Navigating ‘range anxiety’

Switching to an electric vehicle brought a new kind of anxiety – but I’ve found ways to manage it

 I was never a ‘car’ person. If the vehicle got me from A to B without breaking down, wasn’t too big or too small, had no nasty smells (spilt milk, hot chocolate, cat pee), no mould in the crevice between the windowpane and door frame and no suspicious clanging or clunking, I was happy. And if it was red, white, or blue, that was a bonus.  

So, last year, when my husband suggested trading in our tired, ageing, petrol-blue Skoda Karoq, which I considered part of the family, for a brand-new electric vehicle (EV), I was more than a little hesitant. But change is good, necessary even, and while the jury may still be out on the environmental benefits of the EV, there are lots of reasons to reduce the use of fossil fuel. So, I agreed, gave him my short list of requirements, as outlined above, and trusted that, as always, he knew what he was doing. Like many people, I aim to be environmentally aware: Recycling, avoiding fast fashion, choosing Irish-grown food, and trying not to clock up too many air miles. I live in a well-insulated house with add-on solar power and have (albeit unintentionally) re-wilded most of the garden. So an EV was a congruent purchase that did not raise too many eyebrows among friends and family.  

My journey began with a steep learning curve, almost like having a new baby: A whole other level of planning and scheduling. In the early days, I frequently yearned for my familiar Skoda, for the smell of the filling station forecourt, for the hose wrestling, and even for the disapproving looks as I returned to the car having spent too much time trying to choose between jellies and chocolate. I have been driving for years, but driving an EV is a new and challenging experience. 

My learning began with one of my first trips to Cork Airport to collect my son and his girlfriend. When it was time to leave, I realised I had forgotten to plug the car into the home charger and might not have enough charge for the journey. A quick Google search told me there was a public charger in Cashel and that it was available. It might have been available when I left Killenaule, but the Cashel charger was in use when I arrived. I waited 20 minutes for someone to return to the station, but nobody came. I had about 20 kilometres over what I needed to get to the airport, so I took a chance and resumed my journey. But the kilometres disappeared faster than they should have. I rang my husband. “Did you not read the manual?” he asked. I read for enjoyment and car manuals are not enjoyable, so no, I had not read the manual. He went through a checklist. Drop your speed, turn off the air conditioning, the radio, unplug your phone, freewheel as much as possible, and you should get there. 

“But what if I don’t,” I wanted to ask. “What if I run out of battery, and the car stops on the motorway, and someone crashes into it and kills us both? Could that happen? What was he thinking getting an electric car? What was I thinking, taking it on a long journey totally unprepared?”

Fortunately, there was no catastrophe. I got to the airport, found a high-powered charger and had the car back up to 80 per cent after about 40 minutes. (It’s no fun sitting in a dark car park for 40 minutes after travelling all day, but the youngsters were tolerant and didn’t complain.) On the journey home, I couldn’t help noting the disappearing kilometres and imagining that some external force could still leave me powerless on the motorway. Recently, I learned that such ‘range anxiety’ is common among EV drivers. Batteries in electric cars are unpredictable. They depend on the type of driving, the weather, and the terrain incline. Driving too fast, frequent acceleration and braking, temperature extremes and strong winds all reduce the battery life. 

But, like other forms of anxiety, I found ways to manage it and have made my peace slowly and steadily with my EV. Nowadays, I plan my journeys, leave plenty of time for charging breaks, try to drive consistently between 80 and 100 kilometres an hour, keep the car between 20 and 80 per cent battery charge, consider if I really need the heating or air conditioning, and keep an eye on the weather forecast. I have downloaded every available charging app and always keep the payment cards in the car so that I can use any available station. 

I no longer miss the filling station forecourts, enjoy having more time to choose chocolate and jellies, and even magazines to read, while I wait. And I certainly don’t miss the fuel bills.

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