Our cars
The Skoda Enyaq – an electric SUV with range
Standard equipment: 13in touchscreen display, DAB digital radio, satellite naviga- tion system, lane assist, cruise control ad speed limiter, leather seats, front assist with assisted automatic braking, parking sensor front and rear, rear view camera, chrome roof rails
We take the Skoda Enyaq on a cross-country trip to see just how far its electric range will stretch. Richard Bush
Range anxiety is a term that gets thrown around a lot with electric vehicles. And I will admit that while on our 210-mile journey from Liverpool to York, I probably looked at the remaining miles clock on our Skoda Enyaq every five minutes. But I need not have worried.
The night before our trip, I ensured we had 100% charge in the tank, which equated to 266 miles on the clock. Between myself, my wife, the baby and a few overnight bags there was not much cargo to weigh us down, so I was optimistic that that figure was fairly accurate.
Around 30 minutes into our journey, which included a mix of urban and motorway routes, the battery charge fell by around 10%. This is quite common with electric cars – and even things like your mobile phone. After that, the rate of battery decrease noticeably normalised and I was rather impressed with what we were left with after our first stint. Google Maps put our outward journey at 97 miles. The Enyaq’s range fell by 98 miles – which is pretty bang on. It is worth noting that this first 100 miles was achieved through normal, not-so-eco-conscious driving – which is to say that it included 70mph motorway cruising, overtaking and junction darting. The Enyaq’s adaptive cruise with traffic sign recognition helped massively here, automatically accelerating and decelerating between speed limit zones to avoid unnecessary surges of battery loss.
46 | March 2022 |
www.businesscar.co.uk
Skoda Enyaq iV 80 Suite 82 kWh 204PS DSG
P11D price £41,415 As tested £46,090 Official range 327 miles Our average consumption N/A Mileage 545
Our return journey resulted in slightly different range results. Our 92-mile return journey took 127 miles off the clock – which is quite a big difference. The reason behind this might have been due to leaving York during rush hour traffic – and the surprising amount of uphill driving on the way out of the city. That, combined with the Enyaq’s initial 30-minute charge drop- off, perhaps skewed the figures slightly.
But, aside from a few hills and a bit of stop/start traffic, it was all smooth sailing, right? Not quite. To ensure we had surplus charge for our onward journey the next day, I wanted to plug in at a public charging station for a boost. This proved rather difficult. To my surprise, the actual number of public charging stations was not the issue – we encountered at least two in every single one of the five car parks we used. The issue was that each of them was either in use or broken, the latter being the most frequent issue. Usually, this can be rectified with a quick call to the number printed on the charging station, but not always. There is also the headache of having to seemingly download a new smartphone app at every charging station you visit, then subsequently create an account and add necessary funds to it.
However, the public charger system is capable of working well. On our second day, we found a 7kW public charger with a low 15p/kWh rate within a car park in the centre of York. While using this charger parking was free, which was a relief given the steep car park fees York infamously carries. So, for five hours of parking it cost us £1.20 in charging fees, instead of costing us £13.50 in parking fees – plus we left with a full battery.
After a long (ish) journey in the Enyaq, I am certainly finding myself looking at the remaining battery less and less, confident in the Enyaq’s abilities to stay true to its promised range. However, I feel less confident in the public charger system, and I will certainly make sure that for any future long distance drives I have a plan A, B and C before setting off.
Why we’re running it
To see how easy, or difficult, it is to incorporate an electric vehicle into a busy family lifestyle.
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