End-to-end 894-mile journey for £20 – and zero emissions
The route from John O'Groats to Land's End represents a well-trodden path.
Every year, hundreds of well-meaning athletes cycle, jog and drive the near-900 mile journey from one end of Great Britain to the other, often with the aim of raising valuable funds for good causes.
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Kevin Sharpe, founder of Zero Carbon World, and David Peilow in their electricity-powered Tesla Roadster at Land’s End
But two motoring enthusiasts think they may have finally set a record as the first duo to manage the journey in an electricity-powered vehicle – and all at a cost of around £20 in fuel.
Kevin Sharpe, founder of Zero Carbon World, set off from John O'Groats in his electric blue Tesla Roadster along with environmental expert David Peilow, both taking turns at the wheel.
It took them just over two days to reach their southerly destination. This was the first end-to-end trip of the UK in a production electric car. It was completed in a similar time to that of a petrol vehicle, except their journey was completed with zero emissions.
The drivers reached Land's End with stops to charge up using a combination of Tesla high-powered chargers and medium-power chargers donated by ZCW along the way.
The historic drive combined the Electric Tesla Roadster's long range with the current national charging station infrastructure.
The total 894-mile feat is estimated to have used no more than £20 worth of electricity.
Electric vehicle owners can now enjoy the benefits of their cars as they tour Great Britain, and conveniently recharge while having a meal, using leisure facilities, or indulging in an overnight stay. Tesla's High Power Chargers (HPC) deliver 70 amps of electricity, fully charging an empty battery in less than three hours.
Complimenting the HPC network, Zero Carbon World, a charity dedicated to creating a clean energy future, has installed medium power chargers (MPCs), delivering 32 amps, at several sites throughout Britain.
Founder Kevin Sharpe said: "We're delighted to have reached our destination in Cornwall in this environmentally-friendly way. The longest hop was 161 miles from Ackergill Tower to John O'Groats and back down to
Aviemore.
"For the 900 miles at commercial rate – 7p per unit – we estimate the total cost as £20."
The eco-friendly jaunt comes after Cornwall Council last year announced plans to roll out a fleet of electric cars and docking stations designed to cut the council's carbon emissions and reduce its fuel bills.
6 Comments
by ZCW2011
Wednesday, June 15 2011, 10:05AM
“@homerjay Electric and hybrid cars create more carbon emissions during their production than standard vehicles – but are still greener overall, according to a new report -
http://tinyurl.com/69e36z6
@JAM1989 11% of UK's electricity goes on the refining process of fuel. That means we could shut down 1 in 10 of our power stations if we didn't have fuel driven vehicles. We have enough electricity to run 30 million electric vehicles – now! Electric Vehicles require less electricity to run and are therefore less expensive and 'greener' i.e. emit less carbon during the 'fuelling' process and emissions from driving than standard cars, hence why you can travel 900 miles for £20. Afterall, since when have energy companies charged that little for fuel if it requires a lot of electricity? Think about your quarterly electricity bill...
@JCSTP Thanks for your support, a new article with corrections will be published today and don't get too mad at people who don't know what they are talking about!”
by homerjay
Tuesday, June 14 2011, 8:41PM
“jctp... whose talking i.c.e? This article is about zero carbon and electric cars which is a misnomer!”
by jcstp
Tuesday, June 14 2011, 7:56PM
“@homerjay and internal-combustion-cars are made from air?”
by homerjay
Tuesday, June 14 2011, 7:29PM
“After all, we'll need all that crude oil for use in producing all that rubber and plastic in the energy and material hungry production of those electric cars powered via mains powered teslas. Zero carbon? Hardly. ...Max Power”
by jcstp
Tuesday, June 14 2011, 5:56PM
“they did the "end-to-end" in 2 DAYS !!!!!!!!!!!! not 2 weeks!!!!!!!”
by JAM1989
Tuesday, June 14 2011, 1:29PM
“I love the way that people think a electric powered car is the answer to all our problems. Um where does the electric come from? An non-renewable source no doubt.”