The Octopus electric roadshow through Europe

Our Octopus group weren’t alone on this journey. Becoming a member of us was an eclectic mixture of Octopus prospects and particular friends, every bringing their very own distinctive perspective on EVs and vitality.

Mick, the creator of Power Stats UK, got here alongside to crunch the numbers and see simply how environment friendly this journey could be. We additionally had artist and activist Elijah in addition to Sarah, (higher generally known as ‘Sarah Go Inexperienced’ on X) , who launched us to her trusty EV named Dennis. She was on a mission to see if she might full the complete journey to Berlin and again on simply six expenses. Spoiler: she acquired fairly shut.

Lengthy journeys don’t should be a race. Probably the greatest elements of EV journey is the chance to decelerate and benefit from the experience (until you are Mick – who took the competitors of attending to the resort first very critically!)

We hit the highway with no meticulous charging plan, and no worries about the place we’d discover energy—one thing that may’ve been unthinkable only a few years in the past. As a substitute, we had the Electroverse, Octopus Power’s common charging community, giving us quick access to chargers throughout Europe. Our solely plan was to drive, discover, and let the highway unfold earlier than us.

Driving by way of France, Belgium, and Germany, we shortly realized that road-tripping in an EV isn’t nearly getting from A to B—it’s in regards to the journey itself. At one among our charging stops, we discovered ourselves at a picturesque seashore, sipping espresso and enjoying volleyball whereas the vans topped up. One other cease led us to an outdated coal mine that had been remodeled right into a butterfly backyard—proof that the world is altering for the higher. These have been the sorts of locations you’d by no means discover in the event you have been dashing from one ugly petrol station to a different, on the aspect of the freeway.

For a few of our friends, this was their first time driving an EV in Europe. They anticipated a problem – infinite looking for chargers, lengthy waits – however the actuality was far simpler than that they had imagined. “Actually, after they mentioned about doing a highway journey in an electrical automobile to Europe, I assumed, ‘No manner, that feels inconceivable. But it surely’s simply been simple,” one of many group admitted.

The know-how made all the pieces seamless. Electroverse confirmed us the quickest 350kWh chargers alongside the best way, which means we barely had time to stretch our legs earlier than we have been able to hit the highway once more.

One of many journey’s largest surprises? How low-cost EV journey is. We examined quite a lot of vehicles, from luxurious efficiency BMW’s to Sarah’s tiny however mighty electrical Volks Wagen. The fleet solely wanted a mean of 5 expenses every manner, and even probably the most energy-hungry automobile didn’t spend greater than £200 on charging (that is lower than a petroleum automobile would have been). In the meantime, probably the most environment friendly automobile made it to Berlin and again for simply £120 – and if we had all been charging at house on the Clever Octopus Go tariff, it might have been even cheaper!

After 2,000 kilometers, 5 completely different international locations, and quite a lot of roadside adventures, we arrived on the Berlin Power Tech Summit, proving that EV’s aren’t some futuristic fantasy: they’re right here, they work, they usually make road-tripping extra enjoyable than ever. This journey wasn’t nearly attending to a vacation spot. It was about proving that highway journeys, journey, and on a regular basis journey are higher after they’re electrical.

And in the event you’re questioning whether or not to make the change – properly, 93% of EV drivers say they’d by no means return to petrol. We all know we wouldn’t.