar frustrations. Some drivers, out of desperation, parked in regular spots while waiting for chargers to become available or functional. Even a mother and son returning from Heathrow with just 15 miles of charge were caught in the chaos.
After nearly an hour, the charger finally started working. Though relieved, we had lost 1.5 hours, extending an already long trip with a young child prone to travel sickness. Was this ordeal necessary? Unfortunately, yes. While EV chargers are common at motorway services, their reliability and speed vary wildly, making long-distance travel a gamble.
The government plans to ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, except hybrids until 2035, amid a 40% surge in EV sales in March alone. Yet, the charging infrastructure lags dangerously behind demand. Fast chargers need to be ubiquitous and dependable, especially for those without home parking options. For now, long journeys in electric cars remain a risky venture, dependent on luck and patience rather than certainty.