A Bright Road Ahead For Electric Vehicles As MAXUS Showcases Savings At Great British EV Rally

This month, saw 50 electric vehicles take part in the Great British EV Rally – a 1,200-plus mile route from John O’Groats to Land’s End to highlight the efficiency of the UK’s Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

The Rally also served to showcase some the best clean and innovative vehicle technology on the market. Among those taking part was MAXUS, a brand that has become synonymous with market-leading commercial electric vehicles in the UK and beyond.

Hot on the heels of its all-electric display at the CV show, MAXUS became a key sponsor of the Great British EV Rally and used the event as an opportunity to push its electric vans to the max and show just what customers can achieve when they switch to electric.

Speaking about the EV rally, Mark Barrett, General Manager of Harris MAXUS said: “MAXUS takes its leadership role in the EV sector seriously, and it was important for us to be a part of this event. Saving money on fuel costs and cutting down on carbon emissions are front of mind issues for businesses everywhere right now, but many are still holding off on switching to electric due to range anxiety or concerns over electric charging infrastructure. But over the course of the GB EV Rally, it’s been proven that operating a 100% electric fleet is no longer ambitious, it’s realistic.

“Continuous advances in technology and battery range mean there’s an electric commercial vehicle for every journey and the infrastructure is there to support it. The fact is, commercial vehicles make up a huge amount of the total volume of vehicles on UK roads and this is an important sector that will need to switch to electric if the UK is ever going to meet its target of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050. By driving the 1200-mile route in our zero-emission MAXUS fleet, we have evidence that shows that by switching to electric, drivers can save an average of 5 tonnes of carbon emission as well as saving on fuel costs.”

MAXUS has invested billions into EV innovation since 2016 and this investment is evident in its two flagship electric Light Commercial Vehicles (eLCVs), the eDELIVER 3 and eDELIVER 9, both of which were central to the success of the GB EV Rally. In fact, MAXUS had two eDELIVER 9 vans (both with an 88kW battery) and two eDELIVER 3 vehicles (featuring a 50.2kW and 52.5kW battery respectively) take part in the EV motorcade to Land’s End.

Over the course of the rally, the MAXUS fleet of EVs traversed down through Scotland towards Leeds before hitting Rockingham Race Circuit. It then headed across to the GridServe charging facility in Braintree, Essex before heading west, stopping at Bristol and Cardiff, and then on to the final leg of the journey to Land’s End in Cornwall.

Documenting each vehicles’ progress was MAXUS Intelligence Onboard, a bespoke Intelligence Onboard Solution which offers data driven insights regarding state of charge, energy used, energy cost, charging data and improved range. Available in each vehicle as standard, MAXUS Intelligence Onboard allows EV fleets to better optimise and monitor their vehicles to ensure they are operating productively.

Between all four vehicles, MAXUS Intelligence Onboard recorded a total of 5,506 miles driven over the five-day event, with 2073.49 kWh of energy used (an average of 2.74 miles / kWh). During this time, the corresponding financial outlay for MAXUS was approximately £622, based on 30 pence a kW. If a diesel or petrol engine vehicle had been used, at £8 a gallon, it would have cost £1,467 highlighting a saving of £845 in energy costs.

As well as showcasing motorway and roadside charging options, the Rally also aimed to educate EV adopters on how best to maximise range while driving. MAXUS brought Paul Kirby, eLCV Expert at EV Essentials, on board to highlight these tips through social media during the five-day event. Paul’s top tips included avoiding hard acceleration and breaking and instead driving as smoothly as possible – by always looking as far ahead as possible and maintaining a good distance from the vehicle in front, drivers can minimise their speed adjustments and keep a nice steady constant pace, thus extending the battery range.

While driver technique is important, the EV vehicle you choose can also affect just how much juice you get from a charge. Both the MAXUS e DELIVER 9 and e DELIVER 3 have an Eco Drive Mode Setting, which when activated, limits van speed to just under 60 miles per hour, extending the range of the vehicle with the touch of a button. The vans also come with automatic break regeneration which puts power back into the vehicle, so you get more miles for your kW.