Having started their journey in Milton Keynes, an RAC patrol van equipped with the Charge Pod solution along with our team, joined the carwow Youtube video crew at Wetherby service station and followed the team for the remainder of their journey.
The vehicle managed to reach Bedale in North Yorkshire (c.190 miles) before the battery run out of charge, Charge Pod then gave the vehicle a boost, so it was able to reach a charging station. However, a problem occurred when the car reached the static charging point.
The charging station failed to recognise the power level that the vehicle could accept and as a result, it proceeded to charge the vehicle considerably slower than the said capability of the ID 3.
Coincidentally, when we arrived at Wetherby service station, we happen to spot an MG ZS being driven off a flatbed recovery truck accompanied by a very fed up EV user as we arrived. After speaking to the driver, he informed us that when he reached a charging station on his journey, it failed to operate. He then did not have enough charge to reach an alternative charger. As the MG driver had roadside assistance included in his vehicle warranty, he was very frustrated that he had to endure a sub-standard and inconvenient solution to his problem when Charge Pod is clearly more suitable for the circumstances.
With the uncertainty of the reliability of the current charging infrastructure, the importance for roadside assistance companies to provide a convenient and reliable solution for the problem of flat or severely depleted EVs is crucial as people begin making the switch to electric vehicles.
Catch the full carwow Youtube video here: I drove the Volkswagen ID.3 until it DIED! Review. – YouTube