One of the biggest stumbling blocks to getting more people into EVs is no doubt range anxiety. This fear of running out of charge while you’re on the move… Or worse, needing to be late for something just because you need to top up your dead battery. However, the team at Driven to Extremes aims to prove that EV range anxiety isn’t something to be overly worried about.
To dispel the notion that EVs can’t manage long-distance driving, they set out to cover a monstrous 3,600-mile endurance run in under 5 days. In the course of 120 hours, they’d pass through 15 countries in their mostly-stock Kia EV6. Their starting point was Oslo, Norway, before driving through much of mainland Europe southwards into Lisbon, Portugal. It’s a massive undertaking.
Taking EVs To The Extreme
It wouldn’t be a continuous drive, of course. Rather, the team would drive in 200-mile intervals before stopping for a charge. So, it’s just as much of a test to see how good or bad Europe’s EV charging network really is. To meet those deadlines, the Driven to Extremes team will also rely on the Kia EV6’s 800V ultra-rapid charging, paired with publicly-accessible 350kW fast chargers.
That alone should handily recharge the EV6’s battery from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes. It’s able to go 328 miles on a good day, but the team opted to not overstress the EV6’s battery or powertrain. Instead, optimally taking a finding the best routes and charging networks during the 120-hour drive. The finish line was reached on September 9th, celebrating World EV Day.