Charging Stops on Long Electric Journeys

The difference between a stop and a delay

A charging stop that has been planned into a journey is simply a break, and most passengers would take one anyway on a long run. A charging stop that was not planned, at a site where the chargers are occupied or out of service, is a delay with no fixed end. The entire discipline of long-distance electric travel is about staying firmly in the first category.

That means the route is planned around specific charging locations with alternatives identified, rather than assuming something will turn up. For chauffeur work with an appointment at the far end, that planning is not optional. A route with identified alternatives behaves predictably; one without them depends on luck.

How charging behaves in practice

Charging is not linear. Rates are fastest when the battery is relatively empty and slow considerably as it fills, which is why topping up to a moderate level twice is often quicker than charging to full once. Cold batteries also charge more slowly until they warm, which affects the first stop of a winter journey particularly.

The practical consequence is that a well-planned journey uses shorter, more frequent stops rather than one long one. That happens to suit passengers too, since two short breaks are usually more comfortable than a single extended wait. It also spreads the risk across more than one site, which is the real benefit.

• Charging slows markedly as the battery fills
• Cold batteries charge slowly until they warm up
• Two shorter stops often beat one long one
• Always identify a backup site, not just a primary one

Network reliability and the backup plan

Charging provision on British motorways has improved considerably, but individual sites still vary in reliability and can be busy at peak times, particularly at holiday weekends. A single broken unit at a small site can turn a ten-minute stop into an hour. The defence is redundancy: a primary site, a secondary site further along, and enough remaining range to reach the second if the first fails.

Rural and cross-country routes need more care than the main motorway corridors. A journey through mid Wales, the Highlands or parts of the South West requires more deliberate planning than a run up the M1. Charging provision is thinner away from the main corridors and the gaps between sites are longer.

Where a passenger waits

Not all charging locations are equal for the person being driven. Some are at full service areas with decent facilities; others are in retail car parks with nothing nearby. When a stop is being planned for a chauffeur journey, the passenger's comfort should influence the choice as much as the charging speed does.

For a passenger who would rather not leave the vehicle, the cabin can be kept warm or cool while charging, which is one of the few genuine advantages of an electric car over a combustion one during a stop. It is one of the few respects in which waiting in an electric vehicle is more pleasant than the alternative.

Planning the journey honestly

If a long journey has a fixed deadline, the schedule should include the charging stop as a fixed element rather than as slack to be absorbed. That is the same discipline applied to traffic and weather, and it produces a plan that survives contact with a busy charging site.

Tell us the destination, the deadline and whether an electric vehicle is a requirement. The route, the stops and the margin are then planned around the real journey, and availability of any specific vehicle is confirmed at booking. Planned that way, the stop becomes part of the schedule rather than a risk to it.

Plan your chauffeur journey

London Chauffeurs provides itinerary-led private travel for airport transfers, executive travel, private aviation, events and long-distance UK journeys. Availability and pricing are confirmed for the requested itinerary.

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