Part 1 - Hi here’s the return journey from the one above so had a week in Buckinghamshire where I was visiting family and today it was time to come home
So last night car was fully charged via the granny box ready for today 12/08/21
If you read my last post you will see I said I was sure I could do this drive 195 miles thereabouts with out stopping to charge so here’s what happened the wife and I left Chalfont st Peter at around 12:30 and took the A 413 to high Wycombe shopping for a while there, so from there we pick up the A40 heading north to join the M40 so in total around 18-20 miles of A roads with some very big hills raining quite hard so wipers going lights on etc but no HVAC being used Recirculation switched to off and front windows open just a bit to stop any missing up.
You can See from the first three pictures below there is at 100% charge with 405volts and at switch on in normal mode regen 2 it’s reads 210 miles this is the cars Default
In Eco mode regen 2 it’s 221 miles
And in Sports regen 2 189 miles
These figures are important you will see why in a little while



I had done a ZAP MAP check to as i Thought while doing this trip I would check how Grid serve where getting on with their new rapid chargers on the Motorway services so we join the M40 at Stokenchurch Jn 5 still raining and I set the cruise control to 63mph fast enough in these conditions and for you know who sssssh
So onwards to Warwick services stopped here for the toilets and a quick KFC and to check out but not to use the chargers.
There are 2 Ecotricity here both where not working about right I suppose so the next pictures are at this stop after 73 miles



Onwards up the M40 and pick up M42 this is where the trouble begins nose to tail for miles after miles I have said many times I’m not going to use this road I think this was the first of the smart motorways but my o my is it the worse always ram jam busy but where here so just keep going on to the M6 not to bad at first able to pick a bit of speed again and it’s stopped raining but not going mad 65ish do for me then we get to jun8 M5 joins the M6 here gridlocked is the word I think crawling pace for a quite a few miles again so we get to Hilton Park service’s still fine on battery but I pull off to take a look at the chargers new Grid serve ones great, 6/8 weeks back Ecotricity ones where not working here now gone , but I don’t need them this time 122 miles done still got 51% and 120 miles in eco1 only around 75 to do so carry on




So we did so stopped off again at Stafford to have a look still Ecotricity not sure if they where working or not but they where not being used Interesting point at Stafford it’s a BP service station and just to the side of the fuel petrol/diesel station there was a little way from it is an area with 6/7 boxes in a line still in there wrapping could BP be setting up a rapid charger Facility here perhaps? A bit like they have at jun 27 on the M6 could be I think.
Still travelling north pulled off at Sandbach & Knutsford both now Gridserve and working I still don’t need to charge
We come off at jun25 calling at Sainsbury’s for some basic food stuff and park at home at 18:45 and these last pictures show what the car has left
Will now have to start a new post as this wont take any more pictures look out for Part 2 below