DRIVING

Why charging points are hindering the electric car dream

The UK’s woeful charging instrastructure makes long-distance driving a nightmare, Pat Malone discovers

ALAMY
The Sunday Times

The Lake District is a long way from my place and I’m going there to cheer on a friend who’s taking part in a fell race. It’s a test of his stamina and mine, or rather my electric car’s. It’s the long-range Ford Mustang Mach-E that can supposedly take you 379 miles before recharging, but I’m beset by the kind of mental gremlins that afflict runners.

One hears wild tales of range overestimation and technical brick walls. I have to be back home in Cornwall the next day for business reasons. But it would allow me to answer the motoring question of the hour — can you replace your petrol car with an electric model if you drive long distances, for business or pleasure?

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