NO POWER
I bought an EV and hate it – electric cars are so frustrating and journeys take ages… I cried in a car park
AN EV owner has revealed he was left crying in a car park because his new ride was so frustrating to deal with.
Ed Cumming was left with a "sinking feeling" when he tried to take a trip in his new electric Skoda Enyaq.
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Writing for , he explained how range anxiety and a lack of proper charging infrastructure left him "weeping tears of pure frustration" outside an Ikea store.
On a journey from London to visit relatives in Hampshire, he was left panicking as he pulled in to the "last charge saloon" by the furniture store, only to find it full.
Ed wrote: "I pulled into the car park, where my satnav had indicated several electric charging points. Seeing them, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach.
"A delivery van was parked at an angle, splayed across three spaces so it didn’t stick out into the road. Another car was in the final slot, charging patiently.
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"There was no room at the power inn."
This apparently came after he had tried two other charging stations, only to find them both out of service.
He was then forced to queue for the charger at the Ikea or face running out on the roadside.
This extended the usual hour and 45-minute drive well beyond the three hours he had budgeted for it.
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And even when he did finally make it to Hampshire, the misery did not end.
Ed explained that when he tried to use a rapid charger at the local Waitrose, he arrived only to be told by drivers leaving the car park that it, too, wasn't working.
He then had to drive around in heavy rain to find another charger and wait for the motorists ahead of him to finish up yet again.
He fumed: "I had always thought the whole point of a car is its predictability.
"There’s less choice in rural areas. Sometimes none.
"Without our own charging point, an EV introduces new things to think about."
Overall, his experience left him feeling "flat" and he slammed the charging infrastructure in the UK today as "pitiful".
It comes after a man who bought the UK's cheapest EV blasted it as "rubbish".
Meanwhile, a major car brand is discontinuing its diesel models next year as it pushes towards an all-electric lineup.
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