Webfleet returned as the Official Technology Partner for the A-to-Z EV Rally 2024. Our role included capturing electric vehicle data and driving behaviour, as well as participating in the rally. This article focuses on a specific electric van entered into the 1,400+ mile trip across the UK and discusses the key learnings from a week of planning, charging and driving to maximise its efficiency.
The How and Why: Featuring the Electric Van and Drivers
During the EV Rally, we entered two vehicles: a Volkswagen ID.7 and a Toyota Proace City van. While the ID.7 easily handled the distance, the Proace City van, with its 150-mile real-world range from a 50kW battery, posed a greater challenge. Despite its design for city use, we aimed to test the convenience of the UK’s charging infrastructure over the 1,400+ mile route. More details on our findings are discussed later in the article.
Introducing the drivers
Behind the wheel of the electric van were myself, Richard Parker, UKI EV Consultant and Steven Lewis, Corporate Sales Manager and recent EV owner. With our personal experience in maximising EV efficiency and familiarity with charging cycles and public infrastructure, we felt well-prepared for the challenge.
Adding additional payload
Understanding that an electric van typically carries a payload, we added 200kg of sand to simulate the load of a delivery driver or tradesman with tools. Using a vehicle weighing scale, we found that with the added payload, the van was at approximately 90% of its weight capacity on the front axle, including the weight of myself and Steven.
Why did we do this?
Why did we take on this challenge? We could have easily joined the rest of the Webfleet team in the Volkswagen ID.7 and completed the 1,400 miles. However, reflecting on our 2022 experience as sponsors of the GB EV Rally, where we entered a Nissan eNV200 courtesy of National Grid, we realised we hadn’t fully simulated real-world conditions. In 2024, we were better positioned to do so and had a reference point for the UK’s charging infrastructure from 2022. By conducting similar routes, we aimed to observe firsthand the advancements in the UK charging infrastructure.
The Planning Stage
Our initial plan was to maintain the battery charge between 20% and 80% for several reasons. Firstly, charging beyond 80% significantly slows down as the kW rate decreases to protect the battery, resulting in longer charge times. Secondly, since range decline varies across different vehicles and we added a 200kg load, staying above 20% ensured we could always anticipate our next charging stop safely. However, after just one day in the electric van, we realised this plan needed to be adjusted due to its impressive capability.
Our key learnings
So, after our initial plan, the electric van performed a lot better than we had initially anticipated. At the beginning of the week, we assumed the van would average around 110 miles of range, whereas it was running 150 miles of range consistently. Throughout the EV Rally we saw a varied amount of weather conditions and typography, combining this with the 200kg load, the electric van still maintained a consistent decline in range throughout the journey. This consistent decline meant it was easy to anticipate when the vehicle would need to be charged, allowing us to breach below the 20% range to around 10%. As a result of this, we then discovered that the van charges rapidly from 10% – 80%, meaning less dwell time for myself and Steven.
Steven provided valuable insights into the variation in charge times between 10%-80% and 30%-95%. “We noticed that charging from a lower battery range was much more effective for us, as the difference in time between the two charge cycles was substantial. Using a 150 kW charger, charging from 10%-80% took around 20-30 minutes, whereas 30%-95% took 49 minutes. Pushing to 100% would have taken an hour longer than charging from 10%-80%. We used this learning to increase our time efficiency and ensure we hit each checkpoint on the EV Rally on time.”
When discussing charging, it’s crucial to understand your vehicle’s maximum charging capacity to avoid using chargers that exceed your vehicle’s capabilities. For instance, our electric van could only handle up to 150 kW of charging. Therefore, connecting to a 350 kW charger would offer no additional benefit over a 150 kW charger. To optimise efficiency and keep ultra-rapid chargers available for those who could fully utilise them, we planned to use only 150 kW chargers throughout our route.
How did we perform?
Over a total of 1,527 miles, we achieved an impressive OptiDrive Score of 9.96 and an average of 4 miles per kWh. With an average speed of 40.4 MPH in urban and extra-urban environments, our performance was comparable to the Volkswagen ID.7, which averaged 43.6 MPH, despite the ID.7’s greater battery capacity.
Final thoughts
During our time on the EV Rally, the electric van provided us with valuable insights into the evolving landscape of electric vehicle (EV) technology and infrastructure. We were able to learn the battery behaviour and performance of the electric van, which we couldn’t previously anticipate, underscoring the importance of understanding each vehicle’s unique characteristics. Compared to our 2022 GB EV Rally experience, the UK’s public charging infrastructure has notably improved, with increased availability and faster charging speeds. This reflected the number of public charging sites now available in the UK, at just under 68,000. These advancements in EV technology and charging infrastructure have significantly enhanced the feasibility of seamless long-distance journeys, demonstrating the progress made in supporting the transition to electric mobility.
Has this inspired you to explore electrification for your van fleet? Or perhaps you’ve already started that journey? Book a call with one of our EV Experts to discover how Webfleet and our EV Partners’ offerings can support your electrification plans.