Glasgow to Oxford in an iX3 – easy peasy

Alastair Crawford, Account Development Manager at Tusker, drives a BMW iX3 through the Tusker car benefit scheme. Join him on a typical long-distance journey from Glasgow to the MINI Plant in Oxford — 390 miles each way!

No Home Charger? No Problem

Alastair doesn’t use a home charger, so he’s become a pro at public charging — with plenty of tips to share. His BMW iX3 (like most EVs) helps plan your trip, suggesting charging stops based on battery level and destination. Just punch in your route and the car figures out the rest — offering nearby options and alerts when it’s time to recharge.

Let’s start the journey

With 124 miles of range, Alastair sets off knowing he’ll need to add in a comfort break to recharge, luckily for him, the iX3’s SatNav maps out charging stops to keep things stress-free.

Charge Stop #1: Coffee & Charge

First morning pit-stop was at the IONITY chargers in Carlisle by Starbucks — ideal for both EV and driver. In 44 minutes, the car’s charged to 91% and Alastair’s back on the road. Watch the video below to see a full run-through on how to use a charging point (specifically the IONITY charging point).

Charge Stop #2: Quick Top-Up

After driving for 1 hour 40 minutes, Alastair needed a break to stretch his legs and use the facilities. Gridserve in Lancaster provides the ideal opportunity to top up the iX3 at the same time and in just 8 minutes, he charged from 55% to 66%.

Even during peak time there were no issues in finding a charger at this 27-charging point station!

Charging at MINI Oxford

The following day, Alastair attended his meeting and MINI kindly provided EV chargers— perfect for a full charge before the return leg. Alastair shares:

“It’s really handy having access to chargers on-site — it’s given me a full charge before my journey back to Glasgow and offers me options for either two short stops or one longer one on the way back.”

The Return Journey

Alastair stops twice on the way home as he needs to break up his mammoth journey:

• Stop 1: At 34%, he charges for just 22 minutes with a rapid charger at the IONITY chargers just outside of Doncaster.
• Stop 2: Later in the evening, at 42%, he stops at Gridserve, Scotch Corner Services for a comfort break and quick boost.

He notes: 

“People worry there aren’t enough chargers — but I’ve seen 20+ points at every stop. That’s more than most petrol stations!”

He also recommends the IONITY Passport:

“Public charging is more expensive than at home it’s just a fact. Contactless is 74p/kWh, but with IONITY Passport it’s 43p — a great saving if you drive a lot.”

“IONITY have a couple of membership packages which you can join, so it’s worth a look into especially for those of you who do a lot of mileage and travel like I do!”

IONITY are just one of a number of charge point operators who are improving the charging network in the UK – for more information on where your nearest chargers are, visit zap-map.com.

Are EVs a good option for high mileage drivers?

Alastair stopped four times, though he could have managed with three or even two if needed only for charging. When you factor in standard comfort breaks on a long drive, EV charging doesn’t add much time to your journey — and it ensures you’ve always got a place to park!

EVs are a great, practical option for high mileage and long-distance drivers, you don’t have to just take it from us, take it from Alastair and our other drivers that prove just how  easy and reliable EVs are to drive.