ELECTRIC vehicles (EVs) completed a 380-mile fuel economy marathon nearly as fast as the best fossil fuelled cars – and with amazingly frugal energy consumption the EVs topped efficiency tables.
Manufacturers of EVs used this year’s MPG Marathon to show again how cost effective and reliable they have become in recent years.
Two electric vehicles took part this year in the UK’s leading eco-driving challenge which was sponsored for the first time by Barclaycard Fuel+ in association with TMC.
EV marathoners
- Two EVs top efficiency tables in fuel marathon;
- BMW i3 completes the marathon returning diesel equivalent of 193mpg for just 3p a mile;
- Kia Soul manages diesel equivalent of 133mpg.
The EVs attempted the same two-day course as the line-up of conventionally-powered diesel and petrol cars and light commercial vehicles.
Like their competition, they had to stop at set checkpoints en route, requiring careful route planning to avoid ‘range anxiety’ and ensure they had enough power to complete the course.
Jerry Clist, maintenance controller at ALD Automotive, behind the wheel of a BMW i3 range extender automatic, covered 408.24 miles using 78.19kilowatt-hours of electricity and only 3.04 litres of petrol, an overall energy consumption equivalent to 105.6kWh.
The cost of this was £10.95 of electricity, based on the average UK price of 14p per kWh, and £3.38 of petrol, based on the average price of petrol of 1.112p per litre – or the equivalent of 3p per mile.
This trumped the 5p per mile achieved by the overall winners of the event, Mick Linford and Jemma Champion, who clocked up 104.50 mpg overall in a Peugeot 208 Active Blue HDi.
However, with the equivalent of 11kWh of energy in one litre of diesel, the i3’s overall energy consumption measured in terms of litres of diesel for comparison purposes with the Peugeot, meant that it returned the equivalent of an astonishing 193.4mpg.
In the other EV, a Kia Soul, were Sam Young and Chris Lilly who completed the course in a total of 370.96 miles and used 139.7kWh of electricity, which equated to an energy cost of £19.56 over the two days, the equivalent of 5p per mile.
Again, for comparison purposes with the overall winners, the Soul’s overall energy consumption measured in terms of litres of diesel meant that it returned the equivalent of 132.8mpg. As with the i3, the Soul was able to use public charging points which in many cases provide the electricity free of charge.
This year’s MPG Marathon comprised a combined total of approximately 380 miles across the Oxfordshire/Wiltshire/Hampshire countryside. Contestants were free to plan their own routes, provided they included a number of pre-agreed, fixed points, which made keen navigational skills essential.
All participating vehicles were again fitted with TRACKER tracking equipment so that event organisers knew exactly where each car was and how far it had travelled.
